So Cute!!!

My air conditioner is singing to me. No, this is not a symptom of jetlag. Korea, as you may be aware, is big on technology. It is also big on cute. Cuteness is the marketing aesthetic here. They even have a special type of 'cute' called aegyo (애교) which is when someone (girls mostly) acts childishly to be adorable. It's in keeping with the big-eyed, pig-tailed, pink and fluffy aesthetic seen in Korean animation, music videos, and merchandizing.

What I didn't know was that it had spread to household appliances. The air conditioner in our dorm room sings. It has two different, tinkling little melodies, one when you turn it on and one when it clicks off. The 'on' song even goes up high like a victory song at the end of a Mario Brother's level. The 'off' goes down like your Mario just fell off a precipice, which is about what it feels like to be without ac right now. ;)

It's not just the air conditioner that suffering from an overabundance of cuteness. The elevators sing too. And the keypads for our room doors. I keep waiting for our toilet to burst into song, but so far no dice. I'll keep you posted, though.

-Erin

PS: Additional evidence of the cuteness pervading Korean society has emerged in the form of construction warning signs and signs directing one to the bathroom.  It really is everywhere.