Help, Ive fallen and I can't get up!

Yeah, yeah, yeah, been almost a week I know.

Not much to report in chronological order. Stayed in this weekend. The parade and entire days festivities were rained out. Instead I went to a giant mall area for the day. Saw a horrible Nicholas Cage movie, went to a KimChi museum(Think an entire museum dedicated to spicy cabbage) and played arcade games. Wasn't a bad day in all.

Saturday I went hiking again. I just like to explore the mountain. Sunday, my back gave out. That. Sucked. It's hard when you can't walk and there's no one to help you. It gave out on the other side of the room from my bed. Took me 20 minutes just to crawl into bed, then another hour or so to get up the gumption to crawl to my tylonal. Bad day in all-and I was going to go shopping too!
(I feel better now by the way)

Couple of other things to talk about though.

1. I mentioned to mom the other day that I've been in 3 bus accidents since I've been here. Minor, but my bus has hit another vehicle. They drive that crazy. The question came up whether or not they have insurance. Yes. They do. Korean bureaucracy is very much Americanized. People are required to have car insurance. What's more, health insurance is paid for by the government for the most part! It's surprising, but this is a country where universal health care actually works. (Don't think it'd work in America, but it is nice to have here.)

2. I think I gave some people the wrong impression of old people here maybe. Or at least old women. They're not mistreated. All older people are treated with the utmost respect-which is why I cant stand them. They DEMAND that respect. In Korean culture you have to do what someone older than you says. There is no questioning. On the subway-if someone over, say 50ish, is standing and you don't offer them your seat they will hover over you and stare at you with indignation until you do. For the most part they leave me alone because I'm a foreigner, but it happens sometimes. I refuse to give up my seat. If someone looks like they need the seat fine and if I see elderly person standing quietly, Ill give them my seat. But if you DEMAND my seat? You can stick it where the sun don't shine.
Furthermore, you have to respect their manners. A friend of mine was talking on the subway, and the old korean next to him wanted silence, so the older guy kept shushing my friend-rudely. I've been told I have my feet too far out in the aisle for the elderly woman's taste.
The old people also peddle all kinds of crap on the street, and they'll just throw it in your face, and you can't tell them to back off-that's rude. You have to politely ignore them.

I could go on and on about why I can't stand traditional Korean culture, but for the most part I can sum it up like this:
You can not question authority. Whether it be your boss, or someone older. If they tell you to do cartwheels, you do cartwheels. To ask why is an offense to the harmony of your relationship. Just do. What's even worse, if your boss tells you do to, but you think it's a dumb idea, your only choice is to say you're going to do it and then not. It is better to lie than to cause tension with the horrible "why" question.

If you know me, you know how much I'd hate that. I don't by authority from anyone without justification. ANYONE. Let alone some random Korean on the subway telling me he doesn't want me to lay my feet out in the aisle. I'm the king of "Why". So I avoid old people here as much as possible. The younger generation is much more American. I like them for that. The old people hate them.

I certainly don't feel like I'm being "enriched" by the Korean culture. If anything it's doing a great job to help me appreciate the freedom of "why" in America. That's not to say that I dislike Korea or anything like that, and most people are fine. Luckily all my coworkers and bosses are what I would call normal, but it's certainly not everyone...

More on this and much more in the next episode!

Questions, comments, leave them! It's not hard.

Bret