New Sense of Pride?

I was asked this today by a Korean American. His was raised in Pusan, S. Korea but his family moved to California when he was still young. He continues to live and work in California with his now Korean wife and three kids. He visits Korea often, at least once a year. I thought it was an interesting question, but very valid b/c as I thought about it I realized that yes, I do have a new found respect and sense of pride for a country I never knew, yet is very much a part of me.

During my trip, there was much I discovered about Koreans and their culture and as I learned these new things a lot of them reminded me of myself. Both good and bad things. The love for fashion (hopefully not to the point of vanity), their friendliness towards strangers, their devotion to help & serve others, their respect for their families and close friends, their love for learning, and their pride for their country and culture. Koreans work hard and play hard and that's what made it so fun to visit.

I found the slightly ridiculousness of the chaos I witnessed as amusing, although not everyone might see it that way. The ladies were completely impractical about their dress code. Along the streets, on the subway, at the shopping centers, in the hotels, even on the beaches, in north and south of the Republic of Korea I saw women in high heels, not plain heels one would go to work in, heels that shimmered or stood out on any ordinary shelf, and most often wearing bright or funky clothes to match. On the flip side I also saw girls, typically younger, in tight jeans, loose t-shirts layered with tanks wearing flip flops or extremely decked out flats (usually gladiator style). It was like seeing a fashion magazine come to life.

The drivers drove like they were walking the streets of Seoul. Lanes do not exist in Korea. They're simply a guideline, until you get on the freeway, then they're obeyed. Even though it sounds completely dangerous there is some sort of silent agreement amongst the Korean drivers. They all know when someone is about to cut them off or swerve around them. And oddly enough the drivers don't drive fast, they just don't drive in straight lines. I theorize that it could be due to the high levels of caffeine. Erik and I sat down in a small but populated pocket of Seoul and counted as many as 10 coffee shops just in a radius of 1 block. The coolest thing about this was that they were all different stores (Holly's Coffee, Starbucks, Coffine Garunaru, Dunkin Donuts, The Coffee Bean, Pasucci, Paris Baguette, etc). I did not see a Pete's, SBC or Tully's amazingly. If you love coffee, teas, or smoothies, Korea is definitely a good place for you to visit.

Although there are 12 million people in Seoul, the only time I felt like crowds are an issue was when I took the metro during commuting hours. People push to get a seat on a subway like it's the last chair in game Musical Chairs, and this wasn't just one age group, it was everyone. It was always entertaining to see a 70 year old women bat away a teenager. Erik and I usually stayed standing.

If anything, Korea felt whole. About 95% of the people in Korea were Korean (or at least looked Korean), and most everything Koreans used (cars, clothes, appliances) were all Korean made. Hyundais, Kias, even Samsung cars littered the streets of Korea. I rarely saw a beamer, although more than Hondas or Toyotas. It was interesting to see the homogeneity. It showed that the country can be proud of their people and their ability to provide for their country.