There is too much hate in this forum! (Eng/Kor)

Posted: 2002/07/11  By: Cockasian (Views:2799)

Got this from another site. Enjoy.

Having lived and worked in Korea for one year, and having been lucky enough to have had an
experience that was 95% positive (but not quite 99), I returned home six months ago and
recently developed a longing to rediscover some Korean culture. I miss the food, the people,
the kids, and since I plan to return to Korea soon enough, I thought I would volunteer some of
my time and beef up my resume.

I live in a small city in Saskatchewan, and every once in awhile when I see the odd Korean, I
become curious as to where they lived, how long they have been here, and why they are here.
More often then not, when I approach them, a huge smile lights up on their faces when I
experiment with a bit of Korean, and they are more then happy to oblige some conversation. I
have done this in a Chinese restaurant where I could tell the owners were not Chinese. I have
also done it with students at the local nightclub, having recognised "Tommy Atkins" on one of
their jackets. I recently had a good laugh with a janitor at the mall, who correctly guessed
that I had had a Korean girlfriend. In every instance I compare myself with the Koreans who
approached me on subways and and on the streets during my time abroad as a "stranger in a
strange land," and I'm reminded of how important it is to think outside the box when it comes
to cross-culturalism.

Through some friends, I recently became involved as a volunteer with a community outreach
program. The program helps recent immigrants adjust to their new surroundings, and since I can
speak a little bit of Korean and have some knowledge of the culture, I was asked to volunteer
some time with a Korean family who recently moved here.

The first time I met with them was an eye-opening experience to say the least. Here I was in
my home town, sitting on the floor at a Korean traditional table covered with the myriad of
dishes I had come to miss. Their TV is made by LG, a Digimon video occupies their children,
their eating utensils chopsticks, their family heirlooms and photographs on the wall of a world
thousands of miles away. And yet, out the window, the streets are those I played on as a child.
This house becomes a foreign vestibule inside my own familiarity.

The family immediately accepts me with open arms, and a cycle of kindness perpetuates itself
on a weekly basis. Once again I have kimchee and digigolgi in my refrigerator, and I point them
in the right direction when they want to buy bicylces for their children or find a good place
to camp on the weekend. But their most pressing matter is fulfilling their duties to the
Canadian government as Korean immigrants. In order to get back their $50,000 deposit they must
invest a minimum of $250,000 within the local economy. We discuss it and I offer my advice.
They had considered opening a Korean restaurant, but I warn against the adventurousness of a
community of retired farmers and young families. Many immigrants choose motels as an
enterprise, and perhaps this is one of a few practical and viable options. It's a tough
decision to make, and real-estate agents have been visting them on a weekly basis. I recognise
some of their business cards that they show me and warn against the ones that have bad
reputations. It occurs to me more and more that this family has been swimming upstream for a
long long time in search of something better, and I'm certain that it can be just as difficult
as what a teacher can experience in Korea. I just hope I can repay the kindess that some
Koreans showed me while I was away. They promise me that their extended family will help me if
and when I return to Seoul.

Knowing Korean culture, I know what questions I can ask and which ones to avoid. While they
are definetely patriotic Koreans...camping out in front of the TV for early morning World Cup
games...they want a life outside the Korean pressure cooker. Their children will get a good
Canadian education and breath the fresh air of a low population density and pollution index.
But at what cost?

Their aren't many Koreans in this neck of the woods. I remember how important it was in Korea
for me to have that support network of like-minded waygooks. Min Suk, the father and head of
the family, speaks little English...reminds me of conversing with cab drivers...but is able to
explain that he is lonely. He is often frustrated at what prevents him from the independence he
once knew back home. But this will be home now, and for the well being of his family he will
make the sacrifices.

In Korea, he was a successful business man who owned a butcher shop and restaurant in the
richest neighborhood in Seoul. Now, he works at Maple Leaf as a meat cutter on an assembly
line. He is paid slightly more then minimum wage, and its only his lack of Enlgish skills that
prevents him from a better position. But this is a temporary thing. The family has money and he
merely works out of honour and self-respect. Through his wife as a translator, he tells me how
most people at work are very nice, but how the odd incident makes him feel taken advantage of
and excluded. I compare his conditions to my own in Korea....where I was paid a lot to do
comparatively little. I sympathize with him...empathize with him. My own circumstances have
similarly lost some shine since returning home. Jobs are hard to come by and it seems very few
employers want to pay people what they are worth. The road to Korea is not paved with gold, but
it beats what I'm stepping in here. Research jobs that require university and want to pay $7.50
per hour. The classifieds filled with everything and anything that a BA has nothing to do with.
Welcome to Disillusionment 101. Go forth and be fruitful, and look for opportunity somewhere
else.

So while my life is lived in psuedo-limbo, and while I slowly prepare to again depart and
temporarily divorce myself from the ease of life that home sweet home affords, I am afforded an
opportunity to re-examine the life I lived in Korea and the people who are Koreans. Likewise, I
see my familiar world through the unadjusted eyes of a family trying to better themselves in a
new culture. I feel as if a figure eight of understanding has almost been drawn full circle,
and I am grateful for the virtues of patience, charity, kindness, and steadfast determination.

Life in Korea is a test of many things, and it is up to the individual to decide what shall
be overcome. It's a question of what matters and what doesn't, and within each and every day
its important to find a moment to reflect on the journey that seperates you from what you left
behind and will eventually rejoin. Call it meditation. Call it a cigarette smoked on the roof
of your building at 6 am. Call it carpe diem. The world is a small place and you are a small
part that matters. Take with you your wisdom and let it grow. Believe in Karma. It's not a
myth. Good luck and godspeed to those who are there, and to those who will make the journey.;)