Last week during my tutoring with the businessmen class, we had a discussion about how all of the students spent their summers. Most of them played very little and went to Hagwons. They talked about skipping lunch many times, so they could spend an extra 10 minutes playing basketball outside. Another student, the elder of the class, talked about his experience growing up 3 years after the Korean War (1950-1953). He talked about the hard times of poverty and just trying to make it. They didn't have toys/balls to play with, so they made balls out of anything that they could find. He said his only hope was to study and make something of himself, so that is what he did with whatever free time that he had. Nowadays, he is a successful, high-level boss in his company. He makes good money and likes to spend it on luxury things, because he was never given the opportunity when he was younger to have those things, like REAL golf balls/equipment to go golfing with.
The Korean War ripped Korean apart-literally. I have looked at the exact number of Korean civilian casualties, but every website has different statistics and a number has never been confirmed, so it seems. However, they have confirmed that the total loss of life during the war was MILLIONS. They have recently found mass graves of civilians that were killed, some totaling 100,000. THAT'S INSANE! Can you imagine living through that or even being born when the country is trying to piece itself back together? I can't. My point is, Korea is a very new, modern society that had to completely rebuild itself a little over 50 years ago. Older generations are seeing things that they never thought could be possible. Their country is completely different than it was 50 or 20 years ago. I feel like I can better understand the traditional mindset of the older generations now and why they act the way they do in some situations.
I recently read a book called Still Life With Rice by Helie Lee. The author wrote a biography about the life of her Korean grandmother, who was born in 1912. Her life was very inspiring, but it also gave me a glimpse into the traditional life of a Korean woman and what was expected of her. I won't go into great details of the book, but it was very interesting to learn about how the roles of men and women in society were and how similar it is today. For example, I have a better understanding why women are so concerned how their appearance. At one part in the book, Hongyong (grandmother) was very ill with a plaque and she didn't want to see her husband because she was worried about her appearance. It sounds so silly to me. Today, Korean women are almost always dressed perfectly- heals, makeup, and fashionable clothing. I didn't realize how important and connected it was to their past. In the past, women's main role in life was keeping up their appearance within themselves and their home. They spent everyday as a child training to be the perfect wife. Ideals for women have changed as Korea becomes more westernized, but some things still remain. They put up with a lot as a Korean wife, including the acceptance of men having affairs and attending modern day brothels frequently, especially on "business outings". There are "red light districts" practically in every section of Seoul. Gross. Still, many people believe women's place in society is to have children and run the household. Women are now starting to be accepted in the workforce, but it is not common yet. It is a very exciting time in Korea for women- a lot of changes are happening! Yahooo!
So, my outlook on Korea has changed. The things that I thought were so weird before are still weird, but I have a greater understanding of the weirdness. ha. Also, I feel like I understand the older American generations as well. Everyone's ideals come from somewhere. They are taught by someone or learned through experience- everyone influencing each other. If the world could only acknowledge the weirdness of everyone, but try to understand and embrace the differences, the world MIGHT be a better place. Just a thought. So, what I am saying is that we are all weird. Deal with it. Move on. I mean that in the nicest possible way.
Phew! That was a mouthful and a little too deep for a Saturday morning. I will end with some not-so-deep pictures. I went to a country establishment - AKA bar- and had an AMAZING time. I am more aware of my two left feet issues as I was trying to conqueror the two step. I sang every song- loudly. We rocked some cowboy hats that a friend bought for everyone. It is currently hanging on my wall in my apartment.
Now I must kill some brain cells and go get my hair done. Say goodbye to the blondish hair, hello brunette.
Over and out.
xoxo
