I moved to America from Korea two years ago. Since I moved to America, I have seen many things here are so different from Korea. However, I will talk about only a few things: animals, kindness, the size of the countries, entertainment, and postal matters.
Animals? It's kind of an unexpected subject for me too. Surprisingly, for me at least, there are many squirrels in America. They are everywhere I go. Squirrels are not common in Korea. It is very uncommon to see wild squirrels in Korea. For Koreans, seeing a squirrel is a big deal. In America, no one cares about squirrels, and some people don't even like them. No one looks at squirrels very closely. That was really interesting for me.
In addition, there are many lightning bugs in America. Whenever I go to my husband's parents' house, I see a lot of them in the front yard. The last time I saw lightning bugs in Korea, I would guess I was 5 years old. Nowadays, there are no lightning bugs in Korea. I assume this is because there are so many industrial factories in such a small country. However, America so much bigger than Korea that even though there are many factories, it's not as polluted as Korea.
Kindness is a funny subject as well. If you are an American, please do not expect Koreans will hold doors for you when you are in Korea. Holding doors for someone is usually awkward for Koreans. For example, if someone is holding a door for me, and I am not really close to the door yet, they have to run. If I do not run while someone is holding a door for me, I am a super rude person. Plus, politeness in Korea is super important. No one wants to be a rude person. Therefore, they have to do something that they don't want to do. Instead, they want to enjoy walking or relaxing by where they are going. They don't want to hurry. Holding doors for me is nice, but "No Thanks." In America, a majority hold doors for me. Everyone thinks that is a nice thing. If someone does not hold doors for someone else, it is natural to be upset in America.
When there was flooding in Houston, Texas, everyone from Korea texted me and asked me if I was okay. Even though they know that I live in Dallas, Texas. When many people were killed in Las Vegas, also I received a lot of messages from my friends and family. In Korea, the size of country is really small compare to America. Based on Naver (one of the most popular website in Korea), Texas is almost 7 times bigger than entire South Korea. There are 49 more states. Therefore, Koreans think that whether I live in Dallas or Houston, they think I live in Texas. Cities in a provinces are usually closer to each other in Korea. That's why my friends and family thought "Oh she lives in Texas. She might be in danger!" Distance assumptions between provinces are really different from Koreans and Americans.
A picture of Myeongdong in Seoul.
Entertainment options are very limited in America. When I had to make a plan for my birthday party, there was almost nothing to do. I had to think for a long time, and finally I came up with just have dinner and go to a Main Event with my friends. Also, during the weekends, my husband and I are so bored, so we want to do something fun. However, there is nothing to do. Even though we just want to walk or do some activities, all the nice places are way far away from each other. Plus, if I do not have a car, I cannot go out at all. I know if I live in another state like New York, it is not true, but it is true in Dallas at least. If I meet my friends, there are basically two things to do; we go shopping or drink a cup of coffee at...sigh...Starbucks. Also, most bars and other places close around 2 a.m., and I cannot buy liquor after 9 or 10 p.m.
In contrast, Korea has tons of places to go and activities to do. You do not need to have a car there as well. Public transportation is amazing in Korea. It is so fast, has Wi-Fi, and are almost always on time. For birthday parties, Koreans rent a hotel room and have a party with their friends, go to karaoke bars, go to a "meeting" bar to meet other single men or women, go "glamping," etc. For hanging out, Koreans go on day trips to Japan, hike, sing, play games in arcades, dance, make arts and crafts together, and more. In Korea, there are at least seven different kinds of clubs that you can go. You can eat or drink whenever and wherever in Korea. They deliver your food or drinks to you. Many places are open 24 hours. It is impossible to be bored in Korea. Maybe it is possible in Korea because Korea is such a small country. Haha!
Delivery services are very different in America and Korea. I remember that whenever my husband or I ordered something online, I bugged my husband by asking him about the delivery estimates for our packages. It felt like it took forever for anything to be delivered. It is really hard to keep track of everything I've ordered as well. My husband told me that I have to just forget about what I ordered, and then it will arrive before I know it. Now, I have gotten used to it, but in the past it was super frustrating. When you know the difference, you will understand better why I got so frustrated. First of all, in Korea you can check where the delivery men or women are. I mean I can see their steps. I can even call or text them about their schedules. That is normal in Korea. All mail arrives within 3 days of when it was sent unless it is coming from another country. People can send mail convenience stores in Korea, but you can't do that in America. In America, people have to use specific companies like FedEx or UPS in America.
Koreans can send packages in convenience store. The second picture is of a machine for weighing pacakges and printing postage.
A picture of delivery status table. It has the delivery man's name and phone number. Also, it tells me where he is.
I am still learning about America. I might need a lot of time to get to know America really well, but I enjoy learning new things and am happy to know all the differences. Hopefully, when my husband and I have kids, I can explain the differences really easily to our kids.
These are my opinions based on my own experiences, so some of them may not be true for everyone. If you have some ideas like me, please share that with me in the comments!