MIKE's profileWorld AdventurersPhotosBlogListsMore  |  Tools Help |
|
September 30 Featured Blog: Quemino's WorldIt's the last day of September today. The month wouldn't be complete if I didn't devote some space to featuring another blog I enjoy reading. This month's featured blog is "Quemino's World," the musings of a very nice and eclectic lady I met last year at the APEC Summit in Busan (check out the November 2005 archive for more details). Quemino is my favorite blogger name--I always thought Quemino sounded like a cool brand name, perhaps a clothing line or an upscale establishment. Nah, in reality, it's her name transposed in such a way that it fits her personality. She's a deep thinker who offers acute observations about life and leads you on a meandering journey through her life in fits and starts (she stopped blogging for awhile but returned earlier this year). She has been all over the world, from Korea to Thailand to her former hometown of Seattle (we are fellow Seattleites), to Washington, D.C., where she now resides. We'll probably cross paths again when I return to D.C. next year en route to Paraguay.
Quemino will challenging your senses with some profound observations on an diverse variety of topics ranging from squashed pennies to Starbucks coffee. She is a "hip chick" despite letting her blog languish from time to time (lately, I have no room to talk--it seems I take a week off every two weeks). Her lists featured web sites, blogs, and books for just about anyone. While she really wants to do what I do for a living, she undoubtedly has a brilliant job that takes her to exciting places. After I post this, I plan to write her an e-mail to let her know I featured her blog and hope that she will post a few new entries for you in October. I don't think she has enough time to do it in September!
Blog Notes: I survived an extremely busy week last week. I'm just starting what will be a 10-day vacation at home with my parents in town (hooray!). I will try to blog more in the coming weeks, especially if MSN features my blog again, as one editor hinted they may do. That would be really cool! I would be honored, as always. September 24 Gaming away their futureOver the past few weeks, the western media picked up on the latest trend in Korea--the alarming rise of addiction to online gaming, particularly among youths. BusinessWeek published an article on September 11 highlighting this rising problem. The magazine highlighted the results of a government survey reporting that over 540,000 Koreans between the ages of nine and 39 are so addicted to the Internet that they need counseling to curb their addiction. That's about one in 88 Koreans, a staggering number. Last week the Korea Times reported that the Korean government will introduce "No Internet Day" one day per week at Korean schools to counteract this growing addiction. The problem is apparently so bad in Korea that Internet addiction has eclipsed alcohol, gambling, and drugs. Much of the addiction stems from the prevalance of online gaming, which is much more widely available in Korea at a higher less of sophistication than in the United States. The government estimated that youths spend at least 15 hours per week online. Some youths spend so much time online that some have died from sleep depravation, starvation, or emaciation.
Experts concur that gaming is addictive and that men (and boys) are more prone to play video games. I often see students walking the streets of Seoul, but more often than not, the students are girls. I have often wondered why. I have suspected that female Korean students are more apt to socialize with each other in public settings, such as in public shopping areas. I also believe that male Korean students are more likely to head directly to their local PCbang (computer room) to entertainment themselves with online games; hence, fewer of them are on the streets once school lets out. It's just a hunch, but the news of the rising problem of Internet addiction among Korean youths confirms to me that too many are heading from school to the PCbang for gaming. September 23 Getting it all doneDear Reader, I have not been diligent lately in writing my blog, because life has been pretty hectic for me. Last Wednesday, I took my Spanish language exam via digital video conference, and I improved my Spanish speaking/reading score from 1/2 to 1+/2. Althought the improvement was slight, it was still worth the effort. It's the best I could expect from difficult testing conditions. I took the test from 9:30 p.m. until 1:00 a.m., an odd time that accommodated the Spanish testers' schedules in Washington, D.C. On Friday, after a long day at work, I attended a dinner welcoming my new boss to Seoul. Afterwards, I went out with a good friend to wish him well as he returns to the U.S. Tonight, I ended one year as chair of our community association board. I spoke to our community and updated them on all that the association has accomplished for them in the past year. I try not to openly brag about my accomplishments on this blog (although I do hint sometimes, I know). I do have to write that our board's advisor, and a high-level official, said that I had done the best job of any association chair he had worked with during his career. It warmed my heart to hear that. Serving as chair of our community association was a labor of love. I'm proud of all we did to improve the community association and the community at large. I am tired, though, and I'm ready to take a much needed break. I have to shift gears now and write a report for a conference we recently hosted as well as a magazine article. I plan to go in early tomorrow, on Sunday, and work on it.
