USA USA

Another kinda awkward foreigner moment for Mark...

Last night we were at dinner at a little hole in the wall restaurant in our neighborhood and a report about Osama Bin Laden's death came on the news. Then they flashed to footage of Americans celebrating and chanting "USA USA." Every single head in the place immediately swiveled to stare at Mark like they expected him to erupt out of his seat, jump on the table, and join in.

So, while we weren't performing any shows for the Koreans, we were very happy to hear the news and hope that this will mean the world will be a little more peaceful.

Who says you can't find big shoes in Korea?????

Taken in Myeongdong on a studying Sunday. :)

That is one HUGE...

Now may be the time to start sending Mark some encouraging emails. His ego has officially taken a major beat-down these past few days. First, being told he looks like he's 40, then the incident at today's lunch....

Mark and I have separate language exchange partners that we practice Korean with. We were supposed to have a "double lunch date" today, but my partner was too tired and bailed. So I tagged along with Mark and his partner, Erin.

Just to give a little background, she's this cute little Korean girl who can speak English fairly well. She is also obsessed with learning English slang. (She actually watches American movies to try to pick up as much slang as she can.)

We started out talking about how Korean food is healthier than Western food. Mark mentioned that he's lost quite a bit of weight since he first arrived in Korea and that he used to be a lot heavier a couple years ago. Without missing a beat, Erin said in her broken English, "Oh, so you were a fat ass?" I nearly spit my water all over the table. Uh...

After that we had to explain to Erin that it's really never appropriate to call someone a "fat ass." Especially to their face.

That brought us to another MAJOR cultural difference between Korea and the US. Apparently, in Korea, the best way to tease friends is to tell them they're fat or that they've gained a lot of weight. Erin was shocked that it is a major no-no to tell anyone (much less friends) that they're looking fatter lately.

All in all, it was a very successful language exchange. We got to practice for our interview this week, and Erin learned two important lessons that may prevent her from getting beat up should she ever visit the United States or Canada. :)

::Image courtesy of cis.jhu.edu::

Grandpa Material

You know how Westerners tend to think Asians look younger than they really are? Well, we found out last night that the exact OPPOSITE is true when Koreans (at least the ones we know) see white people.

Our friends Kerry and Yuni were telling us that they can't judge how old white people are. So of course, we had to use Mark as our guinea pig. They admitted that when they first met him, they thought he was in his late 30s or early 40s. Our other friend, Ellen, thought he was the same age as her uncle! Ouch.

I must admit, I love that I can tease him about it, after listening to him go on and on about how he married an "older woman." I may be three months older than him, but according to Korean standards, he looks like he's more than ten years older than me! Ha~!

Who wants the window seat?

Just a random billboard ad for a Korean wax museum. I love the seat mates up front! Bet those would be some enlightened conversations!

A funny Incident on the Subway

This past weekend I was riding on the subway with Mark, SangKwun, and one of Emily's friends. Emily's friend was was really nice and spoke some English. She and I were lucky enough to find seats right next to each other, while SangKwun and Mark had to sit further down the car. We spent the time chatting. When we got to Emily's friend's subway stop, she got off, and a Caucasian girl who looked about my age slid into the seat next to me and said..................

::in an exaggerated, I'm talking to a foreigner voice... you know the voice, loud, slow, voice, enunciating every syllable:: 

"I heard you speaking English. And you are VEERRY GOOOD!!!!!" ::Please note that as she said VEERRY GOOD, she gave me a thumbs up... no I'm not kidding, an actual exaggerated thumbs up sign.::

Wow. All I could say in response was, "Well, I should hope so since I'm FROM America." Then it got really awkward. And I'm still laughing about it now. :-)

Goosed!

Today while we were waiting to board the subway, Mark had quite the jolting experience. A lady who appeared to be in her 50s, sidled up behind him and firmly grabbed his behind. With a shocked expression, he turned around to see who or what had violated him. He saw the lady move on to the person standing next to him and give them the same treatment.

We have not figured out what sort of custom this is.... but in the meantime, it's definitely highly entertaining (more for me than for poor Mark).

I am a kyopo!

K: I just found out today that when I go to Korea, they will call me a "kyopo" - meaning Korean-American.

Oh and something on the lighter side: I read a post earlier that said that Koreans get kind of mad when they see a Korean woman with an American man. People said they experienced dirty looks and mean glares. All I can say is that will be one nervy Korean who stares down (haha - or maybe the better word is UP) at Mark. Having that experience will be reason enough to relocate for a year... hahahha...