What a Punderful Life

I get paid to write prose like this:

“Lucky Spring Package” at the Novotel Ambassador in Busan
For the duration of spring (Mar 1st – May 31st) it’s your lucky day at the Novotel Ambassador in Busan. The package starts at W140,000 and includes access to the gym and pool, discounts on the sauna and the Busan Aquarium, and two lottery tickets. Stretch your luck a bit with an extra W20,000/W40,000 for Half Ocean/Ocean View rooms and W30,000 for breakfast for two. 051-743-1243 is the lucky number.

All in all, though, it's an ad you'd remember, don't you think?

David

Everywhere I Go, It's the Same

English, I mean. It's the same, I suppose, in the global sense: it's the language that people use when they can't communicate with each other in their native tongues. Or is that linguistic? Different homes and different dialects but the same lovably idiosyncratic syntax.

Actually, what I mean is that English is just as funky and fresh in Japan as in Korea. Here are a few exhibits from my recent trip. Later posts and pictures will explore deeper things - this post is cheap thrills only.



Exhibit 1: Japanese Product
Ah yes, Kirin Lemon. Nothing explicitly wrong with the English here, it's just the hype of the advertisement proudly affixed to the label. It's a long-time favorite! Maybe it's the vagueness of "many people" that I get a kick out of. Or the fact that Kirin is more famous for its beer.


Exhibit 2: Korean restaurant
The Korean on this plaque, which I found in a quite tasty restaurant next to the dock where I boarded the ship for Japan, says nothing about taxpayers. In fact, it reads "A Sincere Model Restaurant." Presumably the message (only noticeable, of course, to those familiar with both English and Korean) is that taxpayers are sincere. Or that sincere restaurants pay their taxes. Or that taxpayers eat at sincere restaurants. I'm still working on the exegesis of this one.


Your cross-cultural sleuth will return with more scintillating cultural commentary soon!

David Rambles On in Strange Tongues

What I have the pleasure of offering you today is a genuine video featuring me and various interviews about my experience as an expatriate living in the Mapo ward of Seoul. Now, unless you're interested in practicing your Korean or simply enjoy seeing me utter my wisdom, no matter how incomprehensible it may be, I don't recommend that you actually WATCH the whole thing.

Later, if anyone is really interested, I could type up a transcript of the video.

(Note: like most Korean websites, this one is not compatible with firefox or other alternate browsers. You will probably have to use internet explorer to watch it.)



DIRECTIONS

STEP 1
Go to http://www.mapo.go.kr/.

STEP 2

Click on the picture of the news broadcast.

STEP 3

Scroll down to the bottom of the page

STEP 4

Click on the picture of the two students (one of whom is me!)

STEP 5

Watch the video! If nothing happens, try clicking the play button.

There's something comical about this ad

Now we return to our featured program...

The other day I went to COEX, the biggest mall in Seoul and most likely in all of Korea. Actually, it's kind of disappointing, despite all of the hype. One would expect that a mall of this caliber would be stunning and slick. In fact, when I visited Fukuoka, a fairly large city in Japan (but nowhere as big as Seoul), I was quite taken with Canal City, a five story shopping complex and one of the major tourist attractions there. Canal City has an innovative design, comprising several buildings connected by walkways that leap across space and separated by fountains and winding waterways below.


COEX, however, is vaguely futuristic in the most boring possible sense. As you roam the confusing halls, you can't help wondering whether you've strayed onto the set of a seventies sci-fi thriller. And sadly, it's rather hard to stray off. If it weren't for the occasional signs, the halls look almost identical and lack any distinguishing features to indicate which part of the mall you happen to be in.

While in the mall, I found a striking advertisement for one of Nike's most recent products - the Dunk line of shoes. Perhaps this has become trendy lately, but I'd never seen the like - an advertisement disguised as a comic book, or better yet a comic book whose theme and purpose are advertisement. Not product placement so much as comic replacement. I've translated one page for your commercial edification.

Have you seen marketing of this sort before? It's strange because it doesn't seem to really work either on an artistic level or on a commercial level. The story - dull; the advertising - ignored. The only plus I can find is that it gave me a chance to do a bit of (admittedly simple) translation.

The Weather Outside Is Frightful

It's about 7 AM here, just before sunrise, and I'm getting ready for my last day of work this Christmas break.

Watching the weather report on TV in Korean - and understanding it - I feel a sense of accomplishment and pride.

Watching the weather report on TV - and understanding it - I feel a sense of gloom descend as I prepare to step out into a wind chill of 14 F (-10 C).

