Happy Birthday Mom

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM-

The Pam McKinnon, Canadian artist extraordinaire!

I asked my students to sing for you during class. I said, "maybe she'll hear us as she sleeps in Ontario!"

The inevitable Cell Phone

I'm not a fan of cell phones but the school talked me into buying one yesterday. I would have refused, told them to e-mail me or, at best, that I'd get a home line so I could call Canada. I've morphed into strange looking ice sculptures, in outdoor phone booths. But, I missed a meeting a while back and feel guilty about it. The phone is my apology.

I had a short-lived relationship with a cell phone in Canada. Friends expect to be able to reach you whenever they want. You lose something when you carry a tracking device; the moment can be swallowed by an unwanted call.

In class, a student told me about cell phone buckets. All Korean children over the age of 10 have a cell phone. It's like asking them if they own shoes. At the beginning of the school day they drop their phones into a bucket, and pick them up after their last class. This way, they aren't tempted to text message or play a game during a lecture.

I wish my hogwon had a cell phone bucket. I'd conveniently forget it. "Oh no, that's not mine."

No Woman No Cry.

Seoul Live Music

I went to Seoul tonight. I caught bus 7001 at the stop near the Ajou University Dunkin Donuts. The bus is a coach and costs approximately 1,500 WON one way (less than 2 USD.)

40 minutes later I was in Seoul. Min met me and we rode the subway to Hongik Uni. If you want streets spilling with young people, cheap beer and live music, it's the place to go.

We went to the bar he took his Japanese girlfriend when she visited. It was perfect; it had the atmosphere of a Montreal poetry reading, with Asian vocalists singing funk, and covers like Bob Marley's "No Woman No Cry." The place was called, Free Bird.

Good Seoul band: (***) http://cafe.daum.net/ssoulway
Great Seoul band: (****) http://cafe.naver.com/redlow.cafe

Here are some photos from the night:

Min and the guitar player from Soul Way. Ow ow.

The crowd.

Ear Wax: A Qtip or a spoon?

Last time I got together with ***, I had the gumption to bring up the topic of ear wax. It's fun to discuss cultural differences... why not physical ones?

We had already covered the topic of sweat: appropriate dinner banter, right! African Americans have more sweat glands than whites, and whites have more than Asians- alas, the impossibility of finding a good deodorant in Korea.

You see, I heard Koreans accumulate a different kind of ear wax, more like white rice powder than... well... waxy yellow stuff. I also heard that they scoop it out with a small, plastic spoon (even though doctors discourage the practice, warning against possible injury.)

But what I really wanted to know was this: Is it true that Koreans sitting around the living room will casually clean the ears of their family members? As *** began to respond, I pushed the "record" button on my camera and filmed him as he told me yes, it is a common practice, and his old girlfriend used to clean his ears.

He said, "she found a whole lot of stuff in there."

That's love. I'm dying to post footage, but I promised him I wouldn't.

My Response...

One thing I've noticed is the sense of equality here. Bus drivers and janitors receive the same respect a doctor/lawyer. Where in Canada I feel there's an unspoken hierarchy, all Koreans are treated with similar courtesy. Elders are regarded for their wisdom and, on Lunar New Years, grandchildren bow at their feet for lucky money.

But where are the physically and mentally disabled? I rarely see anyone wheelchair-bound. 'Homes' must be common. South Korea is undergoing vast social change, yet the sense of unity prevails, especially given the situation in North Korea and S.K.'s sudden trendiness in the world market.

Koreans have been more than welcoming, but my otherness is always an issue. From what I've heard, you can learn a lot about Korean isolation, first hand, by visiting orphanages which tell stories of children born out of wedlock, divorce, mixed race etc. The importance of blood ties in Korea makes adoption a rarity.

Read about volunteering at a Korean orphanage here.

A Korean talks back:

Kiju said...

I think "sharing" is also one of our unique culture. For example, we call each other's house "our house" not "my house" among friends. In this year,all of Koreans people were all together to cheer up Korean soccer team during World Cup 2006. I also think Koreans are easily altoghered. But this aspect of characteristic of our nation is also great social problem in Korean. Because we can't accept mixed Korean. So they are isolated by Korean society. United and Isolated um......Double standard..

Thanks for the comment, Kiju! I'll respond soon.