I May Have Attended a Cult Function.

A friend of mine does a lot of work with Mannam Volunteer Association. They were having a huge party up in Seoul and were offering free transportation to and from the thing. I figured I'd go check it out because it was supposed to be a cultural/world peace festival. I thought it would be a good chance to see some Korean culture performances and maybe meet some people, etc. Well...let me tell you that was far from what happened.

Besides the fact that they tried to fit 100,000+ people in a stadium built for about 80,000 and didn't have enough seats for everyone they bused in. Well after getting seated in the stadium, some nice Koreans gave us their seats and moved to where they couldn't see, we sat down and proceeded to listen to about two hours of speeches. It was a pretty auspicious start to a world peace festival (but not out of the ordinary for stuff in Korea). After that the show started with about a 30 minute mass games (think north Korea mass games). As soon as they announced the show was going to be about the 6000 year history of the bible I knew something was up. Throughout the whole show I thought it was pretty funny that at a multicultural world peace event where you have bused in foreign people from all different countries (Thailand, Pakistan, China, Indonesia, India, Nepal, Cambodia, Vietnam, etc) you start with a strict creationist show stating that the world is 6000 years old and only through the bible can evil be defeated.

Following the show our guides (babysitters) gave us a coupon for 4,000 won at the food court area (international foods) and asked if they would mind if they (the babysitters) went and got us food. Well, I needed to get up and stretch my legs because I'd been seated for about three hours and was cramping. So I told them it's ok I'll go get my own food. To which they basically said, no we have to go together. After walking down to the food court area a couple of the girls I was with had to go to the bathroom, and the guides had to escort them to and from the bathroom. It was at this point that I decided that I was going to leave after lunch. I can handle the religious message, but being escorted around like this made me feel like I was being watched and had to be accounted for at all times. After talking with the other foreigners I was there with (three teachers from Seosan) we decided just to tell them we were leaving. They felt the same way that I did and everything just felt off about the day. Our guides were sad but understood. We basically left as soon as we said goodbye.

It wasn't until yesterday when I started talking to my friend that I finally understood what was going on. She asked me what I thought of the day and I started telling her how I thought Mannam made several mistakes. I told her basically everything I just wrote and her response was that Mannam is a secular organization and is not allowed to be religious. However, she told me that the reason for the religious message was that the "honorary" chairman of Mannam just happens to be Lee Man Hee who is the founder and leader of Shinchonji Church of Jesus, the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony. This church happens to more or less be a cult with about 100,000 followers in Korea. It's not a kool-aid drinking end of the world type, but more of the we're the only enlightened ones type.

Mannam was co-hosting their event with the Shinchonji religious Olympiad which just happens to be held a day after the dear leader's birthday every 4 years. It's funny, because Mannam has come out saying they're not associated with the church. And then the biggest party Mannam has put on happens to be co-hosted by the church and the honorary chairman of the organization is the damned leader of the church. Moreover there are several reports coming out in the news that Mannam is just a front organization for the church and is actively recruiting for the church. It's to the point where Korean universities are warning their foreign students not to attend functions hosted by the organization.

At this point I started doing some digging online and found a lot of disconcerting stuff concerning the church, their association with Mannam, and the event which I unwittingly attended.  Well, I guess this just goes into that life experiences category. 

Nara and Osaka

It's taken me a bit but here is the last part of my Japan trip.  After John and I left Kyoto we headed down to the first capital of Japan, Nara.  Nara is a about 45 minutes from Kyoto and Osaka respectfully.   There are two reasons why people go to Nara.  First, because it is the original capital of Japan and has some pretty cool sights to see.  The second, is because there are deer there.  Not only are there deer there but tradition states that they are heavenly animals and are to be protected.  What does this mean, you might ask.  Well quite simply, in Nara Park (where all the cool old buildings are) there are tame deer.  Not only are they tame, they're quite friendly/forceful when they are hungry.  You can pet, take pictures with, and generally do things to deer that most people can only do once they're stuffed and mounted.  These deer lounge around the park waiting for tourists to pay about two dollars to feed them flour biscuits.  Once a tourist has purchased a set of biscuits the deer descend and jockey for position to get food.  Some have been trained to bow, others gently nibble at your clothes, and some just straight up headbutt you.  These deer want their biscuits.

