Korea is radically different from America - which is obvious I should hope. But I am finding myself feeling more at home around Koreans that with Westerners. I mean, I have my little group of friends from orientation but aside from that, I hang out with Koreans. I just came from the Mud Festival a ways north of Busan and let me tell you, that poor town was overrun with foreigners. I can only imagine how the locals must have felt since the Korean population in general is xenophobic. I have not been around that many non-asian people since I left the States and honestly, it made me feel uncomfortable too. I didn't realize how loud, rude, annoying and self important westerners can be.
Mud Fest was fun - you run around to the mud tubs and slather it on you and your friends - and in general, have fun in the acceptance of this being the only time in your life it will be okay to run around in public in a muddy swimsuit. That being said, most of the foreigners (and I will loosely limit this to the foreign military members and men), use Mud Fest as an excuse to touch wherever they want with the excuse that you "are not muddy enough". Not only would they muddy you up wherever, they would do it to the poor Koreans walking by with their children trying to get through the hodge-podge of people that don't speak their language. I felt bad for them. I know if I wanted to get muddy - I would do it. Maybe there was a reason I wasn't muddy exactly when you wanted me to be.
I think I am too used to people being quiet, sticking to the people they know exclusively and excessively apologizing for any little matter. When it comes to the way Koreans act in public versus Westerners - I feel much more like a Korean. What's funny is I knew this before about my culture but it never bothered me until I was severely separated from it for a while. I'm an introvert anyways so this lifestyle suits me much better.
The other strange thing is I hear Korean now and I actually understand what people are saying without literally knowing what they are saying. I have heard the same things so many times that I know it when I hear it but I could never reproduce it. Its an amazing feeling to be integrating like this. If I am walking around my area of town and I hear someone speaking English it boggles me for second and then I am over it. I am understanding what my coaches are saying, little things people talk about at the lunch table or random people talking to me on the street. Most of it is body language but I am understanding the Korean too. I just had this epiphany tonight so its still freshly exciting :)
I know it has been a while since my last post but I don't know what to write. I could post something else about my health or school but I've done that already.... but I will be updating that soon I am sure. I can never talk enough about me haha
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