what does it mean to adapt to something? dictionary.com tells me that adaptation is “the modification of individual and social activity in adjustment to cultural surroundings,” and that it's usually a slow and unconscious process. i beg to differ on the latter portion of that definition.
i came to korea almost six months ago (by the way, WHOA) with no expectations and not much clue as to what the culture would be like. i really believe that that was the best way for me to come here, but man if it hasn't been a crazy journey. i've gone through more mental tug-of-wars, more challenges to who i am, and more lengthy thought processes than i ever could have imagined. and i'm not even halfway done the year.
my most recent struggle has been with, of all stupid things, clothing. this culture is very appearance-focused, and i found myself buying clothes that i wouldn't have looked twice at back in the states, dressing up in said articles of clothing every time we would go out, and just in general caring way more than i ever have about what i looked like. all for the sake of feeling like i fit in. i even had the thought one day while walking down the street that my jeans were wrong.
this thought pissed me off.
my jeans aren't wrong. i happen to like my jeans; i find them, like my $2.50 old navy flip-flops which awesomely enough have yet to wear out, very comfortable. they're just not the tight skinny ones that all the korean women wear (although i now have a pair of those), and i wasn't wearing heels with them, which is also typically part of the dress code.
the frustration i felt with this change in myself led to a lot of thinking, which then led to the following conclusion: moving to a new culture and making a life in it is a weird challenge to who you are as a person. no one wants to change aspects of who they are that they like, but you have to be willing to adapt somewhat if you want to truly live as part of the culture in which you've placed yourself. and i believe that adaptation can be a very conscious process.
part of who i am is someone who desires to accept and respect different ways of doing things for what they are, and to take on aspects of those things if they fit in with my perspective. so here i am in korea. i'm surrounded by the culture and i want to learn everything i can about how life/society/etc work here. i've learned a ton so far, both about korea and about living abroad in general, and now i'm at a point where i can begin to make choices about what i absorb and what i accept for what it is. i can choose how i will and will not adapt, and the fact that that can be a conscious decision is really cool to me. in that regard, i think korea is a great first place to live overseas. the lifestyle is easy and it's similar to what i've always known, which allows me the time i need to learn and process new things—like how to really live in another culture without losing sight of who i am. that is important because while i've traveled a decent amount, this is the first time i've moved to a different country to live there.
some recent fun things:
-nick (another foreign teacher at my hagwon) had a friend visit for two weeks. this meant a lot of going out and doing cool stuff, like having steaks on top of namsan and watching a dance-off at a new club we found.
-the kindergartners had a field trip to seoul forest on thursday. this meant running around a giant playground and getting soaked while chasing the kids through a big fountain. i should point out that this was especially awesome because i've been wanting to do both of those things, and i finally had the perfect excuse.
-my new friend michelle (who ellie randomly met on the street one day) took me to a really chill music bar the other night. this meant sitting at the bar and talking to alex and smokey, the cool koreans who work there, while requesting whatever songs/music videos popped into our heads to be played on the big projector screen.
korean class update:
the book we've been using just got really complicated. kate (korean co-teacher who's giving the lessons) decided that it's not so useful to us, so she's going to start teaching us more conversational stuff. this is cool, because i'm starting to meet more korean people and it will be great to actually speak to them. making new korean friends has also meant that my vocabulary is growing to include some more colloquial phrases. recently i've learned "see you later", the equivalent of "oh crap that scared me!", "you're kidding!", and a few choice words which i will use on the next old korean man who asks me if i'm a prostitute (apparently i look russian, which can be an issue because most of the russian girls here are prostitutes).
well, the kids across the alley have finally gone to bed, so i'm going to end this here and get some sleep. i hope that you all are doing well and that september has been a good month so far. i miss everyone—keep in touch!
love,
heather