Everything to see in Nara is centralized in Nara park.  Nara park is home to numerous shrines, temples and the world's "largest" wooden structure.  There is some dispute as to whether this is in Kyoto or Nara and both cities claim to have the biggest.  These structures are almost overrun with deer.  Which gives the entire place the smell of a petting zoo.  It's not overpowering but the smell of urine and feces is definitely noticeable.  After wandering around the town John and I went back to the park to see it all lit up at night.  Apparently there was some type of lantern festival going on while we were there.  All throughout the park were thousands of little paper lanterns arranged in various shapes and designs.  It gave the park a surreal feeling.  Nara for most tourists is done on a day trip only, but John and I spent the night.  We had time and I didn't feel like rushing.  After that night we headed to Osaka for our last two nights in Japan.

The first day in Osaka we went off and explored Osaka Castle.  Osaka Castle is a traditional Japanese style castle.  It was rebuilt after World War Two and offers excellent views of Osaka as well as housing a museum about the history of the castle and the local history surrounding the castle and the families that built it.  After the castle John and I ran off to a very famous restaurant to eat expensive but awesome crab.  Everything had crab in it and even though it was expensive it was pretty delicious.  Following lunch we explored a giant shopping neighborhood in Osaka and then wandered into America-mura.  America-mura is a counter-culture  center for Osaka.  It was interesting to walk the streets here because it truly felt like walking the streets of a beach boardwalk (without the beach or the boardwalk).  However, the people there were very much the type of people you would find wandering around Ocean Beach.  The next day we explored Osaka a bit more and then went to one of the greatest sporting events I've ever been to.  I went and saw a Japanese League baseball game.  The game was the Hanshin Tigers versus the Hiroshima Toyo Carp.  The game itself wasn't that great of a game, but what was amazing was the organized cheering by the home fans.  The home fans chanted the entire game when their team was at bat.  I have been to a couple of games in Korea and the chanting is quite common, the main difference was that the amount of chanting and the amount of people engaged in the activity.  It was endless, and everyone who was a fan of the home team chanted the whole game.  If this wasn't enough the team also has a tradition called jet balloons.  This tradition is done during the middle of the 7th inning, much like the 7th inning stretch back home, but it involves everyone in the stadium blowing up two or three six feet long, hot dog shaped, balloons and then releasing them at the same time.  These balloons have an adapter on the end that makes the balloons fly up in the air as the air inside them expelled.  They also whistle as they do it.  Now this might seem rather juvenile, but when there are 30-40,000 people doing this and close to 80,000 balloons being fired off at one point it is quite awesome.

The following day John and I boarded the ferry back for Korea and back for work.  The ferry ride again provided a nice bookend for the trip.  It was a chance to relax and decompress after travelling for 8 days straight.  The peacefulness of the ocean and the beer probably helped to make the trip go quite well.

Postcard Japan

It seems that people have an idea of what Japan is.  Maybe it s due to their place in America's memory/idea of what Asia is.  Perhaps it is the obsession we've harbored with Japan for 60+ years.  That being said I present to you my descent into the postcard ideal of Japan.

