Korea’s Incheon Airport (ICN) is a really nice airport. It’s
huge – with lots of dining, shopping, and entertainment options. My favorite
feature of the airport, however, is the Korea Traditional Cultural ExperienceCenter. The Culture Center has two locations in the airport. At both, you can
look at Korean artifacts, see traditional musical performance, watch a reenactment
of a royal parade, shop for fancy souvenirs, and make a craft.
I always stop by to make a craft. I think they rotate every
month or so. The crafts are free for foreigners too. You just show one of the hanbok clad staff
members your boarding pass (to verify that you have enough time to do the craft
project) to get started. A staff member will then bring you your materials and
set you up with directions on a tablet. I’m not very crafty and I can always
follow the instructions easily. The crafts seem to be designed to take about 30
minutes. So, it’s a pleasant way to kill 30 minutes in the airport. Plus, you
get a nice little souvenir to take home.
If you ever find yourself waiting around at Incheon Airport,
find one of the Korea Traditional Cultural Experience Centers. You won’t regret
it.
One Location of the Korea Traditional Cultural Experience Center
__________
A Musical Performance
__________
Traditional Instruments on Display
__________
The Craft Area
__________
My Craft - It's a framed replica of a Korean Cabinet
Korean and Western names are different. I’m aware of this
but yesterday’s visit to the bank really emphasized the point. I went to the
bank to open a new account. My old account is at a small bank that can’t easily
wire money to the US. Since I often do this, I needed a more convenient bank.
Anyway, as the teller was setting up my bank account, she
realized she couldn’t fit my name on my debit card. As she put it “The system
allows 20 characters and spaces and your name has 23.” I told her to eliminate my
middle name and she looked confused. This dilemma led to me explaining Western
names to the teller.
Korean names, like Western names, have three parts to them.
The difference is that they are much shorter and the first name is a double
name while there is no middle name. Also, the last name (family name) is first and
the first name (given name) is last. For example, the president of Korea is Moon
Jae-In. Moon is his last name and Jae-In is his first name. If he were in the
US, his name would be Jae-In Moon.
To explain my name, I had to write down the teller’s name
and then write my name under hers so she could see how the parts compared. This
convinced her that it wasn’t really necessary for my middle name to go on my
debit card.
Over the years, I’ve had debit cards with an interesting
array of names. Some have had just my first name, some my first and middle
name. One had my first and middle name but only the first two letters of my
last name. Despite this, I never had a problem using the cards. Either no one
noticed or they simply didn’t care.
Korean names and Western names are fairly similar. It’s just
that Western names are often too long to fit properly in Korean systems.
The other day, I walked by a high school and happened to see the kids coming out. Everything was normal except for one thing – it was 10 o’clock at night. Korean high school has a really long school day. The kids start between 8am and 9am but they don’t get out until at least 8pm. From what I understand, the start and end time vary by school but the school day ends up being 12 – 14 hours a day across the country. I read that the extra long day is caused by YAJA. This is an acronym for a Korean phrase and it’s the name of special self-study time that Korean high school students participate in. I watched a video on YouTube and, after they ate dinner at school, the kids went to a large room with little carrel desks to study for a few hours before they went home. Korean high school looks really intense. I once read that there’s a saying here that says something like “If you sleep more than four hours a night during high school, you’re not getting into a university.” I believe it. The competition is incredibly stiff. I was considered a good student in high school but I think in Korean high school, I’d have been considered mediocre.
The Kids Coming Out of School
__________
A video of the daily life of a Korean high school student
Korean skincare products are great. Whatever issue you have,
there’s a cool product to help. As a result, Korean people tend to have really
nice skin. Since living here, I’ve become quite a fan of the skincare products.
Thankfully, it’s easy to find cheap, high quality products. Otherwise, I’d be
broke.
A few weeks ago, I noticed that one of my middle school
students had these teeny, tiny bandage squares on her face. I thought maybe she’d
had moles removed or a biopsy done. It turned out that these were acne patches.
While buy contacts lens solution, I came across a box of
acne patches and decided to give them a try. Unfortunately, I had a pimple on
my chin that just wasn’t responding to my usual treatments so I needed
something new. I’m happy to say that the acne patches work!
