Huh?

For the most part I love Korea and all the things that I've been experiencing here. But every once in a while there are things that make me lift my eyebrows in shock and think "really?", and there are some things I can't seem to get used to. Here are some examples.

1. Koreans apparently don't believe in paper towels. In bathrooms there are hand dryers, which is fine. But sometimes there are no hand dryers, just a big roll of toilet paper to use to dry your hands. This is highly annoying because the toilet paper falls apart.

2. People don't say they're sorry when they bump into you or cut you off. I don't think it means they're rude, it's just culture. Someone told me it's because there are so many people here and if you said sorry to everyone you bumped into, you'd be doing nothing but saying sorry all the time. I get that, but it's still hard to get used to.

3. There are trucks that drive around selling stuff (fruit, socks, etc.), and these trucks have a very loud speaker announcing what they're selling. I find the noise pollution aggravating. Maybe it would be better if I actually understood what they were saying. But when I was sick I got woken up by one, and I'm afraid I will hold a grudge forever.

4. The driving is crazy. Really crazy. The few times I've ridden in a taxi or taken a bus, I feared for my life.

5. They eat pickles with their pizza, and they're sweet pickles. I hate sweet pickles. They also put potatoes and corn on their pizza. This is actually not too bad, but slightly different.

6. When shopping the sales people tend to follow you around. This is their version of customer service, and perhaps they're trying to be helpful. But it feels like they're watching me because they're afraid I'll steal something. I really want to scream, "Leave me alone!" But I refrain.

7. Tons of people smoke. I heard 40% of the population smokes, and they can smoke in public places. I was spoiled by California.