Why Not?

One of the great things about living in a foreign country is the way it forces a person, in this case me, to wipe their slate of preconceived notions clean and start over. Perhaps a person can get by without doing this; however, I believe that it eases the transition into the new culture, and keeps the foreigner from constantly asking the question "why?" instead of "why not?". In Korea there are so many different ways of doing things, that I must constantly remind myself to clear my slate so that I don't make the mistake of qualifying certain Korean behaviors in relation to American customs. It seems second nature to sort foreign customs and behavior in relation to one's own; however, I often remind myself that other ways of doing things make as much sense as our own, even when it is the polar opposite. For example, last week I received a gift on my desk, as did all the teachers at my school, and it was a wedding present from a young, recently engaged female teacher at my school. It was wrapped nicely, and I thought it might be a box of chocolates or some other frivolous gift, because it was in celebration of her marriage. The fact that the young fiance was giving others presents when it was she who was getting married is a custom that I am now used to. It seems that when there is a special occasion to share, like a birthday, a newborn baby, a wedding, a retirement, small gifts are offered to OTHER people in celebration of good fortune (which actually makes a lot of sense, because it is a way of sharing the good fortune with others). I had already added this behavior to my ever-growing list of Korean customs and did not think it odd to find a gift on my desk from Ms. Kim (the fiance). I opened the gift and it was two boxes of toothpaste, the most popular brand that is used in Korea, like the equivalent of Crest in America. Here I had to remind myself, once again, to refer to the clean slate of reference and instead of asking myself, "why?" ask myself, "why not?" In fact it makes perfect sense that one would give toothpaste; it is a very practical gift that is sure not to go to waste, and maybe Americans are absurd for giving frivolous party gifts that may never get used or eventually end up being sold in the family garage sale. I mean why WOULDN'T you give someone toothpaste. Such practical gifts are not limited to these occasions, but also Chuseok, and I'm assuming it will be similar at the other large holiday, where families give each other gift packages full of toothpaste, SPAM (Koreans eat SPAM) and maybe some cooking oil or toothbrushes (these gift packages can be purchased at almost any supermarket). At school, when students compete on "Sports Day" they compete for a large package (like 18 rolls) of toilet paper! That is the grand prize; I mean, tell me that a large package of toilet paper won't get more use than a plastic three foot trophy that will eventually be broken and thrown in the garbage! Recycling is another way in which Koreans are incredibly efficient, they have compost garbage cans where all left over food goes and everything else is recycled as well, plastic, paper, etc. This is a way of life, not a trend, and it's efficient. The list goes on and on... the way they squat over porcelain holes in the ground, rather than sitting down on toilets, so that your body never touches any part of the porcelain. Also, the custom of removing one's shoes before entering the house; therefore, leaving the dirt and grime of the street outside the house, and reducing the amount of times it is necessary to clean one's house. (This also means that when you are eating, should something fall on the floor, it is appropriate to just pick it up and pop it in your mouth.) We have our own reasons to justify our behaviors, but there are as many, if not more good reasons to justify the behaviors that I've observed in Korea, and perhaps it is not I who should be asking them "Why do you do that?" but they who should be asking us, "Why don't you do that?"