I have more or less concluded that when strangers approach me in Seoul, they are likely to be asking for direction. When strangers approach me in Beijing, they are likely to be asking for money. In Singapore, I am hardly approached by strangers.
My encounter with Seoulites asking for direction was so frequent that I was forced to come out with a few standard responses like 제가 한국인 아니에요, 제가 한국어를 못 해요, or simply, 몰아요. Frankly, I like being approached by strangers in Seoul even if I couldn't be of any help to them. It's that trust that they have in stranger to help them which I really like. For that, I never feel like I am a stranger in Seoul.
Besides the trust I get as a stranger, there are many other things which I like about Seoul. One of which is that food and drink are allowed in the subway station and the train. It gives much convenience to a fast-paced city life. I just enjoyed my time eating donuts and drinking coffee inside the train. By the way, the station and train are as clean as any station and train in Singapore, where there is a ban on food and drink.
Also, the Internet speed is "blindingly" fast when compared to what we get in Singapore. There is no such thing as slowing down during peak hour of Internet access. Furthermore, the rate is cheaper in Seoul. Actually, I don't mind paying more for Internet access in Singapore but what I don't like is that those Internet Service Providers kept giving all sort of excuses for not giving us the speed and bandwidth we pay for.
Just one more thing that I really like and that is the good quality sleep which I had in Seoul. The cold weather caused me to feel sleepy easily and when I knocked out, I slept uninterrupted throughout the night until the next morning. Nothing is as heavenly as a good night sleep if you can understand. I guess I wouldn't be writing this posting at this time of the day when I was in Seoul. I would already be somewhere deep inside my dreamland.
My encounter with Seoulites asking for direction was so frequent that I was forced to come out with a few standard responses like 제가 한국인 아니에요, 제가 한국어를 못 해요, or simply, 몰아요. Frankly, I like being approached by strangers in Seoul even if I couldn't be of any help to them. It's that trust that they have in stranger to help them which I really like. For that, I never feel like I am a stranger in Seoul.
Besides the trust I get as a stranger, there are many other things which I like about Seoul. One of which is that food and drink are allowed in the subway station and the train. It gives much convenience to a fast-paced city life. I just enjoyed my time eating donuts and drinking coffee inside the train. By the way, the station and train are as clean as any station and train in Singapore, where there is a ban on food and drink.
Also, the Internet speed is "blindingly" fast when compared to what we get in Singapore. There is no such thing as slowing down during peak hour of Internet access. Furthermore, the rate is cheaper in Seoul. Actually, I don't mind paying more for Internet access in Singapore but what I don't like is that those Internet Service Providers kept giving all sort of excuses for not giving us the speed and bandwidth we pay for.
Just one more thing that I really like and that is the good quality sleep which I had in Seoul. The cold weather caused me to feel sleepy easily and when I knocked out, I slept uninterrupted throughout the night until the next morning. Nothing is as heavenly as a good night sleep if you can understand. I guess I wouldn't be writing this posting at this time of the day when I was in Seoul. I would already be somewhere deep inside my dreamland.
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