Anyeong Haseyo (안 녕 하 세 요)!
I hope this November has been good to you all. November 11th is a special day here in Korea, and not because of Remembrance Day. Because it is 11/11, the makers of the 빼 빼 로 (Pepero) candy sticks (biscuit sticks dipped in chocolate) decided to make it “Pepero Day”, where you can buy boxes of Pepero at ANY store for your sweetheart.
JVC Life
One Sunday was “Bring your own instrument” day, so during the worship part of the service, there were drums, triangles, spoons, violins, cellos, flutes, guitars, shakers, wooden sticks, and even empty water bottles being played with the music. That was an exhilerating experience, feeling united by instruments. Another Sunday I was asked to lead the children in singing some songs during the service, so we reviewed 2 songs I had taught them, one of them being “Kumbaya”, and everyone sang along to that. Will continues to lead his English Bible Study class, which seems to have a good following, and regular attenders. One day we had a quest speaker who had the gift of prophecy (meaning he communicates on behalf of God), so anyone who was interested had a chance to sit in while he prayed for them. Will and I decided to do that, and it was a very interesting experience. We didn’t know what to expect, and were surprised when he spoke to each of us individually, about our concerns, gifts, questions, and callings.
Mountain Climbing
After church, a few couples invited me to climb a mountain with them. They told me it wasn’t too hard, so I thought, “Why not? I could use the exercise.” Oh my goodness. This mountain was HUGE and STEEP. It’s called 델 연 산 (Daer-yan san= “Big Dragon Mountain”). Was it ever a dragon of a mountain. It took 2 hours to climb! And these couples climb a few times a week, so they were going FAST. I needed a break every 10 minutes or so. That’s when I learned the word for “slowly” (천 천 히 = Chan Chan Hi). The only thing that kept me going was not wanting to make my friends wait for me. The summit was worth it. A view of Chuncheon and beyond, and a stone monument that said “900m”. From there you could see Anmason (the mountain Will and I usually climb), and all the other mountains. This was one of the biggest mountains in Chuncheon. I was rewarded with a high five from one of my fellow climbers, which made it all worthwhile. I think they thought I was going to collapse, and they’d have to drag me up. The climb down was just as hard…if not harder. The wobbly knees kicked in before halfway down, so I ran down whenever I could, which seemed to alleviate the problem. This experience provided a neat lesson; they never left me behind, even though it was just a mountain. There was always someone who stayed back or went slower so I wouldn’t be left behind, when they could have gone the whole way without needing a break. Wow. We went to a restaurant after (Will joined us there), and something very funny happened. A round of buckwheat juice was passed around, and after taking a sip, Will and I gave each other a look that communicated, “This stuff is disgusting, but let’s not make it obvious, because this may be another one of those ‘Korean delicacies’ that are aquired tastes and that everyone loves”. A few second later, EVERYONE around the table made faces and said how it was disgusting. I guess none of them had had it before, and it did not pass the test.
V-School Day Trip
Every now and then our Day School students have a day trip, which we invited to. This time we climbed a large hill called 몬베마을 (Mon-beh-ma-ul), located in Kugok Park, where Will and I went to the waterfall. There is a small village located at the top of the hill, sort of in a bowl, surrounded by hill tops. During the war, no one knew about the village, because it was so isolated, so it never got bombed. Now, most of the houses have been turned into restaurants, and those who run the restaurant live up there, as well. We sat outside under a tarp and ordered lunch, and only when we were a good ways up out of the basin did we realize that we hadn’t paid! So, the designated payer had to climb back down to the village to do so. Whoops.
