So it's over. After another 30-hour travel experience (my fourth: they get easier, but no more fun) I am back among the purple mountain's majesty once more. There are things missed for certain, and adjustment doesn't go quite as one would expect.
After more than ten months eating three meals a day with chopsticks I can affirm to you that 20 years of life is not enough to permanently ingrain the use of flatware into one's skull. I can stab with a fork, but the nuances of cutlery and multiple hand usage are lost on me. Cutting steak was an embarrassment, and I find myself reverting to a spoon for things like peas. I feel like a toddler, and I am sticking to finger foods in public for the time being.
Driving, which I had suspected leaks out of you like foreign language or the names of people you knew in middle school, honestly came straight back no problem. Why can't everything be as hard to forget as riding a bike? I suppose it’s a thing with these modes of transport.
Language of course is depressing. I have a hard time remembering words quickly. Like some sort of mental patient or senior citizen, I spend a great deal of time saying "um" or imaginary filler words like "majigger" but I can't seem to come up with things like "case." On top of that my listening skills have been reduced to the rank of foreigner. Dialect, murmuring, and any amount of speed throw me for a loop. Don't even get me started on the plumber. I have no idea what happened to the hot water heater aside from "top of the line."
Readjustment to food is going well thus far. It's been nice to reconnect with old classics and to rediscover foods I had forgotten all about (pesto, portabellas, peanut butter). I give it another few weeks before I find myself seeking out Korean food.
The ball of life keeps on rolling I suppose, though to some extent I feel as though I have gone back in time, reverted to a stage of my life before all this happened. Suddenly I'm back in the food service industry, living at home, going to classes at UGA, hanging out with old friends. As the days pass the whole past year seems progressively shorter and more dream-like. It’s easy to feel as though nothing ever happened. I feel so familiar with something that I cannot see, I have urges to speak an irrelevant language that is real to practically no one around me, and the people that I know so well have suddenly all vanished before my eyes. I feel intensely different, especially in contrast to a familiar setting, yet all the reasons why are distant from me and incomprehensible to anyone else.
But there are new beginnings and adventures that are not so obvious yet present nonetheless. I am starting a new job, my core courses, and moving into my first apartment. I have a rough few months of adjustment ahead of me and a rough two years of learning before I graduate, but my “junior year” abroad has irrefutably not been in vain. Though the education may have been throwaway credits, I walk away with valuable life experience and connections that will last me until I die. I have crossed an intense and trying bridge and lived to tell about it, and now I am ready for the rest of my life.
Wednesday, July 04, 2007
Friday, June 15, 2007
JSA, DMZ, MDL, JSO, KPA, NNSC, and Other Acronyms
Today was the long awaited trip to the DMZ (De-Militarized Zone), a 4 km thick border that runs roughly along the fabled 38th parallel. Contrary to its name, there are approximately one million troops stationed within this "de-militarized" zone, although they can only be there under the title of military police in order to not be in violation of the armistice. The North/South Korean border is indubitably the most heavily guarded border left in the world, and the feeling is one of somber tension. A mere 45 minute drive from the 11 million people in Seoul, its eerie just how much the atmosphere can change within the distance of a sitcom and a half.
There were many restrictions on photography, but I got what I was allowed. Within the DMZ itself there is no photography since it is in fact an operational military base and we are the guests of the NNSC (Neutral Nations Supervisory Committee), a subsidiary of the UN. In the heart of the DMZ however is the JSA (Joint Security Area), a bubble on the border which allows for negotiations, summits, family reunions between those separated by the MDL (Military Demarcation Line), and tourism from both sides. As the name suggests, the JSA is mutually controlled territory, although after certain incidents the MDL was reinforced within it. The highlight of the trip was indeed actually stepping into North Korea itself by means of the very room in which countless negotiations took place, the T-2 building which sits half on the North and half on the South (T actually stands for temporary, indicating that when the war is over it and other T class buildings like it will be taken back down).
From the border within the JSA I could see many actual North Korean soldiers, many of whom were peering at me with binoculars from building windows and guard posts. The Korean "military police" on site wore sunglasses, so that North Koreans couldn't see where they were looking, and stood half behind the buildings to 1)appear less threatening and 2)to make them smaller targets in the event of gunfire.
Within T-2 there were simply tables for negotiation and a corner on each end of the hut had a booth for translators. The corner of wall on the outside of the North Korean translator booth had most of the paint worn off in and here's why: Tours from both sides are conducted in this building but there are never North Koreans and South Koreans in the same place at the same time. Therefore, when a North Korean tour is in the building the door on the southern side of the border is locked and when the tour leaves, the North Korean soldiers unlock the door again. When the soldiers from the South come back in they lock the northern door and let the tour come in, then when the tour leaves again a soldier would go and re-unlock the northern door. Outside the north door there are two KPA (Korean People's Army) soldiers at all times. Once, twenty years ago, when the ROK (Republic of Korea) soldier went to re-unlock the north door after the tour, one of the KPA guards yanked the door open. Since the ROK soldiers hand was still on the knob, he was flung out of the building into North Korea. He was safely returned, as it was just a prank on the KPA's part, but ever since then the door locking policy has changed. One soldier will hold onto the corner of the translation box with one hand and the belt of a second soldier with the other. The second soldier, anchored now to the first, leans forward and unlocks the door. Despite countless repaintings, 20 years of this procedure many times a day keeps that corner's paint pretty worn down.
One of the most interesting jobs within the JSA was that of the JSO (Joint Security Officer). His office is a blue building just south of the MDL, and his job is simply relaying messages to the North. To explain, since the JSA is still technically controlled jointly, anything done within it by either side requires notification to the other, be bringing a diplomat or planting a tree. Before the North cut the line there was a direct phone. Now an ROK officer must deliver the message to the JSO, who then walks to the MDL and sounds a fog horn. Either the North Koreans come out and the message is relayed or they ignore the horn, in which case the JSO megaphones the message at them. I just think its so cool that his whole job is talking to North Korea when so few even get the opportunity.
Within the DMZ and on either side of the JSA there are two settlements. One is the North Korean KiChong Dong. This small city houses the tallest flag pole in the world (160 m) and the largest flag in the world (600 lbs). Though since 2004 it has housed workers for the nearby KaeSong Industrial Complex, it has stood empty almost its entire existence. Despite its population of zero, the North Koreans still blasted propaganda from speakers audible to the South for 6-12 hours a day. For having been constructed solely for the purposes of showing of the North's "prosperity" and to glorify the Great Leader, KiChong Dong has earned itself the nickname "Propaganda village." The other city within the JSA is the South Korean TaeSong Dong, so nobly dubbed "freedom village." Residency in this village, though dangerous, is much sought after by Koreans. The requirements are stringent but the benefits are good. Residents pay no taxes, male residents are exempt from the mandatory military service, and all housing is subsidized. The people who live there farm the land the government has provided and sown, making income guaranteed and substantial. Several residency requirements include a minimum number of years living in the surrounding province, a required 230 nights spent inside the village (or else residency is revoked), and no marriage into the village for men (to prevent draft dodging en masse).
Another site to see was the ominously named Bridge of No Return over which POW's were exchanged after the signing of the armistice. Very near to the start of the bridge was the infamous Axe Murder incident. In 1976, when within the JSA complete mobility by both sides was still allowed, a poplar tree which was obstructing vision from the ROK's outpost 3 to outpost 4 (at the Bridge), a team was sent to trim the tree. When the 6 gardeners and 10 guard were circled by 30 KPA soldiers and asked to desist, the officers in charge refused. The North Koreans then reportedly murdered the two ranking United States officers with the very axes that were being used to trim this poplar. After a period of extreme tension, the JSA was divided down the middle once and for all, and the tree itself was cut down and made a memorial to the two officers, Capt. Bonifas (for whom the base at the southern entrance of the JSA is named) and Lt. Barrett.
In the late 70's the South also discovered 4 separate tunneling projects by the North. We were allowed to enter Tunnel three, though no photographs were allowed. After a 70 meter decent down a concrete tunnel, we reached a damp and poorly lit craggy rock tunnel. The bright yellow hard hats we were required to wear served two purposes. One was to keep my head dry from all the dripping water seeping out of the granite walls and ceilings, and the second (more important) was to protect my head from the ceiling which couldn't have been taller than 5 ft. I walked like a scoliosis patient carrying a piano on his back and I still bumped my head at least 7 times. At the end of the tunnel there was a door, blocked off by barbed wire, which led to the surface on the Northern side. Again I was standing in North Korea, only this time under their soul instead of on it.
Lastly we visited the nonoperational DoRaSan Station, a future stop on the Korail train line. Located just beneath the border, the tracks are built and functional as a sign to North Korea that the South is ready and willing to reunify and connect their nations. Inside the station the signs direct you to the train for PyongYang, and a large map shows all the railways from Siberia to Europe and the Middle East with which Korea will be connected after reunification (oddly enough, South Korea is the only country that isn't an island and yet you still must fly out of to get to any other country). The station was opened in 2002, at which time George Bush and then-sitting president of the South Kim DaeJung each signed a ceremonial segment of track reading "May this railroad unite Korean families" and "An era of peace and prosperity for the Korean Peninsula," respectively.
An incredible journey and truly a remarkable feeling. These are sights that will one day no longer exist, a tension which is the last vestige of the Cold War on earth, and a few hours of my life that I will never forget. I am truly glad that I waited until I had been in Korea for a long time, because it was more powerful for me now than if I went when I had first arrived. It was a solemn reminder of the condition of this peninsula and unforgettable as one of the last chapters in my time here.
There were many restrictions on photography, but I got what I was allowed. Within the DMZ itself there is no photography since it is in fact an operational military base and we are the guests of the NNSC (Neutral Nations Supervisory Committee), a subsidiary of the UN. In the heart of the DMZ however is the JSA (Joint Security Area), a bubble on the border which allows for negotiations, summits, family reunions between those separated by the MDL (Military Demarcation Line), and tourism from both sides. As the name suggests, the JSA is mutually controlled territory, although after certain incidents the MDL was reinforced within it. The highlight of the trip was indeed actually stepping into North Korea itself by means of the very room in which countless negotiations took place, the T-2 building which sits half on the North and half on the South (T actually stands for temporary, indicating that when the war is over it and other T class buildings like it will be taken back down).
From the border within the JSA I could see many actual North Korean soldiers, many of whom were peering at me with binoculars from building windows and guard posts. The Korean "military police" on site wore sunglasses, so that North Koreans couldn't see where they were looking, and stood half behind the buildings to 1)appear less threatening and 2)to make them smaller targets in the event of gunfire.
Within T-2 there were simply tables for negotiation and a corner on each end of the hut had a booth for translators. The corner of wall on the outside of the North Korean translator booth had most of the paint worn off in and here's why: Tours from both sides are conducted in this building but there are never North Koreans and South Koreans in the same place at the same time. Therefore, when a North Korean tour is in the building the door on the southern side of the border is locked and when the tour leaves, the North Korean soldiers unlock the door again. When the soldiers from the South come back in they lock the northern door and let the tour come in, then when the tour leaves again a soldier would go and re-unlock the northern door. Outside the north door there are two KPA (Korean People's Army) soldiers at all times. Once, twenty years ago, when the ROK (Republic of Korea) soldier went to re-unlock the north door after the tour, one of the KPA guards yanked the door open. Since the ROK soldiers hand was still on the knob, he was flung out of the building into North Korea. He was safely returned, as it was just a prank on the KPA's part, but ever since then the door locking policy has changed. One soldier will hold onto the corner of the translation box with one hand and the belt of a second soldier with the other. The second soldier, anchored now to the first, leans forward and unlocks the door. Despite countless repaintings, 20 years of this procedure many times a day keeps that corner's paint pretty worn down.
One of the most interesting jobs within the JSA was that of the JSO (Joint Security Officer). His office is a blue building just south of the MDL, and his job is simply relaying messages to the North. To explain, since the JSA is still technically controlled jointly, anything done within it by either side requires notification to the other, be bringing a diplomat or planting a tree. Before the North cut the line there was a direct phone. Now an ROK officer must deliver the message to the JSO, who then walks to the MDL and sounds a fog horn. Either the North Koreans come out and the message is relayed or they ignore the horn, in which case the JSO megaphones the message at them. I just think its so cool that his whole job is talking to North Korea when so few even get the opportunity.
