See? Foreign Ingredients

김덕수 (Kim Duk Soo) is one of my favorite newly-discovered artists. He fronts a group called 사물놀이 (SamulNori), which shares its name with an entire genre of Korean music. It's best described as a fusion of jazz and traditional Korean stylings. It's generally upbeat, energetic, and very foreign-sounding. One of my students lent me one of the group's CDs (specifically, 난장-뉴호라이즌, if you're interested), and I owe her my thanks for it.

Ex Post Facto

I went to a fancy pants banquet tonight at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Seoul, held by my employer. There was some good entertainment, good wine, and lots of good food--with more forks and fewer chopsticks than I've seen in awhile. There was lots of good company, too, like the cute Korean English teacher sitting beside me (unfortunately, she's from Daegu, which is about four hours away from Seoul). I got some compliments on my Korean pronunciation, no doubt because I didn't use much Korean beyond "thank you." Also, purely by accident, I ran into another Canadian expat from Saskatoon!

Beer Good

One of my Australian colleagues--well, supervisors, actually--took me out for a beer tonight. Both of us finished earlier than the other teachers (there are six native English speakers at my school) and I think he wanted an opportunity to chat with me. Plus, he said that in his experience Canadians have good taste about these things.

I suggested a place nearby that sells Big Rock beer. I hadn't walked in but I had seen the sign and I had recognized the name. Some of you might recognize it too. It's from Calgary, AB. So we sat down and had a beer from Calgary in a pub on the other side of the world in Seoul, South Korea. It wasn't something I expected to do before I arrived, but life is full of pleasant surprises. And sometimes it's not: as he expected, my colleague was impressed by my recommendation.

On Daemosan

I met a man on Mt. Daemo today ("san" means "mountain"). I wouldn't be exaggerating if I said that he was a bit pushy. He introduced himself, grabbed my arm, and spoke with me for a minute or two; before I knew it, he was asking me to converse with his daughter. He obviously wanted me to agree to the request: His hand grasped my arm as he asked. I had little else to do, so I politely acquiesced. I hesitated because his daughter didn't want to speak with me at first. Mostly she was shy and also, I think, deathly afraid of failing--in front of me and in front of her father. Her reluctance didn't come as a surprise to me. It's common of Koreans, especially children.

Her English skills were impressive for her age. I'd put her at an intermediate level at YBM, which is where I teach adults. We talked for awhile, and afterward her father asked me what I thought of her English ability. She was a nice girl, and I didn't want to get her into trouble, so I inflated my estimation. I told him that she was somewhere between an intermediate and an advanced level. He seemed satisfied with my answer and I continued on up the mountain.

Living as a visible minority in a society as foreign as this one will make anyone feel separate from it. But this encounter was the first time I felt this different from everyone else. I was the white male English teacher from Canada. In this society, all of that matters, much more than any of it matters in Canada.

Photo Of The Day

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10 Things To Do (And Not To Do) In Korea

1) Never wear your shoes in someone's home. Take them off at the entrance.
2) Slurping your food isn't rude. Do it guilt-free.
3) Don't leave your chopsticks in your bowl or on your plate. Leave them on a napkin on the table when you're not using them.
4) Don't tip.
5) Try to give and receive things, like business cards and cash, with both hands.
6) Wait for the oldest person at the table to start eating before you do. Likewise, don't leave until the oldest person has finished.
7) Offer to pour others' drinks when drinking with them. Reciprocate their offers.
8) Defer to your elders. Don't argue.
9) Assert yourself in crowds and on the street. Don't wait for cars. Be a bit pushy.
10) Come visit me!