I have not written an in depth blog in a while for two reasons: 1. Nothing exciting has really happened 2. I have felt unusually comfortable in Korea for the three weeks I’ve been here. With that being said there were a few things I noticed that Koreans were uncomfortable with.
Before I arrived here I was told many things about Korean culture. One of those things was how widespread smoking is in Korea. I’m not a heavy smoker, usually it’s only when I’m drinking or heavily stressed so knowing Korean culture was ok with smoking made me feel a little better. When I arrived, I found it be true! However, one thing that stood out was I only saw men smoking. For the first two weeks I was here I never once saw a women smoking. Apprantely smoking in public (at least for the older generation) is not proper appropriate for women. Now I have seen a few younger women smoking at the university but it is not a common occurrence.
The other thing I noticed that was about Keimyung University (KU) campus that was in contrast to Sam Houston State University (SHSU) was that the LGBT community had no presence. It is not uncommon to know or see someone of the LGBT community around SHSU campus, but I learned that in Korea it is not something that has been accepted. I was told if someone is LGBT they would not normally tell anyone for the fear of being ostracized. They do not deny that there are LGBTs but do not want to be associated with them because they fear other people would think they are the same. My professor mentioned a person who was some kind of T.V. personality that came out they he was gay and afterward lost his job and was unable to obtain another one for many years.
So, that’s it all folks. The end of Today I Learned segment! Questions?