A few weeks ago I was ambling towards the bus stop when the number 2002 came roaring down the road. Breaking into a sprint I made it on just in time. As the bus pulled away I took a note from my pocket and put it in the box. And then I groaned. I had accidentally paid 10 000 won (about five pounds) for a bus journey which costs just 1 000 won (about 50 pence).
As I watched the note disappear there was little I could do. Most bus passengers put in the correct change. The machine does give change, but not 9 000 won worth. I sat down and comforted myself with the thought that at least I had learnt a valuable lesson - the 10 000 won note is green and the 1 000 won note is purple.
The bus driver however had other ideas. He wasn't happy with this state of affairs so as each new passenger got on he told them to give their fare to me rather than put it in the box. So slightly bemused oncoming passengers gave their 1 000 won notes to an increasingly embarassed foreigner until the debt was repaid.
It really was a wonderful thing for him to do. I suppose in most other countries the bus driver would have just shrugged and muttered the local equivalent of "shit happens, pal". After all, bus drivers have a hard enough time dealing with the public and the traffic without having to worry about some slow-witted foreigner to boot. But showing extra consideration for the foreigner is a very Korean thing to do and, in this respect, the bus driver was a fine ambassador for his country.
***
It's getting hot now and that means that many Korean women are seeking protection under parasols lest the sun darken their skin to even the slightest extent. Some Asians look on a tan in the same way that the Victorian English did, i.e. that it's a sign that a person is lower class. By ths rationale, only those unfortunate enough to have to work outdoors get a tan. As well as parasols, some women invest in skin-whitening cream to further enhance their paleness.
It's strange because in the West, the opposite is true. In Europe to have a tan is a good thing. It's considered healthy to have a bit of colour in your skin. Indeed I saw a report on BBC World the other day about the health risks to girls in England who spend hours each week in tanning salons trying to get that Mediterranean look.
But whether people think they're too light or too dark, for me it's all part of the same phenomenon: being concerned about your appearance to an unhealthy extent.
***
A few friends and I were having samgyeopsal, a delicious Korean dish, the other week when the waiter got talking to us. He told us that it was his mother's restaurant and he only worked there during the evenings because he had a full-time job as well. When I asked what he did, he said he ran his own company, employing twenty people.
How strange that the waiter taking our order must have earnt more money than all of us put together. I'm quite sure that, when his mother asked him to help, it never even crossed his mind to say no. It probably didn't even occur to him to say "Sorry, Mum, but I work all day in the office so I just want to put my feet up in the evenings."
I suppose what I'm trying to say is that, in societies based on Confucianism, the attachment to family is far stronger than it is in the West, where the individual is king.
***
I'm glad I'm not a Korean kid. Those guys have it tough. From a very young age they're expected to work incredibly hard at school, much harder than Irish children. And not just regular school either. Attendance at private English schools (or hagwon) is virtually total. Many children also go to piano hagwon, maths hagwon, taek won do etc. Then when they get home in the evenings there's a pile of homework to be done and, if they're not lucky, a disgruntled parent wanting to know why they "only" got 95% on this or that test.
Despite all of this, the kids I teach every day are almost always outgoing and positive. Sometimes, inevitably, they are tired. Occasionally they are barely able to keep their eyes open. But in spite of the demands put on them, I usually find them alert and receptive, always keen to learn the name of a new animal which may, in their opinions, resemble Teacher.