Tomorrow night my parents arrive for their first trip to Asia. They will spend the night with us here in Seoul and will leave immediately to spend one week in China on tour. They will return the following week and spend two weeks with us. I will take them to the airport on Monday morning, work all day Monday, go to one last community association meeting to hand over the chairmanship, and then have dinner with some acquaintances. Tuesday night we will host a "hail and farewell" party for colleagues who recently arrived or will be departing soon. Wednesday is our anniversary, and my wife and I are planning a night on the town. On Thursday, I have Spanish tutoring and a much needed night at home. The following Friday, I will join my wife for an evening with her colleagues at the symphony. My parents return the next day, Saturday.
*sigh* That is the way life seems to be right now. Life is much more hectic than I would like it to be. So many things are happening that my wife and I had to make a special calendar so that we can keep track of all the things we have to do until we leave Seoul. I've had to turn down some engagements. We had to say no to a goodbye dinner for some friends, because it conflicts with our anniversary date. I had to forego joining the community choir, because it would be much too great a time commitment for me. As it is, we have just four more months here in Seoul. I have a feeling that life will become even more hectic as our departure date approaches. September 21 Damn YankeesThe New York Yankees, the best Major League Baseball team money can buy, just won the American League East Pennant for the ninth straight year.
Be
Still
My
Beating
Heart
All
I
Can
Say
Is
Go
Mets! September 17 A Rave for MontessoriLast month my son started attending preschool at a Montessori School in Seoul. He absolutely loves it. Although he initially had a bit of difficulty interacting with some children, because he likes to play a bit rough (he loves to "rough house"), he settled down and now is playing well with the other children. His two teachers use the Montessori Method developed by Maria Montessori in the early 1900's to help him learn, a method to which he has adapted well. Originally developed to assist special needs children in Rome, the Montessori Method empowers children to learn at their own pace, teaching them personal responsibility, sensitivity to others, and progressively challenging curricula. Teachers act more as guides than instructors, helping children on a more of an ad hoc basis than does traditional education. While Montessori schoolchildren range in age from preschool to high school, the program is especially effective with younger children like my son. My son was already well on his way to knowing his numbers and alphabet, and he can spell some basic words, including his name. However, since he began attending a Montessori school, he has already learned to spell some complicated English words, including the long form of his first name. The teachers have also channeled and honed his artistic skills, helping him learn how to paint and draw with improved technique. He's well on his way to making beautiful art.
I think that Montessori schools are an excellent educational option for preschool-aged children. I also believe it's a good program for older children, although I don't have firsthand experience with Montessori's youth programs. Montessori schools can be expensive, which is a primary reason why most children do not attend these schools. However, if you have the money and the opportunity to enroll your child in a Montessori school, I highly recommend investigating this option. We plan to continue our son's Montessori education when we're back in the United States. Unfortunately, our next destination, Paraguay, does not have an English-language Montessori School. We'll make do with what we can find in Asuncion. September 14 Korea's lagging productivityAccording to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, a United Nations organization comprised of the world's 30 largest economies, South Korea's average hourly productivity between 2000 and 2004 was $10.40 per hour, equating to $10.40 earned in economic output produced each hour by a Korean worker. In contrast, the average productivity of a U.S. worker between 2000 and 2004 was $40.00 per hour, nearly four times more than that of the average Korean worker. U.S. productivity on a per hour, per worker basis exceeded that of any other OECD nation, including runner-up Japan, whose workers each produced on average $39.90 in economic output per hour. The U.S. was more productivity during this period by this measure and than that of any other economy, including all European countries. My friend married to an Austrian who insist that Austrians are more efficient than Americans can put that myth away.
