Interesting things about Korea...

Since I've been here for over a month, I've had some time to ponder all of the things that I find interesting about Korea...
1. It is not unusual to see a girl take a cell phone picture of herself to see how she looks. If she doesn't look good, then she'll fix herself and take another picture until she is satisfied with the way she looks.
2. Women are not to smoke in public places, so they all smoke in the bathroom.
3. Couples dress alike. And when I say alike, I mean down to their underwear. They sell couple underwear. They will wear the same jacket, pants, gloves, hats and shoes. Its truly a sight to see.
4. If a girl is with her boyfriend, then he will carry her purse. And I mean they will proudly wear the purse, not just hold it.
5. Food comes out when its ready. Generally everyone shares everything, so this isn't that big of a deal. But being an only child, I don't like to share, so it really sucks when my food doesn't come out for a while.
6. Food is eaten when it is piping HOT!! Some of the soups come out boiling and it is eaten quickly. I don't know how they do it. I love pizza more than anyone I know, and I've burned the heck out of the roof of my mouth more times then I care to remember, so I think that the Koreans must be immune to burning the roofs of their mouths.
7. The children go to school from 8 a.m. until 9 p.m., then they have to go home and do homework. I mean they have regular Korean school until noon, then take all different kinds of lessons until 9 p.m. I have no idea how they do it. I loved having free time and playing when I was a kid.
8. You can buy groceries, clothes, furniture, and fast food all in the same building. (My favorite place is right by my house and its called Home Plus).
9. You have to bag what ever you purchase. The bags aren't free, you have to pay for them.
10. Korea is big on recycling, so you have to separate all of your recyclables as well as your food garbage, this gets dumped into a bin without a bag. For all other trash, you have to purchase a different bag. (I have been fighting this since I arrived, and now there is a notice up at my building, they are monitoring our waste disposal with closed circuit tv "CCTV", and if we don't we will be fined $500 USD)!!
11. All of the tv shows are showed in their entirety and the last tin minutes are all commercials.
12. The bathrooms are all tile, for efficient cleaning.
13. There are no dryers, I have to hang everything, including socks and towels... have you ever just washed and hung a towel, then try to use it. Lets just say its like a Brillo pad!
14. The subway system is amazing, along with all of the public transportation systems.
15. Pork and beef are the preferred meats here, along with seafood. Boy how I miss turkey and chicken. Don't get me wrong, I eat chicken here, but its not as prevalent as at home.
16. The coffee is mostly instant. It is not at all the same as home. So glad there are plenty of Starbucks and Coffee Beans here, but the coffee is a bit more expensive.
17. The floor heating is the best. We should have this in the US.
18. The bars are open until 6 a.m.
19. People can be found eating at all hours.
20. There is a ton of food delivery, too bad I don't know how to order in, especially in this freezing cold!!
21. Cosmetic surgery is very common here. Women tend to get their eyelids done or have their chin/jaw bone done. And if there is a little mark on someones face, you'll most likely see a skin covered band-aid on it the next day.
22. You can buy fruit or seafood on the street. I see it everyday while I walk to school, and bought some strawberries yesterday for $5, and they were the best strawberries I've ever tasted!
23. Its impolite to pour your own drink. And if you are pouring a drink, then you must touch the arm that you are pouring it with your free arm. This shows that you don't have any knives or other things. Its a sign of respect. This also goes for exchanging money.
24. The women wear high heels every single day, no matter what. I can't begin to tell you how many times I've almost fallen down from the snow/ice on the ground. And they walk with such grace, its crazy!
25. Its always a rush to get in/out of the door. There is no such thing as ladies first here. I was on the subway, and there was a woman in a motorized wheelchair and I looked at Alexandra and asked her "Should I still try to go first or should I be polite and let her go?" I've fully subscribed to the "ME FIRST" idea...who would have thought?!

Well, that's about all I can think of for now...