Sunday, October 29, 2006


Imagine walking into an Applebees and having every person there turn around and stare. Some will just take a quick glance. Others will hold the gaze for a good 30 seconds as they scope you out top to bottom. If you're white in South Korea, that is your life everyday and everywhere. When I first got here, I've got to admit, I enjoyed the staring. Hell, I'm an American and I took delight in seeing what I intially saw as looks of admiration and fascination. But those Korean eyes have begun to wear on me. I can now see the skepticism burning beneath that glare. It's a questioning gaze, one that wonders what someone so different, someone so far removed from the culture is doing in a city that oozes Korean at every pore. It's that look that also symbolizes what it means to be a Westerner in Korea. Sure, you can come, heck, you can stay for a few years. But this will never be your home. Never even feel like your home. And it won't ever. There are now days when I just want to see a familiar face, a white face, anything that looks like home, anything to bring a sense of comfort among the massive sea of Koreans. In a way, this place robs you of your identity, your place in a community and a member of a cohesive society. You are an outsider. Something to be looked at, not something to be accepted. You do not assimilate. You adjust, you adapt, you cherish the experience, but you always remain just a white face in a foreign land.

I've also realized that in Korea, if there's a problem, something that would be a minor incovenience at home, it generally turns into a monumental struggle. As I mentioned, I burned out my computer plug when I put it into a high voltage outlet. If that happened at home, I would have logged onto dell.com or checked out ebay, bought a new plug and had it in my hands within a couple days. But here, it's like trying to sit through 4 root canals in one day while a few toddlers are hitting you in bad places. I went to the electronics market yesterday, yeah, the one that's the largest in Asia, and well, they clearly did not have anything with the word Dell on it. The final straw was when I found a booth that literally sold only computer plugs and when I opened my bag and showed the guy my computer, he took both his hands, placed them on his head and said "Oh God." Ok, fine, I'll just pay the shipping costs and have Dell ship the new plug to Korea. Not so fast. Dell does not ship things to Korea. I must first have the product shipped to an American address and then get it sent here. Not cool. So that's where I'm at now. It's on its way to East Islip, now I'll just wait for the news from Mom about how the post office needs six stamps and my firstborn for customs. It will finally get here in December, I'll plug it in and nothing. The computer was shot all along. Just wait. It will happen. And will I cry? Absolutely.

I'm still learning many of the Korean traditions and etiquette. I have mixed feelings on many of them. Some are just great concepts that America should adapt immediately, others have no place in a civilized society. My favorite is the service bell in restaurants. You do not wait for anything. You ring the bell and bam, there's a Korean at your service. You never have to worry about losing your buzz in between beers. You can get a steady flow going all night long. It's also considered rude to tip anybody in Korea. From a selfish standpoint, it's awesome and it saves me a lot of cash. But at the same time, I think there's a real place for tipping in society. There have been a number occasions here where I've really wanted to tip someone for providing excellent service but hey, I can't go around acting all American. Another great concept: the motion sensor light. They are everywhere here and it's just so damn efficient. For example, the hallway of my apartment is always dark until someone triggers the sensor. The light goes on when needed and stays off when it's not. Sounds good to me.

As for traditions I'm no fan of, the top one would have to be the "you must order food whenever you go to a bar or restaurant." It's like, hey, I love food and all, but sometimes I just want to bar hop and sample all of my favorite beverages and if I'm forced to eat some Korean crap at each place, I'm going to go broke and gain about 150 pounds. And there's all the what I call the "Respect Old People" traditions. Everything is about age here. If someone is older than you, you respect them at all times, pure and simple. At least that's what the book says. For example, when pouring a drink for someone older, you always need to use two hands. I usually forget to do this because, well, I'm drinking. I'm a year older than Erika so whenever she uses one hand to pour me something, I say "Two hands, bitch." To which she appropriately tells me to f-off.

I'll dish on more of the traditions at a later date. My current Korea mood: cautiously optimistic. The last three weeks have felt like three years. I've done more and experienced more in 22 days than I did in all of the two years after college. But when things get rough, they can get really rough. And when you just want to be with the people you know best and they are 7,000 miles away, it can wear on you. I have no regrets, though. I'm happy to be here and I plan on riding this wave until the end.

(Photos- top-Erika and me in the creepy horse head and some students during the party)

1 Comments:

Blogger Katie Leitch said...

Man I remember feeling the same way in our first couple months. Getting a cell phone took forever for no good reason, and shopping for anything was a total self-conscious horror show.

1:38 AM  

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