Another five!

Here we go! Here’s another five cute and/or interesting things about Korea. Apologies for it being rather late, however I had to ascertain my own original ideas. Obviously (maybe more so for me :/) it’s taken a while. Well, all that aside, let us push onward.

Unique compliments. One of my other friends who has a blog devoted an entire blog to just this one Korean phenomenon, but I’d like to think I might have a bit of a spin on it myself. Now, compliments come often in many forms, sometimes sarcastic, others genuine, but for the most part, they make sense. I guess in a way Korean ones make sense as well, it’s just humorous to hear them. For instance, “You have thick eyebrows!” is a new one in my book. Apparently in the very gifted fact that they can’t grow body hair (I’m envious of this in most cases) they also seemed to have lost the ability to grow full, healthy tufts of eyebrows. Instead they normally have these large, thin caterpillars residing above their eyes. I’m not making fun, I’m just being honest (or maybe I just really am making fun. It’s so easy though!). I’ve also been told I have big eyes, which is nice except for the fact that this compliment is almost always accompanied by the said Korean pulling their own eyelids apart…you know…in the same way Americans do when they said, “Your eyes are sooooo small.” Not offensive in the least! Whilst I’ve been here I’ve also been told I should model and that I have low self esteem when I attempt to tell them that in America I’m quite generic just in the same way that every Korean looks the same. Not offensive in the least…right?

Singing appliances. In my stay in Korea land, I’ve grown accustomed to cute little chimes. It’s really great when my laundry is done and my washing machine literally sings to me for a good minute. As well, my television sings to me as well and so does the rice cooker. I wouldn’t be surprised if one day I were to open the cupboard and discover the dishes were singing to me (of course, then I’d be really happy because then it’d be like Beauty and the Beast or Harry Potter! :D Neither of which show my actual age…:/)

Hat dancing. They have the most interesting dance here! They wear these hats with massive straps tagged onto their noggins and swing their head to make the ribbon’s twirl around in the air while they thumb on massive drums. It’s something akin to marching band on crack. As well, they play this most obnoxious instrument that sounds like a dying trumpeter is attempting to play his last dirge on a broke and very flat trumpet. Don’t tell any Korean you think it’s strange however. They are very proud of this dance. In fact, when I attempted to make a joke about them twirling their heads, my English teacher turned to me and said something along the lines of, “Only a Korean knows how to twirl their head without getting dizzy. If you tried to do that, you’d get dizzy, wouldn’t you?” Oh Korea, such a feat! That’s alright my friends. Dance to your hearts content!

Games. As a child I truly enjoyed games. On the contrary, never have I met a more anxious group of people to enter into the throws of a titillating game. In fact, nothing could tantalize a Korean more, except perhaps soju. Oh, calm down, everyone’s a little bit racist sometimes. Haven’t you listened to the soundtrack of Avenue Q? I’m not just saying children love these things. It’s hard to say that there isn’t a child on the planet who doesn’t like to play games. However, even full grown adults enjoy even the slightest hint of a game. Carlie, my friend who is teaching in Korea with me, is forced to teach adults (though she gets paid extra for it :)) and she told me that the adults actually requested to play games that the children play. When they played, they got really into it and slapped each other’s backs as punishment. Even young adults enjoy it. I have never played so many games while intoxicated in my life. Drinking games are their forte. I’m relatively certain they can turn any children’s game into a game for drinking.

Statues. I don’t mean just statues in general, although there is a wide multitude littering this Korean landscape, but when I say statues I’m speaking in regards to their anatomical configuration. If there just so happens to be a naked statue anywhere, trust me, it’s anatomically correct…right down to the butthole. There are some statues in front of E-Mart (so family friendly) that has naked boys sitting on rocks; their genitals displayed hanging for the world to see. On Kangwon University’s campus there is a statue with three naked men, wangs waving right at you, holding up the world. I can bet that even the clothed statues are anatomically correct under those marble/granite/iron clothes. There’s nothing wrong with it, it’s just, why is it sooo important to include the genitals in all forms of art here? I think Korea is suffering from a bit of penis envy.

Questions, new choices and self-revelations. We knew this one was coming...

"Tell me something...why is it that I can NEVER make up my mind. I've made so many decisions and sometimes I just wonder why in the world I made them! I still have no idea what I'm doing and am pretty sure that my mind is still liable to change despite how sure I try to trick myself into thinking I am. Does anyone else feel this way? Can I blame it on youth? So many questions and regrettably they will remain unanswered. *sigh* I'm getting too deep aren't I?"

Above is the status update I had tried to put on facebook but it was too many characters long. As such I thought it to be a brilliant idea to put it on my blog instead. Don't judge me, just run with it.

I AM going to get too deep here. You know what, it's my blog so I'm entitled to at least that with this thing. Am I right? Bother...

Lately I've felt like I've realized I'm kind of tired with myself. The way I act, the way I treat others (not negatively mind you. Just the way I react to others mostly), the way I speak, my disregard for the fact that some things are really going to appall people so I really should learn to think before I (insert verb here).

Basically, my life shouldn't be spent making others happy (though that should be a important as well. We're all going through life and it's difficult so the way I see it, why make it harder?) or making people like you. If someone likes someone, they like them. There really isn't much one can do about it is there?

I've annoyed myself so many times in the past few years. I think I'm leaps and bounds from my very childish, self-centered (does me admitting this make me self-centered? Oh the questions) adolescent counterpart that was my teenage self. Even so, I feel like my adult self isn't going to get anywhere (or many friends) if I can't learn to just chill out. I need to learn to enjoy my own company and space. I need to learn that I don't have to include everyone in all of my personal information (I get waaay to graphic sometimes O.o). Some things should just be private. As well I need to learn to take a joke, which I feel I've gotten extensively better at doing.

Recently I decided I would throw out about half of my wardrobe and start afresh with a different kind of look. I wanted desperately to be punk. You know, big boots, loud, over-designed graphic t's, crazy hair and piercings, and tight pants. Haha! Wow. I've realized now, maybe because I had my two-decades-old-birthday, that that really just isn't me. I shouldn't try so hard to be something that just isn't me.

Perhaps the whole clothes swap idea stems from my urge to just be a better person. I want to be genuine and honest and stop lying to myself and the people around me. Self-realizations aside, I have a newfound, overwhelming desire to be unapologetically me. I want to stop giving in to people when I have no desire to be included in what they are doing. I want to stop merely trying fit in in anyway possible, even if that means disregarding the feelings and morals of others. I just want more than anything, to grow up and start acting my age.

With all of this proclaiming and such, I'm even questioning what I want to do (yet again. Geeze!) with my college career. What do I really want to do when I "grow up"? And do I want to stay in Korea any longer to see if it will help.

It's cheesey but I guess I was one of those guys at orientation who came to Korea to find out who they are. It really is Teach and LEARN in Korea. So cliché. Heaven knows I didn't come here to teach (though it really is growing on me. The children are so precious!).

All of these questions and new choices and revelations and I'm pretty sure my brain is going to burst. Luckily, I don't think I have much to worry about. I just need to sit back, take a chill pill and zone out and let thing play out how they'll play. It's just sad that life is more like Wizard chess and nothing like the ordinary sort (I'm just going to pat myself on the back for the Harry Potter reference. My life is Harry Potter). :D

And now with my brilliant exeunt flopped by my incessant need to explain myself (why can't I just let a joke be!?) I'm off to an early sleep for an early morning rise. I can't do anything else for sure in my life but greet the sun.