Now, the patches aren’t a miracle cure. I wore mine
overnight and I still had the pimple in the morning but it was better. The
redness was still there but the inflammation was gone. I’ll take a flat red
spot over an inflamed, swollen red spot any day.
I did a quick Google search and found this article about
acne patches. It looks like some patches are designed to deliver medication and
some are designed to reduce the inflammation. I assume I got the nonmedicated
inflammation kind but, since the box is in Korean, I can’t be sure.
Acne patches are a useful product. I wouldn’t recommend
wearing them out like my student did because they are pretty obvious and
somewhat medicinal looking but they can definitely help with a pimple.
This same brand is available on the Walgreens website.
__________
I think this picture series means the patches will reduce the swelling.
Korea has one dessert that is unlike anything I’ve ever had
before. It’s called patbingsu. It’s shaved ice, red beans, sweetened condensed
milk, fruit, and other toppings. If it doesn’t have the red beans, it’s called
bingsu.
I first had patbingsu several years ago and hated it. I just
couldn’t get over the cold, sweet beans. I avoided it for years until I had a
modern version of bingsu while out with my coworkers. We had an Oreo one and a
strawberry cheesecake one. They were delicious. I even didn’t know the version
without beans existed. I’d been avoiding it for years for nothing.
Last month, I went to a volunteer event at an orphanage. We had a make it yourself patsbingsu bar for
the kids. I added everything except the red beans on mine and it was good. A little
soupy due to the melting ice, but good.
The weather is cooling and bingsu season is coming to an end
but, I’ll be ready next time.
North Korea and South Korea have been in the news a lot. At
the least, they’ve been in the American news a lot. Since I’m American and
speak only English, this is the news I follow. I don’t think, however, that
North Korea gets as much attention in the Korean news as it gets in the
American news.
With all the news coverage, friends and family from home
often ask me what the mood is here. The
answer is “business as usual.” That’s the best way I can describe the mood
here. I’ve asked a few Korean coworkers about the threat of North Korea and
they all chuckle and smile at me like I’m simple.
Several weeks ago, tensions were running high so I asked my
boss if I should be preparing for anything. He looked so confused. He asked “Preparing
for what?” I explained that I was worried about North Korea and he started
laughing. He then said “If I had a dollar for every time North Korea threatened
something, I’d be retired instead of standing in my office with you.”
The Korean government does do some preparedness drills. On
the 15th of every month, somewhere in this county is participating
in a drill. I saw a drill several years ago. A message played over speakers,
soldiers started directing traffic, and a tank rolled down the street. I didn’t
know what was happening or which army was marching down my street so this
really scared me. Thankfully, it was the friendly army.
In addition to preparedness drills, subway stations and
other public places have emergency supplies. It’s often a glass front cabinet with
gas masks, bottled water, and nonperishable food. The cabinets look easy to
open so the supplies can be accessed quickly during an emergency.
Overall, I find Korean’s nonchalance reassuring. If they’re
not worried, why should I be worried? I just hope that we never have a reason
to be worried.
Back in March, I started at a new job. On my first day, I
shadowed the teacher I was replacing, Hannah. In one class, a kid sneezed and
everyone turned to look at me with anticipation in their eyes. I said “Bless
you!” and the kids all looked amazed and then turned to Hannah who said “I told
you that’s what she’d say!”
I’m the first and only foreigner to work at my language school.
For many of my students and coworkers, I’m the only foreigner they have any
regular contact with. Naturally, this led to some curiosity about me. Before I started,
Hannah got a lot of questions about what I would be like. While she didn’t know
me personally, she did know that I’m American and she herself lived in the US
for 7 years. So, Hannah decided to share one particular custom that foreigners
have that Koreans don’t: saying “Bless you” (or anything really) after someone
sneezes.
While I’ve lived in Korea before, I never noticed it but
Koreans don’t say anything when someone sneezes. They just ignore it and go
about their business. I looked this up and it turns out that the China and
Japan also don’t have sneeze related sayings but most other countries do.
