PDA: When it comes to this topic there are two important pieces of information, if you’ve grown up in Western society you would to some extent think a bit of PDA is cool and would expect your partner to initiate sometimes. When it comes to Korean culture, well PDA is quite disrespectful. I remember having an argument with my boyfriend over the phone one day and shamefully thinking to myself, that my boyfriend probably doesn’t want to hold my hands or kiss me in public because he’s embarrassed of having a “weigukin” girlfriend. I remember confronting him about this over the phone, and he gives me a little chuckle and tells me that kissing and making out in public is seen as being disrespectful towards the Korean elders who mostly have a traditional mindset. In Korean culture and other Asian cultures such as China and Japan, age plays a very important factor and elders pretty much rule. Unless you want a scolding from an Ajumma or Ahjussi, I highly recommend keeping the PDA to a minimum.
Eating: Yes as stupid as it sounds, we've had arguments over eating. Seongju oppa often complains about how slow I eat and I complain about how fast he eats. When Korean people eat, everybody usually tries to eat at a similar pace. I eat too slow, so Seongju oppa just eats at his normal pace. Oppa also doesn't fancy the idea of conversing while eating, so the conversations usually begin after the meal is over. So, it can get rather quiet at times when eating together.
Working routine: Most Korean guys I've heard of are workaholics, and they usually work most days of the week. Seongju oppa for example, only gets Sunday's off and so we meet up every Sunday. Whenever we meet up, he is sleeping most of the time and feeling lethargic due to his strenuous working schedule. We usually end up relaxing at his house, so we haven't really had much proper dates. This was especially a bummer when we just started dating due to keeping that "spark" ignited. But as time continued, I came to the realisation that this will continue to be a normal part of our daily lives. Korean guys are highly future-oriented, and they will be thinking about the type of house, amount of children, marriage ceremony and the amount of money required for such expenses prior to even discussing it with their partner.
Phone calls: Most of the time my phone is on silent mode, and I usually don't see the calls until later during the day. There have been instances, where I have gone somewhere far forgetting to tell oppa, and he retaliates with six phone calls or so and a whole heap of kakao messages. Ladies and gentlemen, one of the aspects which Korean dramas portray which deems true in reality, is how clingy Korean boyfriends and girlfriends can be. Actually, I wouldn't say "clingy" it's just the normal pace of relationships in Korea. I would say, it is best to send a short message AT LEAST once a day informing him of your daily undertakings and whereabouts to prevent him from getting overly worried.
Weather: Me and Seongju oppa have frequent arguments over the weather. Well, when the sun is out shining I usually like to take advantage of the weather and have some fun outside. Seongju oppa however, nags me to stay inside during humid weather as he wants to protect his milky white skin from the suns rays. This is very common in Korea, and you will usually see Ajummas carrying around umbrellas, wearing wide brimmed hats and most Korean cosmetics will usually have some kind of SPF built into it. Basically this whole white skin ideal has pre-existed in Korea since traditional times, and is constantly fulled through the Korean media. This is especially evident within K-pop, where "dark skinned" idols such as EXO Kai and SISTAR Hyorin are made fun of by their members, while "light skinned" idols such as Miss A Suzy and BTS Suga are praised for their pearly-white complexions. However, I usually end up smacking some sense into oppa and convincing him to come and play with me outside ㅎㅎㅎ
Phone habits: For this, I am going to re-enact a scene for you readers.
On the train heading out
-Seongju oppa on his phone while I'm just staring outside the window-
*KAKAO...KAKAO...KAKAO* IS WHAT I HEAR LIKE VERY FIVE SECONDS....WHENEVER I HEAR THAT SOUND I JUST WANT TO RIP SOME PAPER UP OR SOMETHING. I mean I really love Korean people, BUT WHY DO YOU PEOPLE HAVE TO BE SO ADDICTED TO YOUR GODDAMN HANDEU PHONES!?! I MEAN SOMETIMES I FEEL I CAN NEVER WIN TO OPPA'S PHONE ㅠ_ㅠ
So I've done a bit of research and understand that:
1. Koreans replying to each other straight away is cultural etiquette, and a delayed response can be viewed badly and make the person on the other end feel rather uneasy.
2. Koreans, compared to other countries, live a very fast-paced modern lifestyle. Everything is done in a hurry or "bali bali" as Korean's say most things are usually done as a collective, and the smartphone is regarded as the ideal tool to accord with Korea's extremely fast-paced lifestyle. Moreover, I have heard that Korean's like to look busy, whether its the art of going on their phones or just giving others the impression that they are keeping busy with school, work and university as this is viewed very honorably by other Koreans.
I'm sure there's way more things me and Seongju oppa argue about, but when it comes to mind these are the top things we argue about. I am really curious about other Weiguk-Korean couples, and would like to hear about some of the things you guys frequently argue about. So, please let me in on it! ^^
Working routine: Most Korean guys I've heard of are workaholics, and they usually work most days of the week. Seongju oppa for example, only gets Sunday's off and so we meet up every Sunday. Whenever we meet up, he is sleeping most of the time and feeling lethargic due to his strenuous working schedule. We usually end up relaxing at his house, so we haven't really had much proper dates. This was especially a bummer when we just started dating due to keeping that "spark" ignited. But as time continued, I came to the realisation that this will continue to be a normal part of our daily lives. Korean guys are highly future-oriented, and they will be thinking about the type of house, amount of children, marriage ceremony and the amount of money required for such expenses prior to even discussing it with their partner.
Phone calls: Most of the time my phone is on silent mode, and I usually don't see the calls until later during the day. There have been instances, where I have gone somewhere far forgetting to tell oppa, and he retaliates with six phone calls or so and a whole heap of kakao messages. Ladies and gentlemen, one of the aspects which Korean dramas portray which deems true in reality, is how clingy Korean boyfriends and girlfriends can be. Actually, I wouldn't say "clingy" it's just the normal pace of relationships in Korea. I would say, it is best to send a short message AT LEAST once a day informing him of your daily undertakings and whereabouts to prevent him from getting overly worried.
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| Scene from 'Ex-Girlfriend Club' Ep 11 |
Phone habits: For this, I am going to re-enact a scene for you readers.
On the train heading out
-Seongju oppa on his phone while I'm just staring outside the window-
*KAKAO...KAKAO...KAKAO* IS WHAT I HEAR LIKE VERY FIVE SECONDS....WHENEVER I HEAR THAT SOUND I JUST WANT TO RIP SOME PAPER UP OR SOMETHING. I mean I really love Korean people, BUT WHY DO YOU PEOPLE HAVE TO BE SO ADDICTED TO YOUR GODDAMN HANDEU PHONES!?! I MEAN SOMETIMES I FEEL I CAN NEVER WIN TO OPPA'S PHONE ㅠ_ㅠ
So I've done a bit of research and understand that:
1. Koreans replying to each other straight away is cultural etiquette, and a delayed response can be viewed badly and make the person on the other end feel rather uneasy.
2. Koreans, compared to other countries, live a very fast-paced modern lifestyle. Everything is done in a hurry or "bali bali" as Korean's say most things are usually done as a collective, and the smartphone is regarded as the ideal tool to accord with Korea's extremely fast-paced lifestyle. Moreover, I have heard that Korean's like to look busy, whether its the art of going on their phones or just giving others the impression that they are keeping busy with school, work and university as this is viewed very honorably by other Koreans.
I'm sure there's way more things me and Seongju oppa argue about, but when it comes to mind these are the top things we argue about. I am really curious about other Weiguk-Korean couples, and would like to hear about some of the things you guys frequently argue about. So, please let me in on it! ^^