Within the DMZ and on either side of the JSA there are two settlements. One is the North Korean KiChong Dong. This small city houses the tallest flag pole in the world (160 m) and the largest flag in the world (600 lbs). Though since 2004 it has housed workers for the nearby KaeSong Industrial Complex, it has stood empty almost its entire existence. Despite its population of zero, the North Koreans still blasted propaganda from speakers audible to the South for 6-12 hours a day. For having been constructed solely for the purposes of showing of the North's "prosperity" and to glorify the Great Leader, KiChong Dong has earned itself the nickname "Propaganda village." The other city within the JSA is the South Korean TaeSong Dong, so nobly dubbed "freedom village." Residency in this village, though dangerous, is much sought after by Koreans. The requirements are stringent but the benefits are good. Residents pay no taxes, male residents are exempt from the mandatory military service, and all housing is subsidized. The people who live there farm the land the government has provided and sown, making income guaranteed and substantial. Several residency requirements include a minimum number of years living in the surrounding province, a required 230 nights spent inside the village (or else residency is revoked), and no marriage into the village for men (to prevent draft dodging en masse).
Another site to see was the ominously named Bridge of No Return over which POW's were exchanged after the signing of the armistice. Very near to the start of the bridge was the infamous Axe Murder incident. In 1976, when within the JSA complete mobility by both sides was still allowed, a poplar tree which was obstructing vision from the ROK's outpost 3 to outpost 4 (at the Bridge), a team was sent to trim the tree. When the 6 gardeners and 10 guard were circled by 30 KPA soldiers and asked to desist, the officers in charge refused. The North Koreans then reportedly murdered the two ranking United States officers with the very axes that were being used to trim this poplar. After a period of extreme tension, the JSA was divided down the middle once and for all, and the tree itself was cut down and made a memorial to the two officers, Capt. Bonifas (for whom the base at the southern entrance of the JSA is named) and Lt. Barrett.
In the late 70's the South also discovered 4 separate tunneling projects by the North. We were allowed to enter Tunnel three, though no photographs were allowed. After a 70 meter decent down a concrete tunnel, we reached a damp and poorly lit craggy rock tunnel. The bright yellow hard hats we were required to wear served two purposes. One was to keep my head dry from all the dripping water seeping out of the granite walls and ceilings, and the second (more important) was to protect my head from the ceiling which couldn't have been taller than 5 ft. I walked like a scoliosis patient carrying a piano on his back and I still bumped my head at least 7 times. At the end of the tunnel there was a door, blocked off by barbed wire, which led to the surface on the Northern side. Again I was standing in North Korea, only this time under their soul instead of on it.
Lastly we visited the nonoperational DoRaSan Station, a future stop on the Korail train line. Located just beneath the border, the tracks are built and functional as a sign to North Korea that the South is ready and willing to reunify and connect their nations. Inside the station the signs direct you to the train for PyongYang, and a large map shows all the railways from Siberia to Europe and the Middle East with which Korea will be connected after reunification (oddly enough, South Korea is the only country that isn't an island and yet you still must fly out of to get to any other country). The station was opened in 2002, at which time George Bush and then-sitting president of the South Kim DaeJung each signed a ceremonial segment of track reading "May this railroad unite Korean families" and "An era of peace and prosperity for the Korean Peninsula," respectively.
An incredible journey and truly a remarkable feeling. These are sights that will one day no longer exist, a tension which is the last vestige of the Cold War on earth, and a few hours of my life that I will never forget. I am truly glad that I waited until I had been in Korea for a long time, because it was more powerful for me now than if I went when I had first arrived. It was a solemn reminder of the condition of this peninsula and unforgettable as one of the last chapters in my time here.
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Thursday, June 14, 2007
The Culture of We
Quick personal (personnel? bah english) note: All final exams are done and behind me. No it's nothing but teaching and relaxation until I go home and school starts up yet again. For those of you who haven't caught the developments, the trip home has been move up to the 30th of this month in the interest of taking a summer school course which starts July 6th. Less Korea time, but 4th of July barbecue. I think an equal trade off.
Aside from all that, I'd like to talk today about probably the largest cultural difference between Korea and America. Not Confucianism, not diet, but the culture of "we." There are many manifestations of this mentality in the society, and I believe that it can be best summed up as collectivism. It's the belief that Koreans are one people, one family almost, and that everyone is a part of this community of sharing. Maybe you'll understand better through examples.
In English we say "my" all the time. (I watched my team win at my house with my mom) But in Korean it's all about "our." (I watched our team at our house with our mom) Even if your talking to someone not related to you in any way, you refer to everything in the plural. I could be talking to my dad and refer to "our girlfriend" or to my teacher and mention "our house." The concept that a thing could be "mine" is very distant here. Even though she's not anyone else's girlfriend, she is someone's else's something (i.e. a daughter, a sister, a friend, a classmate) an therefore she can not possibly be mine. Though it seems really strange to say "our husband" anywhere but in Salt Lake City, the use of "our" vs. "my" in the language is probably the most noticeable manifestation of the collectivist culture.
Another example is the eating culture. In the West everything is very personal. You would never touch someone else's food and if you were to split a meal with someone you would get an extra plate and then divide it up. Your fork would never touch anything that someone else was going to eat, but here (as you may have guessed) it is different. Most meals consist of a communal set of side dishes that are infinitely refillable and then one or two main dishes (like a stew or a meat of some kind) that are set in the middle of the table. The only thing that would be personal here would be rice and beverages. Everything else is shared among everyone eating. You just have a big pot in the middle and everyone puts there chopsticks right in there. In the event that there is a meat dish, it's not uncommon for an elder at the table to pick up pieces of it and put them on someone else's rice. At first it seemed strange to eat something that someone else touched, but in fact it is an expression of love. The person is concerned for your health, wants you to be big and strong, and therefore gives you more to eat. It's a much more group oriented style of dining, so much so that you will rarely see a Korean eating alone. If you do, there is probably something strange about them. Eating is a group activity and an activity of active and open sharing.
Thirdly I would draw attention to the less obvious example of crime in this country. In any other major city in the world one would have to be wary of pick pocketing, gang violence, muggings, rapes, drive-bys, and the like. Korea is quite different though. There is little to no security and little to no crime of any kind. Tables and kiosks and carts line the sidewalks everywhere, all selling things and very loosely supervised. The streets are bustling and crowded, making it impossible for any vendor to watch their wares all the time. I can't tell you the number of times I've walked past tables full of scarves, completely unattended, and thought how easy it would be to just take not even just one but everything. Remarkably, no one ever does. I have seen people leave purses and laptops completely unattended for an hour and nobody touches them. I had a friend lose a wallet and it was returned to her untouched. In fact the only area with any crime at all is the foreign district near the American military base. Strict law enforcement? No, the police here are pathetic and nowhere to be seen most of the time. I attribute this anomaly to social responsibility. The Koreans believe that they are all a family, all one people, all collective. Therefore, stealing from one is stealing from everyone, even your own grandmother. Who would steal from their grandmother?? There are gangs, but I have never seen evidence of them in anything but cinema and certainly have never seen any violence, even as much as a bar fight. The collective mentality keeps everyone in check and working in the best interest of each other, at least on a personal level.
Finally let's talk about Korean national identity. The "we" culture spreads into what we would call an over developed sense of pride. Best western example of this phenomenon: The football team wins and we say "we won." We had nothing to do with it, but somehow it was our victory as well. That sort of mentality is pervasive here, so any Korean victory is a victory for everyone, and every Korean knows anything a Korean has ever done or been a part of. If Koreans make it to the semi-finals in the world cup, suddenly the world must think of soccer when they think of Korea. If Ban Ki Moon is elected to the Secretary General of the United Nations, every child wants to be a Secretary General when the grow up. They know exactly how many Korean Americans are a part of the American Congress, are governors of states, how many have made scientific advances, were in western movies or TV shows, almost as if all those people were relatives of their own (see where I'm going with this?). Collective mindset dictates that any accomplishment by any Korean, no matter how removed, is a personal victory. But it swings both ways. Any failure or embarrassment is a personal embarrassment. For instance, the Korean who forged lab results a few years back and claimed a cloning success that never actually happened. National shame to this day. More relevantly, the Korean citizen by birth but American by culture who perpetrated the Virginia Tech shootings. Even though he grew up completely American and even though that kid would never have done that had he grown up in Korea (there are no guns here in the first place), the kid had Korean blood and Korean citizenship. I was shocked when the Korean government formally apologized for the shootings as if anyone on the peninsula had anything to do with it, but that's how it goes here. Collective people, collective actions, collective reward, collective blame.
In a way I've grown rather fond of the whole idea. Everything is less personal, less private, less independent (there are countless more examples), but its warmer and more friendly too. When everyone is like family there is a natural pressure not to hurt others, even faceless strangers you have never met. When things are shared, people are friendlier. It's such an icebreaker I find. In America (and capitalism in general-why buy and share one when you can buy two and each have your own?) it's all about personal, independence, buy your own, "get your own box," "two for me none for you," help yourself, and all of that has its virtues but everything is a double-edged sword. All in all it was very strange and very opposite of everything we've cultivated culturally, but it was very easy to get used to. In the beginning I thought of all these countless differences as independent events, but now I can see that there is a definite pattern in the way it works, and sum it all up to this collective culture.
Aside from all that, I'd like to talk today about probably the largest cultural difference between Korea and America. Not Confucianism, not diet, but the culture of "we." There are many manifestations of this mentality in the society, and I believe that it can be best summed up as collectivism. It's the belief that Koreans are one people, one family almost, and that everyone is a part of this community of sharing. Maybe you'll understand better through examples.
In English we say "my" all the time. (I watched my team win at my house with my mom) But in Korean it's all about "our." (I watched our team at our house with our mom) Even if your talking to someone not related to you in any way, you refer to everything in the plural. I could be talking to my dad and refer to "our girlfriend" or to my teacher and mention "our house." The concept that a thing could be "mine" is very distant here. Even though she's not anyone else's girlfriend, she is someone's else's something (i.e. a daughter, a sister, a friend, a classmate) an therefore she can not possibly be mine. Though it seems really strange to say "our husband" anywhere but in Salt Lake City, the use of "our" vs. "my" in the language is probably the most noticeable manifestation of the collectivist culture.
Another example is the eating culture. In the West everything is very personal. You would never touch someone else's food and if you were to split a meal with someone you would get an extra plate and then divide it up. Your fork would never touch anything that someone else was going to eat, but here (as you may have guessed) it is different. Most meals consist of a communal set of side dishes that are infinitely refillable and then one or two main dishes (like a stew or a meat of some kind) that are set in the middle of the table. The only thing that would be personal here would be rice and beverages. Everything else is shared among everyone eating. You just have a big pot in the middle and everyone puts there chopsticks right in there. In the event that there is a meat dish, it's not uncommon for an elder at the table to pick up pieces of it and put them on someone else's rice. At first it seemed strange to eat something that someone else touched, but in fact it is an expression of love. The person is concerned for your health, wants you to be big and strong, and therefore gives you more to eat. It's a much more group oriented style of dining, so much so that you will rarely see a Korean eating alone. If you do, there is probably something strange about them. Eating is a group activity and an activity of active and open sharing.
Thirdly I would draw attention to the less obvious example of crime in this country. In any other major city in the world one would have to be wary of pick pocketing, gang violence, muggings, rapes, drive-bys, and the like. Korea is quite different though. There is little to no security and little to no crime of any kind. Tables and kiosks and carts line the sidewalks everywhere, all selling things and very loosely supervised. The streets are bustling and crowded, making it impossible for any vendor to watch their wares all the time. I can't tell you the number of times I've walked past tables full of scarves, completely unattended, and thought how easy it would be to just take not even just one but everything. Remarkably, no one ever does. I have seen people leave purses and laptops completely unattended for an hour and nobody touches them. I had a friend lose a wallet and it was returned to her untouched. In fact the only area with any crime at all is the foreign district near the American military base. Strict law enforcement? No, the police here are pathetic and nowhere to be seen most of the time. I attribute this anomaly to social responsibility. The Koreans believe that they are all a family, all one people, all collective. Therefore, stealing from one is stealing from everyone, even your own grandmother. Who would steal from their grandmother?? There are gangs, but I have never seen evidence of them in anything but cinema and certainly have never seen any violence, even as much as a bar fight. The collective mentality keeps everyone in check and working in the best interest of each other, at least on a personal level.
