Happy Chuseok! September 14, 2008

Today is Chuseok, Korea’s Moon Festival. Massive numbers of people have fled Seoul to go home and pay respects to their ancestors.  Yesterday, when I finally ventured out into the emptiness, the usually crowded streets of Seoul was eerily quiet, as many of the stores are boarded up, and the neighborhood alleyways were free of scooters, cars, and pedestrians.  

Today also happens to be my birthday.  I now know what all those kids with birthdays on Christmas, Thanksgiving, Leap Year, etc felt like.  Although I like to joke that all of Korea is celebrating my birthday, it really isn’t fun when nothing is open and most people are gone.  I am lucky though that I have friends who like to stay up late in bars (specifically a place called Mafia), as I got a nice birthday cake surprise and several yummy shots at midnight, before everyone had to head out to Chuseok activities today.

I had a friend who at some point decided to only celebrate what she called “the really important birthdays” – those that end in a 5 or 0.  I don’t really subscribe to this philosophy because i really like cake and presents, but more importantly, 34 represents an opportunity for me to sprint and leap past all the things that sucked in the past year.  

So, in the spirit of moving on and keeping it real, here are the things i learned this past year:

- love isn’t enough.  i ended two very important things this past year, a relationship and my decade-long work in public policy.  i was passionate for the cause, but felt totally ineffective.  similarly, i loved my partner, but the two of us together just didn’t work.  the reality is that there needs to be more.

- i need to care less about what people think.  i was told that people think that i’m difficult to date.  OUCH, that hurt.  maybe shy, maybe cautious, maybe hard to get to know, but difficult?  i don’t want to care what you think.

- there is no asian american movement, but maybe the 2nd gen will change that.  i’m told that because i’m chinese, then i can’t possibly care about other ethnic groups.  again, i need to stop caring what people think.

- anti-intelligence is alive and well in the U.S (why is intelligence equated with elitism?).  as a know-it-all, i want to learn things and i hope my leaders would too.  there is nothing wrong with wanting to know things.

- i need to go dancing more.  i definitely don’t care what people think about my dancing.

on that optimistic note, i’m looking forward to a really fabulous year of being 34!

Sharing House September 2, 2008

“We must record these things that were forced upon us. – Hak-soon Kim”

this quote captures the essence of the Sharing House.  i went to the Sharing House this past weekend.  luckily through the small progressive community network, i found out about English tours that are conducted there.  the Sharing House was established around 1992, originally in Seoul, and then moved to its outskirts a few years later.  it’s a place for the halmoni (korean word for grandmother that is used instead of the euphemistic term comfort women) to find a support system and to publicize the truth about the issue, both domestically and internationally.

Largely due to some vocal members, NAPAWF supported a lot of the advocacy in the US on the issue.  I was fortunate to have had the opportunity to learn about the issue from these members.  But just like all my policy work, all the academic knowledge about the issue couldn’t give me the emotional preparation for hearing a halmoni speak about it first-hand.

there are seven halmonis who currently live at the Sharing House.  sadly, many of the women are reaching old age and dying.  despite their weekly protests in front of the japanese embassy every wednesday at noon, many in society have forgotten about them, relegating them to old history, or some who would like to revise history to completely purge their stories.  we had the privilege of talking with one halmoni, who had been kidnapped at 15 to work in a japanese military air field and then transferred to a “comfort station.”  like any person who has undergone a traumatic experience, she described a lot of details as to what happened in her life before the experience, and then talked a lot about what is important to her life now, like her grandson.  the whole time she told her story though, i kept hearing echoes of other people who had undergone traumatic experiences.  whether it is the terror of hiroshima a-bomb survivors, turkish immigrants in neo-nazi germany, genocide victims in rwanda, it is incredible both how cruel humans can be and how humans can survive these horrific events.  

it was also overwhelming to hear about the great suffering and to once again, feel completely powerless to achieve justice.  the halmonis have been demanding so little for so long, yet they still have not achieved a true, sincere apology from the japanese government.  instead, more koreans seem to be more impassioned over some barely inhabitable rocks in the sea, than real-life people living among them.  (see this link for more information about the Dokdo Islands debate:  http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/08/28/asia/island.php?pass=true).  Even Dunkin Donuts sells t-shirts about Dokdo (they read:  Do you Know?  Dokdo Belongs to Korea).  Can you believe it?  Dunkin Donuts is engaged in a political campaign for these islands!  But, sadly, where is the support and advocacy for the halmonis?

once again, i feel powerless and i do not understand.