Riding the subway in Osaka I found myself gazing out the window while we were above ground.  It was here that my first glimpses of Japan would be had, and I must admit, I was anxious to see if several of the preconceived notions I had about Japan were true.  At first glance I was not let down.  We were traveling through the suburbs and the streets were clean and the buildings were somewhat haphazardly built upon each other.  It looked as if the city had been designed in the 60's and was cutting edge in the 80's.  Further up the line we descended under ground and proceeded to make our way to the train station for our ride up to Kyoto.  Having spent 4 years in Korea it was hard not to constantly compare the two countries.  Japan was cleaner, it was quieter, and it seemed to run more efficiently.  That being said it was also a bit more confusing because the public transit is run by several different companies and has not been consolidated.  In Seoul different companies own the subways lines but they are all linked through the same system and one ticket works for all the lines.  The cost of getting around Japan was also a bit probative.  Going on stop on the subway cost 120 yen which costs about $1.50.  To go from Osaka to Kyoto (a 45 minute drive roughly) cost $15 dollars on the Shinkansen (bullet train/15 minutes).  Yes we could have taken a cheaper option but when in Rome.

Still, upon arrival in Kyoto I felt like I was fulfilling some ancient calling or lifetime goal.  Maybe it's because I had wanted to go there for as long as I could remember and had planned the trip three years ago.  Either way I was gripped with anticipation and excitement.  It's hard to explain.  Kyoto was everything I thought it would be.  It was ancient temple after ancient temple.  There was the imperial palace, a fort, Shinto shrines, kimono, sushi, etc.  It was as if they packed every idea we have of Japan and put it there.  From a historians perspective this place was gold.  Every corner dripped of history and culture.  It is tourist heaven.  For four days John and I biked around Kyoto getting lost and seeing temple, after temple, after shrine.  It was amazing.  We ate awesome food and drank a little bit but not too much.  It was pretty expensive which I was both grateful for and disappointed in.  Still the coolest moment in Kyoto for me had to be Fushimi Inari.  This is a Shinto shrine with thousands of orange gates running up the mountain side forming a semi covered walkway. When you could find a spot to be alone with the cicadas and the forest it was truly impressive.  I felt like I could have been walking through this shrine 500 years ago surrounded by ancient samurais or costumed geishas.  We saw so many shrines and temples that they all seemed to run together. 

However, as sight after sight blended into one, I came to understand what had drawn me to Japan.  It was not for a world that is different from my own.  I've lived in Asia for 4 years now.  What was drawing me to Japan was the chance to see everything I've studied about, everything I've read about, and everything I've heard about Japan.  It was a chance for me to go there and discover for myself a small portion of the history and the soul of a people we know so much about.  That, is why I was there.  I was drawn to Japan to discover if it was the Japan that I had envisioned in my mind, or if it was altogether something different.  Luckily, it was a mix of the two.  The world may have preconceived ideas about what Japan is, but those ideas are firmly on display in Kyoto.  

Ferry Musings

There is something about being on a ferry.  A calmness to the time spent getting somewhere.  In today's world it is rare that we make the journey part of a vacation. Too often it is get in and get out as fast as we can. How we get there doesn't matter along as it is fast and cheap.  This ferry from Busan to Osaka takes roughly 18 hours.  It involves two meals and sleeping on the boat.  Yet more importantly it involves time to relax.  It involves time to clear your head, and time to restfully transition to vacation.  For me this trip has involved the first real days of rest in a long while.  Between the constant movement and reality that is life in Korea and the drain on your body that is teaching anywhere, it is necessary for me to recoup some semblance of sanity before I am able to truly enjoy myself.  For me that time is now. Ensconced on a boat, and with the stark beauty of an empty ocean.  A place where the wind can drown out the sound of the world and my life.  Where buffeted by stiff breezes I can feel as if the world is fading away and all I'm left with is the promise of discovery.  The promise of a new land, a new culture, and a new understanding.  

I've Been Gone for a While.

Well folks, I'm not going to lie.  I've been neglecting my duties to the internet world recently.  I wish I had a good reason for it, but the simple fact is I don't.  I've been busy but no more than normal.  However, I am aiming to rectify this situation in the next few months.  If I can't rectify it I will shut this down and probably never run a blog again.  The past few months have been a rather interesting mix of problems, solutions, and more problems.