Finally let's talk about Korean national identity. The "we" culture spreads into what we would call an over developed sense of pride. Best western example of this phenomenon: The football team wins and we say "we won." We had nothing to do with it, but somehow it was our victory as well. That sort of mentality is pervasive here, so any Korean victory is a victory for everyone, and every Korean knows anything a Korean has ever done or been a part of. If Koreans make it to the semi-finals in the world cup, suddenly the world must think of soccer when they think of Korea. If Ban Ki Moon is elected to the Secretary General of the United Nations, every child wants to be a Secretary General when the grow up. They know exactly how many Korean Americans are a part of the American Congress, are governors of states, how many have made scientific advances, were in western movies or TV shows, almost as if all those people were relatives of their own (see where I'm going with this?). Collective mindset dictates that any accomplishment by any Korean, no matter how removed, is a personal victory. But it swings both ways. Any failure or embarrassment is a personal embarrassment. For instance, the Korean who forged lab results a few years back and claimed a cloning success that never actually happened. National shame to this day. More relevantly, the Korean citizen by birth but American by culture who perpetrated the Virginia Tech shootings. Even though he grew up completely American and even though that kid would never have done that had he grown up in Korea (there are no guns here in the first place), the kid had Korean blood and Korean citizenship. I was shocked when the Korean government formally apologized for the shootings as if anyone on the peninsula had anything to do with it, but that's how it goes here. Collective people, collective actions, collective reward, collective blame.
In a way I've grown rather fond of the whole idea. Everything is less personal, less private, less independent (there are countless more examples), but its warmer and more friendly too. When everyone is like family there is a natural pressure not to hurt others, even faceless strangers you have never met. When things are shared, people are friendlier. It's such an icebreaker I find. In America (and capitalism in general-why buy and share one when you can buy two and each have your own?) it's all about personal, independence, buy your own, "get your own box," "two for me none for you," help yourself, and all of that has its virtues but everything is a double-edged sword. All in all it was very strange and very opposite of everything we've cultivated culturally, but it was very easy to get used to. In the beginning I thought of all these countless differences as independent events, but now I can see that there is a definite pattern in the way it works, and sum it all up to this collective culture.
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
FC Seoul and Psy
Free tickets are the best way to witness anything, especially fun things.Last Saturday I went with a friend who was visiting from the States to see the FC Seoul national league soccer game. They played a nearby city, so the rivalry was palpable. There were more cheers to complicated tunes and body motions and more crazy Asian action, but none of it could hold a candle to YonGo Jeon. In the end Seoul and the rival city were both ties at 0, but to my dismay there was no overtime, no shoot out.
The most notable event of the soccer game was indeed the halftime show. You know how sometimes for American sports games they will bring lucky ticket holders or local children out onto the field to perform some stunt like throwing three balls into a giant Pepsi can or trying to make 5 consecutive baskets? Well this was sort of along those lines. A youth soccer team (they looked about 7) was on the field for a relay race. They children had to run through two sets of small, inflatable wickets and then around a poll and back. They had to do this all while holding the hands of the guys in FC Seoul mascot suits.
That's when it gets interesting. You see, the mascots were in many shapes and sizes, usually with very large, anime style heads. The most common and innovative costume was the ostrich: a person would basically pull on what looked like ostrich legs and then a belt that looked like a life size ostrich body. Off the top of the body dangled a pair of fabric human legs, giving the impression that the human upper half was in fact riding an ostrich. (something along the lines of this but less redneck and more Asian-y) Unfortunately, as creative and comical as this outfit was, it did not lend itself well to running through wickets. The big, clumsy ostrich feet kept falling off all over the field and the mascots had such a hard time getting themselves through those inflatable hoops with a ostrich neck sticking out of their stomachs and legs dangling around on either side. The 7 year olds weren't much help as they, desperate to win the really, would drag the shoeless mascots along through the hoops and down the field. Priceless.
On top of that I went to a Psy concert with my student on Wednesday night. This guy is famous for putting on a great show, and he did not disappoint. For starters, he's a crazy Korean guy, kind of pudgy, in a red tux with coattails and glitter. He was jumping up and down on the stage, the lights were all over the place, glitter and streamer and confetti canons, pyro technics, and a stage full of breakdancers. He covered many popular songs as well as the more upbeat ones of his own. The crowd was intense, most of who had bought little glow in the dark sticks to shake madly, and spent the majority of the hour and a half jumping up and down. Surprisingly enough there were people of all ages at the concert: teens, college kids, young couples, parents in their 40's with their children, even old men in their 70's.
For the final number, Psy got up on a crane and was panned out over the entire crowd. The best song that he performed was one where he turned off the lights and his group of breakdancers were all in glow in the darkoutfits and all the women had glow in the dark streamers in their hair. The whole lot of them had these lightsaber-type things and everyone was spinning and shaking and bouncing on the stage. As hard as it is to find an artist in Korea that doesn't bore you off your seat with stiff posture and sappy ballads, Psy was a welcome breath of fresh air on the painfully lacking Korean music scene.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Cultural Oddity Moment #11
In Korea there are two types of weddings: a traditional wedding (전통식) and a modern wedding (현대식). Nowadays, thanks to Hollywood and American cultural imperialism, a Western style wedding has become quite popular among the currently marrying generation of Korean youth. But how Western is it? Surely they got the ceremony and atmosphere completely right. Nothing could go wrong with the idea of an Asia country mimicking a Western cultural practice, right? (I'm reminded here of the Meiji restoration and the ball that was thrown by the new Japanese gov't. ㅋㅋㅋ)
Clearly, all was not right.
First off, there was no church, no pastor. I can assume with 80% certainty that the marrying couple was indeed Christian as Seoul is overwhelming a Christian city just by demographics, but the very fact that the wedding was Western style is enough that I would bet an appendage that both those people were Christian (Christianity here is another post all together). We went to a "wedding hall," a 6 story construction with two chambers per floor in which weddings were being held all day, every hour on the hour. Instead of a pastor there was just some guy speaking about all the things that should and are expected to be said (...long life...prosperity...good times and bad...love...happiness...don't go to bed angry...). The religious aspect of the Western wedding was completely removed.
The very fact that I was there is proof enough that everyone on the planet was invited. Koreans like their weddings big and bustling: it never actually got quiet at any point before, during, or after the ceremony. There were people chatting it up, kids running and playing and laughing, and old men telling stories all throughout the entire show.
And it was a show. I'm talking about a spotlight whirling around the room like a blue light special at K-mart, multiple light fixtures fading from one color to another, and machines enveloping the whole floor in a layer of fog. It was like Kiss was doing a tour called "Matrimonium." I kept waiting for the pyrotechnics.
The bride and groom said not one word the entire time. In fact, their participation in the whole event was to walk down the aisle (together might I add: no giving the bride away and no superstition about seeing the bride in advance either.), stand and listen to the speaker, and then bow to each set of parents and walk out. There was no exchange of vows, no ring, no flower girl, no brides maids or best man, no bride's side or groom's side of the room, no "I do," no kiss. It was a wedding completely stripped of everything. The one ceremony that they did stick to (but completely at the wrong time) was cutting the cake. After the speaker was done, women dressed like the Navy rolled a wedding cake over on a cart that was also spewing fog. The bride and groom were given a machete and they held it together as they hacked the top layer of the cake in half. Immediately after the cake was severed, the Navy ladies rolled it back away. They didn't even eat the cake!
During the ceremony a very intrusive and indiscreet cameraman and photographer walked in circles around the speaker and the couple, sticking flashing bulbs and video cameras in their faces. After a while they started to film those of us in the crowd who were actually watching the debacle. Soon the audience was getting into it, and people in t-shirts and jeans would walk up with a kid on one hip, stand behind the speaker, and take a picture of the couples faces from over the man's shoulders...as he was marrying them!
I don't know if anything about it was very Western at all, but the feast afterward was top notch. I stuffed myself at the "reception," which was held in a banquet hall in the adjacent building. Again, there was no band, no couple's first dance, no Father/daughter dance, no dancing at all for that matter.
This has been your cultural oddity moment of the day.
Clearly, all was not right.
First off, there was no church, no pastor. I can assume with 80% certainty that the marrying couple was indeed Christian as Seoul is overwhelming a Christian city just by demographics, but the very fact that the wedding was Western style is enough that I would bet an appendage that both those people were Christian (Christianity here is another post all together). We went to a "wedding hall," a 6 story construction with two chambers per floor in which weddings were being held all day, every hour on the hour. Instead of a pastor there was just some guy speaking about all the things that should and are expected to be said (...long life...prosperity...good times and bad...love...happiness...don't go to bed angry...). The religious aspect of the Western wedding was completely removed.
The very fact that I was there is proof enough that everyone on the planet was invited. Koreans like their weddings big and bustling: it never actually got quiet at any point before, during, or after the ceremony. There were people chatting it up, kids running and playing and laughing, and old men telling stories all throughout the entire show.And it was a show. I'm talking about a spotlight whirling around the room like a blue light special at K-mart, multiple light fixtures fading from one color to another, and machines enveloping the whole floor in a layer of fog. It was like Kiss was doing a tour called "Matrimonium." I kept waiting for the pyrotechnics.
The bride and groom said not one word the entire time. In fact, their participation in the whole event was to walk down the aisle (together might I add: no giving the bride away and no superstition about seeing the bride in advance either.), stand and listen to the speaker, and then bow to each set of parents and walk out. There was no exchange of vows, no ring, no flower girl, no brides maids or best man, no bride's side or groom's side of the room, no "I do," no kiss. It was a wedding completely stripped of everything. The one ceremony that they did stick to (but completely at the wrong time) was cutting the cake. After the speaker was done, women dressed like the Navy rolled a wedding cake over on a cart that was also spewing fog. The bride and groom were given a machete and they held it together as they hacked the top layer of the cake in half. Immediately after the cake was severed, the Navy ladies rolled it back away. They didn't even eat the cake!
During the ceremony a very intrusive and indiscreet cameraman and photographer walked in circles around the speaker and the couple, sticking flashing bulbs and video cameras in their faces. After a while they started to film those of us in the crowd who were actually watching the debacle. Soon the audience was getting into it, and people in t-shirts and jeans would walk up with a kid on one hip, stand behind the speaker, and take a picture of the couples faces from over the man's shoulders...as he was marrying them!
I don't know if anything about it was very Western at all, but the feast afterward was top notch. I stuffed myself at the "reception," which was held in a banquet hall in the adjacent building. Again, there was no band, no couple's first dance, no Father/daughter dance, no dancing at all for that matter.
This has been your cultural oddity moment of the day.
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Cultural Oddity Moment #10
That's right: they're back. After a brief wade back into an alternative culture, my sense of the idiosyncrasies around me in day to day life has been restored. It's time for a discussion of oddity that has been a long time coming.
Let's start with a little game: Can you determine the gender of this photo taken of a random Seoul citizen on the bus? Check the appropriate box below.
[] male
[] female
Maybe you can't tell from the exposed stomach, tight jeans, teddy bear phone-dangly out the back pocket, or sensual curves, but the very fact that I posed the question should have clued you in that this is in fact a dude. And this is not abnormal.
The effeminate male syndrome (EMS {copyright 2007}) in Korea baffles me while at the same time turns my stomach. There are many factors that make the Korean male effeminate, but let's start with one that is the least their fault: inability to grow facial or other body hair of any kind. This lends both to the womanliness of the male population while simultaneously being a factor which makes it so difficult for Westerners to correctly place the age of Koreans. Whereas facial hair has always added years to my face, the baby skin of Korean men subtracts them.
It goes deeper of course than just unavoidable genetic factors. There is the issue of trend. Current Korean fashion allows for not only the acceptability of pink and purple clothing on men which I mentioned last September, but the immense popularity of tight fitted, low-rider jeans, open chested shirts, and the infamous man purse (a recent trend which permits men to carry what would be considered in the West as a slightly over sized leather purse with two straps that are worn on one shoulder).
It doesn't take a very deep analysis into trend of South Korea to note the immense popularity of the "shaggy" haircut. Whether this is a result of Anime culture or vice-versa, the influence of Japanimation has struck the peninsula. It is common for men to be as primpy in bathrooms and at public mirrors as girls are, if not more so. Highlights, facials, eye cream, and various forms of understated make-up are all acceptable modifications of the male face. In fact, Anime has influenced the style so much that guys here get facial plastic surgery in order to carve down their jaw bone and give themselves a pointier chin. Another popular plastic surgery (on girls as well) is an eye modification designed to make the Asian eye fold and look more like that of a Westerner.
