- I now know what it feels like to be an alien. The word "alien" is not dramatic at all, because sometimes it feels like I'm on display here. Random people will walk up to me in the street and say, "Hellloooooooo" because I'm foreign, so they assume I speak English and not Korean (correct, haha). At first, this was nice because it showed that people at least wanted to talk to me. But after about a month, having little kids point at you and say "Look, mommy, a foreigner" is annoying. My experience hasn't been bad given that Daegu has a large foreigner population compared to most Korean cities and because I don't look like a stereotypical American. By the way, many Koreans think a stereotypical American is a somewhat obese white person with blond hair and blue eyes. I'm not any of those things, so I think I get a little upgrade in foreign status (hopefully that doesn't sound too crass)! When a big group of foreigners get together, it's like a Weirdo Convention. A few times, Koreans have nearly crashed their bikes because they were staring so hard. But it can be good to be an alien, like when an old lady came and started dancing with us in the streets one night. That junk was fun!
- I am a foreigner before I am a person. "Waygookin" means "foreigner" in Korean, and that word might as well be stamped all over your forehead. (For length, I use "waygook" instead of "waygookin" on this blog.) I've figured out that most Koreans see me as 1) Waygookin/Foreigner, 2) American, 3) Someone very different from 98% of the country, and finally 4) Teacher. When people refer to me in conversation, it's never "guy" or "man" or "person." No, it's always "waygook." There are historical reasons beyond the scope of this blog that descries why outsiders are viewed as such...well, outsiders. I understand the wars and periods of isolation and all that, I really do. But the other night, I attempted to buy trash bags at the corner store and for some nebulous reason was unable to because I was a foreigner, and that made me a little angry.
- Anytime you mess something up, it's probably because you're foreign. This is simultaneously a good and bad thing. Any westerner will invariable commit a number of faux pas by accident while in Korea, even if you think you've previously been exposed to a lot of Korean culture. For instance, Koreans inhale their food, and if you don't do the same, you WILL get a really, really awkward stare. Like, it's awkward beyond words the way people will stare at you if you finish eating even 60 seconds after them. Especially if those people are your superiors in status and are ready to leave the table, which they will be, because restaurant culture is totally different here--you eat in a mostly silent environment and then leave. No chilling at the table having conversations for hours, as we often do in the U.S.
HOWEVER, all is not wrong with the world. In fact, I'm overwhelmingly enjoying my experience here and my mild irritation with my foreigner problems is just that, irritation. I'm just trying to figure out how to adapt to Korean culture without going overboard and giving up my own identity and values in the process. Here are some more interesting things about Korea:
- Koreans have no concept of personal space. Like, seriously. I expected people to sit on me on the subway -- which hasn't happened -- but I didn't expect people to literally run into my butt with their shopping carts at the store -- which has happened. It's reaaalllly awkward at first when people are breathing down your neck when standing behind in a line you becausethat kind of thing makes most Americans nervous. It actually freaks me out. Totally normal for people to be all up in your face/Kool-Aid/business here! In Korea, it's all part of the collective mentality so it's as if space is "our space" and never "my space." There are much worse things one could deal with.
- Korean men spit in public. A LOT! Now this is kinda gross. Numerous times per day, I see some guy spitting. On the street, maybe...in the middle of a conversation...anywhere. Men think nothing of hocking up a load of phlegm and expelling it all over the ground. Korean women never do this, just as they virtually never smoke in public, while Korean men smoke everywhere, all the time. That's part of the gender divide, which I must say is pretty strict. While spitting is highly offensive in basically every other country in the world, it's so normal here, to the point that sometimes I'll just count in my head how long it takes to see some guy spit in the streets. I just make a game out of it! From a totally culturally objective standpoint, spitting is just nasty!
- Hello Kitty is a big deal. For real. I thought the whole "Koreans really like Hello Kitty" thing was a silly stereotype. The same way I thought that Jamaican people didn't say "Yah mon" all the time until I went on an off-the-beaten-path vacation in Jamaica. But in fact they do, and similarly, Hello Kitty has a big hold on the populace here. There's even a coffee shop in Daegu called the Hello Kitty Café. When I get a chance to surreptitiously sneak a photo of one of my students' Hello Kitty pencil cases, I'll post that as additional proof.
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| The all pinked-out, catted-out Hello Kitty Café in Daegu! |
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| You see it right -- even the coffee is Hello Kitty. Cuz it's just THAT serious! |
That's enough for now. More thought outpoor soon!