From L to R: Will standing in front of Kugok Falls, pooped at the top of the hill, our students and their parents taking a break during the climb, the path leading up to the falls
Being minorities
We haven’t been treated too differently being white, minus having lots of kids saying “Hello! Nice to meet you!” (to which Will and I think “well…we haven’t actually met”). However, there have been a few occassions where we have actually been ignored in a store or restaurant, because the people are afraid to talk to us, because they don’t know English.We went to this newly opened appliance store, and I was at the counter waiting to pay for something, and the clerk continued talking on the phone for another 5-7 minutes, then when she got off the phone she did some typing on the computer, then took another phone call. Huh?? She knew I was there, too. Another time Will and I were at a restaurant, and waited for 10 minutes, and no waitress came to us. I even gave a waitress eye contact and she didn’t come. Only when Will verbally called someone over, did they hesitantly come. It’s interesting-We get a funny mix of people who are overly eager to use their English with us (strangers who go out of their way to talk to us), and being completely ignored.
North Korea/South Korea History
Will learned an interesting story. Back in the 70’s a rumour was floating around that North Korea was going to blow up a dam and cause a flood into South Korea. This rumour was so widely believed, that many people donated money for a dam to be built in South Korea, as a pre-emptive measure. Only after the dam was built were the rumours dispelled, and to this day there stands a waterless dam.
Trips to Seoul
Will and I went to Seoul a few weeks back to attend the KAMF (Korean Anabaptist Mennonite Fellowship), a representative of members from the Korean Anabapist churches, the KAC (Korean Anabaptist Center), Connexus (the Anabaptist English Teaching Center) and sponsor organizations from other countries. With good directions from a friend, we found our way through 3 subway transfers, which was quite hard to do. Many people were worried we’d get lost. There are so many people walking in Seoul, that it’s hard to tell whether cars or people have the right of way. There are lots of TV’s on buildings, too. That evening we went to this Canadian pub with our friends from Connexus, run by a Korean who lived in Canada for many years. I think he loved us for being Canadian, cause he gave us free nachos.
The gang at the pub:
The next day we went with some friends to the 1988 Olympic Park, following a path that takes you along all the old stadiums.
From L to R: The gateway to the Olympic Park, a cool thumb statue there
We then we to the Changdeokgung Palace, which holds the well-known “Secret Garden”, a garden that only the royal family were allowed to enter.
From L to R, top to bottom: Entrance to the palace, some of the buildings at the palace, Will and Ana at a building in the garden, one of the many ponds at the secret garden
We saw a protest taking place, a multi-cultural group that did not want the Olympics to be held in China, because they “violate human rights issues”. This is because the Chinese government doesn’t let North Korean refugees stay there. There was a girl with a sign that said “FREE HUGS”.
Oh, and the subway plays classical music. On another trip t Seoul we got the experience the infamous jam-packed subway system, where the subways are SO crammed full of people, that you literally have to squeeze your way in and out, and the doors can barely close.
From L to R: The street leading to the Connexus office in Seoul, a big skyscraper church, traditional Korean dresses, a guy pounding rice cake paste…I think
Trip to Hwacheon
Will has been helping a friend from church do some electrical work in his parents home, so I came along to Hwacheon. On the way we passed some camouflaged explosives along the road, a seemingly endless convoy of military vehicles on their way to the base, and Chuncheon lake that had rows of ice fishing lodges on it. We passed a “Duck Rice” farm, which had a great system for growing rice. They let ducks loose among the rice paddies, and they eat the bugs that would damage the plants, while providing a natural fertilizer, so no chemicals are used. Hwacheon is well-known for this original method.
First Year Birthdays
In Korea the first birthday for a baby is very important. Will attended a birthday party for a 1 year old, which was attended by many JVC members. The celebration was held at a restaurant, and the parents and child were dressed in traditional Korean clothing.
Some random thoughts
-We never cease to be amazed at elderly people who cross traffic willy-nilly (ie. not at a crosswalk), seemingly oblivious to oncoming traffic that must stop for them.
-The extremes of hot and cold; We have noticed that people like to blast heaters into a room, so that it’s unbearably hot, then will open many windows to cool it down, only to make it unbearably cold in the room.
-Whenever I have my hair down, I get a lot of compliments from strangers, young and old, that I am “beautiful”. But only when my hair is down.