For starters, a lot of you know that my health has been really up and down this year.  In fact this has been the worst year I've ever had in terms of my health.  I have spent more time on medication and in the doctors office this year than I have in my entire life.  Luckily at this point I'm just dealing with a couple of the side effects of my liver inflammation.  It's not totally dissipated but it is definitely improving.  When I get back from vacation I'm going to hop into a doctors office for another check up just to make sure but everything should be fine.  Luckily that check will be the final all clear and I'll gratefully put this crap behind me.

Moving on from my health, my luck with women recently could be termed comical.  I have run into several women recently that I have hit it off with great.  Only to find out a few days later that: hey they've got a boyfriend, hey they're leaving the country, hey they're moving to another city, etc.  I swear I must have a sign around my neck right now that says "hopeless."  Now most of this is my fault because I didn't ask ahead of time but ohh well.  Speaking of that, I am so screwed when I come back to America in terms of the whole dating scene.  Dating in Korea is an entirely different approach and what is normal here would come off as an over-abundance of confidence with a lot of American women.  Which I guess could be a benefit.

Professionally life here has been pretty much the same it has been for the past year or so.  Although there was a new requirement that we obtain a 100 hour TEFL certificate to continue teaching.  I've already finished mine and I'm planning on completing a 50 hour business English course when I get back from Japan.  I am not to broken up about having to get the TEFL because I had been kicking it around for a number of years.  I don't know if I'll ever actually have a need for it but you never know.  Who knows, maybe I'll parlay this into a career abroad.  Either that or it's a nice way to slip into school mode again.  What do I mean by that?  Well, when I get back chances are I have to get back into school.  Which means a lot of writing and proofreading and any type of practice for that is good.

Finally, I have officially descended into the modern world.  In the past six months I've procured an iPad and a Kindle e-reader.  Well, this week I had to take the dive into the smart phone world.  Which is a little ridiculous considering that I'm leaving in 6 months.  Ohh well, I figured if I'm going to get screwed I might as well get screwed by getting a new fancy phone and I purchased the Samsung Galaxy S3.  This phone is kinda nice and has all the bells and whistles.  Of course, this also means that I have zero brand loyalty, because I am currently running a service on the three companies fighting it out in the smart world.  At least I don't have a Kindle Fire because that would just make this ridiculous.  Ohh well.  I guess I had to jump in eventually.  Alas good people, I will try to get a few more posts up and shorten the downtime.

Xenophobia

Normally I try to steer clear of issues which may be incendiary or lead to misunderstandings.  However, this time I feel the need to address this subject matter head on.  First, this blog will not be a vitriolic attack on Korea, their culture, or even the older generations of people in this country.  In my 3 1/2 years here I have had countless good experiences and conversations with people of all backgrounds.  Moreover, I believe that I try to understand the differences between Korean and western culture more than most people.  Second, I understand that this new report only represents the view of a small vocal minority of people in the country.  Finally, I do not believe that getting outraged will do anything.  Reacting emotionally to something like this will only give ammunition to the very people who espouse such vitriol.

I guess I need to get on to what this is about.  Basically, last week or sometime in the last month I was made aware of a news broadcast which was aired on MBC.  MBC is one of the 4 major news corporations in Korea.  This news broadcast sought to expose the truth about relationships between foreign men and Korean women.  Before I go into any commentary I think it would be best for you to actually watch the news segment.
 

Unlike a lot of people I know, I feel no need to get completely up in arms about the audacity of MBC to air such a direct attack on the foreign population of this country.  It's their news agency and they can say what they want.  This is very much the same view I hold about the Westboro Baptist Church.  I cannot condone what they believe in and stand for.  I find it absolutely revolting what they do, but they have the right to believe in the bigoted nonsense that they do and to act accordingly.  However, I would like to address three things located in this news reports.

