Bamboo, Tigers and Bears... oh my!

My coworker Kirk has been taking me around Gwangju, showing me the sights and teaching me how to survive here. On Saturday night, he brought his girlfriend and me downtown to a friend's birthday party. We ate at Outback Steakhouse, which was surprisingly similar to the ones back home, and then went to a bar and tried an iced fruit drink with soju in it. (Soju is a traditional Korean alcoholic beverage.) Afterwards, we met up with the party and went to a Noraebang. In a Noraebang, you pretty much get a private room in which you and your friends can sing karaoke, order food and drinks, and have an incredible time.

Kirk and I singing some Tenacious D

The next morning, we joined another coworker, Maggie, her husband, and Iris for a trip by bus to the bamboo forest in DamYang. This forest covered a mountain, had a gift shop filled with products made from bamboo, and I even got to try bamboo ice cream.

The green color is a bit intimidating, but it actually tasted really good.

There was a cultural village in the forest as well where we saw a Jindo, a traditional Korean dog. Iris told me that once a Jindo recognizes someone as its owner, it will never take another owner. To buy a purebred Jindo, you have to go to Jindo island (not joking), and you can't take the dog out of Korea. We also watched a man making fans with bamboo in the cultural village.

After the bamboo forest, we tried a delicious Korean dish called Tteoggalbi and enjoyed lunch before leaving DamYang. When we got back to Gwangju, we bought tickets to the baseball game and sat in front of the Ministop at the stadium. While we were waiting for the game to start, a Korean man sat down with us, saying he wanted to learn English. He was the medic for Gwangju's baseball team, so he brought Maggie's husband Graham to the locker rooms to meet Travis, the Australian pitcher for the Gwangju Tigers. Graham invited him out for drinks after the game.

Thus, we ended up at Speakeasy hanging out with Travis later that night.

I've been to a very few baseball games in the US, but the crowd in Korea seemed much more interested, or at least better coordinated in their cheering (as you'll see in the clip at the end of this entry). The energy in the stadium was similar to that of an extremely close-scoring or major rivalry football game back home. There were even cheerleaders and a guy called V11 who led the crowd in chants and songs including Mama Mia and La Bamba. (I didn't really understand how those songs were relevant, but it was fun to watch.) The most popular food to eat during the ballgame was fried chicken, and we toasted our beers with the loud Korean fan next to us. The fans had amazingly great sportsmanship; even when the DoSung Bears were beating Gwangju's Kia Tigers 7-2 in the eighth inning, everyone was still cheering and having a good time. No one was getting angry, throwing beer bottles, or starting fights with fans of the opposing team. Maybe you think that's half the fun of a baseball game, but from where I was sitting, everyone had a lot of fun without it.

Age Isn't Just a Number

For those of you who read the link I included in my last entry, you'll understand that age is perceived somewhat differently in Korea. (If you missed it, here it is again.)

In Korea, age is very important. There are three variations of the Korean language, one used when speaking to someone younger than you, one used when you are speaking to someone older than you, and one used when speaking to those the same age as you are. If you've ever studied Spanish, this is comparable to using an usted form when showing respect to someone older than you rather than the tu form of the verb. In English, it's a bit like referring to someone as "Mrs. Smith" rather than by her first name because you want to show respect or you may not know her on a personal level. This is why, as I mentioned in the last entry, it isn't impolite to ask someone how old they are. Those who are older and/or married are shown the most respect and are greeted with a bow. Your age indicates your ranking within the hierarchy of Korean society.

The Korean staff at my school have asked me a lot of questions concerning my age, which was strange for me. It hasn't mattered much to me since I turned eighteen, other than the whole drinking alcohol law. In the US, if, at a young age, you have graduated from college and are successful in a career (not that I am, just as an example), you would receive admiration for your ambition. At least, I really respect the people my age who already have internships or jobs at very renowned companies or are taking the fast track through pharmacy school. Age doesn't seem to hold the same importance in our societal ranking as how much money you make or what position you hold in whatever company. I'm pretty sure that most people would show a lot more respect to a 25-year-old Donald Trump in-the-making than to the 40-year-old who cashes them out at the gas station. I'm not saying this to be offensive; this is just how I believe American society works.

