LUNCH, ABORTION, PEDESTRIANS

I was out for lunch with some of my Korean co-workers when the Korea's ban on abortion came up. Although not encouraged, abortion has been an option up until recently. But now, doctors and women are faced with a $2000 fine and jail time for the doctor and potentially the woman as well. Does it have to do with Lee Myung-bak administration's attempt to increase South Korea's birthrate (which has been denied)? We discussed this as well as why Korean and English are so hard to learn respectively, as we ate pasta and salad. Note that these western foods were Koreanized by serving everything on one communal plate, where each person takes a little, bit by bit, onto a small side plate. Our pineapple and grape Fanta (you know you're not in north america when...) was also served in huge glasses with multiple pastel-coloured straws.

When it came time to pay up, one of the men went to pay. He is the manager of the audio section of the Editing department, which may or may not be significant. I tried to offer some money, but he said, "Just get me a coffee," adding that it should be sweet as in caramel latte, and not a "nasty" Americano (맛없다).

Our group of three women and two men then went to a coffee shop. Here the other guy paid for everyone's coffees, significant in a country where coffee can cost as much as a decent meal. I guess next time will be my turn.

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Susy and I are finishing up choreography for the dance show we have coming up in April. Since I've started teaching salsa in Korea, one of the biggest challenges I face is explaining a lot of what I do naturally. I know how to do something right, but I don't know how to break down what is a natural instinct for me. Susy has been really helpful with pointing this out and helping me to break down and teach what is either attributed to my "natural ability" or years of practice (probably both). We are doing some stunts where girls are thrown into the air- so watch for those videos if you can't make it to the show on April 3rd.

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PEDESTRIAN CULTURE

When you walk by someone in public, people in Korea pass to the left. They drive on the right... and scooters or motorcycles weave in and out of wherever they walk on sidewalks, but as a pedestrian it is clear that you must pass on the left. What strikes me though, is that a lot of people who I asked say they don't notice this, unlike in Japan, where people consciously told me they pass on the left (ie Kaz). So I tried passing to the right. This always results in a fumble where you dodge to both directions before someone finally insists on talking one path.

And since we're talking about pedestrians, anyone who comes here will immediately notice people's lack of awareness as they walk. Countless times, I have almost crashed into people who are busy texting, or just randomly staring at the ground as they walk. I suppose I can allow this behaviour, as long as their using the new Big Bang-endorsed Lollipop cell phone.

When I'm on my bike, I have to ding the bell to alert people to my approach. This never felt as necessary in Canada, where dinging the bell feels almost rude. (Excessive apologizing, anyone?) I pull it out as my last possible resource in Canada. But here, perhaps due to the high population density, no one will move UNLESS you ring that bell. People also love honking their car horns way more. I suppose noise is okay when cell phone ring tones can be heard over kpop music that plays at transfer points on the subway line.

And as a last, immature note, every lesson plan I have created this week has taught adjectives, and I have used the words "big old" to precede various nouns. I can't deny that every time I hear "big ol'..." I think of pitbull, and want to finish the sentence with "booty".

I DARE YOU (^_^)

Last night I was in a convenience store with my friend when a Korean couple walked by. The guy turned to me, and took in a deep breath of air before uttering one syllable: "Hi."

He immediately hunched over into an embarassed giggle, as did his girlfriend, and they scampered out of the store, clearly experiencing an adrenaline rush over the audacity of his actions. When this happens, I always say hi back, in the event that it's someone I actually have been introduced to and might have forgotten - to save face, mi gente! But this was a clear case of them having planned to say hi. The conversation might have gone something like this:

-I dare you to say hi to those foreigners!

-No - you do it!

-Ok! What should I say?

-Just say hi! ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ (korean laughing that sounds like static)

Having people randomly come up to you and say "hi" in English is quite common. And I get that someone wants to say hi to you, start a conversation, be friendly, practice their English. But why have an obnoxiously loud conversation as you walk by? Yeah. I have been walking downtown when a group of Koreans might be walking towards me from the other direction. One time, I heard a guy say to his friend, "Hi, how are you?"

His friend replied, "I'm FINE thank you.... how are you?" all at a volume that was clearly intended for listeners outside the group, and an exchange that only started right before they passed us.

Then they took off, ㅋ!ㅋ!ㅋ! - all the way home.

If you aren't in Korea, it might be hard for you to imagine why speaking to a foreigner is such a big deal, especially when so many young Koreans have an excellent command of English. But look at the category: foreigner. Do we even use vocabulary like that to refer to immigrants in Canada? I've met people that freak out when I ask a question in English. If they don't understand, they often don't give me a second chance to re-phrase or repeat. They are too embarassed and often exit the conversation. Busting out one's heavily-accented Korean usually helps.

And of course this whole "omg it's a foreigner!" attitude also affects dating. Currently, an American friend of mine and her Korean boyfriend want to set me up with one of his friends for a double-date. He has a nice guy in mind, who speaks English. But, this nice guy wasn't sure he wanted to meet a foreigner. Why? He claims he is scared. I'll keep you posted. All I ask of the world is that the next time someone sets me up on a Korean-style blind date, that they inform/ask me first.... ㅋㅋㅋ!

CSI

Debido a mi horario, usualmente estoy en la casa a las 10 de la noche. Pero hoy hice una entrevista para Daegu Pockets con mi amiga Sunny con la seccion de CSI de la policía de Daegu. Como buenos coreanos, cuando nos preguntaron, 밥먹었어요? (Ya comiste?) contestamos que sí, porque la verdad a nadie le vale si hayas comido o no. Es como decir, "como stas" nomás.

