Korea and umbrellas man . . . Being from the Pacific Northwest, we kind of grow up with the concept of "I don't need an umbrella. That's what a rain coat is for!" It's also often WAY too windy to use an umbrella without it almost immediately turning inside out or breaking. Well, here in Korea, EVERYONE uses umbrellas. It's really weird for me. It's like the exact opposite from the PNW. At my university, we joke that all of the freshmen and the people who are not from the PNW are the ones using umbrellas. Even though it rains all the time, very few people use umbrellas! Using an umbrella can be disastrous and completely ineffective in the PNW.
It rained a decent amount yesterday so I walked to school in my rain coat without an umbrella (I also don't own an umbrella) and I felt like I was getting really funny looks. As I left to go home from my school, without an umbrella, one of my fellow teachers stopped me so that they could go inside and grab an extra umbrella for me to use. It was super nice but also super unnecessary. I did appreciate it however! It was SO NICE!!! I ended up using the umbrella all the way back to my apartment but it felt so weird. I don't think I have used an umbrella in the last four years! When it has rained here, it seems like most people don't wear rain coats and therefore use umbrellas instead. Almost everyone I saw out when it was raining were wearing their usual clothes and jackets and there were few to no rain coats in sight aside from my own. I think if I came from a place where umbrellas were used more frequently then I would be all about using an umbrella but I don't know if I will get used to using an umbrella. I also don't particularly like having to keep track of umbrellas when I'm indoors and worry about not hitting anyone with my umbrella when I'm walking around. When I am using a rain coat, I can be agile and do whatever I want without much worry. Sure, my raincoat will get wet but that's what it's for. At least I'll be dry!
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AllisonThese are the chronicles of my time before, during, and after student teaching in South Korea! Archives
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