I’ve heard things about this but I haven’t really been following it. Have you been following it? What do you think? Leave a comment! Perhaps someone more in the know can explain it for others too.
Category: In Korea (Page 19 of 25)
European settlement in Australia began not much more than 200 years ago so what we view as old isn’t that old for most other countries! Aboriginal history is long and interesting and very important, but Aboriginal people didn’t build big structures that lasted, so something that is considered old in Australia… isn’t that old. I love history so I’m excited when I’m in Korea and see buildings that are hundreds and hundreds of years old. You just can’t experience that in Australia. Which is why as I walked past a bridge and saw the date it was built I thought that was cool. My husband was there to remind me about Korea though. Australia can’t win in this competition.
So what about your country?
Thanks for the help husband! He has been playing this song a lot lately…
http://youtu.be/p677kY23OWU
Yes it’s about pooing.
We’ve been meaning to show some videos of the meet up in Seoul for a while but never had time to edit anything together.
Hello to everyone we met!
One of those moments where you just have to grin and bear it. I know these women haven’t had much contact with anyone who isn’t Korean and don’t know much about the world outside of South Korea, so they are genuinely interested. It can be pretty uncomfortable for me and this time in particular I was hurt a bit by the slaps across my back and on my arms. They weren’t gentle at all and yet still grinning at me and chatting to me… One woman in particular was so rough! I think she meant it to be just pats but it was really hard whacks.
My parents-in-law were nearby but couldn’t rescue me because it’s someone much older than them so they can’t tell her to back off and stop it. They know I’ll sit there politely anyway and it was a pretty funny situation. If you are going to Korea to work or teach and are in major cities you are probably never going to have a situation like this. However, if you marry into a Korean family, especially one in the countryside, you may have moments like this. Especially if you have fair hair and skin. I don’t really like being touched except by my husband so there are moments that can be uncomfortable for me in Korea or with Koreans. If it’s someone the same age as me or younger and it’s a constant thing that makes me feel uncomfortable I can say something about my personal space, but an old woman in Korea… there is no way I can say anything about that!
It did happen quite a bit while we were there. Not just being touched but being stared at as well. I was such a novelty to them. We weren’t always home but old women would come asking my mother-in-law where I was because they wanted to look at me. Some were coming every single day asking about me. My husband rolls his eyes at it but I could deal with it because the attention was positive not negative
He says he points it out because he is just curious, but I can’t help thinking that he is doing it just to annoy me.
Where he grew up, and where we stay with his parents, is quite rural, which usually means not many foreigners. Especially his very small home town. I think the other nonKorean there is a woman from Vietnam. We usually see foreigners when we go to Jinju but it’s still not that often, so it’s something to make note of. Often there is a nod or smile or acknowledgement as we pass by.
While we may see a foreigner every 3 days or so in that area, we see a foreigner like… every 3 minutes in Seoul! Well, maybe that’s an exaggeration but it seems like a lot. It is a bit strange after spending a lot of time in a rural area and getting used to being stared at and then going to Seoul and not getting a second look. Seoul is only a 3 hour bus ride away, but it can feel like a whole other world.
My husband is surprised at how many foreigners are in Seoul, either tourists or residents. The number has increased a lot over the years. When he was younger there were a lot less foreigners there, so it’s interesting to see how it’s changing.
So I’ve mentioned this a few times before, but it’s finally official. I signed with a Korean publishing company to have a comic book published. It will be targeted at a Korean audience and will be a lot of the stuff that is already on the blog. So English speakers- don’t worry, you won’t be missing out on a lot. Though, if you do want to practise your Korean, maybe the book will help.
This is just the first step but we are hoping to publish a comic book in English that shows how we met and a lot more stuff later on. Right now we are focusing on the book for the Korean market. So hopefully that will all go well.
Big thank you to everyone who reads the blog. I wouldn’t be in this position if it wasn’t for you guys. I really appreciate everyone who follows the blog.
The YG building is pretty cool to see, not only because of the famous people but because the architecture is interesting too. For those that don’t know, YG Entertainment is the company that Kpop groups like BigBang and 2NE1 are under. If you have read all my posts back to the beginning I mention early on how I have a friend that lives right near it. She doesn’t like to stare too much because she has to walk by so much and doesn’t want others to think she is a stalker. We didn’t linger either because we were just walking past, but there are always a few fans there no matter what. Usually they wait by the convenience store across the road. I have no idea if they even get to see anything interesting because cars that stars get in to drive right up to the doors, so it would only be a glimpse IF you even saw anyone. I suppose there is small chance of someone going out to buy something from the store. I couldn’t do it though… I walked past one time in the rain on the way to the subway and fans were still there huddled under umbrellas.
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