If you're a working American, it's OK to smile knowing that you're one of the most productive people on the planet, even more efficient than the vaunted Japanese salaryman. If you're an American expatriate working long term in Korea, you may also nod your head upon reading this statistic, because the OECD confirmed what has been gnawing at you for quite some time--the feeling that on a per-hour basis you are more productive than your Korean counterparts. Still, the OECD's statistic does not quite tell the whole story. For one, Koreans work about 25% more hours annually than Americans do. This boosts their overall annual productivity by 25%. In addition, the OECD statistic measures the period 2000-04. Koreans are no doubt more productive in 2006 than they were in 2000, the beginning of the period measured by the OECD. In addition, Korean productivity gains very likely exceeded American productivity gains during the same period. Korean workers are also more likely to be involved in manufacturing than their American counterparts, who are more likely to be engaged in services. While productivity gains occur in both sectors, productivity advances in service sectors frequently outpace manufacturing gains.
Yet, any way you look at this statistic and try to explain it away, one fact is indisputable--Americans can still get almost four times as much done in an hour as Koreans do! September 11 Remembering 9/11Five years ago today I was in Washington State, walking into the plant where they built the four jets used as missiles that crashed into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and a field in Pennsylvania. I drove to work, not tuning into the morning news as I usually do during my morning commute. I was oblivious to what had transpired. As I walked into the facility, someone asked me, "Did you hear what happened?" They proceeded to tell me the news of the World Trade Center crash. The Pentagon had not yet been hit, and only one of the Twin Towers had fallen. I thought they were joking, because what had happened at the time seemed nothing short of unreal. I soon realized that this was no joke. I sat silently with my fellow employees glued to our radios, hoping to hear any news amid chaos erupting on the East Coast. The Internet was down due to overload, and web sites like CNN.com were inaccessible from heavy traffic. Work had to wait.
Just two weeks later, I left that company to pursue my MBA. Just two years later, determined to serve my country and make a difference in the world, I took a new assignment. I am now on the front lines of foreign service and am dedicated to promoting American interests and helping keep Americans and America secure. I love this job and wouldn't trade it for the world. This is where I need to be right now. I don't think it would have happened had not that fateful day on September 11, 2001, when the world changed, and America changed. At the 9/11 ceremony today, with flag at half mast, taps, and a memorial speech, I was reminded of that day five years ago and how it changed my life.
On this fifth anniversary of 9/11, I hope and pray for peace. I hope for peace in Iraq and Afghanistan. I hope for peace between Democrats and Republicans. I hope for peace between Israelis and Palestinians. I hope for peace in the War on Terror. I hope for peace between Blue Staters and Red Staters. I hope for peace between the Two Koreas. In all conflicts, I hope for peace. There will likely never be true peace on earth in the life we live now, but one can hope that at least we'll have a bit of respite and a temporary ceasefire of hostilities. It's probably more than we can hope for in this world. There is a lot of fear, anger, and bitterness among people. I wish that this day will help temper these feelings and create more goodwill. September 10 Our first tolTonight we went to our first tol, a Korean-style first birthday party. It was quite an extravagant event. A family we met while we were in Virginia in 2004 invited us for their daughter's first birthday. The tol, or first birthday, a big milestone in a child's life and cause for huge celebration in Korea. While a first birthday party for an American child often consists of a small gathering of friends and family who celebrate the occasion with a birthday cake and candles, perhaps even at McDonald's, a Korean tol is much more elaborate. The mom who invited us to celebrate her daughter's birthday insisted that this tol was a middling affair, but I was very impressed. She rented the entire floor at a restaurant that specializes in hosting tol in a building overlooking Toksu Palace in downtown Seoul. It must have cost hundreds of dollars. The party featured a full buffet with dessert table and an assortment of drinks. The spread was delicious. The centerpiece of the tol is a dais situated above the attendees where the child is seated amidst a bounty of food and gifts. The tol at tonight's event was a table, behind which the proud parents stood with their daughter in their arms in front of a big cake, surrounded by colorful pink and lavender balloons.