As disturbing as the thought of plastic surgery, eye make up, and tight clothes on a hairless, un-built Asian male is, the effeminacy goes even beyond trend. It is preferred here by women that the man be sentimental, in touch with his feelings. Girls want a guy who will go shopping with them, and in role reversal I've met several Korean girls who complain about their boyfriends for spending too much time and money shopping for clothes or for taking too long to do their hair before they go out on a date. The ideal Korean man should not be afraid to cry or to cuddle, should enjoy romantic comedies, should be soft. While these may sound like things that American women want in a guy, it can be seen that time and time again these "nice guys" always lose, that it is the more masculine, muscular, facial haired, suave, and dangerous man who is idolized in the States. This is a picture of Bae Yong-joon, currently the highest paid actor in Korea for his role on the drama "Winter Sonata" in which he plays the sensitive guy who can't get over a girl.
It's not just everything outward, but everything inward as well. You'd be hard pressed to find a factor in the Korean male that could actually be called "masculine" other than their propensity to fist fight, which even then could simply be a genetic rubber band effect to the amount these men have pulled away from the hunter/protector role that a human male is supposed to play. Several interesting observations can be drawn about the women in this country, but I can't really relate the aggressive behavioural patterns and such to the lack of a strong male figure since EMS is not specific to Korea but rather to the whole East Asian region whereas the rough quality in Korean women can certainly not be found in the Japanese or Chinese female population.
This has been your cultural oddity moment of the day.
Let's start with a little game: Can you determine the gender of this photo taken of a random Seoul citizen on the bus? Check the appropriate box below.
[] male
[] female
Maybe you can't tell from the exposed stomach, tight jeans, teddy bear phone-dangly out the back pocket, or sensual curves, but the very fact that I posed the question should have clued you in that this is in fact a dude. And this is not abnormal.
The effeminate male syndrome (EMS {copyright 2007}) in Korea baffles me while at the same time turns my stomach. There are many factors that make the Korean male effeminate, but let's start with one that is the least their fault: inability to grow facial or other body hair of any kind. This lends both to the womanliness of the male population while simultaneously being a factor which makes it so difficult for Westerners to correctly place the age of Koreans. Whereas facial hair has always added years to my face, the baby skin of Korean men subtracts them.It goes deeper of course than just unavoidable genetic factors. There is the issue of trend. Current Korean fashion allows for not only the acceptability of pink and purple clothing on men which I mentioned last September, but the immense popularity of tight fitted, low-rider jeans, open chested shirts, and the infamous man purse (a recent trend which permits men to carry what would be considered in the West as a slightly over sized leather purse with two straps that are worn on one shoulder).
It doesn't take a very deep analysis into trend of South Korea to note the immense popularity of the "shaggy" haircut. Whether this is a result of Anime culture or vice-versa, the influence of Japanimation has struck the peninsula. It is common for men to be as primpy in bathrooms and at public mirrors as girls are, if not more so. Highlights, facials, eye cream, and various forms of understated make-up are all acceptable modifications of the male face. In fact, Anime has influenced the style so much that guys here get facial plastic surgery in order to carve down their jaw bone and give themselves a pointier chin. Another popular plastic surgery (on girls as well) is an eye modification designed to make the Asian eye fold and look more like that of a Westerner.
As disturbing as the thought of plastic surgery, eye make up, and tight clothes on a hairless, un-built Asian male is, the effeminacy goes even beyond trend. It is preferred here by women that the man be sentimental, in touch with his feelings. Girls want a guy who will go shopping with them, and in role reversal I've met several Korean girls who complain about their boyfriends for spending too much time and money shopping for clothes or for taking too long to do their hair before they go out on a date. The ideal Korean man should not be afraid to cry or to cuddle, should enjoy romantic comedies, should be soft. While these may sound like things that American women want in a guy, it can be seen that time and time again these "nice guys" always lose, that it is the more masculine, muscular, facial haired, suave, and dangerous man who is idolized in the States. This is a picture of Bae Yong-joon, currently the highest paid actor in Korea for his role on the drama "Winter Sonata" in which he plays the sensitive guy who can't get over a girl.It's not just everything outward, but everything inward as well. You'd be hard pressed to find a factor in the Korean male that could actually be called "masculine" other than their propensity to fist fight, which even then could simply be a genetic rubber band effect to the amount these men have pulled away from the hunter/protector role that a human male is supposed to play. Several interesting observations can be drawn about the women in this country, but I can't really relate the aggressive behavioural patterns and such to the lack of a strong male figure since EMS is not specific to Korea but rather to the whole East Asian region whereas the rough quality in Korean women can certainly not be found in the Japanese or Chinese female population.
This has been your cultural oddity moment of the day.
Saturday, May 12, 2007
Safe and Sound
For those of you who never even knew I was gone, forget I'm posting this, but for those of you who did know, I made it back in one piece. I came back from my week in the States with a new sense of peace, acceptance, and closure which I would have been hard pressed to reproduce on my own. Much family was seen, and luggage was carried instead of mailed. All good things.
However, every rose has its thorns. Did you know that if you are asleep on the plane when the meal lady comes around, you don't get a meal whether your tray is down or not??? Good thing someone packed me smoked turkey and cheddar with mustard on white. Stupid flight attendants.
I caught a glimpse of what life will be like for me coming back in 6 weeks and I didn't really like what I saw. I've lost most of my appetite for one. I can no longer eat the portions I used to, and I don't really want what food is around even when I am hungry. So much meat, so much dairy. I felt kind of sick all week. Big factor in my sickness #2: America is disgustingly fat, commercial, and wasteful. I was surprised (and a little bit disappointed in myself) that I haven't been shocked abut it my whole life, but I was in horror the whole ride back from the airport. Just gross.
So now I know for sure I'm definitely going to miss my regular eating habits and my economical environment, but something I was startled to discover was that I actually was uncomfortable being in an English environment. Not because I couldn't handle it, mind you, but because I could handle it. I could suddenly once again be held responsible for everything that was said around me! No more blissful ignorance! On the converse, everyone was able to understand me! There are no words to express how much I'm going to miss being the only one who can speak a language. I'm going to get myself in trouble on campus one day, walking behind some football player and then making some comment out loud about the speed at which we're walking. Yikes.
Speaking of school, it was depressing to be back on my once and future campus. How shallow everything there was. It felt the same way it feels to go back into your old high school after being out for a year. Everyone is dressed the same, every conversation is about something beneath you, uninteresting, unimportant. I am not excited about being back in that environment at all, but it has to be done I suppose. 2 more years until freedom.
Anyways, just letting everyone know that the wing wasn't violently ripped from the plane by a crosswind somewhere over the middle of the pacific. I did get a nice shot of Northern Canada though.
Only six more weeks of the adventure remain. Keep it real.
However, every rose has its thorns. Did you know that if you are asleep on the plane when the meal lady comes around, you don't get a meal whether your tray is down or not??? Good thing someone packed me smoked turkey and cheddar with mustard on white. Stupid flight attendants.
I caught a glimpse of what life will be like for me coming back in 6 weeks and I didn't really like what I saw. I've lost most of my appetite for one. I can no longer eat the portions I used to, and I don't really want what food is around even when I am hungry. So much meat, so much dairy. I felt kind of sick all week. Big factor in my sickness #2: America is disgustingly fat, commercial, and wasteful. I was surprised (and a little bit disappointed in myself) that I haven't been shocked abut it my whole life, but I was in horror the whole ride back from the airport. Just gross.
So now I know for sure I'm definitely going to miss my regular eating habits and my economical environment, but something I was startled to discover was that I actually was uncomfortable being in an English environment. Not because I couldn't handle it, mind you, but because I could handle it. I could suddenly once again be held responsible for everything that was said around me! No more blissful ignorance! On the converse, everyone was able to understand me! There are no words to express how much I'm going to miss being the only one who can speak a language. I'm going to get myself in trouble on campus one day, walking behind some football player and then making some comment out loud about the speed at which we're walking. Yikes.
Speaking of school, it was depressing to be back on my once and future campus. How shallow everything there was. It felt the same way it feels to go back into your old high school after being out for a year. Everyone is dressed the same, every conversation is about something beneath you, uninteresting, unimportant. I am not excited about being back in that environment at all, but it has to be done I suppose. 2 more years until freedom.
Anyways, just letting everyone know that the wing wasn't violently ripped from the plane by a crosswind somewhere over the middle of the pacific. I did get a nice shot of Northern Canada though.
Only six more weeks of the adventure remain. Keep it real.
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
Spiderman 3
I saw it before you. And what would be the point of living in the country where it was released first if I didn't?
South Korea 1 May 2007
Bulgaria 4 May 2007
Estonia 4 May 2007
Finland 4 May 2007
Iceland 4 May 2007
India 4 May 2007
Ireland 4 May 2007
Lithuania 4 May 2007
Mexico 4 May 2007
Norway 4 May 2007
Panama 4 May 2007
Poland 4 May 2007
South Africa 4 May 2007
Spain 4 May 2007
Turkey 4 May 2007
UK 4 May 2007
USA 4 May 2007
South Korea 1 May 2007
Bulgaria 4 May 2007
Estonia 4 May 2007
Finland 4 May 2007
Iceland 4 May 2007
India 4 May 2007
Ireland 4 May 2007
Lithuania 4 May 2007
Mexico 4 May 2007
Norway 4 May 2007
Panama 4 May 2007
Poland 4 May 2007
South Africa 4 May 2007
Spain 4 May 2007
Turkey 4 May 2007
UK 4 May 2007
USA 4 May 2007
Saturday, April 28, 2007
Megalomaniacal, Fanatically Religious Nutcase
When you post an add offering ENGLISH TUTOR in huge bold letters, you would expect to get emails about being an English tutor, but it's not entirely so. A caveat to those intending to advertise in Korea: you're going to run in to some nut jobs.
When I wrote my tutor add, I found it relevant to post that I had experience with the Latin language which has served to bolster my own linguistic understanding and productive vocabulary. I also mentioned that I come from a mother who teaches language, indicating that I have had some contact with the pedagogy of language instruction. Amazing how things can become so misconstrued...
About a month prior to Easter I was contacted by someone claiming to be translating the Bible from English to French. Though their reason for doing so is not clear (since many Bibles exist in both English and French, not to mention this person's first language was clearly not either of those languages), this anonymous emailer requested my help translating. When I told them that I do not speak French, they became very shocked and told me "You speak Latin, right?"
1) I took that language 3 yrs ago
2) nobody speaks Latin
3) add said ENGLISH TUTOR
4) FRENCH IS NOT LATIN!!!!
After putting this seriously misinformed person in contact with a French speaker I knew, I washed my hands of the scenario and moved on.
Recently, I received this email (all emails are copied word for word, no editing). Bear in mind that this was completely without precedent or explanation:
bUT IT MIGHT BE CHANGED ANYWAY i CAME BACK FROM JAPAN
DO YOU EVER VISIT THERE?
i HAVE A FRIEND WHO WORK THERE AS AN ENGLISH TEACHER.
aND i WILL VISIT JAPANESE SCHOOL.
CAN YOU TEACH LATIN THERE?
wE HAD JAPANESE STUDENT ABROAD FESTIVAL ONCE A YEAR THIS YEAR i WAS A STAFF.
SO I HAVE PLAN TO VISIT THE JAPANESE SCHOOL AND WANT TO TALK TO USE THEIR PLACE
FOR A NEXT FESTIVAL.
AND THANK YOU AND BYE
I WANT TO STUDY LATIN AND MY BROTHER IS LOOKING FOR A SCHOOL IN NEWYORK.
i HAVE YOUR 5 MAIL AND i WONDER WHICH SCHOOL YOU R GRADUATED.
HE PREPARE TO GO TO THE HARVARD.
I replied slightly confused but assuming that this person had seen my ad and was interested in Latin lessons? What would you assume? Anyway, while I am no longer familiar with the language, it's still fresh enough that I could teach an absolute beginner if I had a book. I proceeded to tell this new person (let's call her Rosalina) that I was available on Thursday and Friday mornings but that the rest of my schedule was very busy. If she could find a book I could teach her Latin.
Reply:
hi I enterd graduate school in yonsei education department.
But some reason I became to delay my graduate.
I do not have latinbook where can I find it.
But I have a french book also.
what about saturday?
I like satuday afternoon what about you?
Again with the French??? What are the schools here telling these kids?? And I had explicitly said only Thursday and Friday morning. Additionally, this is Rosalina's country, not mine. Shouldn't she know where to buy books? I mildly informed her of all these facts. This was a Thursday. She sent me this on Friday.
Reply:
do you have time tomorrow?
Because I go to school tomorrow
I go there rom 9 to 2 and then I will meet a friend who take a GsIS.
Are you gsis student?
Can we have meeting tomorrwo?
I really want to study latin but I do nto knwo where I can fidn a book .
Where can I find it...??
