In the next election, ATEK doesn’t need a manager, nor someone who is still playing at student government. ATEK needs a leader.
Author Archive > Koreanalyst
Jumping the Asymptote: What’s Been Going On
Long-time readers of Hub of Sparkle know that I cross-post many of my articles at Jumping the Asymptote to HoS. What you may not know is that since August, I’ve actually been living in China. The Great Firewall of China has made it difficult to post both to Jumping the Asymptote and to Hub of Sparkle, [...]
Wondergirls Debut in Portland
In an aside from my usual comparative cultural commentary: The Wondergirls opened their first show for the Jonas Brothers World Tour in Portland, on a stage-in-the-round, dancing to all four sides. Judge crowd reaction for yourself, via these fancams: Nobody (English) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKqeGGKNRxA Tell Me (Mostly English) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSYFZU0srL4
Total Eclipse of the Sun Headed Our Way
Via The Washington Post: A total solar eclipse will occur over Asia and the Pacific Ocean — for 6 minutes and 39 seconds — on July 22. Eclipse expert Fred Espenak, of the NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, offers details.
Driving in Korea vs. America
From Jumping the Asymptote: There are definite differences in the Tao of Driving between the USA and Korea. In America, the rules of the road dictate our behavior. Drivers follow most of the rules most of the time. In the USA I’m always irritated when a car changes lanes or turns without signaling first, because [...]
The Korean Female “Cutsie” Act
(Slightly refurbed from its original appearance on Jumping the Asymptote) I’ve noticed for some time that some Korean women have a tendency to talk in a high voice and have a kind of coquettish, childlike way about them. Often enough for me to to recognize a pattern. So I talked to a couple people and [...]
Beauty
Originally posted on Jumping the Asymptote, comes observations on Western and Korean thoughts about beauty: In the United States, if you tell a person of the opposite sex you don’t know well that they are attractive, it is commonly taken as an expression of interest. Since everyone knows this, its usually said for specifically that [...]
This Sandwich is None of Your Business: The Availability of Choices in Korean and American Culture
Americans buying goods or services like lots of choices so that they can customize something exactly they way they like it. Koreans are less accustomed to such an array of choices, and are used to taking what is offered. Both ways can be frustrating to the other culture.
Upon Leaving Your Culture, Sometimes Your Culture Leaves You, or, EXPATS GONE WILD!
I’ve been turning over in my head why it is I encounter behavior from foreigners that I suspect those foreigners would not display in their home countries, and I also have encountered behavior from Koreans that I know those Koreans would not display towards other Koreans. I’ve arrived at some tentative conclusions. First, societies are [...]
Dating: “No,” Means “Try Harder,” Unless It Means “No.”
I ask a lot of Koreans questions regarded to dating, because I find the differences in dating practices and “dating cultures” to be interesting. About a year ago a Korean friend told me that she ignored her current boyfriend for about a month when they first met, because she wanted him to “work hard” to win her affections. She was testing him to see what he thought: was she worth a month of rejection and refusal? Would he persevere because he thought she was special? Was his affection strong? His persistence was eventually rewarded with her affection.