  People familiar with some Asian cultures probably know the thing they have about never wearing shoes in their houses. At least in Korea, shoes in the house are a big no-no. You know a party is going on down the hall not just from the voices, but from the half open door with a big pile of shoes falling into the hall.
What is surprising is that there are plenty of public places where you are expected to remove your footwear in. Restaurants where you sit on the floor, for obvious reasons, don't let you wear foot wear in that portion of the restaurant.
I've been in a museum where you had to take off your shoes - perhaps the clack of hard bottomed footwear was not in keeping with the scholarly atmosphere they were trying to cultivate? Often, there are communal slippers provided for everyone's use at the entrance. The school I am teaching at is one of those places where outside footwear is forbidden. And they have communal slippers for everyone to use. Now, usually teachers and students will have a pair of indoor shoes they use, but I have been too lazy to get around to doing that, so I've been using the communal footwear for the past three months. Sometimes, even the indoor shoes or slippers must be taken off before entering some of the classrooms we use, such as the library and the playroom.
Today, I had part of my class in the library. When we were finished in the library, we all got up and went to the door, the students as usual much faster than me. So, I was the last person out, and I looked down and was shocked to see - no slippers! Someone had absconded with my slippers! Who was the guilty party? Why, my Korean co teacher, who said to me "We were out of slippers. " Well, yes, we were, but didn't it occur to her that by taking mine, that meant I had no slippers? So, in the break between that class and the next class, it occurred to me that I could go down to the fourth floor (the school is on two floors) and get a pair of slippers from there. Except, it was locked. So I spent the remaining hour on the fifth floor sans slippers, and feeling mightily self conscious about it. Now, what I want to know is: Why did the Korean teacher figure she needed slippers more than me?
Why didn't it occur to her to go downstairs and get some - since she has a key? What can you tell about a person from the fact that they were more than willing to steal another person's slippers? What can you tell about a person from the fact that they care that their slippers were stolen? Hmmm, such weighty subjects occupy my mind here in Korea... 