After we meet we can decide exchange korean and latin is this sounds good?
my friend name is esther
Alright. Again, suggests Saturday. Again, asks where she can buy a book. What is wrong with this person??? Before I have a chance to reply I get this in my inbox:
what do you do on saturday?
i will try to find a book but if you are fine call me tomorrow
IF you are find can I call tomorrow?
Because I will see mt friend tomorrow.
Let me know your number.
ARGH!!!! I sent her a response reiterating my initial email more clearly and tersely than before. Just when I was ready to give up on this chick she levels out. She says she's bought the book and asks me when and where I can meet Thursday morning. After we arrange everything, she sends an awkward number of emails just asking inane questions. It's the kind of questions that should be saved for when you first meet someone, but I just chalk it up to her being overly excited about lessons.
Thursday morning, we meet. I can tell immediately that she is not a typical Korean. Her style is something in between a carpet bagger and a grandmother, but its not dirty or anything. It's the kind of style that could be classified as either really original or really oblivious. We sit down at a table and she shows me the book. We don't talk about it though. Her first question is "Are you Catholic? Protestant? What about before? Are your parents Catholic? Protestant? Methodist?" Woah woah woah. There are different conceptions of what qualifies as personal information here, but that's over the line even for Korea. Then she proceeds to ask me about Latin. Is it the same as Hebrew? No, not really at all. Is it the same as Aram? I'm afraid I'm not quite familiar with Aram...
When this girl speaks, imagine that she's really out of breath, stuttery, and inarticulate, and imagine that she says everything as though she were delivering some life or death message.
"Jesus spoke Aram and and and there were people in the Bible who spoke it and today there are small groups of of of peoples who are living in in Iran and they speak Aram and those Aram people have many hardships and I want to to help them with their their hardships and when Cain killed Abel the Aram people decided to leave and that's where they they they are but when Cain killed Abel God let Cain go back to to Eden and I don't understand because I was thought that Eden closed and and how can you go back if God closed it? I think the Eden still exists and if it exists we can find it because God said so and there is the Tree of Life that God had had an angel with a fire sword guard and and and I want to find the Tree of Life so that we can have a closer experience with with God. Where do you think Eden is?"
...
ok
where to begin...
"Well, I think a lot of things in the Bible are symbolism."
"No, no no because I told people that it's real so I can find it."
At this point I decided to inform her that scientists who are also Christians largely believe that the most likely place that Eden did exist was between the Tigris and Euphrates river, smack in the middle of Iraq. Good luck. I tried to steer the conversation to Latin classes, but I was becoming increasingly aware that nothing good would come of this person. She then took the conversation in another wild direction:
-can't you speak French?
-NO! What is it with you people!
- Well, can you read French?
-No. I can recognize the words that are close to Latin or English words, but that's about it.
At this point in the conversation, she pulls out a notebook of all her translated Bible passages that she had written in French. She flipped from page to page asking me to read paragraphs. Being as she had written them herself it was not for her understanding. It was simply to test my comprehension of the French language which I repeatedly claimed to have no knowledge of.
-What about this one?
-Well, that word is monster and that word is ocean and that says they lived, but I really can't speak French at all you know.
-What about this one?
I began to recognize that I could not possibly tutor this person. I began trying to wiggle my way out of ever seeing her again, but she was not one to be easily dissuaded. I tried the "leaving the country soon" excuse, but it turns out she's leaving end of May to go to Berkeley (who let her in???). I tried telling her that she could probably learn Latin on her own since it was a relatively basic language and completely unspoken in it's original form. After all, Korea's biggest English problem is that they only learn vocab and how to read but none of them can speak or listen worth a damn. All she would have to do is what all Koreans do: memorize! But she wanted a teacher. *sigh*
It was beginning to look like I had no feasible excuse, when it dawned on me; Crazy people never have money!
-My fee is 30 dollars an hour.
-oh...oh...is that what you charge for English?
-Yes, and since I can get an English student easily it's not worth it to me to teach for any less.
-I see...how about language exchange??
[a note to the reader: language exchange is the concept that a student will learn your language (most often English) in exchange for their teaching you Korean instead of actually paying. It never is 50/50 balanced though. In fact most often it is the Korean slang for "free engrish resson."]
-Nope, not interested.
Here Rosalina spent a considerable amount of time trying to convince me that I needed Korean lessons, asking me why I took Korean in the first place if I don't want her to help me perfect myself, and generally aggravating me. Needless to say I had found my out and I knew it. I was holding onto this life preserver like Alec Baldwin clings to that one dusty Oscar nomination.
Eventually, she gave up trying to convince me, but that didn't keep her from espousing more crazy babble. Most notably:
-Well, since you're a a a major in the journalism then you should think about North Korea because I want to work with North Korea with the Denmark's embassy because because they have one in North Korea and Denmark has good embassies and social um um uh things and there are the biggest problem in Korea is that they kill Christians.
-Ummmm...are you sure that's there biggest problem? I don't think that even happens. And isn't Kim JongIl himself a Christian?
-No no no he is not and I know economics but but this is their biggest problem.
-What about human rights? For...everybody? Isn't what hurts everybody more important to that country than supposed religious persecution?
-Well, the Christians that are died are lost their human rights and and and they do have to work for for North Korea to dig the holes in the mountains where the Kim JongIl makes his nuclear weapons and I want to go there and help them with their their [search through electronic dictionary] their devastation. If you want to then I work with Denmark and Belgium and maybe you can help me bebebecause I don't have very much helpers right now and you could talk to the embassies for me and it might be good to you to write some things about it for America?
There has to be some way to end this torture, right? It has been an hour by this point, and as I look at my watch hands coming to rest on exactly eleven, I realize the one tool I haven't utilized yet: the all powerful 약속 (appointment/promise). Since the keeping of one's appointments and promises is so valued in this culture, throwing this word out means immediate freedom from whatever you are currently doing. How could I not have thought of this sooner?? So I dropped the bomb and scampered quickly away as she shouted after me something about Belgian embassy and think about it.
I had assumed that her cheap self would have taken this advantage as well in order to escape the awkwardness of not having money, but not so. The same day I receive this email:
so
how do yoy do?
do you think we can study latin again?
so for one I will teach you chinese if you need.
So, another offer to do "language exchange" in a language she's probably worse at than English. Then sent later the same day still:
and I write genisis in english.
If you like write it in korea you can find a bible in the chaple main hall.
because they have their own bible.
Or I can take one for you.
I wrote it till 4 so next time I will write 5.
So we can share more than language And I will take map for the genesis because I have.
So you see that this person is completely insane, and with those types of people sometimes the best end to things is more blunt that you would like...
"look, rosalina
I'm not interested in Chinese, Christianity, or anything you have to offer. I think it would be better if we don't meet each other any more. for that matter, I think we shouldn't contact each other period."
The end? Still no. This was the last email I sent her, since the interaction was only encouraging her and was my mistake from the very beginning, but she keeps on sending:
well.
what matter ?where is eden ?
and then:
anyway..
If you want to find a gold I have to give.
www.cyworld.com/jesu
But if you are interested in north korea I can help.
Because I work with them.
Of course, there was nothing at that link...*cookoo*
and then:
some work there.
It might be interesting to write or show their move.
spies.
yonsei is interesting place.
I have never met any one crazier in this country or any other, but the whole episode has been so comical that it was totally worth it. That was the last correspondence I received from her, but I don't presume it's over. I remain hopeful that I will get more psychopathic hilarity in the near future. Don't combine this account with the shootings in Virginia and construe that all Koreans are off their rockers: most people here are very very normal. So normal that it's like cloning was never banned by the scientific community...
When I wrote my tutor add, I found it relevant to post that I had experience with the Latin language which has served to bolster my own linguistic understanding and productive vocabulary. I also mentioned that I come from a mother who teaches language, indicating that I have had some contact with the pedagogy of language instruction. Amazing how things can become so misconstrued...
About a month prior to Easter I was contacted by someone claiming to be translating the Bible from English to French. Though their reason for doing so is not clear (since many Bibles exist in both English and French, not to mention this person's first language was clearly not either of those languages), this anonymous emailer requested my help translating. When I told them that I do not speak French, they became very shocked and told me "You speak Latin, right?"
1) I took that language 3 yrs ago
2) nobody speaks Latin
3) add said ENGLISH TUTOR
4) FRENCH IS NOT LATIN!!!!
After putting this seriously misinformed person in contact with a French speaker I knew, I washed my hands of the scenario and moved on.
Recently, I received this email (all emails are copied word for word, no editing). Bear in mind that this was completely without precedent or explanation:
bUT IT MIGHT BE CHANGED ANYWAY i CAME BACK FROM JAPAN
DO YOU EVER VISIT THERE?
i HAVE A FRIEND WHO WORK THERE AS AN ENGLISH TEACHER.
aND i WILL VISIT JAPANESE SCHOOL.
CAN YOU TEACH LATIN THERE?
wE HAD JAPANESE STUDENT ABROAD FESTIVAL ONCE A YEAR THIS YEAR i WAS A STAFF.
SO I HAVE PLAN TO VISIT THE JAPANESE SCHOOL AND WANT TO TALK TO USE THEIR PLACE
FOR A NEXT FESTIVAL.
AND THANK YOU AND BYE
I WANT TO STUDY LATIN AND MY BROTHER IS LOOKING FOR A SCHOOL IN NEWYORK.
i HAVE YOUR 5 MAIL AND i WONDER WHICH SCHOOL YOU R GRADUATED.
HE PREPARE TO GO TO THE HARVARD.
I replied slightly confused but assuming that this person had seen my ad and was interested in Latin lessons? What would you assume? Anyway, while I am no longer familiar with the language, it's still fresh enough that I could teach an absolute beginner if I had a book. I proceeded to tell this new person (let's call her Rosalina) that I was available on Thursday and Friday mornings but that the rest of my schedule was very busy. If she could find a book I could teach her Latin.
Reply:
hi I enterd graduate school in yonsei education department.
But some reason I became to delay my graduate.
I do not have latinbook where can I find it.
But I have a french book also.
what about saturday?
I like satuday afternoon what about you?
Again with the French??? What are the schools here telling these kids?? And I had explicitly said only Thursday and Friday morning. Additionally, this is Rosalina's country, not mine. Shouldn't she know where to buy books? I mildly informed her of all these facts. This was a Thursday. She sent me this on Friday.
Reply:
do you have time tomorrow?
Because I go to school tomorrow
I go there rom 9 to 2 and then I will meet a friend who take a GsIS.
Are you gsis student?
Can we have meeting tomorrwo?
I really want to study latin but I do nto knwo where I can fidn a book .
Where can I find it...??
After we meet we can decide exchange korean and latin is this sounds good?
my friend name is esther
Alright. Again, suggests Saturday. Again, asks where she can buy a book. What is wrong with this person??? Before I have a chance to reply I get this in my inbox:
what do you do on saturday?
i will try to find a book but if you are fine call me tomorrow
IF you are find can I call tomorrow?
Because I will see mt friend tomorrow.
Let me know your number.
ARGH!!!! I sent her a response reiterating my initial email more clearly and tersely than before. Just when I was ready to give up on this chick she levels out. She says she's bought the book and asks me when and where I can meet Thursday morning. After we arrange everything, she sends an awkward number of emails just asking inane questions. It's the kind of questions that should be saved for when you first meet someone, but I just chalk it up to her being overly excited about lessons.
Thursday morning, we meet. I can tell immediately that she is not a typical Korean. Her style is something in between a carpet bagger and a grandmother, but its not dirty or anything. It's the kind of style that could be classified as either really original or really oblivious. We sit down at a table and she shows me the book. We don't talk about it though. Her first question is "Are you Catholic? Protestant? What about before? Are your parents Catholic? Protestant? Methodist?" Woah woah woah. There are different conceptions of what qualifies as personal information here, but that's over the line even for Korea. Then she proceeds to ask me about Latin. Is it the same as Hebrew? No, not really at all. Is it the same as Aram? I'm afraid I'm not quite familiar with Aram...
When this girl speaks, imagine that she's really out of breath, stuttery, and inarticulate, and imagine that she says everything as though she were delivering some life or death message.
"Jesus spoke Aram and and and there were people in the Bible who spoke it and today there are small groups of of of peoples who are living in in Iran and they speak Aram and those Aram people have many hardships and I want to to help them with their their hardships and when Cain killed Abel the Aram people decided to leave and that's where they they they are but when Cain killed Abel God let Cain go back to to Eden and I don't understand because I was thought that Eden closed and and how can you go back if God closed it? I think the Eden still exists and if it exists we can find it because God said so and there is the Tree of Life that God had had an angel with a fire sword guard and and and I want to find the Tree of Life so that we can have a closer experience with with God. Where do you think Eden is?"
