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 #5: Stereotypes & Perspectives

Today was another slow day of class.  It's so hard to sit inside for six hours when there are so many things I still want to do while I'm here!  Luckily, tomorrow is Tuesday, and we don't have classes on Wednesdays.  Many of us plan to try the unstrained rice wine tomorrow, called makkoli.  This is a drink that goes well with bindaedduk, or mung-bean pancake.  Rice wine has a much lower alcohol content than soju, the vodka-like equivalent in Korea, and is a milky color.  I can't wait to try it!  After that, we will likely go to the clubs in Hongdae - I still have yet to do this!  On Wednesday, we have a field trip to the Hyundai Motor Factory and another trip to Insadong.


On Saturday night, a few friends and I went out for drinks at a local bar.  We went out with a guy from the Netherlands and his friend, who has been living in Seoul for three years.  Eventually, we got to talking about stereotypes.  I asked them for the American stereotype:  "Be completely honest - I'm sure I've heard what you're going to say," I said.  They were hesitant at first, obviously not wanting to offend us.  This, of course, peaked our curiosity.  


Basically, the stereotypes of Americans they were accustomed to included the image of the "ignorant American," who knows nothing about the world beyond American borders.  I couldn't help but somewhat agree - it amazes me how little some people know about the world.  They also mentioned that some stereotypes include Americans as selfish and rude in foreign countries.  The guy who has lived here for three years, Raul, showed us a picture on his phone of a "no admittance" sign for U.S. Army members at a bar in Seoul.  "They think they own the place," he said.  "They are destructive and rude and think they are allowed to act that way here.  In my experience, they are not well liked here."  This was really embarrassing for me.  U.S. Army members acting so awful that they are banned from certain restaurants and bars?  Really, all I can do in those situations is remember that I am doing my part as a "global citizen" - I am genuinely interested in other countries and open to different perspectives.  That's really all I can do - worry about myself and how I act when I'm abroad.  


Other instances during which I felt embarrassed while I've been here include moments in class when we discuss the countries we've been to and the languages we speak.  Other students are fluent in two, three, and four languages! I speak English and could get around a Spanish-speaking country.  I've been to one other country.  These students have been all over the world - a trip to Seoul was not monumental, but instead, another stamp in their passports.  I guess I shouldn't feel embarrassed about that - I am a good student, I try hard and I'm involved.  Still, to know that others are such better "global citizens" than me is somewhat unsettling!

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.     

Mini-Series Post #2: B-Boys in Seoul

This morning we awoke to the sound of rain on our window - a typically euphonic sound turned sour due to the heavy amount of rain we've received since we arrived.  However, we weren't going to let the rain stop us from getting out of the dorm - instead, we decided to go to the Olympic Park to see R16 Korea:  the 2011 World B-Boy Masters Championship.

R16 Korea:  the 2011 World B-Boy Masters Championship

This is the stage on which the national crews danced and moved in ways once thought impossible, bending, flipping, and jumping past what most people considered human range of motion. 

The Korean group, JinJo Crew, was obviously the house favorite.  There were groups from all over the world, including France, the U.S., Kazakhstan, China, and Russia.  I took many videos (including videos of the groups dancing).  At Olympic Park, there was also an urban art exhibit:

While I am not a "big-city type of girl," Seoul has definitely grown on me.  I don't mind public transportation - in fact, I love it.  There is always something to do, nay - a variety of things to do each day.  Sure, I get irritated with the huge crowds, but for an enormous city, Seoul is fairly quiet - there are the typical noises of busy city life, but the people, collectively, are peaceful.  A week ago, I'd never thought I would feel comfortable here, but I truly do.  While this city is exponentially larger than where I'm from, I now believe people when they tell me that it's a relatively safe place to be; generally speaking, "maintaining face" (i.e. respect, a good image, etc) is more important than someone else's material items.  It's a fundamental cultural difference between American and Korean culture (again, generally speaking) that gives me hope for humanity when the homicide count continues to climb in Toledo.  When we struggle with the language barrier to order a meal, the Korean waitresses smile and demonstrate patience you'd never see in the U.S. if the roles were reversed.  Many people I know express annoyance when they hear people speaking in a language other than English in the U.S.; sometimes I wonder if people here experience similar irritation when my friends and I are laughing and talking in English at restaurants and on the subway.  My guess is that (generally speaking) people are not annoyed, because they understand and accept that English, Korean, and other languages are on a level playing field.  They are used to foreigners speaking in other languages in their city, and they are not irritated when I cannot understand them.  Surely, there are exceptions, and I am certainly not putting down the home I love.  If collectively, American culture could begin to shed its elitist mentality and welcome other ideas, languages, and methods, I think a lot of our problems could be solved.   

Not sure how I got to this point from where I was when I began this post, especially since it's a "mini-series" post, but there you have it.  Good night!  

Mini-Series Post #1: Driving in Seoul

Because there will be many days where I will be in class for six hours and will thus have little to report, I intend to begin a mini-series of entries about essentially anything:  random discoveries, information about Seoul, differences between the U.S. and Korea that I've noticed, etc.  Today, before I go to class from 1-7 p.m., I want to write about driving in Seoul.


"We don't recommend getting on the road around Seoul," the Lonely Planet Seoul City Guide suggests (174).  This may be the single most important recommendation in the guide.  Public transportation, which includes buses, taxis, and the subway, are cheap, easy to use, and convenient, so there is really no reason to try to drive.  


Plus, a novice driver trying to navigate around Seoul in a car or on a moped could easily get killed.  The drivers in this city are impatient, dangerous, and out all "ballsy."  One should not be surprised to find a vehicle inching toward him as he crosses at a crosswalk or a moped flying between two lanes of stopped traffic.  Many of the two-lane streets are narrow and hilly, but it is not uncommon to find cars parked in the middle of the lane with flashers on, picking up a friend from a restaurant.  This situation causes huge buses, vehicles, and mopeds to pass on the left, into oncoming traffic.  Additionally, in these situations, the passing vehicle almost always assumes the right-of-way as it heads into oncoming traffic, often squeezing past oncoming cars with only inches to spare.  I have almost had heart attacks on several occasions where the bus I am riding decides to do this.  In Seoul, there is no such thing as being "too close" to the car in front of you, as you could not fit a body between two cars stopped at a light.  To the outsider, driving looks like a free-for-all:  cars park on the sidewalks, vehicles perform U-turns wherever they please, and buses fly down the narrowest roads at seemingly unsafe speeds.  However, I have yet to see an accident!