Just a quick followup to the post i made about my student having to hand over her cell phone to me for using it in class. She came back the following day in the afternoon to pick it up. She was surprisingly a little embarrassed to ask me for the phone, and as my way of showing that i appreciated her following my rule, I told her that she didn't have to do the homework. Sure enough, she came to class today, actually participated more, tried, and sure enough, she'd actually done all her homework. Of course she finally appears to have turned the corner, and I've got her for less than a month after almost two months of frustration with her....go figure.
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This post however is about something that's starting to scare me a little; after being in Korea for so long, I'd felt for some time that i could really get used to staying here for a while - but there were always those "catches" - those things where, when you look at them, you say "well, until you've changed on those issues, you'll never unofficially be "Korean"..." Now most people know me as being a pretty big promoter for Korea. Whenever teachers i work with presently, and those i work with in the past complain about things in Korea that bother them, I'll come to "Korea's" defense; all except for two things. My most common sentence uttered is this 'In Korea, there are only two evil things: radish and kimchi." That was, until last week. Everyday, I eat with my Korean friends. We have the typical Korean lunch of white rice, a soup, and numerous side dishes. Theirs always kimchi, and i avoid it like the plague. However, i love the soup (I'm Dutch, therefore i love soup regardless of where i live.) My favourite soup was on the menu, and i said "I love this soup - it has all my favourites - good flavoured broth, meat, and cabbage." My friends looked at me a little strange, and then broke down laughing. After they'd stopped laughing, they told me my favourite line: "in Korea...." - only, they changed the ending to say that Radish is NOT evil. I protested, until they pointed to the cabbage, and told me that as much as i like the cabbage, its actually radish; the real deal.
The second came in the startling realization that I really don't like cold weather. I'm still struggling with this. Until this past fall, I loved winter; at least i used to. Now, I'm shivering like an old man with multiple layers on, shivering despite it. I walk quicker to go from outdoor place to outdoor place, walking inside and embracing the warmth. I love my ondul floor, with its heat spread out wherever i walk. All the things i used to hate about Korean summer's is now looking so welcoming to me as opposed to this heat.... My room ate tells me that its not that i don't like winter anymore; I'm just getting old. I disagree, and remind him that I'm five years younger than him, and then he stops making fun of me.
The last thing is my dress style. I can already anticipate that once i get home, I'm going to be ridiculed and called nearly every metro sexual joke their is in the book. Don't get me wrong; I love my clothes here. I love my pink shirt. i love my multicoloured striped sweater, and I love all my clothes that make me appear to have some sort of style, even though they're cheaper than anything i could buy at home. But over here, i fit in with my Korean counterparts just as much as a duck in water...
my Korean friends all point to these three things as obvious reasons to return back to Korea. My family i know would strongly disagree, although my brothers will love the new clothes, as it will give them endless fire-power for jokes galore...it will be interesting to see how this all plays out when i head back home.
look for a movie review from one of my students very shortly, for those of you who check frequently.
take care all, and God bless,
me