First and foremost, the quality of the reporting.  I have seen better reporting done in high school.  This report never once shows the questions that the foreigners have been asked.  All it shows is them waxing poetically about their experiences in Korea.  Given the location that they are reporting from Hongdae (a well known bar and club district), and the time of day that the reporting is taking place at (night), it is safe to assume that a lot of these people being interviewed are slightly to seriously inebriated.  Even more significant is the fact that this area is located directly across from a major university in Seoul.  Going beyond the people selected to be interviewed and the answers that were given there were no attempts at following up on the baseless assumptions that are made throughout the video.  The entire video is a xenophobic attack on foreigners without a single shred of direct evidence or statistics to support their claims.  Which just happens to be my next point of contention.

Second, where is the evidence.  Are there complete scumbags in the foreign population of this country?  Absolutely.  I have had the severe displeasure of knowing some of them, and running into others.  I do not doubt for a second that every one of the stories they presented about bad things happening were true.  However, they offer only a few stories and allow the watcher to assume that all relationships work this way.  This is patently untrue.  I know several people who are in long standing functional relationships with foreigners.  I know several couples who are married.  In fact, most relationships in Korea that I've seen or known about follow the western standard of a boyfriend and girlfriend relationship.  Once again, there are dirtbags who cheat, steal, and abuse, but by far a majority of the foreigners here are upstanding citizens.  Going beyond this, the report uses three women who refuse to answer their questions, or deny knowing what they're talking about.  What is interesting is that they use three straight denials as evidence they are correct.  If this was so prevalent, would they not have easily been able to find countless women willing to go on record about how they were taking advantage of?  Lets not even discuss the question being so loaded that not even a political pundit could ask it and get away with it.  Going beyond these few stories they find to support their claims, they offer no statistical or factual evidence.  There are no numbers, court cases, or even news reports.

Finally, the viewpoint of women this news report has.  Women are portrayed in two ways.  They are either complete whores who are flaunting tradition by running around with "daring" displays of intimacy.  Or they are completely helpless women who are being stalked by predatory foreigners.  Either way the view of women is completely archaic and has no direct standing to the women this country is currently producing.  In this, I think we find quite possibly the real reason this video was made.  The xenophobia is nothing new.  This video was made to criticize and shame the women who are seen with foreign men.  Why?  One possible reason is that there is a small, but widening gender gap in the country and Korean men, particularly those living in rural areas and farming, are being forced to accept arranged marriages with foreign women (normally Thai, Cambodian, or Filipino).

I'd like to add one final point of commentary before leaving this subject alone.  This attitude towards women and foreigners is nothing new.  However, what is new, for the first time in Korean history is the option for Korean women not to put up with it any more.  In fact, most every woman I know who has decent ability in the English language is fed up with Korean men.  They have no interest in dating them, marrying them, or starting families with them.  This can be for multiple reasons, but from talking with many women who feel this way, it always boils down to one simple reason.  The attitude of a lot of Korean men towards women is something akin to the 19th century.  However, I feel the need to state, that once again, this is not everyone.  I know some wonderful Korean men with very modern sensibilities towards women.

Korean elections make me smile.

I know that I've posted about Korean elections before but I have to admit that they make me smile. Tomorrow is election day here in Korea and the politicians at making their last pitches to the public before they vote. This makes for some great people watching near city hall. In Seosan there is one traffic circle which is the "official" rally spot for all the local politicians. This circle is right next to city hall, and during peak traffic hours it can get a little congested. When you add a rally into the mix what you get is a captive audience just trying to get home. Today there has been a continuous stream of rallies and speeches. These rallies are as grass roots and participatory as you can get. The normally involve a bunch of ajjumas in color coordinated outfits bowing and dancing while their politician gives a speech. It makes me smile because politics at this level somehow feels more pure. Granted there is not a ton of importance where I live and it feels kinda like the mayoral election for Bumblescum, Kansas or someplace like it. That being said, it's still nice to see a democratic process where I know I'm not being lied to. Primarily It's because the politicians know I can't vote and have no interest in me, but hey. I'll take it.

Here are some videos to show you what I'm talking about.