Quirks Part II

The Korean custom regarding shoes (although I'm fairly certain it isn't limited only to Korea) has been easy to adjust to, and I even see the pragmatic reasoning behind it. Different articles of footwear are restricted to their respective domains. For example, here is the progression of footwear I might go through in a typical day. I begin the day with these in-house slippers:














When I enter the bathroom to take a shower, I remove my slippers and don the bathroom sandals:














The bathroom sandals live in the bathroom. I change back into the slippers, and if I have some laundry to do on the balcony, I switch into the balcony sandals:














Finally, as I leave the apartment for work or to go shopping, I put on a pair of outside shoes, which never pass beyond the entryway:














When visiting certain places, such as (some) restaurants, the academy, or other apartments/houses, the outside shoes are always removed in the entryway and either in house slippers are provided or one walks around in stocking feet.

I like this system. Not only is it hygienic (and given the fact that some restaurants have floor seating, and some Koreans sleep on wooden mats on the floor, it makes sense), but it also makes one mindful of leaving and entering the separate realms of one's life.