...
ok
where to begin...
"Well, I think a lot of things in the Bible are symbolism."
"No, no no because I told people that it's real so I can find it."
At this point I decided to inform her that scientists who are also Christians largely believe that the most likely place that Eden did exist was between the Tigris and Euphrates river, smack in the middle of Iraq. Good luck. I tried to steer the conversation to Latin classes, but I was becoming increasingly aware that nothing good would come of this person. She then took the conversation in another wild direction:
-can't you speak French?
-NO! What is it with you people!
- Well, can you read French?
-No. I can recognize the words that are close to Latin or English words, but that's about it.
At this point in the conversation, she pulls out a notebook of all her translated Bible passages that she had written in French. She flipped from page to page asking me to read paragraphs. Being as she had written them herself it was not for her understanding. It was simply to test my comprehension of the French language which I repeatedly claimed to have no knowledge of.
-What about this one?
-Well, that word is monster and that word is ocean and that says they lived, but I really can't speak French at all you know.
-What about this one?
I began to recognize that I could not possibly tutor this person. I began trying to wiggle my way out of ever seeing her again, but she was not one to be easily dissuaded. I tried the "leaving the country soon" excuse, but it turns out she's leaving end of May to go to Berkeley (who let her in???). I tried telling her that she could probably learn Latin on her own since it was a relatively basic language and completely unspoken in it's original form. After all, Korea's biggest English problem is that they only learn vocab and how to read but none of them can speak or listen worth a damn. All she would have to do is what all Koreans do: memorize! But she wanted a teacher. *sigh*
It was beginning to look like I had no feasible excuse, when it dawned on me; Crazy people never have money!
-My fee is 30 dollars an hour.
-oh...oh...is that what you charge for English?
-Yes, and since I can get an English student easily it's not worth it to me to teach for any less.
-I see...how about language exchange??
[a note to the reader: language exchange is the concept that a student will learn your language (most often English) in exchange for their teaching you Korean instead of actually paying. It never is 50/50 balanced though. In fact most often it is the Korean slang for "free engrish resson."]
-Nope, not interested.
Here Rosalina spent a considerable amount of time trying to convince me that I needed Korean lessons, asking me why I took Korean in the first place if I don't want her to help me perfect myself, and generally aggravating me. Needless to say I had found my out and I knew it. I was holding onto this life preserver like Alec Baldwin clings to that one dusty Oscar nomination.
Eventually, she gave up trying to convince me, but that didn't keep her from espousing more crazy babble. Most notably:
-Well, since you're a a a major in the journalism then you should think about North Korea because I want to work with North Korea with the Denmark's embassy because because they have one in North Korea and Denmark has good embassies and social um um uh things and there are the biggest problem in Korea is that they kill Christians.
-Ummmm...are you sure that's there biggest problem? I don't think that even happens. And isn't Kim JongIl himself a Christian?
-No no no he is not and I know economics but but this is their biggest problem.
-What about human rights? For...everybody? Isn't what hurts everybody more important to that country than supposed religious persecution?
-Well, the Christians that are died are lost their human rights and and and they do have to work for for North Korea to dig the holes in the mountains where the Kim JongIl makes his nuclear weapons and I want to go there and help them with their their [search through electronic dictionary] their devastation. If you want to then I work with Denmark and Belgium and maybe you can help me bebebecause I don't have very much helpers right now and you could talk to the embassies for me and it might be good to you to write some things about it for America?
There has to be some way to end this torture, right? It has been an hour by this point, and as I look at my watch hands coming to rest on exactly eleven, I realize the one tool I haven't utilized yet: the all powerful 약속 (appointment/promise). Since the keeping of one's appointments and promises is so valued in this culture, throwing this word out means immediate freedom from whatever you are currently doing. How could I not have thought of this sooner?? So I dropped the bomb and scampered quickly away as she shouted after me something about Belgian embassy and think about it.
I had assumed that her cheap self would have taken this advantage as well in order to escape the awkwardness of not having money, but not so. The same day I receive this email:
so
how do yoy do?
do you think we can study latin again?
so for one I will teach you chinese if you need.
So, another offer to do "language exchange" in a language she's probably worse at than English. Then sent later the same day still:
and I write genisis in english.
If you like write it in korea you can find a bible in the chaple main hall.
because they have their own bible.
Or I can take one for you.
I wrote it till 4 so next time I will write 5.
So we can share more than language And I will take map for the genesis because I have.
So you see that this person is completely insane, and with those types of people sometimes the best end to things is more blunt that you would like...
"look, rosalina
I'm not interested in Chinese, Christianity, or anything you have to offer. I think it would be better if we don't meet each other any more. for that matter, I think we shouldn't contact each other period."
The end? Still no. This was the last email I sent her, since the interaction was only encouraging her and was my mistake from the very beginning, but she keeps on sending:
well.
what matter ?where is eden ?
and then:
anyway..
If you want to find a gold I have to give.
www.cyworld.com/jesu
But if you are interested in north korea I can help.
Because I work with them.
Of course, there was nothing at that link...*cookoo*
and then:
some work there.
It might be interesting to write or show their move.
spies.
yonsei is interesting place.
I have never met any one crazier in this country or any other, but the whole episode has been so comical that it was totally worth it. That was the last correspondence I received from her, but I don't presume it's over. I remain hopeful that I will get more psychopathic hilarity in the near future. Don't combine this account with the shootings in Virginia and construe that all Koreans are off their rockers: most people here are very very normal. So normal that it's like cloning was never banned by the scientific community...
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
봄이 왔다!
Midterm season is the best here. It would never fly in the States, but all classes are cancelled during midterm week and every teacher cancelled the classes the week before the midterms so that everyone could study. It's like an extra spring break, except with tests.
The weather has gotten warmer and the landscape is gorgeous. Cherry blossoms everywhere. For one week there were whitish pink flowers on trees that you didn't even know were cherry trees, and this week it's even better. It's like something out of an anime music video; there is a constant soft snowfall of cherry blossom petals all day every day. Not too mention the flowering azalea and forsythia and some other tree with big white blossoms. It's so nice to be out of the drear and the rain and the cold. I'll post pictures as soon as I figure out how to get them off my camera and onto one of these school computers (computer is broken -- camera needs a program to upload pictures -- school computers don't allow program downloading)
Other than that, it's just been a lot of school and tutoring. I took several extra jobs to put me back in the black after the two weeks of Japan/Korea tutoring as well as to help afford a new computer. I sort of feel like I'm missing opportunity here, but then again I'm back-paying for opportunity that I've already grasped so I can't really complain.
Plus, in the middle of an epic grapple with the bureaucracy of the home university. More stress than I want to even think about.
The weather has gotten warmer and the landscape is gorgeous. Cherry blossoms everywhere. For one week there were whitish pink flowers on trees that you didn't even know were cherry trees, and this week it's even better. It's like something out of an anime music video; there is a constant soft snowfall of cherry blossom petals all day every day. Not too mention the flowering azalea and forsythia and some other tree with big white blossoms. It's so nice to be out of the drear and the rain and the cold. I'll post pictures as soon as I figure out how to get them off my camera and onto one of these school computers (computer is broken -- camera needs a program to upload pictures -- school computers don't allow program downloading)
Other than that, it's just been a lot of school and tutoring. I took several extra jobs to put me back in the black after the two weeks of Japan/Korea tutoring as well as to help afford a new computer. I sort of feel like I'm missing opportunity here, but then again I'm back-paying for opportunity that I've already grasped so I can't really complain.
Plus, in the middle of an epic grapple with the bureaucracy of the home university. More stress than I want to even think about.
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
봄학기: Spring Semester
Well, after a tumultuous drop-add of class shopping and fighting for what I want, I finally consigned myself to (what I hope will be) a more balanced set of classes for the new semester.
Mon/Wed morning: Korean Politics in Transition
This one is turning out to be more and more like the rest of the classes I took last semester, although initially it promised to focus more intently on economic policy and development. I find that the teacher knows a great deal of information but (
surprise surprise) can't take a stance and moreover can't seem to get the information out of herself in a concise or focused manner. It's very difficult to follow her rants and get anything meaningful out that I don't already know, but it will be the easy class.
Mon/Wed afternoon: North Korean Politics and Foreign Policy
The class is really interesting. There is no final, midterm, or paper due the entire semester. The professor is knowledgeable, speaks good English, and provides a great deal of primary document evidence to back up his rather unconventional approach to North Korea. Unfortunately the weekly quizzes are focused on entirely the wrong subject matter: minute definitions from every obscure corner of the reading. I did the reading, went to the extra guest lecture that was recommended, was the most participatory in class discussion, but if I don't remember the passing mention of "epistemic imperialism" in the text then there goes a quarter of my quiz grade. That's not an accurate assessment of knowledge at all. I can't take a semester of that crap.
Tues/Thurs morning: The United Nations and other International Organizations
Top notch class. The professor is knowledgeable, succinct, free thinking, and often leads class in a discussion oriented way. There is an interesting mix of people for a discussion class, including an ex-soldier of 5 years who was part of the initial force into Iraq and a Korean who spent 19 years of her life growing up in Saudi Arabia. Really cool. In the beginning, though I really liked the class, I felt that the atmosphere of the students was kind of apathetic (who can blame them with this education system) but now the class is fired up and the whole thing is great. The best part of my schedule.
Mon-Fri evening: Korean Language Lvl III
It's finally happened: the common language of the classroom is no longer English but Korean. There are 2 japanese girls and one Chinese guy who don't speak any English, and the Tues/Thurs reading teacher only speaks Korean and German (???). Therefore, if I'm struggling I don't have the luxury to speak English anymore. Sort of a good thing, or more like a blessing in disguise I suppose. On top of that, this is my second semester in the Yonsei Korean language program, so I have knowledge up to the very bottom of lvl III. In a sense, this is exactly where I need to be but unfortunately it's not that simple. Any incoming students (i.e. first semester in the Yonsei Korean language program) are more than likely somewhere in between the levels of the program, so the majority of the class is far better at Korean than I am. Another blessing in disguise? Perhaps. Maybe it just means that I have a lot of people to learn from, but between plenty of people who know more vocab, listen better, and speak faster plus the added stress of no English safety net, I feel pretty overwhlemed in Korean right now.
So that's the schedule so far. There's always the myriad of private students as well, moving in and out, and then plenty of interesting reading to keep me going in my spare time. Also discovering the more-humdrum-than-Seinfeld humor of Curb Your Enthusiasm, and between all that I keep pretty busy. Midterms not coming up until late April, so it's coasting time!
Mon/Wed morning: Korean Politics in Transition
This one is turning out to be more and more like the rest of the classes I took last semester, although initially it promised to focus more intently on economic policy and development. I find that the teacher knows a great deal of information but (
surprise surprise) can't take a stance and moreover can't seem to get the information out of herself in a concise or focused manner. It's very difficult to follow her rants and get anything meaningful out that I don't already know, but it will be the easy class.
Mon/Wed afternoon: North Korean Politics and Foreign Policy
The class is really interesting. There is no final, midterm, or paper due the entire semester. The professor is knowledgeable, speaks good English, and provides a great deal of primary document evidence to back up his rather unconventional approach to North Korea. Unfortunately the weekly quizzes are focused on entirely the wrong subject matter: minute definitions from every obscure corner of the reading. I did the reading, went to the extra guest lecture that was recommended, was the most participatory in class discussion, but if I don't remember the passing mention of "epistemic imperialism" in the text then there goes a quarter of my quiz grade. That's not an accurate assessment of knowledge at all. I can't take a semester of that crap.
Tues/Thurs morning: The United Nations and other International Organizations
Top notch class. The professor is knowledgeable, succinct, free thinking, and often leads class in a discussion oriented way. There is an interesting mix of people for a discussion class, including an ex-soldier of 5 years who was part of the initial force into Iraq and a Korean who spent 19 years of her life growing up in Saudi Arabia. Really cool. In the beginning, though I really liked the class, I felt that the atmosphere of the students was kind of apathetic (who can blame them with this education system) but now the class is fired up and the whole thing is great. The best part of my schedule.
