Halloween=fun times at SLP

scroll to the bottom for more video footage

So as you may guess, they do not celebrate Halloween here in Korea. However, since the kids are in English classes everday and there are 8 Western teachers at my school, the school decided to go all out in celebrating Halloween. I will be taking pictures tomorrow of the actual school and its hilarious signs (one that declares "halloween happy" instead of happy halloween). The kids, as a result are going absolutely berzerk and are so excited to have their foreign teachers dress up (me in a jail suit....fitting, since they called me a hood lum.) They of course have gone overload on the candy, numb on the brain, and fairly unwilling to actually do their work in class. For the past week they have all mumbled and grumbled about tests, homework, and expressed shock that I would be upset that they didn't in fact do any of their work.

Now, I know that I am well known back in the states and at the Y in particular for being quite the cool counselor with kids. Probably because my father himself has never quite grown up and I was raised in a family and extended family that saw teasing as the most affectionate form of showing someone you care. So I'm a sarcastic teaser by nature, born and bred. Anyway, despite this fact, I still find it difficult to do my job when the kids are ranting away in Korean during class because their tongues have become lazy for the more difficult English language. The other day some kids were giggling and looking at me while laughing and speaking in Korean, and I got the sneaking suspicion that they were in fact laughing at me, their English teacher!!! ;)
We are supposed to be hard on them for speaking Korean in English class, but I rarely am (only when they go overboard with it). If I were in their shoes, at their age, I'd be calling my English teacher every name in the book because I'd know they wouldn't understand a word of it. But I convince myself that these kids are too polite and too nice to ever do something like that.....or maybe I'm just being naive....

Anyway, I'm going to try and upload one of the cutest videos I've taken of these 3 kindergarteners that always attack me when I go to eat lunch (I only work with older kids, so I am fresh Western meat for them to prey on. They are incredibly adorable. Watch carefully for the boy with the mullet, he's my favorite.) Don't they remind you of little American kids trying to outdo one another for attention? I love it.

Love from my end of the world,

Lindsey

My new camera and other thoughts on Korea

(Here are a few new pictures from my new camera. Hopefully I'll have the videos up and running in the next day or so.)

I finally got a new digital camera, so I have begun taking video and will be updating my blog more often with video and pictures. I'm working on uploading a cute video I took today of one of my favorite classes. They are 2nd graders, and they have been taking English classes since they were 4. So their English is very good. However, just like the American kids I worked with, they can be quite rowdy and silly at times. In fact, if you listen closely, there is a funny part in the video where you can hear the two kids to the right of me get into a little verbal fight. The girl, Judy, says to a perpetual instigator (Ryan), "You are so stupid!!" After I called them out and said, "we don't call people names" I realized that they didn't understand what this phrase meant, "call names." So after the video I had to have an extensive conversation about how there are mean words and nice words, and we don't say any words that aren't nice! It was quite funny. In fact, you can see the looks of confusion on their faces after I say, "don't call each other names!"
Anyway, as you will see, kids are kids, the world over!! (I'm having trouble uploading the video....so bear with me.)

Things have been going well here in Korea. The weather is beginning to finally get cold, and I am quite enjoying exporing the city on the weekends. I have been visiting many museums, and thus far have visited 4. Two weekends ago I went to the Seoul Museum of Art and saw a really informative exhibit on ancient Korean Buddhist pottery, writings, and paintings. I have also been to the Korean War Memorial, which I recommend to anyone who is living here or is thinking about visiting.

I think I have adjusted very well and easily to life here. Although, I often forget that I am a foreigner in a non-English speaking land; until I am reminded by an elongated, uncomfortable stare on the subway or by a taxi driver who has no idea where I need to go and why I am in such a hurry.
I am also beginning to learn the extensive privileges that English speaking people have, it's something we don't think about being in America. But it bothers me that as a white, American, English speaker, I am treated practically like royalty. I have been given countless items for free by the most random of people. Just last week in the grocery store I walked past the woman at the stand where I buy my (whole wheat) bread, and she held out a large bag filled with pasteries. I eyed them and faked excitement, while saying, "yes, very nice pasteries" (I figured she was just showing me them for some odd reason), then she thrusted them at me with a big smile and forced me to take them. I thanked her profusely, and noticed my newly arrived coworker looking at me quizzically as we left. I explained that it wasn't the first time I was given something for free. I know it's because I'm foreign. I know it's because I speak English, and I know its because I'm white. And frankly, it makes me quite uncomfortable, and I feel that it is incredibly unfair. I know for a fact that black Americans here or other foreigners are not treated nearly as well, in fact, many black people are treated with overt, open disgust and racism (this is not always the case, and doesn't happen everywhere). That unequal treatment is disconcerting to me and I often wonder if there is anything I can do about it.

I can't really say no to the free things I get, and I definitely can't go on a rant about the inequity of treatment between black/white, American and non-American foreigners (they would not understand). But it disturbs me, and is the one thing I dislike about this place. I have tried to understand why Koreans act this way towards people of color. They have been quite an isolated nation for a long time, and even today, Asia continues to have the lowest populations of foreigners in the world. Their culture has not been exposed to foreigners to the degree that Americans and Europeans have. They haven't had a large enough non-Asian population to significantly sway public opinion on matters such as race. But I think this is changing, slowly but surely. The neighborhood I live in, for example, has the second highest foreign population in Seoul. I find that I get far fewer stares here and although people are nice to me, they don't go out of their way to shower me with free stuff (as they do in other parts of Seoul). I think this is why sometimes in my neighborhood I feel like I can fit in better than in other places, people like me are more accepted to some extent, and businesses speak English, even if just a little bit.

I like forgetting that I'm a foreigner, and it makes me feel good to walk the streets of Seoul and know that I live here, and pay taxes just like everyone else. I truly feel now that anyone could move anywhere and slip right into life. It's a matter of "going with the flow" so to speak. I'm not a horribly picky eater (although I do miss American breakfast food....I am not a fan of kimchi for breakfast), I don't mind the language barrier (frustrating as it can be at times), and I like experiencing new things. I don't worry about getting lost here because I enjoy the adventure that comes with finding my way.

Anyway, those are just some thoughts from me, from my little corner of Earth.
I'll write more later!

Enjoy the video!
Much love from Korea,
Lindsey

p.s. I will also be uploading a video tour of my local grocery store which will include many crazy and strange food from here. I hope all of you kids like it, and please, I would love to see pictures of my former YMCA kids! I will show any videos or pictures sent from you guys to my kids here, they would love it!