Dear Korea #1

Dear Korea,

First, I'd like to say that you're wonderfully hospitable. Also, I love your citron tea. Are you the only one who makes it? There are so many good things I can say about you and so much more I have to learn from you. That said, I'm curious about something.

Why do you refuse to heat the school hallways? It seems to me that the most logical way to heat a building is to close it up and keep all the heat inside at a moderate level. Granted, some locations are sure to be drafty, but, on the whole, the school's temperature will rise. However, you prefer your hallways to be frigid and your classrooms to be saunas in an effort to shake off the effects of said frigid hallways. This vexes me.

Many a day have I hastily shuffled through the mini-walk-in freezers (I am usually hunched over to minimize surface area so as to conserve as much body warmth as possible) only to be nearly blown over by the intense wall of heat blasted out of classroom doorways in quick Mario Brothers-like bursts. It's ok, Korea, I know the intention is not to topple over your foreign teachers with invisible waves of energy, and I refuse to believe this is simply an extension of your prevalent gaming culture. I am just confused at the situation in general.

When students enter the school in the morning, are the doors left wide open to remind them of where they're headed? Did those long hours of mandatory studying in the library push out more practical information such as directional memory? Are you afraid your students will be injured in the action of either the opening or closing the doors? Was there an "incident" in the past of which I'm not aware? Or, are they open as a metaphorical gesture of welcome, greeting bleary-eyed youngsters with freezing, gaping black holes leading to where the next 8 hours of their lives will slowly tick away?

I understand that you do things differently, Korea, and I would be more than happy to hear your reasoning behind this situation. Fulbright sent me here as a cultural ambassador, and I feel it is my duty to more fully understand your unique hallway experience. Until then, I will make better use of my long underwear and gloves outside of the classroom and will work to increase my coordination so as to not be blown off-course on my way to molding impressionable young minds.

Sincerely,
F*lbright Grantee Noelle