Culture Tease

A short trip home is like a slow-dance with a married man. You just get comfortable, swaying with the rhythm, and your anticipation starts to build. Then, poof, it's over, and you're left alone in the glare as the lights come up. Last week I took a harried, hurried, glorious trip to Boston for my father's wedding. I haven't lived there in years-and yet it still makes me feel nostalgic, jealous, and proud. The funny thing I noticed on this trip is how my body and my mind have adapted to certain realities in Korea. Living in Korean culture for two years made the customs of Boston, even in the places I can't help but love, seem strange.

The term "culture shock" was introduced for the first time in 1954 by Kalvero Oberg. A Canadian anthropologist born of European ex-pat parents, he used the words to describe the confusion and disorientation travelers and immigrants feel in radically different environments. He was an interesting, well traveled guy, and his later ideas on the various stages of cultural adaption are worth a glance if you ever have the time. (I wish I'd read them when I moved In my aging apartment in Nowon-gu!) I guess the strangeness I felt returning to my hometown was a reverse culture shock of sorts.

Things that seemed strange:

1. The many inches of space between people walking on the sidewalk, even in the crowded shopping district.

2. Seeing so many non-Asian people

3.Reading signs automatically as we walked-without trying

4. Over-hearing English, Haitian Creole, and a little Spanish

5. Smelling the sea in certain areas, when the wind picked up

6. Cabbies speaking my language well, knowing exactly where to go, and how to avoid traffic

7. Being surrounded by women of all heights, shapes and sizes!

8. Straining to calculate a "good tip" for good service

9. Variety

10. The high guy buying smokes in the 7-11. I looked at his glazed eyes, his rocking body, and heard his odd speech. It took me a long minute to process what the hell was wrong with him. Then I remembered-people can get drugs in Boston. It seemed so foreign.

There was so little time, but I did take my boat-fiend boyfriend on a Duck tour in one of those WWII era amphibious landing boats. While out guide, a retired Coastie with a wonderfully harsh Dorchester accent, hammed it up and amplified the entertaining aspects of local history, I got to relax and to see some of the city from the Charles. (The guy did a good job actually. Cheesy jokes aside, he knew his local lore.) It was an exciting-family filled weekend, full of the in-jokes and catching up. I was curious to meet my boyfriend's sister and see if they were a like. Even in my jet-lag and nostalgia haze, I wanted his family to like me, of course. I wasn't worried about my family liking him. He's an easy going guy-most people like him. :)

Torch Tactics

Well, I missed the Olympic Torch relay in Seoul due to my whirlwind trip home (more on that later when my jet lag clears). Now I'm back getting oriented, updated, and organized. Sounds like I missed some interesting events!
The Korean media's take on what happened here during the torch relay goes differently than I would have expected. Despite the general law and order stance of most Koreans, I would have expected more organized, chanting, marching, singing protest by Korean college students against Beijing. In their own way, college students here are just as opinionated as college students in North America. From what I hear, there were some pro-Tibet and anti-Beijing (it's different) protesters. However: it was the pro-China protesters who really got out of hand. Were they really unprovoked? I wonder: do they feel that China is being overly vilified abroad?
For friends back home, I am going to reprint some of the coverage of the protests from the most popular English language paper in Seoul.
* Disclaimer-Note to North American readers*
It is my personal opinion that the Korean press sometimes spins incidents so that "foreigners," which would include Chinese students, seem more to blame in any ugly incident than the Korean nationals. Disorderly conduct by Koreans seems to get minimized by authorities and some of the reporters who cover them. This is NOT true of every Korean journalist, and not every foreigner in Korea shares my opinion.You have a right to your opinion, I have a right to mine.
It is still an interesting article...
************************************************************************************
"Seoul Slams Chinese Torch Relay Violence"