An emcee hosted the event, offering a play-by-play account of the action. The birthday girl's parents placed five different objects in front of their daughter in the hope that she will choose one of them: 1) A microphone; 2) A stethoscope; 3) Pencils; 4) Money; and 5) Yarn. The five objects represent entertainment, medicine, education, wealth, and longevity. Whichever object the one-year-old child chooses allegedly determines his or her future. The emcee announced that the birthday girl had chosen the microphone, a symbol that she will have a very entertaining life. Afterwards, the emcee hosted a raffle and gave away gifts to members of the audience. I was given a number, but I'm glad my name didn't come up because the dialogue was in Korean, not English. I was told that if I had been chosen, I would have had had to wish the child well with some pithy saying in order to claim my gift. While I wish the birthday girl well, I was happy to let the Koreans do the public well wishing.
Why is a child's first birthday such a big occasion in South Korea? Even as recently as the 1970s, child mortality in South Korea was very high (it is still very high in North Korea). Many child died before their first birthday. If they reached their first birthday, their chances of long-term survival increased substantially. The tol is a Korean traditional celebration the optimism that the child will live to at least adulthood. Nowadays, the event is thankfully more of a formality than an actual affirmation that a Korean child will survive infancy.
For the Shutterbugs: I posted three new photo albums from our trip to Jeju Island. Enjoy! September 09 A bilingual elephant?Yahoo! published an interesting news article about an elephant at Everland Theme Park in Yongin, Korea that speaks some Korean. Apparently elephants have the ability to mimick sounds, including noises and rudimentary speech. In this elephant's case, he spent so much time with his caretaker over the years that he learned how to mimick several short Korean words, including "yes," "no," "sit," and "lie down." Elephants actually communicate through sound and body language. It's unclear whether this elephant understands the meaning of the words he's speaking, but one could argue that he expresses them as a form of communication.
What I actually wondered tonight was whether the elephant could learn multiple languages and become bi- or trilingual. He already speaks elephantish (referred to as "a-rroo!" in native elephantish), and now he can imitate some Korean words. If this elephant was shipped from Everland to the San Diego Zoo and stayed there for several years, could he imitate a few English words too? The possibilities boggle the mind. As it is, one could make the case that he is the world's first bilingual elephant. Given the Korean's insatiable thirst to learn English as a second language, it's surprising that the elephant did not gravitate towards learning English instead! September 05 Jeju, Land of the PhallusiansDear Reader, before you read tonight's entry, I urge you to review the accompanying photo album so that you can see for yourself that I am not merely engaging in sophmoric humor when I write that Jeju Island is a maternal culture with an hyperactive fixation on a prominent feature of the male anatomy. The island has never served as a penile colony, and yes, the culture is matriarchical. BUT--and that's a big BUT--as I stood and beheld Oedolgae, the lonely rock in Seogwipo, I was suddenly exposed to the naked truth that was hidden right before my very eyes! It is a secret that quite possibly exists just to give the locals a jolly good laugh whenever they watch naive tourists mindlessly ogle the mysterious harubang, bulbous statues that have been erected around the island and stand at attention in kitschy souvenir shops. The phallic images that fill Jeju Island are not limited to man-made creations. Natural, hardened rock formations and pillars of cooled lava flows festoon the island, kindling the imagination.
Am I merely out of my head? The nuances are hard to ignore once you uncover the truth. Surely I'm not the only one who believes that Jeju Island was populated ages ago by libidinous voyeurs with phallic tendencies who passed these traditions on to their progeny...and spawned a generation of souvenir hawkers and tour agents. Could early Jejuans have actually descended from the mythical Phallusians? It's enough to make you go...hmm. September 04 Back from Jeju IslandWe returned from our Labor Day weekend trip to Jeju Island earlier tonight. I wish I could write that a restful time was had by all, but alas, we played much too hard for that. I'll write more about it tomorrow and post a grab bag of new photos for you to enjoy.
