Will Korea destroy itself or will the foreigners do it? |

As I have mentioned in other posts, Korea has one of the best cuisines in the world. The food culture is magnificent and keeps you in trance and forgetful of all other injustices that might be done to you while you are here. I just cannot get enough of the food and no one is more aware of this fact than the students in my adult class. I wrote about them in a previous post, A birthday gift from my students. Knowing that my hunger for Korean food cannot be filled, they often show their generosity in making sure this vice is fulfilled whether in a snack during class or a high class meal that makes my mouth water.

I forget all the stares, the glares, the references to a great film because of my long and graceful dreads that have moved beyond the “chajamion”(delicious Korean noodles; well, their true origins are Chines but most Koreans don’t like to hear that) reference and graduated to the movie Avatar. And I forget the firing of a Teacher due to lack of training. I forget the firing of a Teacher due to a fall and broken arm. I forget the references to gorillas and baboons every time my hand nears the top of my head or a facial expression beyond that of my normal appearance. I forget the belittlement by a superior simply because the students have a liking to you rather than another. Yes it is petty but pettiness comes out of a need to feel important. But these students and many others who have embraced the quirky, outgoing and a bit eccentric persona that nevertheless improves their language acquisition shines bright and brings delight like the site of a city upon a hill. They lavish you with gifts and adoration I am not sure I deserve. Today was no exception.

I gazed upon the table once again and had a nostalgic moment about when I first arrived in this old yet new country. New to the invasion of foreigners and old in its values, Korea is a country with a future that leaks into a past. Those old values are found in the wrinkled skin and cigarettes of drunken men yelling at you for speaking English. Values that have kept Korea hidden from the rest of the world. You cannot hide any longer oh sweet Korea. This inevitable progress hated by some is the future of this country. Beautiful in its ways and dark in others. One of the beauties lies in what goes in your mouth. Served with calbi and countless side dishes that included fried mushrooms with sweet and sour sauce, salad smeared with light mayonnaise dressing, fried Korean style kimchi pancake with vegetables and other dainties that keep your jaws exercising. How can you refuse to share your beauty with the world Korea? How can you refuse to share your ugliness with the world Korea? Welcome to globalization!

Personally
I find Korea to be a melting pot that is ready to explode with more growth. Although the moral compass when it comes to business and perhaps in other areas is that of the American 1700s except with modern technology, I think Korea will emerge even faster in global affiliations. With all that I have outlined above aside, Korea is a wonderful place that I have grown to adore. Why? No matter where you go and even in your own country, there is crap to deal with. Not that you should accept the unacceptable but at the end of the day, you decide how you feel about yourself. It’s not what someone says to you or does to you that makes you who you are, it’s your reaction that defines you. I agree with Shakespeare a hundred percent, “nothing is inherently good or bad”, it’s your thinking that places that judgment on things. Love everything; the good, the bad, the sad, the happiness, the hate, the love and all the things you place your personal judgment on because none of them would exist without their opposites. In other words, without one you cannot know the other.

Then again I could be wrong; I often am. But what do you have to say?