It took a little getting used to when I first arrived in Korea. I would be sitting with 10 teachers, drinking coffee, or eating slices of fruit, and then all of a sudden, there would only be 8 teachers and then 6 and then only 4 teachers. Where did they go?! And were they coming back?!
I quickly figured out that Korean's don't always feel the need to say "good-bye" when leaving a room, a group dinner, etc, and it's actually NOT rude at all! In fact, it's considered MORE rude to leave a party early and say goodbye, than to leave quietly without anyone noticing.
This really comes in handy when I'm sitting with a bunch of teachers who are all chattering in Korean, and I want to go back to my classroom to lesson plan (or watch Gossip Girl on my computer!!)! I just simply get up and quietly walk out! haha... It sure is nice to reduce the amount of awkward good-byes!
You should try it sometime! :)
oh. my. word. ... Thank you! I really didn't know that. Such a small piece of info is going to make a huge difference in my life. hahaha >.<
ReplyDeleteI like this. I wish this happened more out here!
ReplyDeleteAlso, I like that you enjoy Gossip GIrl. I do too. :)