Office Gifts

Gift giving is a huge part of Korean culture. The funny thing about this is the way gifts are given. You're not really supposed to acknowledge that you've given a gift. Instead, you just kindof leave it somewhere, don't take credit for it, and act like its not a big deal.

I initially witnessed this my first week of work when my elementry school co-teacher came to my middle school to introduce himself. He left a gift for the office near the door and only mentioned it offhandedly just as he was leaving.

So far, I've received three gifts at work. Each time, I have come into the office in the morning to find a parcel on my desk. All three gifts were rice cakes (go figure). To find out who gave the gifts, you have to ask around. Word eventually travels through the grapevine.



Rice cake #1 was from the new Principal celebrating his position. -It's tradition to give gifts to all your co-workers when you come to a new place.

Rice cake #2 was from a history teacher in honor of her new Hyundai Sonata. -It's tradition to give gifts to all your co-workers to celebrate a big purchase such as a car or a house.

Rice cake #3 was from a science teacher on baby's first birthday. -It's tradition to give gifts to all your co-workers to celebrate this achievement. (This tradition dates back to times when infant mortality rate was very high due to drastic seasonal changes and lack of medical care; if the baby is unhealthy, these days are passed without notice.)

This feels somewhat opposite of American culture. I'm used to people expecting gifts when they, for example, have a baby or buy a house. But this is not to say that Koreans are more generous than Americans. In fact, they get quite catty when people don't follow protocol. In my office, it is expected that the most senior teacher (who also makes the most money) will take everyone out for a meal. So far he has failed to do this, and from what I gather, the other faculty are getting quite pissed about his selfishness.