It’s been five months and everyone still turns to look at me
when someone sneezes. I wish I could stay quiet but it’s so ingrained in me
that I always reflexively say “Bless you” and everyone giggles. I kinda wish
Hannah had kept this nugget of cultural information to herself.
A few months ago, I was invited to a first birthday party.
I immediately knew it would be fancy since it was at a nice buffet and not at
the child’s home or at something like Chuck E. Cheese’s. I was right.
When I walked into the private room, I knew this wasn’t
going to be like the other kids’ birthdays I’d been to. The party room had a
stage, two hosts, a dressing room, and a sitting room. Mom and Dad wore matching red and white hanboks
and the Birthday Boy wore a multicolored hanbok. Everyone’s hair and makeup had
been professionally done.
The big event at the party was the doljabi (돌잡이). For this, parents present the birthday boy/girl
with several items on a tray. He or she picks one and it determines his/her
future. At this party, the tray had money (wealth), a big spool of thread (long
life), a pen (scholar/intellectual), and a mouse (tech career).
I didn’t realize how big of a deal this was until the baby
didn’t pick anything. His parents presented him with the tray several times and
he didn’t pick anything. He just clutched his father and looked confused. Eventually,
after having the tray presented 20+ times, the baby picked the money. When he
picked the money, the Dad started crying. I guess there was a lot riding on
this. Personally, I like to think that the baby didn’t pick anything because he
will have a unique path in life that can’t be easily summed up in one object.
Overall, I enjoyed the party. The food was great and it’s nice
knowing the Birthday Boy will grow up to be rich.
One day, during my early days in Korea, I encountered a sign
with a swastika on it. I found it really confusing because why would Koreans be
anti-Semitic? The average Korean isn’t even remotely familiar with Judaism. To
dislike something, you have to know it exists.
After doing a little research, I found out that Korea is not
littered with Nazis. It turns out that the swastika has been used for the last
5,000 years or so. It’s used in Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, and Odinism. In
Korea, it’s used in Buddhist temples.
I, for one, am glad that Korea is not crawling with Nazis. I’m
not sure Indiana Jones is around to deal with it.
Last week, as I was teaching a class, I heard a funny
little plop. I looked at the floor and saw that a spider had fallen. I looked
up to see where it had come from and saw a giant, flying insect perched on a
light fixture. This was the biggest insect I’ve ever seen. I’m from South
Florida and we have big palmetto bugs. This creature looked like it could eat a
palmetto bug with no problem.
I guess I stared at the bug a little too long because my 3rd
grade students, Emily and Andrew, followed my gaze up to the ceiling. Well, as
soon as they saw the insect, they jumped under the table. I crouched down to
ask them if they were ok and Emily tried to pull me under too. The kids don’t
speak much English but they did tell me “Bug…kill…people!” I wasn’t sure if
this was true or not but that was a really big bug. It looked like a bee, but a
bee who worked out and took steroids. I needed an adult.
I grabbed Emily and Andrew, took them into the hallway, and
shut the classroom door. I found a Korean coworker and explained the situation
to her. She grabbed a broom, marched into the classroom, and immediately came
back out. It turns out that the bug is dangerous and there was a nest on the
window sill.
My coworker called 119, the Korean emergency number. The
next day, someone from the city came to kill the insect and dispose of the nest.
Once he was finished, my classroom could be used again.
I later asked what kind of insect that was. My coworker
told me it was a wasp but that was no ordinary wasp. She showed me a translation
on her phone and the name was the Vespa mandarinia or the Asian Giant Hornet.
I looked up the Asian Giant Hornet and found that Emily and
Andrew were right - it can kill people.
For an adult to die, they typically have to be stung dozens of times. For a
child or an adult with an allergy, it’s less but seems to vary from person to
person. Either way, it’s a scary insect.
I’m really glad that Emily and Andrew knew what to do. Not
having grown up in this country, I had no idea that such an insect even existed.
According to my contract, my job comes with a semi-furnished
apartment and a semi-furnished apartment is exactly what I got. The apartment
came with a bed, a tv and stand, and a wardrobe. I needed a few more pieces of
furniture but I didn’t really know where to go so I went to Ikea in Gwangmyeong.