American Beef August 25, 2008

The media has been portraying the protests in Seoul as some crazy paranoia of American beef and mad cow disease.  Instead, the protests have been an amazing democratic uprising in response to a conservative president and his corrupt administration (sound familiar?).  The protests erupted in May, and have been continuing on an ongoing basis for the last several months.  The pressure has achieved some dramatic changes, but people are still very unhappy with the current administration.

On August 15, Korea celebrated its independence day.  Instead of sitting around and stuffing their faces with barbeque, a massive number of people turned out for a protest to demonstrate true patriotism in advocating for improved changes to their government.  i was in the loop enough to know that it was 7 pm at City Hall.

At 6:30, i got there to find that City Hall had been completely encircled by buses and riot police.  There was no way that anybody was going to get into the public space in front of City Hall.  Squads of riot police also decided to line up in rows 10 deep on every major corner around City Hall.  Ironically, one of the spots was right in front of a Dunkin Donuts (random side note:  Dunkin Donuts sells political t-shirts about the Dokdo controversy – more on that later).

I milled about in the rain, not really sure what/where to go.  Some of my favorite pictures are of the oblivious folks who are walking around right in front of the riot police.  For almost an hour, I basically just hung out and watched the whole show – I got to see squads of riot police line up, run away all of a sudden, and then run back.  

I was starting to think the whole thing was a bust because I did not see anyone resembling a protester – just a lot of people walking through the area.  Then, one man came and held a candle in front of the palace (right next to the Dunkin Donuts and across from City Hall).  Others started gathering around him with candles too.  it was a pretty disappointing sight because there were maybe 30 people max who were there (little did I know).

Finally, a monk showed up and started to beat out a rhythm.  The riot police got all threatening, but that didn’t last long, as the monk started to walk, beating out a rhythm as he led the way.  I had no idea what compelled me, but I decided to follow him and the other small legion of protesters.  Everybody dutifully followed him down these winding roads and alleys, until we passed a huge barricade of riot police that had blocked off an entire street.

That’s when I heard this amazing sound.   I realized, before I could even see, that THIS was it!  All I could hear was singing, the voices of thousands of people in unison.  As I got closer, I realized I was seeing huge flags being waved in the air, and that there were so many people who had filled the space (as far as the eye could see).  Despite not knowing what was being sung, i’ll never forget the feeling i had at that moment -tens of thousands of people feeling the words of this beautiful song in unity as they sang together – i don’t think i can adequately describe the feeling I had that moment.

By comparison, the protests in the US feel so individualistic.  Everybody’s got their pet issue and it’s all about being different and standing out in the sea of different groups.  there’s no music or chants or songs that seem to unify everyone in a cohesive way.  this protest was amazing – there were really young people, really old people, and everyone in between.  no crazy costumes, walking on stilts, random signs.  people were all carrying placards, candles, or waving these huge flags.  the vibe was so different because it felt a lot more real, less about theatrics and more about really believing in what you’re protesting.

when the riot police moved in, it also became clear that this wasn’t like a protest in the US where the police are primarily escorts.  they actually were forcibly breaking up the protest, including spraying a gigantic stream of water at the protesters.  a lot of people were running, visibly panicked, and it scared me (being my first protest, i didn’t know what to expect).  not every place responds as nonchalantly as in SF.  i’ve heard that despite South Korea being a democracy, its response to protests is still quite old school – overly forceful and threatening.  it reminded me of all the images of civil rights protesters being hosed down.  

everyone was disbanded as the police started to move in.  i followed the masses out of the alleyways. i wish i knew Korean to be more in the loop, but for those of you who know the language, here’s a link to one of the websites:  www.antimadcow.org.

