AnthroScope Korea

Recently, I discussed some Korean cultural traits I retained while overseas. As much as I focus on maintaining these traits, I also go out of my way to preserve important U.S. cultural traits that I’ve adopted throughout my years of attending boarding school while in Korea. One of several is treating time like gold. 

I’ve noticed that American culture often highlights the importance of managing one’s time. For example, instead of using the common phrase “as soon as possible,” Americans more often set a specific time such as “3 p.m. by tomorrow.” Settling into a community at my boarding school where time and productivity are highly emphasized, I simultaneously learned how to use my time wisely, avoiding waste. The more time I spent in the United States, the more I became conscious of the importance of timeliness. I realized that arriving a few minutes earlier than planned for meetings is considered being on time, and coming right on time is almost considered arriving late. Realizing this helped me to develop the mindset of thinking that time is truly priceless. 

I noticed a difference when I returned home to Korea. Every time I planned hangouts with my old friends, I was the one who arrived the earliest. With this American trait of emphasizing punctuality, I was thinking my friends were late, even though when I checked my watch, they were right on time. Some of my friends arrived 15-20 minutes late and explained that they arrived on Korea time. This practice is still culturally acceptable in many circles. Regardless of what is allowed in Korea, I try to maintain the American emphasis on punctuality and timeliness because these have been crucial for my time management skills. I’ve noticed that I’ve become significantly better at completing my work promptly while also learning how to manage my time effectively to ensure I get enough rest. 

Another helpful American cultural trait that I embraced is using direct language. Living in Korea, I struggled with delivering a firm “no.” I usually felt bad about declining particular requests or favors, even under challenging circumstances. Sometimes, struggles occurred in simple situations, such as shopping at the mall. Even when I was not interested in trying on clothes, if an employee offered, I felt compelled to say “yes”, simply because it would be rude if I refused. 

However, after attending boarding school, I learned that politely refusing and being direct in general in terms of expressing my feelings was culturally acceptable. Through numerous interactions and class discussions, I soon realized that refusing and being polite can be done simultaneously, all the while being assertive with my personal opinions and feelings. When I return to Korea during breaks, I no longer struggled with expressing my clear feelings, because I’ve learnt that being direct and being rude are often entirely different things.