The Markets...

Shopping the markets in Beijing was an experience like none other, and believe me I have done plenty of shopping! I was warned that it was aggressive, but I really had no idea what to expect. The first market we went to was the Pearl Market. As the name indicates it has plenty of pearls but it also has a little of everything else you could ever imagine. I don't think I have ever been to any one place that housed such a wide variety of goods. Everything from electronics to toys to clothes, shoes, jewelery, purses, luggage and the list goes on and on and on... Our exploration started in the handbag section. There was a knock-off of every brand of handbag you could think of. All you had to do was allow your eyes to focus on any handbag and there would be someone bringing it over to you and telling you all about it and how many colors it was available in. I was in the shoe department waiting on a friend when my eyes drifted over to a purse hanging on a column. Before I could blink an eye, the clerk climbed the column, took down the purse and brought it over to me, asking "You like?" The sales people would follow you to other departments. We even had one lady go so far as to follow us to another floor!!
We quickly learned that there was an art to shopping at the markets. You would never dream of paying the first price that they threw out to you. Someone even told me never to pay more than half of the first offer. This proved to be very good advice. They wanted you to engage in negotiations with them. What I found to be most surprising was when I really wasn't interested in the item and they continued to push you, I would throw out what I thought was a ridiculous price and when they realized you were leaving, they would say "OK LADY!" They would act put out but would sell the item for the really low price.
The next market we shopped was the Russian Market. It was also large and had an extensive variety. However, I found this market to be much more aggressive. (If you can believe that!) One of the sales girls balled up her fist and socked me in the arm. I could not believe it!!! While I had been waiting on a friend, I picked up some marble balls and asked what they were for. As I reached to put them back, someone bumped me from behind and one of the balls fell to the floor. I picked it up and set it back on the shelf. The next thing I knew some lady grabbed my arm and was yelling "YOU BROKE, YOU BROKE" I said "What?" and looked at the ball to see there was a small chip that I had not noticed. She then started yelling "YOU PAY, YOU PAY!" In my mind I was dreading the haggling over the price that was about to take place, she hauled off and hit me. I was so mad I just left. I would have gladly paid for it had she not hit me!!!

Beijing

While in Asia, we had the good fortune of visiting China, Beijing specifically. It was nothing like the image that I have carried in my mind for so many years. As we left the airport, the highways and city landscape seemed very American. Very much like any other big city. I have always pictured that everything would be crowded and close together and it didn't feel that way at all. It just felt like a big city. The traffic, however, was an entirely different story! We were immediately thrust into the gridlock of millions of people trying to get somewhere quickly and there seemed to be lacking a comprehensive set of rules that everyone, choosing to partake in the driving experience, followed. When someone wanted to change lanes, they simply aimed their car in the direction of the lane they wanted to be in, which many times was the side of our van, and pressed forward. They never looked back for any assurance that you would let them in, they just assumed. Mingled into all of this chaos was quite an assortment of vehicles, including regular cars, small 3-wheeled cars, motorcycles, mopeds, bicycles and even rickshaws.
As we traveled further into the city to our hotel, it became obvious that there were two distinct social classes - "the haves" and "the have-nots". The housing seemed to be predominantly hi-rise apartment buildings, which didn't appear to be particularly well kept. Our hotel was extremely nice, but centered in an area that was not particularly touristy and seemed to reveal more of what everyday life was like. There were always people out on the streets - walking or sitting. I found it interesting that even in the hotel, as nice as it was, you could not drink the water. I would expect this in Mexico but have never heard that this was the case in China.
The thing that I think surprised me the most about China was how hard it was to get around. I have been fortunate enough to travel a great deal and China is by far the most difficult to get around in. We never had a problem leaving the hotel. The staff would always arrange for a cab and write your destination in Chinese on a card that you could hand to the cab driver. It was the return trip that was the problem. Many times empty cabs would simply not stop, especially for women. I'm not sure if it was more of a language barrier issue or their dislike for women or Americans, but in any case it made navigating the city quite a chore.

Social Etiquette

Social etiquette in South Korea is something that I find myself having to learn. Having been raised in the South, I come from a place where manners are extremely important and are drilled into children at an early age. Kids are taught to smile and say please and thank you. I find myself speaking, making eye contact, and smiling at people I pass on the street or in elevators. This doesn't seem to be a common practice in Korea. I have received some very strange looks. After having been here a few days, I read in my Lonely Planet guide book that smiling is a sign of embarrassment in the Asian culture. So if you are almost mowed down by a cab and the driver smiles at you, he was not laughing at you but was embarrassed. (This would have been useful information on the front end. NOTE TO SELF - Read book BEFORE coming to Korea!)

There seems to be an overall sense of respect for elders, which is a carry over from the system of Confucianism. I have noticed when walking on sidewalks or in public places older people expect you to get out of their way. They don't look you in the face but walk straight into you. There seems to be no system of right of way, where you walk to the right when passing someone. If you are younger you simply need to get out of the way.

Vast changes in Korean Culture

I find it absolutely fascinating just how drastically the Korean culture has changed over a short period of time. We visited a traditional Korean folk village that spread over 235 acres in Seoul. The village contains many old style Korean homes that have been renovated and relocated to preserve this aspect of Korean culture. It was like something you see on the history channel. The very affluent homes were more like compounds. There could never be more than 99 rooms because this was a distinguishing feature that was reserved for royalty and palaces. The culture operated under a system of Confucianism. The master of the house had private quarters and his wiveS each had separate quarters, which were much like smaller houses on the compound that were secluded from each other by large trees and fences. Often they had separate entrances. Although they lived within a small proximity of each other, they would not know of the others existence.

In a relatively short period of time Seoul has transformed itself. Looking out over the skyline from the North Seoul Tower, as far as they eye can see are high-rise buildings, which now house the majority of the population. Seoul boasts a mass transportation system that ranks right up there with that of many major cities in the world.

The pictures were taken at the Korean Folk Village and the North Seoul Tower and highlight the chnages that have taken place in such a short time span.

The start of our journey...

I have the good fortune of being able to study abroad this summer in Seoul, Korea with quite a fun group of people, each having unique characteristics and perspectives to contribute to the group. We are studying International Business Transactions and Global Issues in Corporate Law and will be traveling to Beijing, China for five days. We have been asked to blog about our experiences. So here goes....