Mini-Series Post #7: Unwanted Attention

Exercising in Seoul has proved to be easier than I originally believed.  There is a tiny exercise room in the basement of the boys' dorm and a running/ bike path along the Han River, which flows parallel to our dorms across the street.  On dry days, I love to run along the river, over which a tall, cement highway structure carries people wherever they intend to go.  Interestingly, along the river are outdoor exercise machines, somewhat like the ones pictured below:  

Outdoor gyms along the Han River

As I run along the path, adults exercise on these unusual machines.  I pass dozen of people walking and riding bicycles, but not many others running.  I usually do not pass anyone looking my age or younger than me, with the exception of today, when I passed a group of young boys that proceeded to jog alongside me for several seconds until I moved away from them.  Apparently, regardless of the culture, young boys are always looking for trouble!

What I notice most during my runs along the Han River is the bounty of direct stares I receive from men and women alike.  As I jog, I try to figure out why every person I pass stares at me, sometimes to the point of turning their heads to follow me.  Maybe it is what I wear - a tank top and shorts.  I also have yet to see another young girl running, so maybe that's it.  Or, it could be that I don't look Korean.  Who knows?  I hope I'm not breaking any clothing rules for outdoor exercise, but it too hot to wear anything else but what I wear.  Maybe it's a combination of all of these things, or maybe it is something entirely different.  It could even be the difference in the symbolism of the stare between American culture and Korean culture; in the U.S., it is impolite, but here, maybe it is acceptable.  Regardless, now I run with my head down.   


My friends and I receive similarly unwanted attention when we go to some places in Seoul.  In Insadong, it is not uncommon to be photographed by Koreans and foreigners alike, especially when smiling for one of our own cameras.  At the mud festival, we felt like movie stars as dozens and dozens of photographers snapped our pictures.  Ultimately, my question to these people that randomly snap my picture is this:  What do you plan to do with a blurry photograph of me, in which my eyes are likely half closed or I am making some kind of weird, mid-talking face?   

Mini-Series Post #3: A Culture that Encourages Responsibility

Perhaps one of the most interesting differences I have noticed during my time in Seoul includes Korean culture's efforts to encourage social and personal responsibility.  For example, in almost every building I have been inside, various receptacles for plastic, paper, aluminum, and waste orderly sit beside one another.

Separate receptacles on each floor of the dorm. 

Obviously, I can't read the Korean, but I just look inside to see where I'm supposed to put things.  To see such a collective ecological effort is so refreshing!  As I walk down the street, I see shopkeepers everywhere sorting through waste and recyclable materials.  Even at fast food restaurants, there are separate receptacles for all of the waste.  To many Americans, this may seem tedious; however, I think it is absolutely fabulous.  I try to recycle at school, but sometimes, I throw a can in the garbage, thinking, "how far does one person's effort actually go?"  Seeing Korea's recycling effort has reinvigorated my desire to save the planet, one pop can at a time.

In addition to social responsibility, Korea encourages personal responsibility by publicly displaying the calorie counts on the menus of many fast food restaurants!  I was shocked to see this for the first time and I can't believe we have not done this in the United States, since obesity is such a huge issue.  Let's face it, not many Americans go to a website to find additional nutrition information and calorie counts.  With the calories staring back at you while you observe the menu at MacDonald's, wouldn't you feel a little guilty eating a Big Mac?  I know I would never step foot in a fast food restaurant again.