Details

I've posted about events and I've posted some pictures but I haven't yet posted descriptions of Korea. So here is what I think:

Korea is like a fusion between Cuba, North America and Asia. The reason that I say it's like Cuba is that everything is very colorful. Sidewalks have different color of brick on them and have a "yellow brick road" on them for blind people to follow. There is a lot of nature strategically planted throughout the city of Daegu and the weather is warmer on average here than it is in Canada. It resembles North America in that it seems built like a thriving business. Every shop, store, school, and any other building has one unique purpose: adding to Korea. They build shops and institutions which build upon themselves. The people seem like North Americans with a conscience - at least in the looks department. Each human you meet is carefully crafted and put together by spending hours of painstaking detail on their physical appearance. People will constantly look a themselves in mirrors to ensure that they are looking as good as they want to be. To that end, there are mirrors randomly scattered throughout the city. People in Korea don't look the way they do because of an accident; they probably consider it an art form. Everyone you meet is retardedly skinny. Girls too small already are contemplating losing more weight and are on eternal diets. Also, makeup and skin care products seem to be a necessity. We can't have anyone not looking their best. Since we (myself and the readers of this blog) are from North America, where some of us have forsaken physical appearance in favour of fun, it is very easy to consider this as the highest of vanity. But the truth of the matter seems to be this: it is so engrained in their culture that anything less would seem unusual. The corporate and attention to appearance parts about Koreans largely summarize how this area resembles North America in some ways. Simply put, the leftovers and the traditional buildings are the Asian parts of Korea. Add in cultural nuances and stir until ready.

There is one other point that I've noticed in my position as an ESL teacher. However, before I lay it out, I should take a moment to explain. We teach at private schools that only the richest kids get to go to. Korea has two school systems: private schools and public schools. The public schools are basically for the poorer kids and the quality of education there does not compare to the quality of the rich kids at the private schools. So, just so we're clear, I know nothing about kids that go to public schools. (FYI, it costs about $200 a month to send your kid to Moon Kkang.) Anyway, the kids are all from private schools. They are the creme de la creme, in a manner of speaking. Basically their sole occupation in life is to be a studying machine. Their goal you may ask? Well, the kids would rather have fun I think. But the parents want the kids to be doctors, lawyers, business men - basically any high paying and "respectable" position. The kids don't like the pressure. They're stressed. They want to be kids; they want to have fun. But their parents are pushing them over and over to the highest possible ends. Like renovating a house until it's good enough to sell for a huge profit at the right time. They are their parents vessels and their parents live another life vicariously through them. Either to achieve more success for themselves or to find the success they wish they had in their lives.

As a side note, people are so stressed in Korea that there is much suicide. In Daegu alone, there are 200+ suicides a month. Suicide is not thought of in the same harsh light we cast upon it in North America. There seems to be a different mind set here and a thought process that determines which lives are valuable and which lives are for forfeit. A prime example is the following: The last Korean president commited suicide by jumping off a building or something like that. He had performed some type of scandal and his suicide was seen as maintaining his family's honour or something along those lines rather than a waste of potential. It seems like in Korea you get judged based on what you've done as a person and not what you could do to improve in the future. His suicide, or any for that matter, was pointless. For all we know, he could have lived and went on to help someone accomplish something great or made a huge difference himself, which would essentially be the same as making up for his "dishonour." In North America we don't give up on life. There's potential; potential to change and there's always a choice. If you follow the heart and the heart isn't right then you can make up for it in the future. But we're not concerned as much with what other people think. We'll make decisions that might be unpopular because we have to make the right call. Even if people don't understand why, we know that what we're doing is right because we still maintain the potential to do some good in the world.

Putting that topic aside, these details might shed some light into the mindset of Koreans and how they thrive (or maybe not) in their surroundings. If you're a Westerner you can view everything from the perspective of an outsider looking in. Maybe some other people might not agree fully with my account of things. But from the experiences that I've had so far in and out of the classroom, and from the things that I've heard, I would say that this was a relatively fair and objective synopsis of the current situation in Korea.

P.S.

I know some of you might be worried about rising tensions with North Korea. The South Koreans, however, are not. Part of it is because they are so desensitized to North Korea due to the war having been so recent and the history of aggression from the neighbouring state. But another part is because they know that North Korea could not do anything to them and still remain in one piece. Granted, North Korea's actions as of late have been very mysterious since they have created tension with China, who as long been the major supporter and defender of North Korea in the international community. So there is some minor cause for concern. But the rule of thumb is this: if the Koreans start packing their bags, you should too.

Thanks for reading everybody. Later!