Saturday, May 26, 2001

invitation to dinner


I missed the soccer game between Werder Bremen and the local soccer club in Jeonju, Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors! Shit happens, but I'm not that much of a real soccer fan either. Well, nevertheless, the day had one highlight: Professor Park, who I met a few weeks ago, invited me and Ms. Choi to his home for dinner. His wife was cooking a real feast, I rarely eat so good - and so much. After the dinner, we talked a lot about Germany. After a while, I felt that he knows much, much more about it than I do. When I was younger, my parents used to travel to a different European country every year. I haven't seen so much in my home country. Professor Park must have been everywhere in Germany, he showed us ring binders full with pictures and post cards from famous places. I should travel around when I get back, so that I can say at least something like

oh, yeah, I've been there, too... cozy place

when I meet foreigners who know Germany inside out.

random rant


It's not that I know many Korean laws. In fact, that might not even be neccessary, depending on money and status only, it looks to me like you can do everything in this country. As democracy has to be anchored in peoples' minds, especially after decades of dictatorship and before that, being under Japanese rule that developement needs some time - but beside that, there are laws who just make me laugh. Tolerance for other cultures, yes, but read this one first before you crucify me:

2001 was the year in which the government abolished a law: It stated that women are not allowed to smoke outside. Smoking inside was fine. Can you believe that? Sounds like this stems from the dark-ages and not the 21st century. I noticed on April 11th, that there are no women smoking outside, and that the image of a smoking women is bad. People, I'm a guy who supports the Norwegian idea of gender-equality, just take a look at their parliament. Also, although, I'm against smoking in general, don't get me wrong here: In the first place I'm shaking my head about the idea itself. This law must be well grounded, and when I find out what it is, I'll post it here. I can't think of a reason except some bureaucratic jerks in the government had a bad day. After looking for it on the net, I found another example. There's a pretty harsh article about Animal Law, too. If you like dogs and cats, don't open the link. Another article about the gay community in Korea mentiones a funny law in the first paragraph.

In a discussion with students in class, the men said they think that women shouldn't smoke. The reasoning was "it's the law" and "it's bad for babies" - despite the fact that most women are not really always pregnant, not to mention second-hand smoke from men. Now, I wonder if there are laws like this in Germany which I agree to unreflecting. I bet there are some, but I can't think of any.

a teacher's homepage


If you plan to teach in Korea, look at this page, the texts are funny and very useful: Teach Korea

Thursday, May 24, 2001

cab driver


I had to teach today all four hours, one in the morning at nine, and one at two after lunch. I woke up as usual, but I wanted to do something before class, so I took the cab instead of a bus. The cab driver was really curious. After he found out that we could talk, he didn't stop anymore. His first question was

Do you like Korean women? Who doesn't. ;-)

Do you have a girlfriend? Yes. Then a long aaaah follows - I'm slowly getting used to this. When I explain that she's Korean, an even longer aaaaaaaaah follows, international relationships, now that's exotic.

Do you think Korean women are beautiful? Well, my girlfriend is. (diplomatic, isn't it?)

He asked me a bunch of other questions, but fortunately we didn't have to drive too long so I arrived at the university before he could ask me intimate questions or grab my John (as it happened in another case) to compare. Nice driver though, he didn't want the full fare.

People around here are never, never afraid to ask the private questions first and then let the rest follow. If you mind answering such questions, pretend not to be able to speak English.

natsukashii


I'm back at Rits! Music on the campus... In Japan, I first experienced what speakers can do on campus. It's noisy, pounding like crazy on your little sensitive ears and the program isn't that good either. In Korea, I saw a few of those speakers on light poles at Chonbuk and Paichai university but until know I never heard them at Chonbuk. The Paichai university used those speakers to play the university's anthem twice a day. Let's hold hands.

Tonight, I walked around the campus a little to think about events of the last days and weeks. Then suddenly I heard Sting's Message in a Bottle, filling in the melody of birds and the roaring of speeding cabs on campus. You don't need a walkman anymore, that's service.


P.S.: natsukashii is Japanese for a situation in which one experiences a sensation which reminds him of something that lies in the past.

Tuesday, May 22, 2001

Eurasians


Lately I enjoy reading english magazins like Time or the Economist. In Time Asia, I read an interesting article about Eurasians in Asia. Once despised, they now have the media in their hands. Veejays, singers, news anchors, their international looking faces are what the masses want to see. To look more western is fashion, so it's no wonder that Eurasians fit into the picture. They already have given by birth what so many Asians crave for. I didn't watch much TV since I left Japan in March, so I turned on the TV and left it for a few minutes. In that short time I saw at least three Eurasians - natural or surgically enhanced - singer on V, a music channel, and another one in an educational program for learning English. Wow. I felt informed. ;-)

Nunchi


Everybody knows the saying, different cultures, different people. Now, there's one trait of Korean culture that I want to write about. It's Nunchi, the ability of a person to guess or foresee what somebody else wants, needs or excepts. It also stands for the abilty to understand without verbal communication. Those things exist in other cultures as well, but Koreans put an emphasis on this ability. Three examples:

Three people in one room, two share a secret. One of those two says something or communicates through gestures to the other a hint to that secret, and the other person eacts in a way that the third person doesn't find out what's going on. So, that second person has Nunchi.

You walk on the street. In one area you see many cars parked around, but no people. A person with Nunchi would for example understand in a second that everybody is in the nearby church for a mess.

You got lucky, somebody gave you two cards for a soccer game. You go home and ask your brother if he would like to join you. He doesn't say no to the offer, but if your Nunchi is strong or good enough, you can notice that he actually doesn't want to go.

I find it hard to read a Koreans feelings or opinion, as they are tought not to reveal their real feelings. Also, as a European my set of gestures, behaviors is different from Korean ones, so I sometimes just don't see it. I wonder how it is for Eurasians.

Monday, May 21, 2001

interview with a North Korean


A rare chance: A North Korean came to the university and talked with students about the situation in North Korea. I don't speak Korean, but my room mate translated the main points for me. She was a doctor, whose uncle, a newspaper journalist in Pyongjang, has been punished because of his critical views about the government. Her parents, once wealthy, have been sent to a small town, where they were left starving. As a doctor, she earned 150 NK Won a month, one kilogram of rice cost 130 NK Won at that time. People everywhere in the country were and are still starving, only in Pyongjang the streets are kept clean from misery. Three years ago, after she married, she visited her parents and found them in such a bad condition that she decided to defect to South Korea via China. She managed to walk over the border in three days, and even returned once to fetch the rest of her family. Her husband didn't agree though and stayed in North Korea. She mentioned that 98% of all North Koreans believe that South Koreatried to invade North Korea in a joint venture with the United States, which is great example of history manipulation. My room mate told me that he expected more insights about the life and new information - but as she lived for three years in South Korea, and after being in a South Korean re-education camp she might not tell everything.

She also talked about her life in South Korea. In the beginning, she had problems to read many signs because English is often used in advertisement. Also, she found it difficult to buy food in the markets because there are so many different brands of the same product - the freedom to choose was a new experience.