The government yesterday expressed "strong regret" over the violence by Chinese demonstrators during Sunday's Olympic torch relay in Seoul.
Deputy Foreign Minister Lee Yong-joon delivered the message of regret to Chinese Ambassador to Seoul Ning Fukui during a meeting at his office. "Ambassador Ning visited the ministry to thank us for the tight security measures for the torch relay," a ministry official said. "We showed him police reports on violence caused by some young Chinese people and expressed strong regret." Talking to reporters after the meeting, the ambassador sought to contain the fallout from the incident.
"What I want to stress is that Chinese people, especially Chinese students here, have good feelings about South Koreans," Ning said. "(I) will continue efforts not to damage the public sentiment of both nations. I think it requires joint efforts by the two governments."
On Sunday, more than 6,000 Chinese students studying here (in Seoul) rallied in support of the torch relay for the Beijing Olympics in August. As the (Chinese) students scuffled with South Korean anti-Beijing demonstrators along the streets in parts of Seoul, they were seen throwing rocks, chunks of wood, water bottles and drinks cans at the crowd.
During the process, a journalist and a police officer were hit on the head with a weapon carried and thrown by pro-Chinese supporters. Four people, including a Chinese student hurling a stone at other protesters, were arrested yesterday for disrupting the relay, police said. As the news of the violent protest spread nationwide, Korean citizens fumed with anger.
"The Chinese should be very ashamed of what happened yesterday and what has been happening so far," said Kang Shin-ho, 27, a Seoul citizen. "Since there were thousands of South Korean police already on site to protect the torch throughout the relay, there was no reason for any violence, and it is also against the Olympic spirit."
A 39-year-old company official who wished to be identified only by his family name Kim, said the Chinese should have respected the law of the country they were in, which stresses non-violent protests. "
-reprinted from an article written by Cho Ji-hyun

I'm Going To America

Three and a half more days until..."PERSONAL SPACE"....seeing my wacky and sweet family...trying on shirts without ruffles...decent burritos...using big words and sarcasm and being understood...shoes without street-walker type heels (sorry, but it's true)...well cooked steaks...HBO...I can't wait!

Wild Boys? Duran Duran Charms Seoul

Like every other nice Catholic girl in America in 1985, I coveted John Taylor. Had the "Tiger Beat" photo ripped out and stuck lovingly in my notebook...admit it, you did, too...He , and specifically his blond rocker locks, captured our imagination...I got a chance to see Duran Duran this week, and get a glimpse of how the pretty boys of rock are aging...John can still play a funky bassline but can he still make a woman squeal?
Once he leans back and starts playing, the answer is yes. Simon still struts around with a lot of cheesy bravado, which reviews have described as everything from "sexual tension" to "hamminess" to "dorkiness." Simon is still flashy pretty; he must have good hair and make up people helping him with that. One can see why he has fans among women and men who appreciate that look.
..more later...
Well, I'm back to give the boys another five minutes of my thoughts. The concert was a fun and unique experience that gave a much needed pick-me-up to my intense work week. It started out in typical expat fashion...we got confused. Our tickets said "Olympic Stadium" and we asked a Korean friend for directions. We arrived in the area earlier, stopped for a snack, and smiled, thinking to ourselves that we were organized and cosmopolitan. Ah, nope. :)
There was the crowded Olympic baseball stadium...(Go Doosan Bears!) There were some young foreigners milling about. But where was all the noise and excitement of the concert? Um, 20 minutes away by cab-oops! With the help of the parking attendant, and a nice Canadian teacher who admitted he'd made the same mistake, we figured out our error and we were eventually in a cab and off to "Olympic Park Stadium." It was a little annoying, but Steve stayed in good spirits and put up with my crankiness as we rushed to the new venue. In the end, all was good. We found our seats, which were good, and we only missed one Duran Duran Song.
We opted for seats over the dance floor as it was a school night and thought we might be tired. I noticed a contrast between stadium shows here and stadium shows back home-in the USA if the band is any good most of the the fans eventually stand up and dance. Even in the "good seats." A few excited Korean women in our section stood up to dance during the fun classic "Hungry Like The Wolf" (#2 in DD's set), and stadium staff actually came up to them to tell them to sit down. Bo-ring!
I would say that the crowd was 65% enthralled female. A few big groups of 25-35ish Western English teachers in the cheap seats, and more Korean couples and friends in our area. There was, of course, no "contact high" this being Korea. Behind me sat a Western, white 40ish businessman in his work clothes who was obviously trying to impress his demure Korean date throughout the show. He made an annoyed comment when I was one of the excited fans who got up to dance during the infectious percussion solos in "The Reflex." Live a little, buddy. We're reliving our youth here, ok? Simon has been using the same "Playing That Fucking Base, John" (sorry, younger blog readers) joke since 2005, apparently, but the Seoul crowd really DID need a little loosening up at first, so it was amusing in context.By the end of the show, the bass lines and campy crowd banter of the band got most of our section dancing. My favorite fan was the married woman, who looked about 45, in a stereotypically "ajumma" outfit and severe make-up, who threw her head back and rocked out during the encore, "Rio."
Another crowd note: both the women and the men seemed genuinely enthralled with Nick Rhodes. Is it the androgynous look? The computer generated techno-beats? The I-book product placement on his keyboards riser? He's a good keyboard player, and engineers their slick sound well. But, he looks exactly the same as he did 20 years ago. Exactly. A little on the Ziggy Stardust creepy side, but with a mischievous smile. Why is he so popular here?
Now, here's the crucial question: How do the pretty boys sound after all these years?
The melodies were still pretty, too. I'm loyal to people I like, including musicians. So, I have seen my share of reunion shows and aging solo artists reinventing themselves. Sting stands in a class by himself. But other bands often look so terrible it's distracting, or took such bad care of themselves that they sound like hell on wheels. Simon, John, Nick, and Andy have never been half as poetic as John, Paul, George and Ringo. Nor as intense and inventive as Led Zepplin or The Who. But the pop that they do, they do it well. And Simon can still hit the notes. The Reflex stood out as a great performance by everyone. My boyfriend really likes that song, so I was glad he got to hear it. Their White Lines cover stayed funky but sounded 100% Durani, and the younger Koreans in the crowd screamed their approval (do they understand it's about coke?). Red carpet massacre, their new showpiece, was a bit of a different sound, but decent. They sold the song Skin Divers well and it had a good beat-that's one's interesting and I'd love to see the lyrics to see if it's about what I think it's about. There was a moment of bad audio/ speaker feedback during "Ordinary World," but Simon adapted. He still, from where we sat, sounded as if he stayed on pitch. Going in, I wasn't sure they could still pull off the slow-dance melodrama of "Save A Prayer" at their age, but they did. And we sang along.
I really needed to lose myself in a little music after a week of school politics and loud drunks in my Officetel building. Steve found just the right concert for my mood. Fun music can last if it doesn't try to be something it's not. And I'm still a Duran Duran fan. Just like all the soccer moms. :)