Mon-Fri evening: Korean Language Lvl III
It's finally happened: the common language of the classroom is no longer English but Korean. There are 2 japanese girls and one Chinese guy who don't speak any English, and the Tues/Thurs reading teacher only speaks Korean and German (???). Therefore, if I'm struggling I don't have the luxury to speak English anymore. Sort of a good thing, or more like a blessing in disguise I suppose. On top of that, this is my second semester in the Yonsei Korean language program, so I have knowledge up to the very bottom of lvl III. In a sense, this is exactly where I need to be but unfortunately it's not that simple. Any incoming students (i.e. first semester in the Yonsei Korean language program) are more than likely somewhere in between the levels of the program, so the majority of the class is far better at Korean than I am. Another blessing in disguise? Perhaps. Maybe it just means that I have a lot of people to learn from, but between plenty of people who know more vocab, listen better, and speak faster plus the added stress of no English safety net, I feel pretty overwhlemed in Korean right now.
So that's the schedule so far. There's always the myriad of private students as well, moving in and out, and then plenty of interesting reading to keep me going in my spare time. Also discovering the more-humdrum-than-Seinfeld humor of Curb Your Enthusiasm, and between all that I keep pretty busy. Midterms not coming up until late April, so it's coasting time!
Sunday, March 18, 2007
Just past the halfway mark
Well, 7 months have come and gone here in Korea, and I guess it's time for another evaluation of my experience. A "report card," if you will. (you will.)
Things I Miss
Food: Although my craving for real cheese has been temporarily abated by the generous and thoughtful birthday gift of fine Spanish cheeses from my friends back home (you know who you are, you guys rock!), I find that new craving doors are opened weekly. It started with the Reuben. I began wondering if I could find rye bread and corned beef and Swiss cheese if I went to a swanky enough grocery store. Then I started thinking about potatoes and all their manifestations over recent months. Then it was a sort of constant desire for salads that are more than just shredded cabbage and dressing. Then it sprung out into pork chops and green beans and Mexican foods and gyros until now I just consign myself to never ever thinking about American cuisine for sake of sparing myself the hunger and not drooling all over my clothes.
Critical Thinking: This one took me quite a while to pinpoint, but critical thinking skills here are few and far between. It turns out that the Korean idea of critical thinking is actually just saying "Well, each side of the argument has good points and bad points," then pat yourself on the back and call it a day. They are completely incapable of formulating an opinion, synthesizing ideas together, or taking a side on any issue. This is an indication of my overall dissatisfaction with the education system in general. There is an over emphasis on memorization of pointless facts and regurgitation of these, but when asked to think they all go deer-in-headlights.
Things I Will Miss
Food: Ironically enough, as much as I crave the occasional anything-cooked-in-an-oven, I know that leaving this country and its delicious food will be difficult. Everything is so cheap and accessible, but on top of that the food culture here is awesome. It's so oriented on sharing and community: often we eat from communal dishes in the middle of the table, it's unheard of to eat alone, and any social activity involves eating (be it sightseeing, karaoke, or bars).
Public Transportation: Some of the cheapest and most self-explanatory in the world, I haven't spent enough time raving about how much I love the PT here. For 80 cents to a dollar, I can get anywhere in the city and never have to worry about traffic or car accidents or driving at all. I can read or listen to music, be inebriated, even sleep and it's no problem at all. In addition, any transfer from subway to bus, subway to subway, or bus to subway is free of charge: you pay once up front and you're good to go until you reach your destination. I can even get to many locations on the outskirts of Seoul or in neighboring cities all with the Seoul Public Transportation service. It is so convenient and cheap, and unlike these Cali Kyopo girls I don't miss a car. What I will miss is a society where you don't need one.
Well, those are my brief musings about the world I'm leaving behind shortly. I guess I'll do a 3/4's review too, but by then it'll be way to real. For now it's back to what (seems like) will always be my life.
Things I Miss
Food: Although my craving for real cheese has been temporarily abated by the generous and thoughtful birthday gift of fine Spanish cheeses from my friends back home (you know who you are, you guys rock!), I find that new craving doors are opened weekly. It started with the Reuben. I began wondering if I could find rye bread and corned beef and Swiss cheese if I went to a swanky enough grocery store. Then I started thinking about potatoes and all their manifestations over recent months. Then it was a sort of constant desire for salads that are more than just shredded cabbage and dressing. Then it sprung out into pork chops and green beans and Mexican foods and gyros until now I just consign myself to never ever thinking about American cuisine for sake of sparing myself the hunger and not drooling all over my clothes.
Critical Thinking: This one took me quite a while to pinpoint, but critical thinking skills here are few and far between. It turns out that the Korean idea of critical thinking is actually just saying "Well, each side of the argument has good points and bad points," then pat yourself on the back and call it a day. They are completely incapable of formulating an opinion, synthesizing ideas together, or taking a side on any issue. This is an indication of my overall dissatisfaction with the education system in general. There is an over emphasis on memorization of pointless facts and regurgitation of these, but when asked to think they all go deer-in-headlights.
Things I Will Miss
Food: Ironically enough, as much as I crave the occasional anything-cooked-in-an-oven, I know that leaving this country and its delicious food will be difficult. Everything is so cheap and accessible, but on top of that the food culture here is awesome. It's so oriented on sharing and community: often we eat from communal dishes in the middle of the table, it's unheard of to eat alone, and any social activity involves eating (be it sightseeing, karaoke, or bars).
Public Transportation: Some of the cheapest and most self-explanatory in the world, I haven't spent enough time raving about how much I love the PT here. For 80 cents to a dollar, I can get anywhere in the city and never have to worry about traffic or car accidents or driving at all. I can read or listen to music, be inebriated, even sleep and it's no problem at all. In addition, any transfer from subway to bus, subway to subway, or bus to subway is free of charge: you pay once up front and you're good to go until you reach your destination. I can even get to many locations on the outskirts of Seoul or in neighboring cities all with the Seoul Public Transportation service. It is so convenient and cheap, and unlike these Cali Kyopo girls I don't miss a car. What I will miss is a society where you don't need one.
Well, those are my brief musings about the world I'm leaving behind shortly. I guess I'll do a 3/4's review too, but by then it'll be way to real. For now it's back to what (seems like) will always be my life.
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Chinese New Year
Unlike regular new year, Koreans celebrate Sullal much the same way they celebrate Thanksgiving: travel around the country, gather at grandma's house, have a feast. In addition to being a very family oriented time, Chinese new year is a very historical an cultural time here in Korea. This is the time where you can see the highest concentration of traditional performances and sundry people in hanbok, the "kimono" of Korea.
Many of these performances I had seen before, but it's just cool to see them happening and everyone else joining in, dancing and clapping and running in circles. I can not capture this celebration with words, so I wil instead capture it with picture and video.
Many of these performances I had seen before, but it's just cool to see them happening and everyone else joining in, dancing and clapping and running in circles. I can not capture this celebration with words, so I wil instead capture it with picture and video.
Friday, March 09, 2007
Videos
Thanks to the ease and convenience of YouTube (a Google owned service), I can now post our short vids on this simple and valuable Blogger (too, a Google owned service).
To Google, for being long-run minded, anti-advertising, anti-intellectual property law, creative, and all around involved in every innovative and commodious service on the internet.
Finally, you may all see and be amazed by the phenomenon which is live octopus (san nakji). David and I are now experienced in this terror inducing flurry of sensation for your gums and patella.
To Google, for being long-run minded, anti-advertising, anti-intellectual property law, creative, and all around involved in every innovative and commodious service on the internet.
Finally, you may all see and be amazed by the phenomenon which is live octopus (san nakji). David and I are now experienced in this terror inducing flurry of sensation for your gums and patella.
Thursday, March 08, 2007
Trip to Korea
There's no measuring how relieving it was to touch down in Korea again. Even being on the plane (where services were provided in English, Japanese, and Korean) was comfortable in comparison to a world without any linguistic understanding. Airports are probably the most stressful places in the world, especially with all the extra hoops to jump through these days, but I was so 시원해 just to be back in what really has come to feel like home for me. If it felt like that in an airport, don't get me started on how exciting it was to be back in my neighborhood and then finally in my actual room. It's incredible that we humans become so attached to location, scenery, familiarity, and security when we think of that as so animal. Well just one week away taught me that it's an instinct we still haven't really shaken.
The majority of my week in Korea with David was in fact just a 7 day compression of the 6 months I've already spent here. Personally I didn't do but a few things that I hadn't already done yet, but it was a learning experience to do these things for a second time nonetheless. Of course the primary focus of our cultural exploration of Korea was food culture. When we weren't having meals, we were having snacks. David and I ate 4 or 5 times a day just to pack in all the innumerable different dishes that one needs to experience to understand the full "palette" (ㅋㅋㅋ) of the colorful Korean culinary canvas. (BAM! OUT ALLITERATE THAT!!!)
불고기
제육덥밥
떡볶이
라볶이
떡만두국
비빔밥
삼겹살
보신탕
김치찌개
돼장찌개
해물파전
김밥
닭갈비
순두부
LA갈비
산낙지
두유
꿀물
밀키스
식혜
누룽지
to name what I can remember for those of you that care.
I had for the first time since I've been here the much anticipated dog stew. I must say, not too shabby. First, I asked a Korean friend to search for a decent restaurant (since quality of dog preparation can vary dramatically...). Once we knew a name and general area, David and I headed out. Of course, by the look of the restaurant it wasn't really a restaurant at all. There were no other lit buildings on the alley where the sign was, nor was there really nothing recognizable in the area besides a parking garage. We went down a half flight of stairs into a quasi-basement dark and dingy restaurant that serves dog. Sketch? Oh yeah. I was starting to think it was a mistake, especially given that everyone in the restaurant looked at David and I as though we were school girls in a porn store. Not to say that they shouldn't have, because we definitely didn't match the characteristics of the clientele. Every single person in that restaurant was a middle aged Korean man. No exception. (Later I learned that dog stew is thought to give men some sort of sexual power)
After we were seated, I looked at the menu and found nothing named dog-anything. I began to suspect we must be in the wrong restaurant. For this reading of Steven and David in the supposed dog restaurant, the part of the waitress will be read by Joan Cusack, the part of Steven will be read by Bill Murray, and the part of David will be read by Silent Bob.
Waitress points to an adjacent table, assuming that Steven and David can not read the menu.
Waitress: "Would you like what they're eating?"
Steven: "What is it?"
Waitress: "Stew."
Steven: "What kind of stew?"
Waitress: "...Meat stew."
Steven (insistently): "What kind of meat???"
Waitress (under breath, noticeably reluctant): "그~~~um...dog meat."
Steven: "That's what I want!"
Clearly, they did not expect us to enjoy eating dog one bit. As skeptical looking as the restaurant first appeared, it was in fact very high quality meat (hence every other table full of middle aged men). I don't think that dog meat was any better than any other meat could have been, but since the restaurant was high quality any meat they served would have been just as good. Ultimately, it was very reminiscent of a rump roast or other stew style beef. Slightly fatty, very tender and striated.
The majority of my week in Korea with David was in fact just a 7 day compression of the 6 months I've already spent here. Personally I didn't do but a few things that I hadn't already done yet, but it was a learning experience to do these things for a second time nonetheless. Of course the primary focus of our cultural exploration of Korea was food culture. When we weren't having meals, we were having snacks. David and I ate 4 or 5 times a day just to pack in all the innumerable different dishes that one needs to experience to understand the full "palette" (ㅋㅋㅋ) of the colorful Korean culinary canvas. (BAM! OUT ALLITERATE THAT!!!)
불고기
제육덥밥
떡볶이
라볶이
떡만두국
비빔밥
삼겹살
보신탕
김치찌개
돼장찌개
해물파전
김밥
닭갈비
순두부
LA갈비
산낙지
두유
꿀물
밀키스
식혜
누룽지
to name what I can remember for those of you that care.
I had for the first time since I've been here the much anticipated dog stew. I must say, not too shabby. First, I asked a Korean friend to search for a decent restaurant (since quality of dog preparation can vary dramatically...). Once we knew a name and general area, David and I headed out. Of course, by the look of the restaurant it wasn't really a restaurant at all. There were no other lit buildings on the alley where the sign was, nor was there really nothing recognizable in the area besides a parking garage. We went down a half flight of stairs into a quasi-basement dark and dingy restaurant that serves dog. Sketch? Oh yeah. I was starting to think it was a mistake, especially given that everyone in the restaurant looked at David and I as though we were school girls in a porn store. Not to say that they shouldn't have, because we definitely didn't match the characteristics of the clientele. Every single person in that restaurant was a middle aged Korean man. No exception. (Later I learned that dog stew is thought to give men some sort of sexual power)
After we were seated, I looked at the menu and found nothing named dog-anything. I began to suspect we must be in the wrong restaurant. For this reading of Steven and David in the supposed dog restaurant, the part of the waitress will be read by Joan Cusack, the part of Steven will be read by Bill Murray, and the part of David will be read by Silent Bob.