Plastic Surgery Capital August 20, 2008

apgujeong is the plastic surgery capital, and i somehow ended up calling this neighborhood “home.”  want a nose job? chin lift? double eyelids? you can get any procedure at every “doctor’s” office within walking distance from my apartment. they even advertise in the subway, preying on the insecurities of everybody who walks through.  and just in case you miss the ads, the subway map of the neighborhood also shows where they all are so you don’t get lost.

luckily, the surrounding superficiality rarely enters my daily experiences in the neighborhood.  my apartment is currently in a four-story brick building, between a corner market and tailor shop on one end of the block, and a clothing store on the other.  all the other teachers live in the same area, and three of them are in the same building.  it makes hanging out, having dinner, and borrowing movies all incredibly easy.  it feels like college again  :)

the food options are incredible.  i calculated that buying groceries and cooking was more expensive than eating out and required washing dishes.  so, having reverted back to my college days, i’m eating out practically every meal.  in my year here, i doubt i’ll be able to even fully explore every place in my own little neighborhood!

the things i dig most about my hood so far are 1) the han river and 2) karosugil, the most beautiful street in seoul.  the han river has been such a formative part of my korea experience that it deserves its own, upcoming post (with pictures).   karosugil is like a bay area neighborhood, where there are mom & pop stores, cute/trendy shops, restaurants, and cafes.  wandering around karosugil is like exploring lakeshore in oakland.  it also got a lot better when my friend introduced me to a store that actually carries clothing in size “large” (most stores in korea only have small or medium clothing).  retail therapy is so much more effective when you can fit into the clothes.

come visit!

 

 

Migrant Worker Rights August 11, 2008

i can only stay out of learning about social justice issues so long.  despite the nice hiatus of feeling like i’ve been on vacation the past month, i’ve been craving to be more in touch with the political and social issues here.  i finally got a chance when i met up with a friend of a friend (Linda) at the 3rd annual migrant worker film festival.  i would have never heard of this festival on my own (considering i’m living in a very non-social justice bubble), but Linda works for Migrant Worker Television.  MWTV develops mini “news shows” that are broadcast in multiple languages via the internet, and basically inform immigrants about a range of things, from the latest happenings in immigration law and crackdowns to cultural events.  Check it out here:  www.mwtv.kr.  just click on the English link, and you can check out one of the news segments.  

the two films that i want to recommend from the film festival are “Goodbye Terrorist” and “Paper Dolls.”  Goodbye Terrorist is a short film (probably less than 30 minutes long) about an immigrant living in Korea.  it’s a very real heartbreaking story where he’s not paid for work that he did, and cannot go back to his family.  as you can tell from the title, he somehow gets suspected of being a terrorist and it’s just so sad what happens.  the person who plays the main character is actually an activist with the Burmese Action group, but he’s fantastic despite not having any professional training.  you can tell, he was just using the emotions from his own personal experiences.

I had been wanting to see Paper Dolls for a long time.  Many of you know that I was part of developing the Helen Zia Fellowship for Social Change (with Andy).  Carmina, who participated in the fellowship, screened paper dolls at an organizing event to raise awareness of the issues faced by Pilipino domestic workers in Israel.  The twist is that all the workers are transgender, and they experience being an “outsider,” not only in Israel but also their home country.  The Paper Dolls refers to their group name when they perform shows in Israel. It’s a really fabulous documentary that lets you really get to know the different members of the Paper Dolls, and seems to follow them for quite some time, because you get to see the labor, immigration, and identity issues they face.

there was another documentary that highlighted the perilous journey of several people from Bangladesh who were trying to get to Europe.  it really struck me that i’ve been so domestically focused for so long that i had no idea about the immigration patterns that immigrants take to other countries.  we all know about immigrants from Mexico and Guatemala having to cross the border and travel through deserts, sometimes to their death.  This film highlighted immigrants who went from Bangladesh to Algeria by plane, piled into an AV vehicle that went across the desert, walked across a mountain on foot for 3 days, and then were driven to Morocco.  when they got to morocco, they had to cross the sea in a raft to try to get to Spain.  it was a horrendous ordeal, and about half of the people died en route.  those who survived still didn’t make it, as they were picked up by immigration and sent home.  the sad thing was realizing that immigrants all over face so many of the same issues as immigrants in the US.  it may be a different border or a different route, but the challenges are so similar.

