"Do's and Don'ts"

This morning I received an email from the city regarding my trip to Korea (which is exactly 2 weeks away).  It contained all of the social do's and don'ts of the Korean culture.

There are a lot.

Do: Dress modestly and conservatively for business occasions.  Wear subdued colors such as black and blue.

Do Not: Wear jewelry if you're a man (I'm sorry, this one made me giggle) aside from a wedding ring or watch.

Do Not: Sit unless you are told where to sit (for meals).

Do: Refuse the first offer of second helpings, out of politeness (???).

Do: Eat everything served to you (this might be an issue for me...).

Do Not: Tip.  It's not customary.

Do Not: Criticize Korean cuisine (uh- duh).

Do: Wrap gifts nicely, but only in red, yellow or pink.  Never in green, white or black.  (I was not planning on wrapping gifts, but now I guess I will... or I'll have someone else wrap them since I'm awful at it).

Do: Feel comfortable discussing the following topics- sports (particularly soccer- uh oh), South Korea's economy and international achievements, the health of one's family, kites (I'm serious...), and personal hobbies.

Do Not: Confuse South Korea with other Asian countries (considering that I am half 'other kind of Asian' I should have no problems spotting the differences).

Anyway, those were just a few of the items from the list.  I'm sure that I will make at least one social faux pas while there.

In other news... still sick.  Still tired of being sick.  Hope it's gone by the end of the week, because I have gotten absolutely nothing productive done in the past few days.