Right now, I have time to check my 8,000 plus e-mails (seriously) and chat with my friends.
During our conversations, some of my friends who are K-drama and K-pop fanatics
bombarded me with questions about Korea.
I honestly don't mind. I've worked as a Goodwill Ambassador of Korean Tourism last 2007 and 2008.
I love the country. So, it's natural for me to speak good things about Korea.
But in another chat room with friends and acquaintances together,
Some of them told me that while they are K-drama fanatics, they have bad impressions about Korean people.
Here are some of their impressions:
1. Korean people are racists.
My friends heard that Koreans don't like "poor-looking-dark-skinned-flat nose- short-people". I heard this too plenty of times. But, for the past 13 years, I haven't met any "racist" Korean yet. I met hundreds of Koreans and some of them are my friends and I am glad none of them are racists.
I am not saying they are not racists. I just haven't met one. If ever there are Koreans who are racists, I think they are being racists not because they are Koreans but because that's their character. They think of themselves as " highly superior" than other people. They want to feel good by insulting others. This character is not limited to Koreans. You can meet a racist person anywhere.
2. Koreans are rude to foreigners.
Korea is always in the list of top favorite destinations of tourists, so this impression is absurd. I myself wouldn't come back to Korea again and again if they are rude to foreigners like me.
Actually, it is safe to get lost in Korea because there would always be someone who would help you find your way. They are polite and helpful.
In my experience, they are not "extremely" friendly but if you smile at them, they would smile back. Sometimes, they are misunderstood as "snobbish" when in fact, they are just shy to talk to foreigners because some can't speak English well. This doesn't mean they are being rude. Also, isn't it a natural reaction to be careful of people you just met?
3. Koreans are violent and harsh people especially the men.
I am not sure about this because I haven't met any "violent" Korean yet.
Korean men may not always "open the door" for ladies and allow them to go first....but this doesn't mean they are not gentle at all.
My friends got this bad impression from K- drama scenes where a Korean man would slap the lady or hit the back of her head or pull her strongly. What you see in the drama doesn't always happen in real life.
My friends asked me if it's not "scary" to travel alone in Korea. I said "definitely not". In fact, I highly recommend Korea to solo travelers. Because, not only are people nice but it is also one of the safest country I know. It is safe to roam around even at night. Plus...good food are everywhere if you happen to be a "foodie"
If you'll ask me if they're all nice and good people? Of course not! Expect that bad people are everywhere. But so far, I haven't met a "bad person" yet in Korea and I was never treated badly.
4.. Korean ladies don't eat to stay slim.
Most of my Korean friends are ladies and they all love to eat. I learned from them that it is possible to stay slim and still eat 3x a day.
Their secret? They move and walk a lot.
If you're going to take the subway, you really need to walk and go up and down the stairs a lot (although you can choose to take the elevator or escalator).
Most Koreans take the subway when going to and from work to avoid traffic and it's the fastest, cheapest and easiest way to go from one place to another. Walking towards the station and transferring to another train burns a lot of calories.
Another tip is they eat healthy. Aside from eating lots of veggies and fruits, they eat Kimchi and they drink Barley tea almost everyday - these two helps in controlling weight by speeding up the person's metabolism.
Plus, a lot of Korean ladies now are into Yoga and Pilates.
They are normal people. Of course they eat :)
Please wait for part 2 :)