Ikea in Korea is exactly like Ikea in the US, which is
probably like Ikea everywhere else. You walk through a never ending maze of
furniture, eat lunch, walk through the knickknacks, and end at the flatpack
boxes. Normally, I’d take my boxes home in my car but I don’t have a car in
Korea. I decided to have my furniture delivered.
Ikea had loads of English speaking clerks. I simply waited
in line and a woman with great English started processing my order. Everything
was fine until we came to the delivery options. It turns out that Ikea can only
set up delivery for sometime in the next seven days. I was going away the next
weekend so I needed something for the 9th or 10th day.
This was impossible for them to schedule so I left without buying anything.
I got home, angry that I’d gone all the way to Ikea and
came home empty-handed. I vowed to never go back. Well, that lasted about two
more weeks. I tried to order from Gmarket and couldn’t make it work. None of my
usual shopping spots carried furniture. I got tired of sitting on the floor and
I went back to Ikea.
My second trip was way smoother because I knew what to
expect. I already had my furniture picked out and I was prepared for the 7 day
delivery thing. I wasn’t, however, prepared for the fact that Ikea cannot give
you a delivery time if you’re not in Seoul. This meant that I could get a
delivery anywhere between 9am and 9pm on the appointed day. I wasn’t happy with
this but I dealt with it.
On the appointed day, my Ikea furniture came. The delivery
arrived at 5:40pm, 8 hours and 40 minutes into the 12 hour delivery window. I’m
happy with how the furniture came out but getting it here was definitely a
mission.
Directions to Ikea
1. From the Gwangmyeong station, take the east (I
think) exit.
2. Turn right and go under the covered walkway towards Costco. You'll see the Costco shortly.
3. Cross the small street and walk along the side of Costco until you get to the corner.
4. At the corner, turn to the left and you'll see Ikea and the Lotte Premium Outlets. Enjoy your flatpack furniture!
I’ve been coming and going to Korea since 2009. This last
time, I was gone from 2013 to 2017. Somewhere in that time, a new habit started.
Korean women now cover their knees when they sit down while wearing a skirt or
dress.
In Korea, men and women are free to wear whatever they so
choose. Now, sleeveless or lowcut tops are frowned upon but they aren’t
illegal. A common outfit here is a miniskirt and a button-down blouse.
Since miniskirts are so prevalent, I don’t get the blanket
over the knees. If you can see my knees while I’m standing, why are they
suddenly offensive when I’m seated?
I looked this up on Google and found a few comments about
this. Most seem to agree that this is done because, when seated skirts or
dresses ride up a bit. If you’re wearing a micromini, this could be
problematic. The blanket allows you to cross and uncross your legs without
flashing anyone.
The logic behind this habit makes sense but it’s really hot
outside. I don’t want to cover my knees with a fleece blanket. I have heard
that some women carry scarves for this so they have something light and
stylish. I’d be more inclined to do this but I never wear anything short enough
to need it.
A basket of blankets at a coffee shop. I saw several women using them to cover their legs.
__________
The pedicurist covered my legs for me. My shorts were not at all short.
Living in Korea means that some things require an
adjustment. For example, I’ve gotten used to pretty much never knowing what’s
going on. I just look around, see if I’m in immediate danger, and go from
there. That, however, is something I expected. What I didn’t expect was to have
to adjust my cooking.
When I first came, I knew I’d have to make some
substitutions in cooking. I didn’t
expect Korean grocery stores to carry all of the same products. I’d read that
cheese is less common so I knew not to expect a big selection of cheese at the
grocery store. I’d also read that different spices were available and that more
international products (like tortillas or hummus) are difficult to find. To
combat this, I bring my favorite spices with me and improvise with the rest.
While I was ready to make ingredient substitutions, I wasn’t
prepared to alter my style of cooking. Korean homes don’t have ovens and I
never realized how much I used the oven until I got here. I’d read that you can
easily buy an oven though. I tried to do this but really, only toaster ovens are
readily available. I can’t bake a cake or roast a chicken in a toaster oven.
Since I didn’t have an oven, I had to learn to cook
everything on the stovetop. I’ve even learned to make a few no-bake desserts
using ingredients that are easy to find here. This wasn’t so bad when I lived
in the big apartment with the 4 burner stove. Now, however, I live in a smaller
place with a 2 burner stove.