Beyond Tolerance

Well, here we are in week 2, and my co-teacher is still out sick. I don't fault her, the poor woman's in the hospital trying to take care of herself and her future baby. It's just frustrating that it is happening...AGAIN this semester. The co-teachers change, but things seem to stay the same.
So, I am back to mime, and translation, and occasional Konglish just to get through the material to practice the key phrases correctly (not my ideal!!). All the translation, on top of a regular school day, is, frankly exhausting. There are also the few older boys who are testing the situation. If there's no co-teacher, can they act up? Well, they can try. But then they hold books over their head...when in Rome, do what the Romans do.
I think that there is a place beyond tolerance of a bad situation that is no one's fault. I guess it's resignation. It's an exhausting locale. :(

Spring Fling

It is spring in the Seoul area, and in spring, the mind turns to...cherry blossom festivals? Well, at least it seems to around here. This past weekend my boyfriend and I beats the crowds to Yeouido and took a stroll around the island.
We saw gorgeous flowers, families on picnics, and mooching geese...


It was a gorgeous sunny day. The sunlight has been non-stop...except the holiday we had off for elections! Murphy's law!

And speaking of the Murphys...I am blessed with a large, talented Irish family. Particularly on my mother's side, many of my relatives have inherited the musical, story-telling, or painting talents of my beloved grandparents, Dr. Tom and Patsy. These talents were recently put to good use to celebrate the 60th birthday of my lovely Aunt Cookie (a.k.a. Angela). Although I couldn't attend the parity in Canada, I was able to watch my Uncle Bill's tribute video to his sister. If you like fiddle or Celtic music, check it out at youtube.com under the name "Cookie's jig" by Windwalk52. It's a fun song (note: the viewing/listening experience is best enjoyed while sipping a Canadian or Irish beer!) :)

Enjoy....

How Joel and Ethan Started?

Recently, I saw two disconcerting but intriguing films. The first was the Coen brother's award-winning "No Country For Old Men." Despite the intense violence and unrelenting creepiness of Javier Bardem in his retro bowl haircut, I was riveted. Themes of revenge and life hinging on mere chance got me musing.
I later watched a second, less polished film. Though less stylish, my young nephew's first youtube.com video (under the tag name goatyboy88), the grimly titled "pollys geting killed with mighty beans" remains the disquieting, misspelled work of siblings with a unique vision...

Marvelous Meals in Seoul

Want to impress your date with a special Fusion dinner in Seoul?
Here's a list of some of my favorite Fusion and Western restaraunts, priced for special occasions only.

