Where Did All The Culture Go?

After realizing that I have been here almost a month without having started my blog, I finally decided (yes, I'll admit, out of boredom) to sit down and have a go at my keyboard. You must be wondering how boredom could drive me to writing. Well - here is how.

Po'hang is a small city, not quite as large as Boston, but just about the same number of people. The city is primarily dependent on Posco, the world famous steel mill, which can be seen from the hiking trails around the city. If you are wondering if the city is polluted, it is. But not nearly as bad as China is, or other areas of South Korea are. There are many bars here, lots of coffee shops (my favorite is called Hands Coffee, which we decided must come from the idea that coffee is handgrown or handpicked?), and a "pink" light district. We took a stroll through the pink light district before it had opened for business, and really only saw one woman bartering with men for money. She, of course, if you caught on quickly enough, would have had to give sex for money, had the men accepted her offer. The "pink" light district is the red light district of Po'hang.

The pink light district is a strange, uncomfortable place. Woman sit in living rooms, watching television, reading, or snoozing the early evening away. The living rooms, however, are not like ours back home or even those one would find in apartments around Po'hang. They are small, maybe three or four feet wide by nine or ten feet long, and they serve as viewing rooms; the women inside them are "items" on display. Essentially, one can view the "goods" without feeling obligated to buy, as any visitor is protected by a thin wall of glass (the fourth wall of each living room is made entirely of clear glass). If, by some random stroke of fate, you find yourself in the pink light district of Po'hang, you'll walk down a narrow passageway, maybe three feet wide, and on either side of you will be women in lingerie, on display like monkeys in a zoo. It is uncomfortable to see humans behind glass; I could reach out my hand and touch them, were it not for the windows. It reminded me of how insensitive we are for not feeling the same discomfort when animals are trapped in a similar manner.

You may be wondering why I was taken to the pink light district of all places. I am one of only three female teachers at my school. Since we are dominated by men, the topic of sex and prostitution is a hot topic, and so off we went to see prostitutes in person. I have to give the male teachers credit of course - not one of them has claimed to actually have visited the pink light district for the purpose of sex, which I have heard may not be true for some of the American servicemen in town. The Americans have a reputation for finding sex in another part of town, of which I have not yet visited (surprisingly).

On to the topic of food. I am so thankful I grew up with Kimchi (thanks mom). It is served with every meal. Yum, yum, I love it! The other Americans don't understand this, but it is wonderful every single time. However, the Kimchi I do not like (yes there is one I do not fancy) comes in large chunks, not soft cabbage leaves. It is not so good, just crunchy. But, on a better note than crunchy Kimchi, I have found that Korean cow is delicious. For all you steak lovers, come to Korea. It is the most amazing meat I have ever tasted. You most likely haven't had anything like this before in the United States. It is insanely expensive, but so worth it. Korean beef is usually served on Korean BBQs. They also serve pork on BBQs, but it is not so good. Very fatty. Eww.

There are lots of other food choices, not all of which I have tried or which I will talk about in this blog entry. I will tell you that it is difficult to find variety as far as food type goes - I will probably never find Mexican here, Indian is rare to come by, and Italian and American food is most often in the lovely fast food form that one finds everywhere in the United States. There is more coffee here than tea. Dunkin' Donuts is right up the street from where I live and they sell exquisite cakes and delicious Cookies'n'Cream milkshakes. Who woulda thought??

Regarding the servicemen in town, there is a US Naval base in Po'hang. For our Thanksgiving Saturday (we found a single turkey dinner in Po'hang!), we went to a bar frequented by Americans, and were joined by many young men from the nearby Naval base. They seemed perfectly nice, and no judgement, but each one showed up with a Korean girl. American men are highly valued here, and the Korean women go a little crazy. Maybe they consider it their ticket to America or they are attracted to the their looks. Blond hair is rarely seen here and it is highly valued.

On the subject of blond hair, I created quite a stir at Chung Dahm when I arrived. Chung Dahm is my school, and the children were fascinated with my physical features. The other two women I work with are most likely not of European descent, and both have beautiful black hair. The teachers and Korean staff said that I am something of a celebrity at school because of my blond hair, and it seems that many of the Korean children think I am Avril Lavigne. Must be my black eyeliner.

Koreans are very interested in Westerners. Often times they will stop me on the street and say "beautiful," or "pretty." I have learned that these two words are some of the only English they know. So, no offense to anyone, but if you visit here someday and they say that to you, it is because they know you will take it as a compliment and "beautiful" and "pretty" are the very few words they know well.

Despite this, Koreans are more than just polite. They are almost overly generous. I have been given food and even money (not that I wanted to accept or take) by interested and doting Koreans. They are exceptionally kind here and generous. A Westerner worried about moving or visiting here will probably never feel unwelcome. South Korea is also a very safe country. I have heard that the crime rate is very low, although the suicide rate is among the highest in the world.

Which brings me to my next topic - the children. Did you know they go to school six full days a week? After a normal school day, they go to private lessons (at Chung Dahm, for instance) to learn English, or piano, or whatever their parents are paying for. Sometimes they will go to two three hour sessions after school, and then still go to study hall from maybe 10 pm to 2 am, where they will work on their homework. I have heard that some parents won't even let their children through the door until 2 am, to ensure that their kids really do go to study hall and work. Schooling is so important here that I think the meaning of education has been forgotten. In my opinion, children need to learn social skills, and have free time to develop their brains and to play. While the kids have a great sense of humor, they are also frequently joking about killing people, killing themselves, dying, etc. They find this funny, and yet suicide rates are soaring. I believe South Korea is just barely beginning to address this problem. Since I have so much free time here (as I said, the city is small), I keep thinking - "Hmm.. documentary??"

I have found Korean culture very difficult to see or understand. I have not seen anything of traditional or ethnic ties, except for food. Yes, I know my sociology, anthropology, and psychology professors will remind me upon reading this, "But Kate, it is their culture. It is their modern culture." However, in China, I felt that culture (that is, traditions that have survived thousands of years) is celebrated everywhere, in architecture, arts and crafts, food, dance, language, etc. Children in South Korea are practically isolated if they do not go to English lessons (a Western influence), and I have seen nothing of traditional architecture, except for a single temple (which has been modernized) near my home. It is very disappointing to me. While someone made the point to me today that perhaps this is due to how technologically advanced the Koreans are (suggesting that they have moved away from traditional customs, and moved on to more modern ways of doing things), it still makes me wonder where all the culture went. Without the essence of tradition, I fear that all that is left in Korea are cell phones, shopping, and private English schools. In conclusion, I have decided to keep myself open for surprises. Hopefully, lightning will strike.

Goodnight then. Bed time here, while all you American folk are waking up. Have a joyful day!

Love ~ Kate