Smudger

LATEST ARTICLES ( 123 )

• What Do Koreans Find Mysterious About Westerners?

  

  Following on from last week's blog post in which I revealed some things that I find mysterious about Korean people and culture, I thought it would be interestin... Read more

  Posted on 19 August 2012 CURRENT, SOCIETY

• Mysteries About Korea I Haven't Solved Yet

  

  I'd like to think that my understanding of Korean culture is running pretty deep these days, having a Korean family will help with that, but there are still som... Read more

  Posted on 12 August 2012 CURRENT, SOCIETY

• Awesome Japan!

  

  I have never been one for giving people advice, mostly because I hate receiving it myself unless I ask for it. Advice is often given by self-interested people... Read more

  Posted on 07 August 2012 CURRENT, SOCIETY

• Korean Family 'Pension' Outing

  

  As well as the more controversial article I wrote the other week, I also posted a piece to another website, which was an adaptation of my blog post on my... Read more

  Posted on 28 July 2012 CURRENT, SOCIETY

• A Rather Enlightening Reaction to My First Article

  

  As a test of my writing ability and see if what I have to say about certain issues interests anyone I decided to post a couple of articles recently on two... Read more

  Posted on 20 July 2012 CURRENT, SOCIETY

• What is Good About Korea?

  

  Recently, I have posted some negative blogs about Korea, complaining on an array of subjects such as family, morals, Korean men, the treatment of animals, etc. Read more

  Posted on 15 July 2012 CURRENT, SOCIETY

• Death Anniversaries in Korea - 기제

  

  This month I had the pleasure (or the misfortune) of experiencing a traditional death anniversary with my wife's family here in Korea. Read more

  Posted on 08 July 2012 CURRENT, SOCIETY

• Vacation Nightmare in Indonesia - Part 3

  

  I headed to the north part of Bali with a view to escaping the noise, dirt, and hawkers to a black sand beach area with the promise of a possible dolphin... Read more

  Posted on 30 June 2012 CURRENT, SOCIETY

• Vacation Nightmare in Indonesia Part 2

  

  I had left the conservation centre, and to their credit they did make sure that I was safely booked into a hostel in Malang. I now had to figure out what I was... Read more

  Posted on 23 June 2012 CURRENT, SOCIETY

• My Vacation Nightmare in Indonesia Part 1

  

  When you think of popular holiday destinations in Asia, the most popular these days seems to be in parts of South-East Asia; Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia,... Read more

  Posted on 16 June 2012 CURRENT, SOCIETY

• Top 5 Awkward Situations in Korea

  The cultures of the Far East and West are so different that you can find yourself in awkward situations on a daily basis, but since I first came to Korea there... Read more

  Posted on 10 June 2012 CURRENT, SOCIETY

• Morals in the West - An Eastern Perspective (The Wando Incident)

  

  In my last blog post I was pretty scathing on the standard of morals in this part of the world. But in the light of recent events here in Korea, I thought I... Read more

  Posted on 03 June 2012 CURRENT, SOCIETY

• Morals in Korea

  

  It is easy to travel to new places and become uncomfortable with a culture that is very different to your own. This happened to me in the first year that I live... Read more

  Posted on 27 May 2012 CURRENT, SOCIETY

• Korean and Japanese Rivalry

  

  Before I came to Korea I had no idea about the rivalry bewteen the Koreans and the Japanese. This might come as quite a surprise to my readers at home, but the... Read more

  Posted on 20 May 2012 CURRENT, SOCIETY

• Asian Stereotypes - Fact Or Fiction

  Thought I would let everyone know just what I think about the many stereotypes that people have towards Asian people, and particularly those form the Far East,... Read more

  Posted on 13 May 2012 CURRENT, SOCIETY

• Korean Couples

  

  Relationships tend to work a little differently in this part of the world, the differences aren't hard to pick up upon, and many people visiting Korea can notic... Read more

  Posted on 29 April 2012 CURRENT, SOCIETY

• Mr 유

  In my blog a couple of weeks ago I showed a certain amount of disdain for Korean men, in a nutshell saying that they were a combination of ignorant, insecure,... Read more

  Posted on 21 April 2012 CURRENT, SOCIETY

• Being Negative in Korea and the Worst of All Beginnings.

  

  Many people come to South Korea to work. and for some. the change of culture can be too great. It is very easy to fall into a negative frame of mind and wish fo... Read more

  Posted on 14 April 2012 CURRENT, SOCIETY

• Korean People - The Men

  

  Korea is a place torn between two extremes; on the one side there is a very traditional way of thinking, with a great emphasis placed on respect and social... Read more

  Posted on 08 April 2012 CURRENT, SOCIETY

• My Students

  I have taught in Korea for approximately two and a half years now, and have taught at three different schools; two academies and I am currently teaching at an... Read more

  Posted on 01 April 2012 CURRENT, SOCIETY