-Remember how I said toilet paper is scented? Well, only recently did I figure out why. People generally don’t put toilet paper in the toilet, but in a bin next to it. That would explain why it’s scented (and why our toilet kept getting clogged for the first 2 monthes!!)
-Remember how I said there are more cars than parking spots, so some people park in front of other cars, leaving their car in neutral so it can be rolled out of the way? Well, what happens if that person forgets to put their car in neutral? That happened to us one Sunday morning when we were (of course) in a hurry. Because of this potential problem, most cars have cross-stitched cushions or mini-license plates with their phone number on it, so the apartment guards can make an announcement through the apartment PA system to move the car.
This is the licence plate we got for our car:
I grew up as a child of immigrants, speaking a language other than English, and being brought up with a set of values that differed from the societal norm. I thought I knew a thing or two about what immigrants go through. Back then, a number of things brought be back to reality.
- First, I didn’t look like an immigrant. I was a white kid wearing semi-normal clothes and I spoke English without an accent. The only way someone would know I was a second generation immigrant was by asking me, or by knowing the regional history of my last name.
- Second, lots of people around me did look like immigrants. They were all white as well, but that didn’t stop them from being victims of racism. I knew I wasn’t an immigrant partly because I witnessed more suffering than I felt.
- Third, I can’t remember when my national identity was formed. I am proud to be Canadian and I always have been. I can’t trace it back to a ceremony or crossing the border for the first time, by boat, plane or automobile. I know those moments are precious for other people, but I have always called Canada my home, and have never had my right to do so questioned.
Moving to Korea has opened my eyes to the immigrant experience in many ways. I would like to share with you some of our experiences here that we hadn’t imagined. Before that though, I want to add that it is in many ways a small disadvantage relatively speaking. Greater society here recognizes the value that English teachers play, and Christians here are truly grateful for the work of missionaries here in the past. Although we do not feel comfortable with that label, we are often introduced as such, and we benefit from the ire legacy. Perhaps the most significant difference is that we are here on assignment, so all of our costs are covered.
1. Sales staff at stores avoid us - You might think this would be a good problem, but when you’re looking for something, a little guidance would be helpful.
2. We used to stay in a lot - The inability to communicate makes us stay in more than we normally would. This sometimes means that we eat at home instead of going to restaurants, we do not seek out entertainment options, and we hesitate to seek medical help.
3. We very often eat the same meals - We don’t always know what is in the packages at grocery stores, and even when we do, we don’t always know how to prepare it. This means we stick wo what we know how to make given what resources are available, which is a slowly growing repertoire of dishes.
4. People talk about us behind our backs - More than once, we’ve gotten on the elevator at our apartment and the person in it pushes the button for our floor without us telling them which floor we live on. How do they know? They know, they all know.
5. People expect so little of us, and yet so much - Anytime we show up somewhere without having been given specific driving directions, they are impressed. We eat kimchi … with chopsticks, and they are impressed. But when we say a simple Korean greeting, they are frustrated when we don’t understand the long, quickly spoken response they give.
6. We forget everything - I’m shaking a person’s hand, and their name has just come off their lips, and I have already forgotten it. And it’s not just names, but simple vocabulary, locations, foods, etc. My brain just doesn’t recognize the sounds, so I forget it.
7. People ask how long we’re staying - We don’t plan on living here forever, but it’s clear when certain people that ask that, that they don’t expect us to stay.
8. I can’t demonstrate actual intelligence - I’m usually limited to speaking with simple English sentences so that people will understand me or extremely simple Korean sentences. Little kids laugh at how my Korean handwriting looks childish as well as my frequent spelling mistakes. The two of us can have a five minute conversation about how to construct one sentence we will try to use at the convenience store we are walking to. For someone who once got some sense of dignity from the semblance of intelligence, this is tough on the ego.
These problems have gotten a lot better over time, but they are still frustrating.
