미국사람

Going abroad has taught me things that I never expected, exposed me to sights I never knew existed and has made me grow older than the usual few months would.

I have had my world turned upside down. Things that I thought were "common sense" are actually "American culture". Experiencing philosophies I've studied being applied has made me completely change many opinions I once held in high esteem. I have seen stereotypes and misconceptions from around the world be proven and disproved in a single night, and I have been accused of being "too American" when I try to fight for what I believe is right. I have learned who I am and where I belong, I have learned what I believe and why I study. I am living as a foreigner in a land far from home.... and yet I still don't manage to feel lost.

Amongst the anger, the shocks, the excitement, the disappointment, the nostalgia, the homesickness, and the knowledge and experiences, I have had no choice but realize where I am. Korea, an entire country smaller than my home state with more national pride than the US combined, has taken my mind by surprise. Through the half-truthful desires of peace, to the nearly unknown history ranging from Feudal times to foreign occupation to civil war to military dictatorship to corrupt democracy the country continues to feel a strong sense of national pride. A strong sense of Korean pride, that belongs to Koreans. A pride that I will never be fully accepted into, because, for the first time in my life, with one look people know I'm different... and they let you know through the constant

stares

at the amazement of a foreigner seemingly to have magically made it to their country.

But I digress.

The country is beautiful. It's beautiful and magical and has a history longer than I can properly wrap my brain around. I am seeing seasons I have not seen since I was a kid. Just today, it snowed-the first snow of the season-and it was very much a strange sight to see. At first, I wasn't quite sure what I was even seeing! There are hills everywhere, where I am, and it creates quite a nice background for walking around (although these days it's getting to cold to take a brisk walk).

So, in this note, I will not put the gruesome details of how strange things have gotten, how strange they've really gotten. This is just a small update to let some people into how life is generally going.

and to save this more abstract note from being too long

However, I will like to say, one of my professors is probably one of the most amazing people I will ever meet, and I didn't know how amazing he was until just yesterday. A brief rundown of his life thus far:

He was born in North Korea, and escaped during the war, which is impressive enough of a task in itself. Then, when South Korea became a military dictatorship, he decided to escape to America, where he got a job at a 7-Eleven cleaning the floors. Then, after working hard, he became a district manager in charge of many different stores, and he was told he had room to grow even higher in the business. But, he decided he wanted his own business, quit, and moved to Atlanta, Georgia... where he started his own business, and became a very successfully businessman. Then, he decided he wanted to go to school, he'd heard of a school in Boston, you may know it, Harvard. So, he sold his businesses, started school in Harvard, and started a new business in Boston. All the while he tells me, "I'm still very much Korean, so I really feel home here.." This is just a brief summery of a great discussion I had with a great man last night, and he seems to be more angry at this school than I.