On size...
So everything here is just a bit smaller than one would expect in the states. From people, to places. People are on average, a bit thinner and a bit shorter than in the states. This is generational though, and while grandmothers are quite short, mothers have about two inches on them, and people J and my age are roughly our size in height and weight. I think the latter may have something to do with the emergence of fast food eateries and the quantity of food newly available in Korea due to trade practices. And then there's the spaces. Because older Koreans are so much smaller than younger Koreans, you can quickly assess just how old a building is by how tall it's doorways are. J rarely fits through buildings built before the 90's, and even I have a hard time with buildings built too long ago. Even as ceilings rise, however, it is still customary for extended families to live together, and children rarely leave the nest before marriage (at least in the countryside) unless they are moving to the city for work. Interestingly this doesn't mean Koreans live in large houses. Most Koreans live in large apartment buildings in tiny apartments. As do we. You've heard our rambles about the small size of the apartment, but I don't think I ever posted pictures. So here you go (and yes, that is the entire apartment...)!
On food...
Remember J's octopus head experience? Well I've now also had the privilege to eat an octopus head, brain and all, and I will second his review that while the taste is great (if you like really fishy food), the texture is so difficult to swallow it simply isn't worth it. Koreans of course love this. They've grown up eating it, especially here on the coast. But I can now turn down octopus head offers confidently. We also tried chicken feet for the first time this weekend. A food that I've been told repeatedly is good for women because it is good for the skin. Something about collagen. Anyway, again, while the taste is fine, the texture is pretty rough. The long toes are soft, but have nails, and the balls of the feet are so tough and boney it is hard to swallow (for us anyway). So again, glad to have tried it. Not the end of the world. Probably won't be getting that again.
On collectivist culture...
Now remember how I mentioned how subtle this really was. No one runs around screaming about how collective we are. But it's woven into societal assumptions in a way that colors how you interact with people here versus at home. For example, something I figured out a few months ago was just how uncommon it is to actually know someone's name. Unless someone is your exact age and you have decided to be friends, you will call everyone by their relative familial terms. All old women are called grandmother, whether you are related or not. Every boy is called son, and random women are referred to as aunty. There is no, Mrs. or Mr. The terms are all family relationship terms that simply apply to everyone you meet. Most people will never tell you their name. It's simply not necessary since no on uses them. It struck me as rude when I realized that after months of dance class with the same peers, I didn't know their names. I confessed this in confidence to a Korean friend who informed me that names don't really matter unless you are very very close. Why would I want to know theirs?
On politics...
Everyone has heard plenty about North Korea, and South Koreans are certainly nervous, but our new president here makes me feel a little more secure. His rhetoric is pretty reasonable. He has made public statements about how the South will not be pursuing any form of reunification that takes the North under the South's authority or structure. He simply is pushing for greater communication and more open borders so that families who have been separated for decades since the war can finally reunite. In other news, the head of Samsung was in fact arrested, but they must have replaced him quickly because the company hasn't been occupying the same amount of news time it was when the scandal broke.
On housewifery...
Now I've been gradually moving away from the full-time housewife position I occupied when we moved to Korea. I have a lot more on my plate now and J and I have redistributed housework so that I can work, study, and participate in the community more now that I am comfortable here. I learned a lot of good things from life in the home during that first year though. I've fought with the process of hand washing a queen sized comforter (you have no idea how heavy those things are wet!), hand washing bras, and fighting for use of the one clothesline on the roof. I was taught to use chunky rock salt to combat mold problem areas, and then dry the salt on the roof for re-use. I have about eight Korean dishes I can whip up with ease, and grocery shopping has become super easy even in my third language at the traditional market. I'm going to miss a lot of the routine of housewifery, but most of you know just how busy I like to be, and we all knew it wouldn't last long.
On Comet and Cupid and Donner and Vixen...
Haha, yes that is my really lame way of announcing that I will be coming back to the states for Christmas this year. See some of you then!
There are so many more things I could say after such a great year, but I have a trip to the immigration office at 6am tomorrow morning (it's three hours away) to renew my visa for our final year. Yay! It has been a great, educational, eye-opening, maddening, and amusing experience to say the least and I am so looking forward to year two.
Have a great week everybody!
-K