All Words, No Action

I'm well into my second week of level 5 at Sogang University. Maybe I should explain what the program is like for those of you who, um, aren't within driving distance of Korea. Which, presumably, is all of you.

1) Location - The tenth story of the highest building on the Sogang University campus. I'm not technically a student of Sogang, since I'm attending the affiliated language program, but I do have a student card and have access to the various facilities there, including the gym and the library.

2) Schedule - I take classes four hours a day, five days a week, making it a pretty intense schedule. This doesn't take into account the homework, of which there's a considerable amount. There are also additional classes available to those who are interested and ambitious (I suppose I may fall into category) like a pronunciation class that I took today.

3) Material - The first hour of the day is a writing class. We review the material covered in the other classes and implement it in our own free writing assignments. Next is a video class, which focuses on improving our listening skills. Right now we're watching a movie called "Christmas in August." Finally is two hours of reading and speaking, which is where we get most of the new material, including vocab and grammar. Perhaps needless to say, all these classes are taught in Korean. Since I'm in level 5 out of 6, this isn't surprising, but even level 1 is taught entirely in Korean. I really can't imagine how that works...!

I'll add some more topics when they occur to me. For now, another picture - pretty good looking, huh?

A Taste of Translation

Some of you may not know this, but I'm quite interested in translation and am currently exploring the possibility of this as a career. Incidentally, if any of you have any ideas or suggestions about graduate programs or translation services for me, please share them!

Following is a translation exercise I did this morning. I took an interview included among the reading assignments in my textbook and did my best to translate it into relatively faithful, relatively readable English. Of course, you can't compare it with the original unless you're pretty proficient in Korean, but... you may be interested anyway to learn a little about alcohol in Korean culture!

Well, here goes:

---

Park Chan Hui (abbr. Park): We have Professor Choe In Cheol with us today to look into the Korean attitude toward alcohol. Professor Choe, Koreans are pretty big drinkers of alcohol, aren't they?

Choe In Cheol (abbr. Choe): That's right. In a study of alcohol consumption among countries around the world, Korea ranked as one of the highest.

Park: So why is it that Koreans drink so much?

Choe: It appears that there is a connection to certain characteristics of the Korean mentality. In Korean society, compared to most other societies, people tend to place a high value on personal relationships (인간 관계), so even at the workplace it's common for personal relationships to come first, not work. Additionally, since fostering solidarity among workers is so important, employees often go out for dinner together (회식) after work. It's only natural for there to be a lot more chances to drink together when people spend so much time together.

Park: So Koreans don't necessarily drink a lot because they enjoy it.

Choe: Exactly. Of course, there are also people who drink a lot simply because they enjoy it. But even people who don't enjoy alcohol end up drinking because of the Korean custom of "pressuring people to drink" (술을 권하는). As a result, when you ask people why they drink, you'll frequently hear that it's not because they want to drink. Others say that they drink not because they like alcohol but rather because they like people.

Park: (laughing) Yes, it's the same for me. When I make plans to see someone, I say, "Why don't we get a drink or something." The thing I'm curious about though, Professor, is why Koreans think they have to drink to maintain their personal relationships.

Choe: In Korean society, there are a lot of rules you have to keep based on your age, your gender, and your status. These rules mean that even though you want to get closer to someone, it's hard to speak freely, and, what's more, even when you have some complaints that you'd like to share, it's ordinarily quite hard to do so. Since drinking tends to reduce that kind of difficulty, it becomes easier to have relaxed conversation.

Park: When you talk to people who enjoy drinking, it seems like they've got nothing negative to say about it. (laughter) In actuality, though, there are quite a few downsides as well. For instance, it's bad for your health.

Choe: Absolutely. As a matter of fact Korean society is gradually starting to place a higher value on the worth and happiness of the individual. Instead of going out for a drink with other people, the number of people pursuing their own private hobbies is increasing. Furthermore, the transition to a five day workweek has resulted in a decrease in the number of days for drinking.

Park: So you're saying that Korean society is changing from one that thinks of the 'group' first ('우리') to one that thinks of the individual ('개인'). Okay, today we looked into "a society that pressures people to drink" (술 권하는 사회) with Professor Choe In Cheol. Thank you for your time, Professor.

Choi: Thank you!

Some alcohol in Korea

What I've Come to Realize

I'm very rarely satisfied with what I do, who I am.

I'm always making plans and never implementing them.

I hate saying no to people.

---

In light of all this, I am very self-consciously planning to set aside some time to think about all of the things I'm dissatisfied with in my life and find a way to resolve them.