Waitress points to an adjacent table, assuming that Steven and David can not read the menu.
Waitress: "Would you like what they're eating?"
Steven: "What is it?"
Waitress: "Stew."
Steven: "What kind of stew?"
Waitress: "...Meat stew."
Steven (insistently): "What kind of meat???"
Waitress (under breath, noticeably reluctant): "그~~~um...dog meat."
Steven: "That's what I want!"
Clearly, they did not expect us to enjoy eating dog one bit. As skeptical looking as the restaurant first appeared, it was in fact very high quality meat (hence every other table full of middle aged men). I don't think that dog meat was any better than any other meat could have been, but since the restaurant was high quality any meat they served would have been just as good. Ultimately, it was very reminiscent of a rump roast or other stew style beef. Slightly fatty, very tender and striated.
Friday, February 16, 2007
Mr. Roboto, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Being Dead Weight
There comes a point in a prolonged vacation where you simply begin to feel like a stowaway in someone else's culture. Where you recognize that you don't understand the language, don't understand the rules, and simply just don't belong there at all. No, I'm not speaking of Korea, thankfully. I'm talking about my week away in Japan.
To write my expectations of Japan in detail after the fact of the matter would be inaccurate and pointless, but I will say this: I never thought it could be so different than the culture next door. I mean, Japan borrowed language, culture, religion, writing style, even architectural style from Korea (who in turn had borrowed all that from China). Both countries are Confucian, both countries have a very ocean-oriented livelihood. How could so much be so backwards to me??
In that same train of thought, let's talk about the first shocking thing to happen. Sitting on the bus, riding to the university where I was to meet my friend and tour guide for the week David, listening to my iPod, softly starting to doze for the hour trip, when the recognition that I'm on the left side of the road shakes me out of my complacency. They drive like England over there! Somewhere in the back of my head I knew it was something I've learned, but something so trivial gets filed away with pop culture tidbits and African history. When you are actually sitting in a vehicle, waiting to make a right turn at the light, waiting for the bus on the wrong side of the road, feeling confused which way to look when crossing, it really drives the nail home. Not only cars, mind you, but all traffic obeys this backwards principle. Walking on sidewalks, stairs, and escalators is always on the left side. Even the subways and trains run on the left side of the track! So confusing. I never quite got used to it all week. (익숙해지지 않았어요)
As for activities in Japan, there was plenty to keep me occupied. For starters, there was an entire new food culture to dive into. I finally had real Japanese sushi, and realized that it wasn't that much different from what I'd been eating in Korea or even the States. On the unique side, however, I did try something that can only be served in Japan. Though I never got my jaws around the ever-so-deadly blowfish sushi, I did snag a bite of whale meat, a delicacy that has been internationally restricted to only the Japanese islands ("Takeshima" not included). I also got a melt in your mouth taste of the most delicious sushi in the world, the fatty tuna (O-toro, if you will). Though I have had this in the states before, there is something magic about eating it surrounded by Japanese that really brings the whole experience home.
My largest observation about Japanese cuisine, after having tasted everything I wanted to, is that they lack any food which is remotely spicy. Sure, they have wasabi, but that's not "spicy" per se. I'm talking about real, Mexican food, burning your mouth not your nose spicy, like just about everything in Korea winds up being. The funny thing was that the Japanese people continuously attempted to serve me "spicy" things, further solidifying the truth that they didn't have even a remote concept of how to pick spicy food out of a line up, much less cook it. I was served a dish which was reportedly "so spicy you will die," and to my surprise I couldn't taste the slightest hint of heat. If we ever need to beat Japan in war again, I advise saving the nukes and sticking with Tabasco, because those kids can't handle mild sauce.
To write my expectations of Japan in detail after the fact of the matter would be inaccurate and pointless, but I will say this: I never thought it could be so different than the culture next door. I mean, Japan borrowed language, culture, religion, writing style, even architectural style from Korea (who in turn had borrowed all that from China). Both countries are Confucian, both countries have a very ocean-oriented livelihood. How could so much be so backwards to me??
In that same train of thought, let's talk about the first shocking thing to happen. Sitting on the bus, riding to the university where I was to meet my friend and tour guide for the week David, listening to my iPod, softly starting to doze for the hour trip, when the recognition that I'm on the left side of the road shakes me out of my complacency. They drive like England over there! Somewhere in the back of my head I knew it was something I've learned, but something so trivial gets filed away with pop culture tidbits and African history. When you are actually sitting in a vehicle, waiting to make a right turn at the light, waiting for the bus on the wrong side of the road, feeling confused which way to look when crossing, it really drives the nail home. Not only cars, mind you, but all traffic obeys this backwards principle. Walking on sidewalks, stairs, and escalators is always on the left side. Even the subways and trains run on the left side of the track! So confusing. I never quite got used to it all week. (익숙해지지 않았어요)
As for activities in Japan, there was plenty to keep me occupied. For starters, there was an entire new food culture to dive into. I finally had real Japanese sushi, and realized that it wasn't that much different from what I'd been eating in Korea or even the States. On the unique side, however, I did try something that can only be served in Japan. Though I never got my jaws around the ever-so-deadly blowfish sushi, I did snag a bite of whale meat, a delicacy that has been internationally restricted to only the Japanese islands ("Takeshima" not included). I also got a melt in your mouth taste of the most delicious sushi in the world, the fatty tuna (O-toro, if you will). Though I have had this in the states before, there is something magic about eating it surrounded by Japanese that really brings the whole experience home.
My largest observation about Japanese cuisine, after having tasted everything I wanted to, is that they lack any food which is remotely spicy. Sure, they have wasabi, but that's not "spicy" per se. I'm talking about real, Mexican food, burning your mouth not your nose spicy, like just about everything in Korea winds up being. The funny thing was that the Japanese people continuously attempted to serve me "spicy" things, further solidifying the truth that they didn't have even a remote concept of how to pick spicy food out of a line up, much less cook it. I was served a dish which was reportedly "so spicy you will die," and to my surprise I couldn't taste the slightest hint of heat. If we ever need to beat Japan in war again, I advise saving the nukes and sticking with Tabasco, because those kids can't handle mild sauce.
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Livin' the Dream
I have accomplished three goals. I got a mirror in my room (thanks for leaving, Chinese chick!). Okay, that's not really a goal, but its a luxury and industrialization is all about providing me with luxuries.
I also got my ticket to Japan! This feels like such a spontaneous thing, since I haven't made a single plan yet. The way it's going down (knock on wood) is I am staying with my friend David, who should know the sights, places to eat, and things to do since he's been in Yokohama for a solid 3 months so far at least. Then, after I've had a genuine vacation in Japan, David and I will fly back together to Korea, where I will host him in the same fashion. So for some months I've been evaluating activities and areas in Seoul, but as far as a vacation in Japan I haven't given it a second thought. Actually having the ticket solidifies something that's been not even in the back of mind. It's an exciting surprise.
My third goal was taking this really difficult picture. Enjoy.
I also got my ticket to Japan! This feels like such a spontaneous thing, since I haven't made a single plan yet. The way it's going down (knock on wood) is I am staying with my friend David, who should know the sights, places to eat, and things to do since he's been in Yokohama for a solid 3 months so far at least. Then, after I've had a genuine vacation in Japan, David and I will fly back together to Korea, where I will host him in the same fashion. So for some months I've been evaluating activities and areas in Seoul, but as far as a vacation in Japan I haven't given it a second thought. Actually having the ticket solidifies something that's been not even in the back of mind. It's an exciting surprise.
My third goal was taking this really difficult picture. Enjoy.
Friday, January 19, 2007
2007 SK Winter English Camp
Winter camp is over and was one of the most enjoyable/rewarding experiences I've had in Korea.After struggles with immigration over me and my 5 friends teaching without diplomas (not even English education diplomas, but any ole' diploma - engineering, physics, hair dressing, doesn't matter), we decided to work for the English camp as "volunteers." We signed volunteer contracts and headed down to the most boring college-town on the face of the peninsula, SuWon.
The kids arrived on the 5th on January, and we were instructed to greet them with excessive enthusiasm. Classes started on the 6th, rather slowly at first but picking up with time. There were 50 kids at a variety of English skill levels, but they were all cute and well behaved with the exception of 4. By the end we were all the best of friends, and I could have spent another ten days with them.
The camp day was divided into four one hour periods before lunch and starting at 9, then an hour for lunch, then four more hours of fun classes.
We divided the students into 6 classes since there were 6 teachers. Each of us had a homeroom with which we spent the most time. My homeroom was class 3, and together we had one class in the morning. After lunch for the first three days we worked on adapting a story into a drama and making a newspaper about the camp. After that I was teaching theme classes, some days about Halloween, some days about Western restaurant menu/etiquette. Other teachers taught classes about bank or airport scenarios.
At the halfway point, the teachers were given a break while the students went on a pottery making field trip. When everyone returned, the morning classes restarted. In lieu of teaching drama and newspaper to my homeroom, I began rotating through every class to teach them a "science class." We did a few experiments dealing with static and Newton's first law. Other teachers were rotating around teaching cooking, geography, quiz show, arts and crafts, etc.
The theme classes were also shuffled around, and I began to teach model U.N. and scavenger hunt in the late afternoon. A field day was introduced into the rotation as well. We made kites, memorized the seven dwarf's names and the longest word in the English language, colored a United Nations flag, and gave speeches about the Kyoto Protocol.When it came time to leave, everyone had become close friends indeed. For many of the kids it was their first time not living at home, and for most it was the most English they had ever been required to speak/listen to. I have a lot of individual funny stories, but that is a decent general overview. Of course not all of ten days can be posted, but feel free to skype me about details!
Another Another New Student
Connection: Friend's new girlfriend's younger brother's friend. It doesn't get much further. I know married couples with a less absurd connection than that (living in the south***)
These two are really exciting for me since they are almost my age. Every other student I have is less than ten or pregnant, so it's nice to finally have some students with whom I can just hang out with more or less. These two boys just got out of high school and are both awaiting acceptance to Yonsei. They are easy to talk to, since their listening skills are high, and for the time being all we they want is for us to talk to one another and become comfortable. Later on I will work with them on passing the rigorous TOEFL test, but for now it's just coffee shops and roller coasters baby!
3 times a week, 50 bucks a pop. Praise whiteness!!!
These two are really exciting for me since they are almost my age. Every other student I have is less than ten or pregnant, so it's nice to finally have some students with whom I can just hang out with more or less. These two boys just got out of high school and are both awaiting acceptance to Yonsei. They are easy to talk to, since their listening skills are high, and for the time being all we they want is for us to talk to one another and become comfortable. Later on I will work with them on passing the rigorous TOEFL test, but for now it's just coffee shops and roller coasters baby!
3 times a week, 50 bucks a pop. Praise whiteness!!!
Friday, January 05, 2007
Merry Christmas
[Me hanging out my window the morning after the night of the second snow, just a few days after new years]
For those of you who I didn't get a chance to talk to or who were hiding in the mountains from family, merry Christmas. I had a wonderful time here in Seoul and I know that you all had a great time too.
The Christmas Eve party was what everyone expected it to be. The French-Canadian couple Anne-Marie and Richard had decorated their apartment and turned on a loop of Christmas carols. Richard had prepared oodles of western food in a buffet style. There were lots of our fellow family-less foreigners there to celebrate. We did an exciting version of white elephant gift exchange, and just spent some great time together.
My Christmas day was much less exciting and much more relaxing. Even though I had to get up and tutor English to the heartless rich people, I still got enough sleep and at least made some money. When I came back, Alexis and Xavier and I had a small lunch and a long hike. We went to the mountain behind the Buddhist temple and scaled for about an hour, eventually reaching the top. The view was spectacular, the air so calm and peaceful, and even some remnants of the snow were left. In a way I did get my white Christmas!
Being that Alexis, Xavier, and I had become each other's family over the last few months, we went out to a fancy Christmas dinner together to celebrate the day. The food was delicious and the atmosphere was calm and comfortable. We did a small gift exchange and then went home to watch a movie. Everything was very free and relaxing after such a hectic semester's finals and an increase in private students that really put me under some stress in the end. All things considered I believe that this Christmas ranks about an 8 on the scale of Christmas satisfaction, but is probably the most relaxing and pleasant Christmas day I've known in my short life time. I hope all is well with you guys. Let me know how things went on your end!
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