1. Romantic Italian:
Ahndamiro in Insadong has wonderful pasta dishes, medium sized but high quality steaks, and a cozy astmosphere. In this case, the adage that "you get what you pay for," is true.
2. Perfect Presentation:
Tribeca in Kangnam, which my boyfriend and I discovered accidentially, gets high marks for design and excellent food quality. Elements of Nouvelle Cuisine are mixed with Japanese Fusion in a fun, funky modern atmosphere. The "set menus," several of which are named for Manhattan areas, live up to the hype. Australian and American ingreadients are mixed with Korean spices, vegetables and Japanese sauces. My Australian steak served Japanese style became the best dish I've eaten in a long time. I look forward to trying the French duck breast with wasabi sometime in the future. Note: Go prepared. The meal thrilled us, but the wine and cocktails prices frightened this middle-class Boston girl a litle.
3. European Flair:
The European brew houses in Kangnam generate a lot of buzz. But for a change of pace in food, I really enjoyed Barlin in the Somerset hotel in Insadong. It may not be the perfect place to bring a petite, health conscious lady who likes to eat light on a date. But if your date actually savors a meal, the sauasages and authentic sauerkraut hit the mark. Also, this daughter of Erin loves anywhere that serves fresh, creamy mashed potatoes.
4. Comfy Brunch:
Sujis has a strong repuation for a reason-large servings of good tasting comfort food. The eggs are enjoyable, if not unique. An expat I met here swears by their pancakes, and I have to agree that they stood out. Unfortunately, it is hard to get a table on a Sunday. Also, I called in advance about a holiday-and the woman laughed at me for asking. Literally.
5. Worth the wait:
On Easter I enjoyed the Eggs Benedict at Toque Dinner Han-gaginjin (spelling?). It took the chef a little longer to stir the freshly made Bernaise sauce, but the resulting effect made my mouth water. One word: yum.
6. Dependable Thai:
Ok, maybe it won't impress a certain kind of date, those upwardly mobile, hair flipping types, but who wants to date a woman who's just after your wallet, anyway?
So, if she actually likes a relaxed, good meal-everything at Buddha's Belly in Itaewon is always good. And you can get a table.
7. Best Indian restaraunt in Seoul? Best Vietnamese eatery?
These titles are still up for grabs. In my opinion, as there are several excellent places. I'll save this decsion for another time...
I need to go eat. :)

The "F" Word

Meaning the future, or course.
It's out there,looming,whether we like it or not. Even if we'd rather just ignore it and watch another downloaded, stellar episode of "the Wire." Or maybe just make some mandu for a snack, or just keep playing Scrabulous on-line...Or maybe just call...but, I digress.
Some thirtysomethings have this future planning thing down. They have five year plans, or ten year plans, or until their kids die of old age plans. I noticed in my twenties that Higher powers, The National Weather Service, and the IRS tended to mock the plans that I made. So, I have been sticking to the immediate future mostly. When I have the guts. Now, what was I trying to focus on? Oh, yeah, the future. The Future. Specifically, my future. Yep, it's churning towards me at a rapid rate. So, what am I doing about it?
Well: I know that there are FOUR THINGS I want in my future, in no particular order:
1. Writing. I've been doing it since I was eight years old and hopefully (:) ) I've improved a little bit with time. At least I've deleted all the unicorns and friendship pins. Currently, I am editing up some of my work and getting it out there to people who can shape, publish, or promote it. This, as any aspiring scribe knows, is an on-going process. On it goes.
2. My love. My boyfriend and I had one of those long, question-packed conversations about the future. Like your average American guy, conversations about the future make him look like he wants to throw up. (But before any bitter American men who fled the American woman in search of a better (milder?) model leave me harsh comments about women wanting to much...) I note, for the record, that no ultimatums were used by either party. It was not an argument. It was a conversation. I've grown up a little, learned a little, and chosen my partner better since the last time I tried to have one of those romantic "future" oriented discussions.
3. An English speaking country. I work at a great school, but it's just time. My new, adorable co-worker, six months out of teaching school, is so sweet and tries so very hard to communicate with me. And I have no idea what she is saying-ever! The fault in this is of course half mine, but the start of English in her classroom is a funny time. She tries very hard to make encouraging or helpful remarks to the students about English. Or she comes to me to borrow a stapler, and my Korean is so poor it takes me ten minutes to understand-oops! On the other extreme, even in my good little school, I work with the one older, male teacher who still thinks it's appropriate to make fun of "foreigners" in general (and we have two at my school now) in the English office. (Dude, if you're going to make those kind of "jokes" at least move it out of our assigned work space! :) ). Many people here are very patient with foreigners like myself in our pathetic attempts to butcher, I mean learn, their very different language. Unfortunately, today I had to co-exist the one guy who treats my language difficulties as an indication that I'm stupid. I won't miss his type.
4. Adopting a dog. The crazy, yappy puppy I adopted last year was a little high-maintenance, but getting a nice older dog from a shelter or teacher going over-sees sounds great to me. It does to my boyfriend, too. :) So, it's not exactly a blue print, but it's a start. I can start looking for jobs where I can do more writing.I can work with my boyfriend on making housing decisions in North America. I'll get there in time.