ADAPTED FROM THE ARCHIVES
26 MAY 2017

So I did a five-and-a-half month stint in Orlando, Florida at Walt Disney World, where I recorded a few things I noticed or found interesting about America*. Here they are:

*Note that I've primarily lived in Singapore and Australia and can only offer up my opinions in that context.

Getting around
Driving/walking on the right side instead of the left. This is an obvious one. I found myself walking on the right even after I returned to Australia, which confused myself and the pedestrians around me.

Walking around by myself. Hmm. Not sure what I meant by this, but perhaps I noticed it a lot more that I was travelling around by myself more frequently, instead of with family or friends.

Traffic/road rules. One rule I can recall faintly is that vehicles could turn on a red signal in some cases. The first few times it happened, I was quite taken aback.

In Singapore and in Australia, all cars are legally required to have car plates at the front and back of the car. Most, if not all, cars in Orlando only had car plates at the back. The first couple of cars I saw that did not have car plates at the front, and I thought, "Wow, people must really like stealing car plates here".

Communication style
It is inevitable in the process of communication that you learn about the other person. However, what I noticed in my conversations with Americans while working in Walt Disney World (Americans came from all over the country to work there), is that communication was not so much a mutual exchange of information, but it was where two parties sequentially offered information about a topic, bouncing their ideas/thoughts off of each other, but without direct acknowledgement that the other had said anything relevant at all.

As a result, I had to learn to be a little narcissistic, and to talk about myself more. I noticed that this type of conversation occurred in Australia too (as compared to Singapore, where conversations occur by asking the other questions, then an acknowledgement and a little commentary is offered). In America, though, I found that 90% of the time, not much "conversation" occurred unless I started talking about myself to the other person.

We learn at a young age that when someone says "Thank you", you should say "You're welcome". However, I think that people in Singapore and Australia generally do not practice this way of speaking. We usually say "No problem" or "All good". Imagine to my surprise when I thanked my colleagues/friends in America, and they actually said "You're welcome" to me! I think we generally associate "You're welcome" with sarcasm, insincerity and sometimes when we do say it, we mean it as a joke. But these Americans were certainly saying it straight-faced, without an ounce of insincerity or sarcasm.

Money
An aspect of American culture widely portrayed in popular media and culture is tipping. I was under the impression that I had to tip everywhere I went, but found out that tipping was only applicable for restaurant-type services (i.e. not fast food chains), or personal service (e.g. taxis). The 'market rate' while I was America was 18% if you thought the service was average, and around 20% if you really liked the way they served you. Anything less than 18% meant you thought the service was bad, though you would still tip regardless. I was also pleasantly surprised to find that, if you were paying with card, you could specify the % amount of the bill you'd like to give as tip, thus saving you any tricky mental calculation business.

As with quite a few other countries, e.g. Japan, the amount you see on the tag is not necessarily the amount you will end up paying at the counter as there is still to be tax added on. I found this annoying, especially when paying with cash, as I would always be fumbling with my money, instead of coolly giving them the right amount.

Food
Ah, food, always an interesting topic.

I'd never seen white eggs before, and I mean white. I thought they were bleached, but it turns out America has a type of chicken that produces white eggs. In fact, the light brown eggs I was so used to seeing were rarer and more expensive in America.

This one I knew of beforehand, but I was still boggled by the fact that there was so much sugar in everything! Particularly in bread, one of the things I would've thought did not need sugar. I would have to pick up each loaf of bread, read the ingredients for sugar and all its variants (brown sugar, maple syrup, molasses etc.), then after repeating 3-4 times, I would finally find a wholegrain variety that did not have any sugar. What a weird world we live in.

I'm a little sad I can't remember this fully. But I noted down in 2017 that America has great fast food. I'm used to soggy bread and lukewarm meat, but both the bread and meat are tasty in American fast food.

Another thing I noted down was that "it's not American if it doesn't come in small packaging in large packaging". What an environmentalist's nightmare!

And so 2.5 years later, thus ends my list of observations while living in America!

------------

It's funny, I just looked in my drafts and remembered that I previously wrote a post titled 'Existential Crisis?'. Now, the only reason I looked in my drafts was because I was feeling kinda out-of-sorts again. Since my last post, which was actually drafted in August, I'd actually gotten the hang of working and weekends. It's only recently that I started feeling the monotony of it all, though I'm not entirely sure if it's because it's a 9-5 desk job or it's just because work is a little slow right now. Either way, I've realised I actually don't like routine all that much, and I very much prefer something with more variety, to keep me on my toes, so to speak.