Bueno por eso estábamos muertos de hambre después de la entrevista así que fuimos a comer en Kim Pasa, una cadena que mis amigos maestros de inglés llaman "the orange restaurant" por el color del letrero. Había unos estudiantes de escuela secundaria comiendo a esa hora. Aunque trabajo en la industria de las academias, necesitaba recordarme de los horarios locos que llevan la mayoría de los estudiantes coreanos, quienes recientemente empezaron el nuevo año de clases para el nuevo año lunar. Como dijo un amigo estudiante universitario, "I'm worried!" y le entiendo. Trabajan mucho. Pero volvemos a lo de antes.

Hoy llegamos a la sede principal de la Policía de Daegu. Afuera había un guardía con chaqueta color amarillo y nos dirigió hacia adentro. Fuimos a la oficina de CSI, Crime Scene Investigation, donde teníamos cita con el director del departamento, el señor 최용석, Choi Yong-Seok. Con un aguita de té verde, nos empezó a contar de su trabajo. Especialista en Bloodstain Pattern Analysis, lleva 8 años en este departamento. Después de estudiar en Ottawa, Canada con el OPC, fundó la primera asociación coreana de BPA. Muy amable, se le notaba que le apasiona su trabajo. Hasta se reía al decir que sí le gusta mucho ver la serie de tele Dexter, que se trata de un asesino en serie que también trabaja en BPA.

Nos contó unas cifras impresionantes. En esta ciudad, el índice de asesinatos es usualmente 50 anualmente. Dijo que el año 2008 fue raro porque solamente había 33, la mayoría siempre cometidos a puñaladas. Pero lo más asombroso es que son 5 o 6 suicidios D-I-A-R-I-A-M-E-N-T-E en esta ciudad de 2.6 millón de personsa, y que son gente mayor. "Ser viejo es difícil,", dijo. La cara de él cambió cuando nos contó algo que había pasado hoy. Una madre y sus dos hijos adolescentes se habían suicidado con monóxodo de carbono. Nos dijo que le afectó tanto que mandó unos mensajitos de texto a sus hijos en ese momento desde el lugar del crimen para decirles que los quiere mucho.

Aún un hombre que ve cadáveres la mayoría de los días es afectado por un caso así.

La verdad no podría yo hacer un trabajo así. Ver tantos cadáveres y estar rodeada de los efectos de la violencia. Pero sin querer, cuando nos contaba los detalles de otro suicidio, casi me río por lo ridículo que suena tanto sufrimiento inecesario. Otro hombre se cortó el pene y se apuñaló en la cabeza varias veces para después ponerse una gorra justo antes de ahorcarse.

Bueno todo eso muy feo. Pero la razón por empezar esta investigación es que había unos policías canadiense que vinieron a capacitar a algunos policías coreanos para el curso avanzado de BPA. Desarrollaron una relación muy bonita. Primero hablé con el canadiense, y tenía bonitos recuerdos de corea, la comida y la buena hospitalidad que provieron los colegas coreanos.

Eso se veía. El lado humano. Y el trabajo meticuloso de un hombre que le valora la vida.

Otra cosita que solamente se ve en corea es un compacto de polvo para sacar las huellas digitales. Inspirado por el maquillaje, este polvo de gris, negro, o blanco, parece un verdadero make up compact y hasta tiene espejo! Eso es para ver debajo de la mesa, escritorio etc... no para ver a los criminales que te acercan de atrás como sugerí.

Un día interesante que me hizo pensar en el valor de la vida, pero que al final me quitó el apetito.

TV, Korean lessons, and a Monday night

FOREIGNER!

Arirang is Korea's "Number 1 English network"

To make a long story short, I applied for a spot on an Arirang TV travel show and I got it. So I'm going on a four-day trip with another foreign young woman I haven't met yet, and an Arirang TV crew. We're going to the south of South Korea to Yeosu Sado, Geoje Haekumgang, Hakdongmongdol beach (islands etc. but not as far as Jeju) and will be on TV. We're filming starting this Saturday, and I'm really excited. I'll let you guys know where and when you can watch it - but it will definitely be available on the website after it airs.
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I have a new Korean teacher and I like her. Just like my last teacher at the Daegu YMCA, she was trained to teach Korean as a foreign language at Keimyung Univeristy, and is helping me out with my brand new text book. That's right - I graduated into my second book of Korean, 서강 한국어 1B. Asa!
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Yesterday I left work on time, for a change. Asha and I went downtown on the subway. It's always a dilemma of subway versus cab. But during rush hour, the subway is faster. It's also cheap - when you buy a reload-able card its less than 90 cents a ride.The trains stop exactly where they are supposed to. And you know when the next train is coming to the minute. There are signs and audio announcements in English, but the real reason to take the subway, is the PEOPLE WATCHING.

Downtown Daegu is a youth culture mecca. Clothing, shoes, and accessories are sold in tiny boutiques that line the streets. Bright flashing lights, couples walking in a huddle linked at the arm, street food stands covered with clear plastic sheets for a makeshift shelter, and coffee shops galore.

We went to the theatre and read the English movie options. There are always a few English movies, and Korean is available in subtitles. But the movie titles themselves are English words spelled out in Korean. I told the lady at the counter what we wanted, then she switched to English and said "middle or front". I pulled out my money, but Asha was baffled - she hadn't been to the movies here yet and didn't know there was assigned seating. It's one of those things I forget about as being different. We saw Atom Egoyan's Chloe and I was ecstatic to see Toronto.

Home sweet home, yes. I'll be there in a while.