The 2 burner stove brings even more challenges to cooking in
Korea. Now, I have to use readily available ingredients, cook everything on the
stovetop, and juggle my pots and pans to ensure that everything is hot and ready
at the same time. To accomplish this last one, I’ve started making a lot of
combo bowls. For example, on Monday, I wanted meat, rice, beans, and
vegetables. Well, I made a stew-like dish with these items. It was easier to
combine everything than to try to make them in 2 burner increments. The
resulting stew actually tasted pretty good but it wasn’t the prettiest meal
I’ve ever made.
Cooking in Korea is an adjustment I’ve had to make. It’s an
adjustment, however, that will make me better. If I can learn to consistently
make good meals on a small 2 burner stove, I’ll be giving Martha Stewart a run
for her money in no time.
Juggling 3 pots and pans
__________
I combined my zucchini and my pork to maximize burners
__________
The resulting combo bowl
__________
Monday's stew-like concoction
__________
The spices I brought from America. I think my Abuela would approve of all of the Goya seasoning packets.
Sunday night, I started dreaming that I was at a pool and
my nephew was shooting me with a water gun. The water gun started shooting out
more and more water until I woke up and realized that it wasn’t a dream. I live
alone and there was no creepy water gun toting intruder in my apartment. I was being
rained on while asleep – asleep in my bed which is in my apartment and not
outside.
Sometimes, everything about living abroad seems fun and
exciting. Other times, I can’t help but wonder what series of poor decisions
led me to this moment. Sleeping in the rain was definitely the result of poor
decisions.
In this particular situation, everything stemmed from not
learning to speak Korean. I only know about 20 words of Korean. I don’t even
know the 20 most useful words of Korean. (Did you know that “nabi” (나비) is Korean for butterfly?) This means
that in Korea, I’m really only half an adult. On a day to day basis, I’m fine
but when something big happens, I need a real, full-fledged, Korean speaking
adult.
Anyway, about two weeks ago, my air conditioner stopped
working. At first, I thought it was because the batteries died in the remote
control. I replaced the batteries but the unit still wouldn’t work. I pressed
every combination of buttons and nothing but hot air would come out of the
unit. I looked up an English manual for my a/c and it didn’t help. So, I turned
to my designated real,
full-fledged, Korean speaking adult aka my boss.
I went to school
and told my boss my a/c wouldn’t work. I even brought him my unit’s remote to
show it was on the correct setting. He didn’t say anything but I knew he’d
assume since I can’t read Korean, I’m too dumb to operate an on/off switch. I
was correct. He sent my co-worker over to my apartment to check and see if the
unit was really broken or if I just didn’t know how to turn it on.
My poor co-worker
had to come to my hot apartment and play with my a/c. She declared it broken
and called the landlord. The landlord decided that two people, or 1.5 adults,
weren’t competent to decide the unit was broken. She sent the building manager
over to check out the situation.
The building
manager came and played with the unit. He then declared it broken and called an
a/c technician. It turns out that in Korea, technicians won’t come on a weekend
so I had to wait.
Well, the tech came
and verified that the unit was indeed broken. Unfortunately, the issue was the
outside intake unit and it was raining heavily outside. So, he had to come back
later in the day. That evening, he realized he needed a new part and it would
take a few days to come in. Eventually it came and I got my a/c fixed but it
was a long two weeks.
During this time,
my apartment was hot and humid like a swamp. I slept with the windows open and
that led to Sunday’s issue. It started to monsoon outside and the wind drove
the rain into my bedroom. Hence, I got rained on while sleeping.
If I spoke Korean,
this issue wouldn’t have been entirely avoided. My a/c unit didn’t break
because I don’t speak Korean. The time frame, however, would have been shortened.
My boss wouldn’t have felt the need to have someone check the unit was actually
broken. Also, I could have spoken with the landlord myself, instead of having
to wait for someone else to do it. I also could have, possibly, gotten a
technician to come faster.
I’d like to say
that this motivated me to learn Korean but it hasn’t. I’ll continue to be half
an adult in Korea. But, at least I’ll be half an adult with working a/c and a
dry bedroom.
