You're How Old?
A few weeks ago I made a comment about the fact that in Korea I am 25 years old, but all over the rest of the world I am only 24, and then I never followed up with the reasoning behind it.
Let me tell you, Korean's have birthdays ass backwards. First off, if it is your birthday it is your responsibility to treat everyone. All over the world people are hiding the fact that it is their birthday because they don't want to accept another year, here they are hiding it because they don't want to pick up the cheque.
The craziest thing of all though is their notion of ages. Again, all over the world we are trying to stay young and scrape a few years off the actual number, here they just toss a few extra on for the hell of it.
So here's how it is. When you are born you 1, you don't start off being 0, or counting the weeks, then months. One minute you haven't been born, the next minute you are already one year old. But wait, it gets sillier... you have your second birthday, not the following year, but on the start of the New Year. So let's say you are born on December 31st. You are one. The next day you turn two. Craziness!
3 comments:
oh my goodness!! I think the craziest part is that last part... you turn 2 on January 1! So then on your next birthday you turn 3?
So let me get this straight.
A kid is born Dec. 31, 2005. He is automatically 1.
Then on January 1, 2006 he is now 2.
Then on Dec. 31, 2006, he is 3?? But in Canada he would be 1??
you got it! so i get some students who are "five" years old (I love how I get to use a number sign in quotations, as if numbers can ever be subjective, right?) but really the kid is like 3 or 4. I dunno who made up the system, even Koreans can't really explain it. It is just one of those things..
Good thing Chip or your mom are not Korean they are already PARANOID about getting old. Even though we all know that your mother is much much older than me. I had better shut up seeing as Friday I get to celebrate but hopefully not pick up the check!!Gramma says she got your postcard. Must make birthday card companies happy over there.....ta ta Din
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