After seeing the movies, there was a grand opening party with musical performances – Bengali dancers, a migrant worker rock band, and african drumming & dancing.  It reminded me of the bay area so much, and was sorely needed.  There were activists organizing immigrants from a bunch of different countries – Nepal, India, Sri Lanka, Philippines, Burma, etc.  it was actually multicultural (which does not seem so common here).  

the really wonderful thing was seeing the organizing that people are doing here to improve immigrants’ lives.  i still don’t know all the campaigns or issues that folks are working on, but i hope to get involved in whatever capacity i can.  

so one idea i was kicking around in my head is whether/how open borders would work.  i know it’s a catchy slogan, but it’s a little like the word “peace” – everyone supports it but nobody really can articulate what it means.  i imagine there would be chaos initially, but then would equilibrium eventually set in?  i imagine there would also need to be some stronger global body to create standard laws around worker’s rights, or the multinational corporations would simply become even stronger than they are now.  any thoughts?

My Waking Life August 7, 2008

a typical workday involves rolling out of bed at 8 am, getting ready, and then walking to Jackie’s Clinic at 8:35ish.  i can usually get there in about 15-20 minutes.  after 2.5 years of commuting an hour and a half to Sacramento, this is my dream commute.  i love the fact i can walk to work and have a million choices for breakfast along the way, all while listening to my ipod. it’s every non-commuter’s, non-cook’s DREAM.

Jackie’s Clinic is one of the millions of hagwons in Korea that employ english speakers to be teachers. unlike the bad rap that many hagwons get, Jackie’s is completely legitimate, cares about the kids actually learning, and is a really, really fun place to work.  basically Korean kids spend a LOT of time in school – actually it’s on a level similar to what my parents tried to replicate for me, but fortunately didn’t have access to all the crazy programs that are available here.  most of my kids have regular school in the morning, and then go to several other schools after that.  Jackie’s for English, but there are other schools for science, math, sports, art, etc, etc.  

i teach mostly the really young, lower level kids (first and second grade).  it’s been super fun because the kids at that age are still really cute and funny.  they haven’t had the creativity beaten out of them yet.  but, most of all, i love the crazy hilarious things that happen every day.  here’s what my job involves:

- making at least one trip every day to the first aid kit, largely to bandage paper cuts, but sometimes for larger cuts and scrapes.

- repairing shoes that have come apart.  i’m an expert at taping together shoe parts and soles.

- finding the inside of a kid’s entire mouth is blue because he stuck a marker in there.

- covering for another teacher who had a student who pooped in his pants

- taking stickers away for bad behavior, whining, and anything else that is absolutely annoying

- reprimanding kids for calling each other names, or worse 

- consoling children who cry because they only got a 99% on the test, and not a 100%.

- comforting kids who bang their head on the table as they pick up dropped erasers (why is it only boys who always do this?)

- coming up with really fun and random topics for journal writing.

- pretending that i can’t find my kids when they are hiding in my classroom.

It’s challenging to spice up the curriculum a lot of times (think what it’s like to have to learn words and grammar again), but i’ve been lucky because some of my classes just have the right dynamic and we’ve been able to do some really fun things.  for example, one of my classes made combination animals – you pick 3 of your favorite animals and then combine them.  so, giraffe + dog + monkey = gidomo.  the kids spent hours making up these animals and writing about them.  another class loves writing stories collectively – each kid writes a sentence and then they all switch places to write the next sentence.  

right now, i’m done at 6:30, except 8:30 on fridays.  we all dash out of there and head home – all the teachers live in the same general area (it’s almost like being in the college dorms again) and we often grab dinner together.  

if there’s nothing else going on that night, i usually end my day with a run along the river parkway.  yes, i walk/run along the river parkway at 10 pm at night, it’s completely safe because there are a million other people doing the same thing.  the view is beautiful as you can see seoul all lit up across the river, and the starry night.  pictures of this scene will be coming, as soon as i get a tripod.

off to bed…

Hello World! August 3, 2008

over the next few days, I hope to be able to fill everybody in on the past several weeks, when I’ve largely been off-line.

i had never been to Korea before, so I wasn’t sure what to expect.  it was definitely “like at first sight” -the view from my airplane seat shows how there is so much water and so many lush green mountains!  Seoul itself is about an hour away from the airport, but even in the midst of this vibrant city, there are tons of mountains with lots of trees.  you can take a cab or subway to go hiking!