Throughout one’s life, we get many opportunities to experience other cultures and nations. I am no exception. It has been almost 5 years since I came to the United States from Korea, but I sometimes still go through culture shock.
I would like to take this time to share some of those stories with you. I came to this country to earn my undergraduate degree. I actually had high hopes when I first arrived in America, as far as making many American friends and studying English to improve my language prowess. However, in earnest, it has been a tougher mountain to climb than I expected. Learning English just isn’t that easy.
My parents back home probably envision my American life as something made out of a movie. You know, watching the news on CNN, reading the New York Times, understanding everything I hear or peruse. And at school, sitting on the grass outdoors in the sun and interacting with American students without any language barrier. To my dismay, this just was not reality. Not even close.
I only have one semester left now before I can walk down the aisle and graduate. As long as I have been here, something has been bugging me to find out for a long time. It always made me curious why people in America do not carry an umbrella in the rain. I probably could not last a single day when there is something I really want to know about so I zealously asked people around me why they think it is what it is. My American friends, both of Korean and non-Korean origin, always retort in awe and curiosity themselves whenever I pose that question to them. They are like “I don’t know, that is actually a very good question.” Some people joke that rain in the States is rather clean, so we do not need to run for cover here.
That is odd, because I mean rain is rain isn’t it? Could the rain that falls in America, Los Angeles to be exact, really be that different from the rain that falls in Seoul? As bad as air quality is in Korea, Los Angeles also has heavy air pollution. Then is it because Americans are too laidback and do not care about getting themselves wet that they just do not bother to carry around an umbrella? My head is filled with full of questions I want answered.
I went out with my girlfriend last weekend when it was raining. People were not carrying umbrellas as usual and were just getting themselves wet. So I asked my Korean-American girlfriend why people here just refuse to use umbrellas. Her take on it was rather simple. After a long pause, she went on to tell me that umbrellas are not sold here enough for people to have the chance to go buy one. I was in doubt so I replied, “Shouldn’t they check the weather before they head outside? I seriously doubt whether umbrellas are sold everywhere would make a difference.” After that, my girlfriend was at a loss herself.
Most Asians, if not all, wear umbrellas when it rains. It is pretty rare to see someone not covered in an umbrella and get soaked in the rain. People will give you a look and wonder why you are not carrying an umbrella. When I was a kid, my parents always used to tell me to carry an umbrella whenever it was raining outside. Their reasoning behind it was that since the rain was acidic, it is bad for you. Aren’t American kids told the same by their parents?
It should not be as much of a surprise anymore, but in some cases, Korean women carry umbrellas in the sun when there is not a single drop of rain falling. This is apparently to protect their skin from the rays of the sun and wrinkling. Sometimes I wonder if this is the big factor in how Asian women could maintain a wholesome younger look.
The bottom line is that it really does not feel good to get soaked. Walking in wet clothes or shoes just is not too comfortable. Why do you think most Americans don’t carry umbrellas? Is it just culture difference or just the norm? And do you believe Koreans simply pay too much attention to their looks while Americans don’t?