Wow… Three months here, and life is so… normal… Get up, go to work, take a break after lunch, teach some more classes, make the most of every free hour or during the weekend… Sounds so… normal, doesn’t it? Yes, life does become normal when you accustom yourself to a schedule. I sit in front of my desktop computer, powered by the same Windows XP and Internet Explorer as many of you do. There’s a fan drying some of my latest art projects, and an air conditioner in the bedroom ensures I’ll sleep without sweating tonight. It’s so… normal… as if part of America just got in the plane and invited itself to Korea without me inviting it.
The school I work at has many amenities found in an American school – brightly colored walls, enough technology to make things work (headphones with microphones to practice speaking, CD/cassette players, computers for teachers to create / find material) without becoming dependent on said technology. The other day when the CD player couldn’t read the well-used CD, it wasn’t a deal-breaker – just read through the book and take a slightly different direction, that’s all.
There are still more than enough differences to necessitate a warning. If you’re coming to Korea expecting life to be like it is in the U.S., be prepared for several serious wake-up calls. First off, almost no one speaks English on a regular basis – meaning you’ll have to get accustomed to either learning the language or tuning out 98% of what you hear everywhere you go. Second, everything from basic things like the shape of the electricity plugs to the customs of the people are different. Read up before you come, and be prepared to learn more in the first week you’re here than you ever did from said reading.
So where’s the surrealness? After 3 months, I’m still exploring, still traveling, and still enjoying seeing what there is to see. There’s more than enough to see – it’s just a matter of what I’m in the mood for. It’s actually easier to travel now that I have an idea of what there is to see and am beginning to develop a repertoire of places worth going to again. Going back to some of the places I’ve visited before allows for that ‘experienced’ look – not the mouth-wide-open, gaping look you often see by tourists.
It’s also worth noting that becoming more familiar with the culture / area makes you appreciate some of the current issues facing Korea. As I write this entry, one of the biggest issues are the beef protests and the Korean president under strong criticism for his handling of the country. On the surface, it’s easy to blow it out of proportion – until you realize that Koreans have a long history of fighting against what they see as bad government. This article (while written almost a month earlier) details some of that history:
“Historically, Koreans demonstrated constantly throughout the military dictatorship of Chun Doo-hwan (1980 to 1988) despite the inherent risks that came with speaking out against an authoritarian ruler. The Gwangju massacre of 1980, which resulted in an estimated 200 deaths, the wounding of nearly 2,000 others, and the ‘disappearance’ of approximately 1,000, was proof of the ruthless approach that Chun took towards pro-democracy protestors.”
“Although Chun strengthened the Korean economy, demonstrators continued to protest against his authoritarian regime, drawing great power from a student group known as the 386s. The final catalyst for mass Chun-related protest was Chun’s selection of then Major General Roh Tae-Woo as the ruling party’s candidate for the 1987 ‘elections.'”
Bear in mind the date – 1987 is well within my lifetime, and the generation of twentysomethings leading the charge have recent history to remember, and technology on their side. For better or worse, they are a force to be reckoned with. I wish a similar uprising (in size and passion, not in violence) would happen in America over any number of items – and get some effects in the U.S. government.