Admittedly, Pictures Can't Express the Grave Insolence of Jazz

Last week, I did a big presentation for my class on a topic of my choice. The topic, as the title of this post and the three pictures may suggest, was jazz. It's actually been a while since I've thought about jazz at length, even though I spent a lot of time listening (and playing) the music a few years back. But seeing as there are a couple of good jazz clubs in Seoul, I thought I could kill two birds with one stone and hear some good jazz while preparing for my presentation. Here are a couple of shots from a place called "All That Jazz." The music, in case the pictures don't make it especially clear, was fantastic.

-David

Where Do I Go from Here?

Korea, of course.

But some people haven't been satisfied with this answer. They like to know about those nasty things called details. They are unusually fond of asking hard questions. They want to know my reasons. And my whereabouts. What gives them the right, I could easily ask?

Being the pushover I am, I've put the details below along with a helpful map:


July
20: visit Owen in Tulsa
22: visit Matt, Spring, Chris, and Sarah in Dallas
24: return home, begin packing
26: watch Camelot, the musical (local Fort Smith production)
27: eat a Korean meal with my parents in Fayetteville
28: fly to Taiwan to visit my uncle John

August
3: return to Korea! arrive in Seoul
4: catch a bus from Seoul to Pusan (also spelled Busan, which incidentally is beating out Pusan on google hits by about 2 to 1)
6: start teaching kids again at a summer camp(this offer good for a limited time only!)
17: finish the camp and return to Seoul
18: start looking for a place to live

September
3: start my classes at 서강대학교 (Seogang Daehakkyo) - Sogang University.

You'll notice that toward the end of August my meticulous schedule becomes a little...open-ended. This is because I'm not entirely sure what will happen after that time. Never fear! Not only am I pretty sure that I will indeed do something, but I also have this blog, with which you can stay informed.

~David

PS - What's this about a kid holding up a sign written in some illegible script surrounded by some panting dogs?
In Korean, it says: "Please don't eat my friends."

[picture taken from The Marmot's Hole, a Korean blog]

Saving the Best for Last, or on the Seventh Day, God Made Korean Food

Today's Sunday, and I did the usual thing that people in the south do. Went to church. As I predicted last Sunday, I went to the local Korean service.

Once there, the usual things happened. I guess that might not mean much to those who haven't been to a Korean service before, so here's the rundown:

1) Singing in Korean

2) Praying in Korean
This goes on for quite some time. On this occasion, the woman praying was so emotional that I didn't really need to understand what she was saying to detect how deeply she felt about it. Which is a little fortunate, since I didn't understand most of what she was saying anyway.

3) Preaching in Korean
It was about the greatest commandment. I got that much of it at least. Of course, I also had a Korean-English Bible to refer to.

4) Giving tithes and offerings
Since they weren't using Korean currency, I don't really feel honest adding "in Korean" here.

5) Stretching
No, not horizons, or credibility. Just stretching arms. Left, right, forward... Seriously, this was part of the service. I thought it was rather considerate, actually.

6) Ku ku pal pal i sam sa (definitely in Korean)
This is the 9988234 chant I described on my other blog.

7) Eating Korean food
Including:
steamed spinach
turnip kimchi
And lots of this

Best of all, I got to take a heaping plate of leftovers home! Three weeks from now, I won't have to depend upon church potlucks for my Korean fix. I'll be having it three meals a day. And that's some food for thought.

I Have My Reasons

I really do, as much as you may wonder why in the world David is off to another country - and not Europe, mind you, or Canada or some other reasonable place - teaching English, learning Korean, leaving his friends and family behind and dealing with numerous inconveniences. There were the two months with no hot water, and diplomas submitted and not returned, and taxis that wouldn't pick up foreigners. Why put up with it all? Why stumble into law offices where hardly a word of English is spoken and try to get a document notarized that costs 50 dollars extra simply because - it's in English?

You might look at it a different way, though. Why live out your life in the ordinary way, continuing after a relatively uneventful, mostly successful cruise through college to the obvious grad program? Why idle away at home or in an easy career, thinking the same ideas and repeating the same words until the groove they wear in the mind is smooth and too deep to scramble out of?

Korea is, for me, another way to explore myself. It offers a history influenced by but distinct from the West, a people receptive of Western ways but uncertain of Westerners. It offers a language more challenging than those studied in American high schools because it is unrelated to English, a language bewildering because it reflects the intricate system of formality and courtesy ingrained in Korean society.

To learn it well, I have to try hard, and to keep on trying longer than I've ever done. I am a meddler and a dabbler, a prince of dilettantes, and no sooner have I started a new project than I've set it down again. This time, though I'm going to find my follow through. I'm going round the world again, and - this time - I'm not coming back until I've finished what I started.