Jen in...The US!

I’ve been back in the US for less than a week. It’s actually a little weird.

For one thing, many Americans are scary! I was probably intimidated by these people already but, having been away for almost two years, it’s now worse. Koreans, whether rich or poor, are not a threatening group. They don’t walk around singing show tunes and flying about on unicorns but, they do look well groomed and they wear a neutral expression or a smile. Most Americans are like this too. They look normal and aren’t scary. But, a good 30% of Americans are very angry looking and rather unkempt looking (the two looks tend to go together). I get nervous around them because the obvious anger makes them appear unstable and unpredictable.

Also, I never realized how awesome the grocery store is. Yesterday, I went to Publix (the biggest grocery chain in Florida) to buy a few items to bake with. I ended up wandering around for like an hour. There was all kinds of great stuff. I was able to buy Cuban pastries, these delicious granola bars, English muffins, cheese that wasn’t $9, and tons of other stuff that I have seen in 21 months. Korean grocery stores also have a large amount of products but, as a Westerner, I’m not really interested in a lot of it. My trip to Publix was great. I almost can’t wait until next week’s shopping trip.

In Korea, I used to tell my students about the wonder that is central air. Koreans are just not that into air conditioning. I’m not sure why. I think it has to do with the winter being so long. But, for whatever reason, Koreans don’t really use air conditioning. When it was hot and I was dying, I would tell the kids about central air. In fact, during the summer, it was what I missed most about the US. Well, now that I’m here, I have to say that central air is even better than I remembered! Every room of my apartment is the same cool and de-humidified temperature. It’s wonderful.

Even though I’m not a parent, I miss Korean style parenting. I have seen little kids in Korea throw tantrums but, usually, the kids are fine. Here, a lot of kids are out of control. On Saturday, I went to get a hair cut. As I was going to pay, I encountered a family. This family had four, dirty kids. I know it’s not the kids’ fault that they are dirty but, it just shows you what kind of people these were. Anyway, the kids were going absolutely wild. They were throwing magazines, shampoo bottles and anything else on display all over the lobby. I don’t expect a zen, spa-like experience at Hair Cuttery but, I don’t think it’s too much to ask that your kids not pelt the other customers with giant bottles of Redken. I gave the mom a very angry look and then eyed her kids like crazy so she would get the hint that I thought it was terrible that her kids were tearing up the place. She got the hint but, she didn’t really do anything about it. She just gave a really half-hearted “Stop that?” to the kids. She didn’t even say it as a statement. Of course, the kids did not stop. If this was Korea, those kids might have thrown a screaming tantrum but, they would not have dared to touch a bottle of shampoo, let alone thrown one across the waiting area.

I also miss the fact that Koreans believe in age appropriate clothing. In general, Koreans are very stylish. But, they also believe in dressing for their age. No fifty-five trying to look twenty-five there. By the same token, there’s no fifteen trying to look thirty-five. Here, I have seen more tarted up teenagers than I care to remember. Seriously, do these parents like having teen girls that look like aging Vegas showgirls? Cover your kids up! Also, my eyes were assaulted by what I assume was a senile woman in a restaurant. She was in her seventies (at least) and her shorts were so short, she was exposing herself. I can’t say for sure how old she was but, she was old enough to have a nurse accompanying her. Maybe we need some ajumma fashion police here to make sure everyone is dressing appropriately.

Anyway, this is my impression of the US so far. It’s been mixed but, I am happy to be back.