I by no means have a comprehensive understanding of the Korean society. (I've only been here four days.) However, from what I've learned about it so far, it has its pros and cons in comparison to the American system. For one thing, I hate it when kids are bratty to their parents or people much older than them for no apparent reason, and I'm almost positive that would never fly in Korea. Also, it's a bit tragic how we look at the elderly in the US. Sometimes we complain about having to be around "old people" or having to work with them in various industries. We also put the elderly into nursing homes, which can be a good and bad thing. It's good because these people often need medical attention around-the-clock and we have to work. I just think it would be lonely; what an awful feeling to be kept away from the rest of society and only receive occasional visits from your family.

I wonder how much one's accomplishments factor into this whole rank-by-age system in Korea, though. That seems important to me, too. I guess I'll have to do a bit more research to find out.

Things I've Learned During My First Few Days in Korea

-Korean food is awesome.

-Almost everyone who drives a car (at least in my part of the city) has a super nice one.

-The driving here is crazier than anywhere in the US.

-I work at one of the largest hagwons in Gwangju.

-Korean employment is based on a vertical hierarchy; what the boss says is always the rule, no discussion necessary.

-Korean hospitals are extremely efficient, even with lots of patients.

-Koreans have a very strange system for determining age. Read more about it here.

-It is not impolite to ask someone how old they are; this is necessary to determine which level of respect (and language) you should use when speaking to them.

-My bathroom is actually a large shower with a toilet in it.

-I need to figure out how to turn on the hot water in my apartment.

-Mattresses are much firmer than in the US.

-There are many, many similar-looking parks in Gwangju. (This is a problem when you're lost.)

-"Fanny" is a British slang word for vagina. (Think twice before you say "fanny pack" next time.)

-"Jill" is a Korean slang word for vagina.

-Koreans really enjoy fried chicken. And watermelon.

-A Korean version of schnitzel is also really popular.

-The milk here tastes better than the milk at home. Then again, I've been drinking skim milk for the past three months, so anything would be an improvement.

-They really do eat dog here. Maybe that's why it's no problem for everyone to let the dogs sit out in the middle of the street.

-My facebook now offers me the option of listing my blood type at the top of my profile.

-I need to learn how to read Korean or I may starve.

-My phone's alarm clock plays the best ringtone I've ever heard.

And much more, but maybe for another entry.

Preface: The Problem with Blogging

You have to create a certain personality for blogs, whether it is similar or different from the personality you have in your real-world life. This idea always fascinated me when I was growing up--I went from livejournal to xanga to myspace, reinventing myself with each new venue.

The reason the concept bothers me now is that I've been trying to eliminate the need for a false front in my daily life, but that's a difficult feat to perform in a blog setting. In a blog you have to censor according to your audience, and of course you are limited by the medium of written word. Then there is the issue that you never have enough time or perhaps a clear enough memory to include every detail--the ones you don't find important at the moment could become important later. These are just a few problems with the art of blogging.

Nonetheless, it's a good means of communication. Instead of a hundred emails back home, I can write a blog entry and update my family and friends on what's happening in my life. There is no pressure for a response, so they only need to read if they are truly interested--I like that facet of it. Mostly, I'm writing a blog because of my father. He's read many blogs of foreign teachers in South Korea and gleaned any useful or amusing information out of them to share with me. It's been extremely helpful in my preparation for my year away from home and also very entertaining for him. Sometimes I think he's more excited about my Korean adventure than I am.

I am really excited, naturally a little nervous too. I've always loved to travel, experiencing the way a different environment, a different people, a different way of life can open my eyes to more aspects of existence than I could ever know by staying safely in Ohio. There is so much beauty in cultural differences, and that's the part of traveling I wish I could capture in a blog. I wish I could effectively share that experience with my readers.

So, I'm going to attempt it. I know it won't be perfect, but I'd love to give a glimpse of travel to those who've never had the opportunity to do it for themselves, or for those who wouldn't want to do it for various valid reasons. I understand the limitations, and I know how fortunate I am that I can leave home and become immersed in a new culture. For everyone else, I will try to use this blog to share the lessons of cultural diversity which I learn this year. I hope that by comparing my experiences in Korea to my lifestyle in the United States, some useful knowledge can emerge. I want most of all that this blog is not a waste of my time to write, nor a waste of your time to read.

In a sense that is my 'blogging manifesto,' and I've written it so I won't forget the reason I'm making this. Wish me luck.