So, for those of you who read this regularly, you'll remember the post about arranged marriages. During that marriage, she was my friend, Ms. Sun, was lucky enough to have known her future husband when she was a child; it was her parents who got together with the other parents to decide that they should both get married, in both their children's best interests, because, well, these parents want their kids married, and they want grandkids.
Skip forward to yesterday, my Friday. For some time now, I've been teaching an English class for teachers who wish to improve their speaking skills; its by far the best way for me to end my week. For the past month or so, one of the teachers, one of the only remaining single Korean teachers in my school, has been absent. She always apologizes for missing, but, until Friday, she had never told me why she was missing the class (even though its optional). She's getting married; next month, July 7, 2007. Her parents decided it was time for her to move out from the house (she's the youngest unmarried daughter of "marrying age") and her parents basically gave her an ultimatum. She clearly doesn't want to get married; she's only known the man for less than two months.
And while I feel for her, and the fact that she compared getting married to being locked up, what was slightly more intriguing to me was the date she's getting married; 7,7, 07 - considered a lucky day for marriages, and a weekend to boot. She's highly superstitious, and one of the only reasons she's getting married is because, if my guess is correct (it was partially explained in rapid-Korean) she's hoping that she'll be happy in this marriage (even though she doesn't want to get married) if she marries on a "lucky" day. I for one hope that she is happy, because she's a very carefree woman, who loves her independance, and the freedom that it gives her. She told me earlier in the year when I first came that she doesn't want to ever get married; she's perfectly content, and she doesn't want children. In that regard, I feel sad for her, even though I told her that I'm happy for her....
This superstitious date however brought to mind just how superstitious the non-Religious population of Korea actually is. I'm sure that the religious population is also very superstitious, they would just never talk about it, because, well, its just not good religion to believe in God, and also good-luck charms, fortune tellers, and exorcists that work.
Just a few things that might make you shake your head in amazement.
One of my old work supervisors who overlooked the preschool teachers moved from her successful high-paying job (where she did nothing but complain and take credit for other people's work) abruptly quit her job after attending a very expensive fortune teller's personal reading, and finding out that, unless she quit her job and moved to a neighbourhood on the opposite side of the city, in a specific neighbourhood, her husband would die within the year. Believing the fortune teller to be telling the truth because she paid a lot of money for the reading, within one month, she had uprooted her whole family, and moved across the city, into a new apartment complex in the neighbourhood where her fortune teller suggested. No word on whether her husband is alive or not....
Perhaps stranger is concerning my old supervisor. She's normally not very superstitious, however, a rash of family illnesses in her family, where the doctors did not know the cause of their pain (after countless doctors, operations, and still pain) led her to a number of exorcists. My supervisor was not doing it for her family, but for herself; she was worried that the mysterious ilness would also be in her, and she didn't want that. The first exorcist she had occured in a remote area outside of the city, where after the exorcism was performed on her, her sister stopped complaining of her pain (for a week, after which it resumed). The second exorcist performer charged her a substantial amount of money, and after the ceremony, my supervisor was instructed to buy a special sharpened sword, and place it under her bed; and not move it for as long as she didn't want the illness. Being scared that the sword would inflict injury on her son, she removed the sword, and had a third exorcism performed. No word on the cost, but my friend working at the same institute has been kind enough to inform me that lately she's been on edge, and snapping at people more than normal....
Just a few things that might make you think about how superstitious things are in your own country....
take care, and God bless,
me