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Korea Out of the North (3/3)

Korea Out of the North (2/3)

Korea Out of the North (1/3)

Newsnight follow-up on North Korea part 4 of 4 ............. Please watch this.........

Newsnight follow-up on North Korea part 3 of 4.........Please watch this...........

BBC Newsnight on North Korea part 2 of 4 ........ Please watch this.........

BBC Newsnight on North Korea part 1 of 4 ...... Please watch this.

I'll bet you'll see these things and behaviors in Korea!

     Every country is full of people enacting their own peculiar behaviors.  Yours too!  Here are a few I'll bet you'll see not long after you've begun living in South Korea.  

     

     A person walking in front of you will suddenly STOP as if it never occurred to him / her that anyone (you) was walking behind him / her.

     You're riding your bike and doing your darndest best to obey all the traffic rules.  You're in the proper lane.  In Korea, the green lane is the bicycle lane, and it is often marked with a picture of  (Guess what?) a bicycle painted in wide white brush strokes right there on the green lane.  BUT, people walking in the opposite direction (towards you) are not only walking in the bicycle lane, but they are spread out all over both lanes, AND, if that weren't enough to cause frustration, they're walking as if they have no clue that you are riding towards them.  Don't be surprised if none of them move aside to allow you to pass through.

     You're working out in a gym.  You finished a set on a machine.  You've not completed the total number of sets you wanted to do, but you politely get up to allow someone else to have a turn.  Guess what!  Another person takes the seat and DOES NOT take turns, but stays on that seat until he / she has completed every set plus his / her rest moments in between.

     Fried chicken restaurants everywhere ... across the street from each other... a half dozen (or so) of them all within a couple neighborhood blocks.  There are not enough chicken restaurants.

     You're sitting in the cafe car of the train.  Someone else is sitting next to you.  There really isn't any room for anyone else on the bench, but someone else (and his wife / her husband) tries to squeeze in between the two of you anyway leaving you and the other person who was there at the start pushed out towards the very edges of the bench.

     Magpies.  The magpie is Korea's national bird.  They are black with black and white wings.  You'll see them, and you'll hear them.

     Cemeteries on mountainsides.

     Motorcycles being driven on sidewalks.  Don't be surprised if you see one coming right at you and you don't know whether to go left or right, because you don't know what the driver will do.

     Cars parked on a sidewalk (and maybe on a street [but not next to the curb]) so the driver can make a quick run into a bank, store, or post office.

     Drivers going right through red lights as if the red lights were not even there.  Be careful when crossing streets.

     Pickles.

     Someone standing right in front of the elevator door.  I mean his / her nose is almost touching the door as if he / she is determined to be the first one through that door, never mind that someone might be in the same position on the other side of the door.

Bally Bally? No thanks!

   빨리 빨리  "Bally bally!"  (short "a" as in "ah") means "Hurry! Hurry!" in Korea(n), and I've read, and heard, here and there, Korean culture described as a "bally bally culture" suggesting that so many people are so often in a hurry here.

     That's not too hard for me to believe, but I know, also, that many Koreans are NOT always in a hurry.  So, as I implied, only "so many" people here are "so often" in a hurry.

     I've come to believe, though, many people here are in a hurry, not because they want to get somewhere early, but because they have waited until the last minute to get the journey started.  Also, many have crammed a "lot to do" in one day -- wake up, go hiking, meet friend for breakfast, go to work, go to lunch, go... go... go...."

    Whatever!

     I'm not a 빨리 빨리 person.  I like to wake up early and take my time getting started into my day.  I like to slowly smell my coffee, eat my breakfast and surf the internet for a couple hours before I head for the gym.  At the gym, I like to take my time and enjoy each and every exercise.  After my workout, I like to take my time and enjoy my shave and shower time.  Usually, I get back home in time to relax and slowly enjoy lunch before I enjoy a leisurely walk to work.  Usually, I plan my doctor appointment days so that I can enjoy some time sipping coffee, shopping around, or just walking around before and after my appointment time.  I plan around my bank days, my shopping days, and the days when I travel a bit.  I like to arrive at the airport early.  

     You get the idea!

     I enjoy my life in Korea, but to the 빨리 빨리 aspect of it all, I'll always happily say, "No thanks!"

New Class Rules My Students Made

Well, at least they were practicing English!

1. Always fight in class.
2. Always eat in class.
3. Never do homework.
4. Always run in the hall.
5. Always chew gum.
6. Never take exams.

There were more, and the kids had fun.  (Shhhhh!  It was fun for me too!)

The Gay Debate: The Bible and Homosexuality

Do husbands enjoy Tuna Salad?

Is this a good way to look for a husband?

I'm looking for a husband!

I like his physique.

partita:

One day before I went to the gym

Not my favorite thing to do, but it was pleasant!

http://www.facebook.com/ronald.batson

      Introduce yourself.

To the husband in my dreams,

     I've made toast and coffee.  How shall we spend this day, you and I?

Have you checked out the Gay Christian Network?

Gay Christian Network

Some Korean that I have learned

     When I arrived in Korea, October, 2008, I didn't know any Korean language.  Now, four years later, I know just a little bit more.  I call it "survival Korean."

     Here is some of what I have learned just by listening and interacting courteously with people, co-teachers, students, and friends I've met along the way.  All I've included are the English expressions with my own pronunciation guide.  I have no doubt that you'll hear these expressions a lot.

hello ...... ahn-yong ahsayo

good bye ..... ahn-yong gahsaeyo

thank you ..... gahm sah ham nee dah

you're welcome ..... chunmon aye yo

I don't know ..... mollah

close your mouth ..... joe yong ee ahseyo

don't do that ..... hah chay mah saeyo

please ..... jae ball

hospital..... byong hwan

train station..... geechah yuk

bus terminal ..... bus ah tah meen ahl

do you understand ..... ee hay hath nee


Besides food items, that's about it, and I've gotten along just fine.

Here are some food items (non-Korean foods):

pizza ..... peejah

coffee ..... cahpee

fried ..... tweegum

boneless chicken nuggets crispy ..... soon sahl creespy

boneless chicken nuggets spicey ..... yongnyam soon sahl

spaghetti ..... suh pah getty

milk ..... oo yoo

hamburger ..... hahm buh guh

bread .... bahng

soft ice cream ..... sop ta isah creemah


     My whole point is to admit that I have not had to know much Korea to get along just fine.  What I've learned is what I've heard by simply listening to phrases I hear frequently throughout any day.  Also, my students have been delighted to teach me (and make fun of my mistakes).  However, it goes without saying that learning some Korean language can add positive experience to ones life while here.

Dear Mr. Obama, With all due respect,

Dear Mr. Obama,

With all due respect, please do not wait three years (two years, a year and a half, you get the idea) before demonstrating your unambiguous work on Gay Marriage.  Many people have pinned their "hopes" on your own words.  We're counting on you!

Seriously and Sincerely,

Ronald S. Batson