I think this may be my last blog on Korea, or at least my last blog while I'm still in Korea. There could be more, but my schedule is moderately busy these days, and with no 4-hour stints of nothing to do at school, taking the time to blog is something I actually have to put effort into. Yes, I know the idea of effort isn't something that should scare me away from the task, but when Korea is almost finished, it just seems a little less necessary to write what's going on.
I'm ending again with another observation of the people and customs here, something I like writing about, and something I'm always surprised at by how many people read and remember. While I'm by no means a blogging all-star, I'm shocked at the number of people who mention my blog at times, and I really appreciate those who read it, especially since I never read anyone elses (except Dave Barsam's, cause he puts so much real and pertinent information in his, from bus schedules to movie show times).
When I first got to Korea, I certainly felt this was an other-worldly country, filled with the kind of social conventions and nuances that I could never really adjust to. Even after 2 years I'm still blown away by just how different this place is (I'm not sure if you're able to view it, but here's a really interesting story on Korea a friend wrote - http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=20594473076&ref=mf). The second year here I've really enjoyed the country, and now I'm quite sad to leave. I'm definitely ready to leave, but I will miss it with definite certainty. The scary traffic habits, the mysterious seafood dinners that still move, the intensity over things like volleyball and the total disregard for other things any other country would call an integral part of life; I'll notice all of their absences.
I've typed about food a fair bit I think, but I've never really gotten into some of the cultural conventions of it I don't think. There's a powerful history in Korean society regarding food, much of it to do with the scarcity of food in the winter months. Kimchi, that pickled spicy cabbage (or other vegetable) that Koreans hold so dearly to them, was a staple in the diet and survival of Koreans hundreds of years ago, and now it's served with every single meal. What's more, sharing of food is an absolute necessity - you know how kids in Canada will get some candy from someone, then say they need one more for their "friend"? Well here they say the same thing, but they mean it. I've never seen a Korean child horde food, and I've never been in a situation where someone, even total strangers, didn't offer to share. Last week I caught a taxi, and while I wasn't eating in the taxi, he saw that I had some open cookies in my hand. I knew the whole ride that he wanted some, and felt I should give him some, and when I finally got out, he put out his hands and asked me to share my food.
Meals are eaten off shared plates, restaurant servers generally serve meals to everyone rather than the one person who ordered it, and the idea of withholding food from someone for any reason is quite unusual. A friend brought pizza into his class room to encourage kids to speak English, but he said the plan totally failed, since instead of working and trying to speak English for pizza, the kids just got upset that the mean teacher wouldn't share with them.
Anyway, it's time I finished here, I'm off to Busan for another ultimate tournament, then maybe some rock climbing before heading to Seoul and touring the DMZ. North Korea is closed now for South Koreans and foreigners, as someone was shot and killed on one of the tours last month. Seems things are still a little nuts up there, so Shannon and I will be missing the North Korean experience. Oh well, we've certainly covered most of the rest of the country. Maybe there will be one more blog to post up after our last little adventure, check back in a week or two to find out.
Rich
