Superstitions: Americans vs. Koreans

Umbrellas drying indoors.

   The theme for this post came to me during a rainy day in Seoul. Unlike a true Portlander, I find myself not only bringing; but also using an umbrella when it rains. A revolutionary invention really. There is this device that keeps me dry in the rain and adds a cute accessory to my outfit. However, as soon as my feet cross the doorway that umbrella better be closed; even to the point that I will even close the umbrella five or ten feet away from the doorway-- just to make sure no bad luck comes my way. This superstition is not shared here. Outside my classroom, and other hallways, students can find umbrellas open indoors to dry. This silly scare of believing bad luck was near lead me on a curiosity hunt. I asked lots of my Korean friends what their personal superstitions were and what were some common ones of Korean culture.
   Before I expose all of theirs, I'll start with mine. For those of you who know me personally, I have a tattoo of my exact racing goggles from my swimming career. Before every race I had to have my goggle bungee straps tied at the end otherwise I would not do well. I now have that superstition permanently marked on my body (you can see it at the very top of the tattoo if you click the link).
   The first on my friends to respond told me that their superstition is that if they fail the first round then they know they will fail the rest of the game. That means they always have to win the first round. The second said that every time there is rain on the day they have a test they know that they will fail. However, interestingly enough many of my friends claimed they did not have any superstitions on their own.

   The well known Korean superstitions I learned include the following; many of them including death.

• Sleeping with the fan turned on can lead to your death.
• The belief is that the fan circulates the air so that you end up choking on your own carbon dioxide.
• If you see a spider at night you have to kill it or it will bring bad luck.
• Do not write a persons' name in red ink.
• Some say this because it is the color of blood. Others say it is because this was the color used to write the names in the death register. 
• Four is an unlucky number.
• The reason the fourth-floor button in an elevator is F is that the number 4 is similar sounding to the Chinese word for death.
• Giving your lover the gift of shoes means that they will walk away from you.
• Whistling at night brings ghosts and spirits. 
• Do not lie in the North direction
• During the Cheoson Dynasty, many graves were placed to lie in the North Direction.

For my non-American friends; many common superstions in the United States include the following.

• Beginner's Luck
• The common idea that people who are trying a game or sport for the first time will win.
• Penny's are good luck
• I personally have the superstition that only a head's up penny is good luck. If I see a penny with the tail side facing up I will leave it. 
• Black cats crossing your path will bring bad luck.
• Don't break a mirror or you'll have seven years bad luck.
• Knock on wood.
• Many people will say or even do this action when they've said something that might bring them bad luck. It is supposed to keep it from happening. 
• Don't open an umbrella indoors.

   Honestly, in the United States alone I can think of multiple more superstitions. Most likely due to the mixing of all cultures. This topic I've been set on for a week has me interested in all superstitions of all cultures. What are your personal superstitions or the superstitions of your culture?

One Day in Seoul, South Korea

Palace and Skyscraper

   This Wednesday I had the day off of school for a national holiday in South Korea known as Hangeul Proclamation Day (I wrote about this day on my other blog. Click here if you would like to read more). My friends and I took this opportunity to follow the itinerary of places to see in Seoul. The Day in Seoul Itinerary listed the top locations of; Gyeongbokgung Palace, Bukchon Hanok Village, Changdeokgung Palace, Insadong, Namdaemun Market, Myeongdong, Namsan Seoul Tower, and Dongdaemun. The article I read says that you can do all in a day; which I definitely think is possible. However, a bit of a stretch; unfortunately my friends and I did not make all the destinations on the list. My friends and I started our adventure just before noon--which probably accounted for our inability to make all the stops.

Gyeongbukgung Palace Guard

   First was Gyeongbokgung Palace. A quick stop due to the large number of crowds gathering in the grounds for celebrating the holiday. We seemed to arrive just at the end of a Changing of the Guards Presentation and were able to catch men in uniform leaving the palace grounds carrying flags. We also saw many people there dressed in traditional Hanbok wear and taking photos. We decided to make plans to return and visit the palace more thoroughly.
   If you are visiting Seoul anytime soon, I recommend this palace as well. If you are a history buff it is a great place to experience the culture and history of the city. If you are not, the contrast of the traditional palace surrounded by skyscrapers is enough to leave anyone in awe.
   As you are leaving the palace be sure to get a photo with the guards out front; but please respect them and do not touch them. I watched a guy in front of me try to put his arm around one and they are very quick to assertively and politely require their space.
   As we left the palace, the courtyard across the street was also filled with people celebrating the holiday. Along with numerous amounts of people,
there were also countless numbers of police; although they did not all appear to be on duty.

제 친구; 조지예요

   After the palace, we began to make our way towards the Bukchon Hanok Village. What would have been a short 15-minute walk took us almost 45 minutes. The area around the palace is filled with beautiful modern art and pastel-colored buildings that made for a great impromptu photoshoot.  We also walked past an art museum that had a display outdoors filled with families and their children playing in the structure, as well as other young women taking photos of each other.
   When we finally arrived at the Bukchon Hanok Village we almost passed it. The area of town is very clearly a mix of traditional housing and modern shops, but the main street of the Hanok Village is tucked away in the back. While walking around you can find shops and traditional tea houses. We stopped at one at the base of the hill. An old house had been turned into a traditional tea shop. Upon entering you are asked to take off your shoes and then you sit on a pillow at a traditional kneeling table. We each ordered a different tea and rice cakes. Each tasted amazing and the atmosphere of the place was a great relaxing point in our adventure.
   We finished exploring the village-- with plans to return-- and began our way to the next stop.

      

    The next stop on our list was Changdeokgung Palace. We had hoped to go into the secret garden, however, due to the fact that we arrived close to the time of closing and knowing we had plans of returning we decided to continue on to Insadong.
   This would have been a great place to enjoy a multitude of cheap street food, but all of us were full so we took a rain check on this as well. In Insadong you can find many different shops selling antiques and souvenirs, but some of the places to find items to buy is from the street vendors. Not only are the prices cheaper, but the people selling them seemed more wanting to join in casual conversation.
   We pasted an accessory shop having a sale where I bought some new glasses frames for $10 and a novelty of soju earrings.
   This marked the end of our day. We could have continued on with the list and probably make it to all the stops. Myeongdong and Namsan Seoul Tower are great to visit at night, but we all had our Korean midterm the next day, so we decided to call it a day and make our way home to finish our night with studying.

Last Weekend- In Korean

지난 주말에 광교호수공원에 친구랑 갔습니다. 제 친구 이름은 홍병찬입니다. 일요일에 병찬이와 만났습니다. 저는 병찬이와 함게 함박스테이크와 파스타를 먹었습니다. 함박스테이크가 정말 맛있었습니다. 저녁 식사 후, 우리는 걸었습니다. 밤에 광교호수공원이 아주 예뻤습니다. 호수에 우리는 앉았습니다. 우리는 산책을 했고, 많은 이야기를 나누었습다. 지난 주말은 정말 즐거웠습니다.

In English: " Last weekend I went to Gwangyeo Lake Park with a friend. My friend's name is Hong ByeongChan. On Sunday, Chan and I met up. Chan and I ate Hambak Steak and pasta. The food was very delicious. After eating, we walked around the lake. The view at night was very pretty. We sat by the lake and talked. I had a lot of fun this weekend.