One thought I will share tonight is that I don't think Hawai'i is a suitable comparison for Jeju Island. Jeju, a large, subtropical island about 85 kilometers south of the southernmost tip of the Korean Peninsula, is often compared to Hawai'i for its warm climate and unique culture. Although Jeju features unique cultural assets I will expand upon in further detail over the coming days, it is still Korean, whereas Hawai'i is largely a mixture of Polynesian and American influences. Hawai'i is also tropical, isolated, and it features a chain of volcanic islands, the largest of which is still active. Jeju is a solitary island. While Mt. Halla (Hallasan) on Jeju Island features a large, convex shape similar to that of Mauna Loa on Hawai'i's Big Island, it is dormant and much smaller than either Mauna Kea or Mauna Loa, Hawai'i's two largest peaks. Jeju is also known to snow in winter. Hawai'i's twin mountain giants both get snow, but the lowlands on the Hawai'ian islands never see snow.
So which location do I think most resembles Jeju Island? Obviously, culturally Jeju Island culture is most akin to Korean culture, albeit Korean culture with a unique twist. However, geographically Oregon State may actually offer the closest comparison to the climate on Jeju Island. Jeju's terrain resembles the Pacific coastal region between central Oregon and northern California. The Oregon Coast features a wet climate, dramatic terrain, beautiful beaches, dormant volcanos (e.g. Crater Lake), twisty roads, even palm trees. Oregon is also home to several Pacific Northwest Native American tribes, although they are based further inland and along the Washington State and British Columbian coasts. The southern Oregon Coast features largely deciduous trees with a smattering of pine and palm trees. It also snows in Oregon, although infrequently during the winter. Oregon is a gem many tourists visit each year, but it lacks the glitz and penache offered by Hawai'i. That is reason enough for Korea to promote Jeju as the Korean version of Hawai'i, rather than a locale to which it more closely resembles. September 01 A little bit of Paraguay in KoreaTonight I attended the grand opening of an exhibit at the Gallery Bellarte in Seoul featuring paintings by Paraguayan artist Ernan Miranda. My family will be heading to Paraguay next year for two years, so I was excited to join the festivities and catch a glimpse of Paraguayan art and culture right here in Korea. The crowd included a mixture of Korean and foreign dignitaries. I met the Paraguayan Ambassador to Korea and his deputy, both of whom are very cordial gentlemen who talked to me for a bit about Paraguay. We briefly talked about my upcoming trip to Paraguay. Both asked me if I played soccer. Um, not really, I thought, but of course I tapdanced around that question by saying that I haven't played for a long, long (long) time. Perhaps I'll have to buy a pair of cleats and learn quickly how to play the game--when I get to Paraguay. I hope that I have an opportunity to meet them again. We could very likely cross paths again in Korea or in Paraguay. Paraguay is not a large country.
The paintings were exquisite, bright, colorful, and filled with eye-catching scenes of everyday life. Fruit, especially a solitary papaya, played a prominent theme in some of the paintings. The images seemed to rise from the canvas in almost a third dimension, tempting the onlooker to reach out and grab them from the air. Mr. Miranda is indeed a master painter. I'm happy to see that Paraguayan art and culture has made its way from South America to a place not often associated with Latin American culture. Paraguay has a small Korean community, many of whom are expatriates whom moved there to seek prosperity following the Korean War. Korea does not have many Paraguayan expats beyond the Paraguayan Embassy. However, exhibits such as Mr. Miranda's will help the two countries better understand one another and forge a stronger relationship between the two cultures.
Blog Notes: Today my family and I will venture to Jeju Island for three days. I will probably be offline during this time and will write again when I return about our adventures. Dear Reader, please have a wonderful, labor-free Labor Day weekend. |
|
|