I came back to Korea…again. Korea, I guess I just don’t know
how to quit you. So far, it’s good though.
One question I often get is how to navigate the visa
process. Since I just did it, I’ll let you know what I did. Keep in mind that I’m
American so the process might be different for other countries.
Diploma with
Apostille
You will need your university diploma. I lost mine but I was
able to order a copy from my university. If I’m not mistaken, the registrar was able to
sign/notarize the back with the appropriate text. (Let your university know you’re
getting the diploma apostilled. They can recommend the appropriate procedure.) Then,
I sent it to the Florida Department of State – Apostille Division with a check,
a letter explaining what I needed, and a prepaid return envelope.
I’m a little fuzzy on this procedure since I last did it in
2012. At the end of my last contract in Korea, my apostilled diploma was
returned to me. I just reused it for this visa. A few recruiters tried to tell
me that the apostille had to be less than 6 months old but that’s simply not
true. My diploma didn’t change so why would the apostille need to be updated? I
used my apostille from 2012 to get a visa in 2017 without a problem.
FBI Background Check
& Authentication
The FBI background check is a little more complex than the
other documents. This is especially true since you can’t use a background check
that is more than six months old. To get
your background check, you first have to get fingerprinted. Then, you get the
fingerprints to the FBI. Once you have your results, you have to get them
authenticated by US Department of State.
For my FBI background check, I used a FBI channeler service
I found on the FBI’s website. I used National Background Check, Inc. because
they had an electronic fingerprint location near my office. The prints cost me
$20. After I got the prints done, I sent in an order form and a credit card
number. It costs $85 for them to take my request to the FBI and send me my
results. I did, however, receive my results in only a few days. (In 2012, I
sent a paper copy of my prints to the FBI and it took six weeks for me to get
my results. It was cheaper but it took significantly longer.)
Once I received my clean FBI check, I used US AuthenticationServices to get the necessary authentication. I sent a check for $55 along with
an order form, a return envelope, and my background check. I got my authenticated document in a few days.
Getting a Job
Once you have your passport, diploma with apostille, and
authenticated FBI background check, you are ready to look for a job. Most recruiters
and hiring managers won’t bother talking to you without these documents in hand
since they can take a while to get and you can’t apply for a visa without them.
To find job listings, I looked mostly on Dave’s ESL Café.
There are a ton of jobs there. When you inquire about a job, it’s normal to
send your resume, a cover letter, PDFs of your documents (passport ID page, FBI
check, and diploma with apostille), and a few nice pictures of yourself. I like
to be thorough (and a little extra, to be honest) so I also sent PDFs of my letters
of recommendations and my TEFL certification.
I found that most schools hire through recruiters. I must’ve
spoken to 10 recruiters over a period of a few weeks. Honestly, all of the
recruiters were nice but most of them didn’t have a job for me. I was looking
to go back to a specific city and that narrowed my options a bit. I ended up getting a job through a recruiter
named Kevin Pak of Teaching Jobs Korea.
The Visa Process
Once I signed a contract, I had to mail a bunch of documents
to my new employer in Korea. I had to send the authenticated background check,
the diploma and apostille, 4 passport sized photos, a health check form, the
signed contract, a copy of my passport’s ID page, and a visa application form.
Once these arrived in Korea, my school started the visa process.
When my school was finished with things on their end, they
sent me a visa number and a few other pieces of information. This is when I had
to apply for a visa with the nearest Korean consulate/embassy.
When I first came to Korea in 2009, the consulate required
an in-person interview. Not this time. This time, it was all by mail. I sent in
my visa application form, a money order, my passport, a passport sized photo,
and a prepaid return envelope. (I don’t remember if I had to send in transcripts
or not. I do remember ordering two transcripts from my university but I can’t
remember if I needed them.) I got my
visa/passport back in a week or so.
Once I got my visa, I sent a photo of it to my school so
they could go ahead and buy my plane ticket.
Overall, my process was pretty smooth. The worst part, by
far, was meeting on Skype with recruiter after recruiter. Since the east coast
of Florida and Korea are 13 hours apart (14 in daylight savings time) finding a time
that worked for everyone could be difficult. Once I found a job though, I didn’t
have any issues.
