Ignorance and Hospitality Do Not Mix

Wow, it's been two and a half months since my last post. Slacking is an understatement! I have thought a lot about writing a post, but nothing has really come to mind until recently. There has been an uproar lately in the foreign community regarding a news story about foreigners. I decided to write about this because I will never be able to accept or comprehend the lack of sensibility in the Korean media or culture. The news story was aired about two weeks ago and it discussed the growing relationships between foreign men and Korean women. The piece depicted foreign men as "hunters" who use their Jedi powers into seducing Korean women, therefore making these women victims. It was an absolutely disgusting portrayl of foreigners. The news story continued on to say that foreigners are extremely sexually active and most likely have diseases such as HIV/AIDS. First, how can a woman be a victim of dating?? She can be a victim of other things, but forcing someone to date is not possible and does not result in a victim. Korean women choose to date foreign men for several reasons. Whether she likes the attention from the public of being with a foreigner, or maybe she actually likes that person! There has been action taken by the foreign community regarding this absurd "news" story. A petition has been started to demand an apology from the president of MBS News and over 2,000 people from all over the world have signed. It seems the Korean culture is doing everything to push foreigners out of their country. Before I came to Korea, I read all about Korean hospitality and how welcoming Korean people are. In my 16 months in this country, only on a few, rare occassions have people been warm and welcoming to myself or friends. I always expect to be treated second-rate and as if I don't matter and that is usually the case. What I don't understand the most, is how important it is in Korean culture and society to exceed in education and work. Korea is always striving to be better, smarter, and more successful than all Asian countries. Therefore, if you want your children to learn English, then you need an English speaking person to teach them. THEREFORE, foreigners would have to live in this country! If the Korean media and culture continue to treat foreigners like this, then we may not come here anymore. We might just go to Japan! It continues to amazes me, and not in a postive way, the closed-mindedness of this society. From a young age, Koreans are told what is true, what to believe, and to never believe differently. Nothing is right, unless it is the Korean way. Food isn't healthy for you, unless it's Korean. People lie, cheat and steal, unless they are Korean. Everything is the world is dangerous, unless you are in Korea. Which brings me to my next point. For 23 years, I lived in America. A country where most Korean people believe is filled with guns, violence, and murder. However, in the time I lived there, I was never a victim of any crime. In the short time I have lived in Korea, I have been robbed and had my identity stolen. Two major crimes that never resulted in an arrest or justice because I am a foreigner. I still have resentment from these events and will always carry that with me. Ok, I have been ranting for a while about this, but I am extremely bothered by the news story. That rage has been accumulating and creating even more thoughts in my mind. However, I never will regret my time in Korea. If anything, I have learned a lot about how to tolerate close-minded people and how to politely deal with other's ignorance. Aside from the drama, I have been doing a few adventurous things recently. I went to Gyeongju, which is a beautiful town in the Southern part of Korea. I spent the weekend hiking, bike riding, and mountain climbing. I also have been seeing many friends lately, and continuing to build friendships I created last year. I went for the second year to the Lantern Festival for Buddha's Birthday. School has been okay, yes just okay. My students are very different from last year. These kids are less affectionate, less interested, and more spoiled. It sounds awful, but I am so sick and tired of hearing "But teacher, Mommy said ok." Ugh, I bite my tongue everyday! However, the staff of the school makes up for last year. I have an amazing boss, as I've stated before, and he continues to be amazing! I have become closer with my co-workers and look forward to getting to know them more as the year progresses. My goal is to try and write 2-3 posts a month. I'm setting goals for myself and I plan to keep them!