Note: Unfortunately I don't know when this was originally written. But if I had to take guess it would sometime from Oct-Nov last year.

Labels: thoughts

------------

To save this memory for posterity, here's a breakdown of the receipt of the time I treated my family to dinner with my first proper paycheck.

New Shanghai, 226 Queen St, Brisbane, QLD 4000
Table #7

1	#201.STEAM. PORK DUMPING 小籠包	$9.00
1	#206. SPRING ONION PANCAKE 蔥油餅	$7.40
2	#304.ST. MEATBALL BROTH 8.00 原盅清蒸蟹粉獅子頭	$16.00
1	#404. CRISPY CHICKEN NOODLE 山東手撕雞湯面	$15.70
1	#418.STEAM RICE (per bucket) 白飯（每桶）	$7.00
1	#515.RAINBOW BEEF 幹煸牛肉絲	$20.60
1	#601.SAUTEED SNOW PEA 清炒豆苗	$15.80
1	#607.MOPO TOFU 麻婆豆腐	$14.30
1	#1613.SRIRA-SHU	$15.00
Item(s) SUBTOTAL		120.80
GST INCLUDED		10.98

Monday 31-7-2017 6:36:09 PM

Labels: experiences

------------

I'm in a bit of an existential crisis of sorts. I come home from work (which I do thoroughly enjoy) and all I do is sit around and stare at various screens all over again. I don't know what I'm doing. I feel lost, like I'm missing something important. I think I sleep enough, and yet everyday I wake up lethargic, and go to bed feeling worn out and unacomplished. Perhaps, I've thought, it could be that I'm missing travelling, of exploring new places and encountering new sights and sounds. And yet, the very thought of having to pack and plan and be overwhelmed by new stimuli leaves me with a certain dread and inhibition. Or maybe I miss the independence of living abroad, of being in control of how I decorate my living space or cooking what I want when I want. And yet, I foresee that to be 'independent' would mean a loneliness so profound (for I wouldn't want roommates). It would mean nights of almost no meaningful interaction after a day of work, and it would mean a life without my loving family by my side (who cook for me as well).

I'm lost, adrift in a sea of my own doing, my senses seemingly deadened by what's happening around me. Maybe I should just answer this yearning to just leave it all, to have concern for nothing and to live for myself, as is common nowadays. And yet, I don't think life is all about travelling to exotic locations and eating good food, contrary to what social media tells us. What I do know is that God has called us to a higher purpose, and that I am His child and He is my God. I seek solace in that.

I don't know the answer to my perceived existential crisis, but I do know that from the time I started writing this, I feel slightly lighter, like a weight has been taken off my chest. I haven't written in a while, but it sure feels good to do so. Maybe I'll write a little more.

Labels: thoughts

------------

Hello! So it's been about a month since I came back from my 3-week exchange at Yonsei University 연세대학교 in Seoul, and it was honestly one of the best decisions I made. I'm planning to do up a quick photo/journal-style blog for each of the 25 days I was there (if there was anything interesting accomplished that day), which means that it will take "a while" for it to be done.. But for now, here's a quick little post on a few observations I made while in Korea, and my thoughts on them.


Bad driving
My gosh, do South Koreans drive terribly! And I thought China was bad. While I was in Seoul, bus drivers obstinately filtered into oncoming traffic, cars honked at each other all the time, taxis swerved in and out, and sometimes even traffic lights or signs were ignored. On the positive side, it must take a fair amount of skill and courage to drive in Seoul but as for me, I'll stick to safe ol' Brissie roads!

Seongsan-ro 성산로, Yonsei Uni


Ubiquitous beauty stores
I knew Korean beauty was a huge enterprise, but truly, they were everywhere! In more well-visited areas like Myeongdong, it was not uncommon to see stores like Tony Moly, Etude House, Missha, The Face Shop, Nature Republic, Skinfood, Banila Co and so many others jostling for your attention as you walked past them. For someone as inexperienced with Korean beauty as I was, they were places you went into, wide-eyed at the type of products, number of options and the myriads of colours available at every store. Then you turn the next corner, and behold, the same few stores are there too, and you wonder how franchising 3 stores within a 500m radius makes a sound business strategy.

