Two weeks ago, I went for a run – mind you, the first run I’ve gone on in over a year – and this strange, calm, spine-tingling feeling came over me. The indicators of my place, right on the border between the cities Cheonan and Asan, seemed to call more attention to themselves in this altered state I was in – headphones blasting, heart pounding, blood heating up in my cheeks and limbs. I noticed all the pieces that make this place foreign to me: farm and backyard-sized red pepper crops, rice paddies, a lake topped with lily-pads and frequented by cranes, the gently sloped and tree-cloaked mountains, the many clusters of 25-floor apartment buildings that rise impossibly high out of this rural landscape and call to mind Sci-fi novel cover-art, and I felt somehow more at home with myself.
“How does that work?” you may ask. And you’d be right to. Heck, a motorcycle, a tractor, and several cars slowed and even stopped to get a better look at the spectacle that was me: white woman in running shorts, a tank top, and a bandana wheezing past alarmed ajumas (the Korean word for “a female senior or elder”) and occasionally singing along to a playlist of Beyonce, Lady Gaga, and the Dixie Chicks (don’t mock me, everyone pulls out the poppy beats for a workout). Everything about my interactions with this culture calls attention to my strangeness within it, but I feel a mix of confidence and humility in presenting myself here. Perhaps because I spend my days constantly reexamining my appearance and actions in order to both “fit in” to this new culture and retain essential parts of my personality and culture.
“How does that work?” you may ask. And you’d be right to. Heck, a motorcycle, a tractor, and several cars slowed and even stopped to get a better look at the spectacle that was me: white woman in running shorts, a tank top, and a bandana wheezing past alarmed ajumas (the Korean word for “a female senior or elder”) and occasionally singing along to a playlist of Beyonce, Lady Gaga, and the Dixie Chicks (don’t mock me, everyone pulls out the poppy beats for a workout). Everything about my interactions with this culture calls attention to my strangeness within it, but I feel a mix of confidence and humility in presenting myself here. Perhaps because I spend my days constantly reexamining my appearance and actions in order to both “fit in” to this new culture and retain essential parts of my personality and culture.
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In other news, I have been traveling a lot lately. My host family -composed of parents often away at a business meeting and two teenage sisters always heading to the library or after-school hagwons (academies) to study- is SUPER busy. I see them occasionally during the weekday evenings, but weekends are kind of a "do-your-own-thing" time for me due to their packed schedules. SO for the past two weekends, I went to Yangsu-ri, a lovely area just outside Seoul where my friends and fellow former Hilltoppers Inge and Mandy live, and then I went to Cheongju to visit Jillian, Amy, Debbie, Kate, and Jing (fellow ETAs). Learning to navigate city and intercity buses and Seoul's subway -sometimes all three in one trip- was so liberating! I can now independently and confidently move myself from my 6th floor apartment tucked between two cities in the Chungbuk Province to pretty much anywhere in the country!
Here are some pictures of my adventures:
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| Back to Cheongju! |
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| Cheonan and Yangsu-ri |
and here are some pictures in and around my school:
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| Cheonan Wolbong High School |
thanks for putting up pictures of wolbong. i miss that place and the students so much. hahaha. grad school is so much reading and barely enough time to breathe, but learning about literacy and development is putting a lot things in perspective for me. i.e. constantly reminded of how blessed i am to be even in grad school... there are still women in parts of the world that are discouraged from going to high school let alone grad school.
ReplyDeletereading your blogs are bringing back memories. thanks, eileen!
Hi Eileen, No rain to speak of for months now tornadoes and potatoes and heavy rain. Love hearing and seeing what you're up to. We got your postcard. Thanks Eileen. Has always been a pleasure seeing and hearing from you. Your blog is terrific. Looks like you put a lot of time in it. Sounds like you are having the time of your life. How spectacular a time, spending a year in Korea teaching and learning from all the peoples of that country. You are way cool Eileen!
ReplyDeleteHey Eileen, I think today is your birthday. I hope the people who love you make this a special day for you. Happy days woman!
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