My poor, neglected Korea blog is over. I actually ended up moving to Beijing, China in August. If you would like to read about my adventures in China, please visit me at my new blog, Jen in China.
It seems like America really has to clamp down on the media. Our image abroad is getting stranger and stranger with all of the weird news stories that come out of the US.
Recently, I had this conversation with a kindergartener:
Kid: Ms. Jennifer, I’m glad you came to Korea.
Me: Oh, why is that?
Kid: Because I don’t want you to get eaten by zombies.
Me: Huh?
Kid: Yeah, it was on the news. America has zombies. It’s good you came to Korea. You’re safe here.
I’d like to say that this was an isolated event but, it wasn’t. Other students have asked me if America is overrun with zombies, if I saw a zombie, if I know anyone who is a zombie, etc.
So, yeah, people abroad think we have zombies running around America. It’d be funny if it wasn’t so embarrassing.
I’m a little late on this but, there is a song that is sweeping
Korea. It’s called “Gagnam Style” by Psy. The song is so popular, it’s gotten
coverage on CNN and a few US musicians have tweeted about it and mentioned it
during concerts, etc. The artist, Psy, will appear at the VMAs.
The video is super cheesy and funny. It kinda reminds me of the
Offspring’s “Pretty Fly (for a White Guy)” video. The videos aren’t remotely the
same but, the almost parody like style is similar.
To give you some background, Gangnam is a very wealthy
neighborhood in Seoul; think Beverly Hills or the Upper East Side. From what I
understand, it’s probably the wealthiest neighborhood in Seoul (I don’t live in
Seoul so, I’m not really sure.) As a result, there are those that think the
song makes fun of the neighborhood and its reputation for materialism. To be
honest, I don’t speak Korean so, I can’t say if the song is critiquing anything
or not. For more on this, here is a really interesting article from TheAtlantic
This song is everywhere! I hear it all the time, mostly from my
students. The kindergarteners love to sing the part of the chorus that goes “Hey…sexy
lady!” at me (and other teachers), which is slightly disturbing. They also like
to do the funny dance Psy does in the video.
Anyway, if you haven’t seen it yet, watch the video for the song.
It’s pretty funny.
Lyrics
English
Translation:
Oppa is Gangnam style
Gangnam style
A girl who is warm and
humanle during the day
A classy girl who know how to enjoy the freedom of a cup of coffee
A girl whose heart gets hotter when night comes
A girl with that kind of twist
I’m a guy
A guy who is as warm as you during the day
A guy who one-shots his coffee before it even cools down
A guy whose heart bursts when night comes
That kind of guy
Beautiful, loveable
Yes you, hey, yes you, hey
Beautiful, loveable
Yes you, hey, yes you, hey
Now let’s go until the end
Oppa is Gangnam style,
Gangnam style
Oppa is Gangnam style, Gangnam style
Oppa is Gangnam style
Eh- Sexy Lady, Oppa is
Gangnam style
Eh- Sexy Lady oh oh oh oh
A girl who looks quiet but
plays when she plays
A girl who puts her hair down when the right time comes
A girl who covers herself but is more sexy than a girl who bares it all
A sensable girl like that
I’m a guy
A guy who seems calm but plays when he plays
A guy who goes completely crazy when the right time comes
A guy who has bulging ideas rather than muscles
That kind of guy
Beautiful, loveable
Yes you, hey, yes you, hey
Beautiful, loveable
Yes you, hey, yes you, hey
Now let’s go until the end
Oppa is Gangnam style,
Gangnam style
Oppa is Gangnam style, Gangnam style
Oppa is Gangnam style
Eh- Sexy Lady, Oppa is
Gangnam style
Eh- Sexy Lady oh oh oh oh
On top of the running man
is the flying man, baby baby
I’m a man who knows a thing or two
On top of the running man is the flying man, baby baby
I’m a man who knows a thing or two
You know what I’m saying
Oppa is Gangnam style
Eh- Sexy Lady, Oppa is
Gangnam style
Eh- Sexy Lady oh oh oh oh