As overwhelming as it was, going into those stores was exciting and fun (except for the fact you'd probably leave with your pocket that little bit lighter). Although that feeling of excitement died away a little in the middle of my trip owing to the overexposure to those brands, but towards the end, when I had to buy a few more things on my list, going into the stores rekindled that excitement and made me wish I knew that little bit more about Korean beauty. But I'll be back! Hopefully wiser and more prepared to tackle your cute packaging and overwhelming beauty choices!


Homogeneous fashion/beauty
It might have been the fact that it was winter, but it felt like everyone sorta looked the same.

For girls: Hair worn down and fairly straight/relaxed, no hair accessories, black eyeliner, a thick layer of pale BB cream, a red/pink gradient lip, a parka/coat, dark jeans, sneakers/boots.

For guys: Well... they kinda have more limited clothing choices so I'll excuse them, but they basically wore coat/parka, dark jeans, boots/sneakers.

I think what really surprised me was that unlike what I was made to believe, South Koreans don't seem to wear beanies or gloves that much. All those 'street-style' photos you see of cool Korean girls wearing beanies and a couldn't-care-less graphic top just weren't there! But again, it was winter; people care more about staying warm than getting snapped by street photographers, and I'm willing to make a concession that spring or fall would be a better time to people-watch.

Images from pinterest by searching "stylenanda winter"


Couples everywhere
By the second week, I started to notice couples everywhere holding hands/wearing their couple clothes etc., and I couldn't help but wonder: was there something wrong with me? I'm normally pretty confident in my singlehood (heh) but something about being surrounded by a considerably-higher-amount-of-couples-than-in-Brisbane/Singapore made me feel slightly insecure haha. If so many people my age have found their other half, surely I would have found someone by now? I can see why sogaeting 소개팅 (Korean-style speed dating) would be socially acceptable there. Since coming back to Brisbane, that awareness of being single has pretty much diminished to what it was before.

E.g. at the Ihwa 이화 Mural Village


Heating systems
Ahhhhhhh, nothing was better when I was outside in the cold than coming back to a room with heated flooring. This was reminded me of my trip to hot spring territory (i.e. near Rotorua) in North Island, New Zealand, where the toilet floor was deliciously heated to a nice toasty temperature for my feet. Talking about heating, the metal seats on Seoul's subway trains were also surprisingly heated--it was so warm at one point that I actually started sweating a little.


Sanitary issues
Why, oh why, when Seoul is so fantastically high-tech (see: technologically-advanced heated train seats!), we can't even flush our toilet papers down but have to throw them into a primitive wastebin at the side?? This is reminiscent of the toilet system in Taiwan, or China, where I've heard that the reason for this phenomenon is because their waste pipes are just too small to cope with the extra volume of toilet paper. Granted, I may have faced more of this problem due to the fact I was staying at International House (double room with shared bathrooms on each floor), in comparison to most of the other people in the WAY program, who were staying at Global House and had their own private bathrooms. Come every weekend (thank goodness I only experienced three of them), when the wonderful cleaner had those two days off, the toilets' wastebaskets became piled up with swaths of toilet paper and the stink intensified greatly. I only spent the required amount of time in there, and I got out pronto. Although most toilets I went to, whether in public or at uni, were as primitive as this, there were a wonderful one or two that had fancy biodegradable toilet paper which could be flushed down the toilet. Still, I expected better from you, Korea.
(Sorry, I didn't mean to spend such a long time talking about toilets, but this was a major gripe of mine.)


Further thoughts
Interestingly enough, I think Seoul is actually a lot like Singapore and China combined. It has the advancement and commercialisation that Singapore is known for, yet has the disorder and gross habits (smoking and spitting, ew) that China has. In that way, it was pretty familiar to me.

Seoul was also familiar in the sense that quite a few of the people there not only spoke fluent Korean, but could speak Chinese as well. This proved to be pretty helpful for me, especially in those beauty cosmetic stores and some of the busier food places as well. Definitely a bonus when you're bilingual! (It also helps if you can read and understand a little Korean as well, since not everything is in English).


xx

Labels: korea, seoul, thoughts, travel

------------

« Older posts | Newer posts »