I have not updated lately because when I started this I wanted to avoid  writing an “I ate a ham sandwich” blog.  I wanted to only update when I had something to add.  Since coming to Canada I have been very low key.  Most of the “things” that have happened have been more emotional and of the kind that don’t lend themselves to description or stories.  In April, before ㅈ started working, there was the stress of both of us getting to know each other in a new way in very close proximity with the usual bumps.  We also had no money.  It was a difficult time.  Since then I have started running and I am training for a marathon in Utah in the Fall that I plan on running with an old university friend.  We have also settled into our new environs.

I have been reading A LOT.  I don’t think I’ll be able to meet my goal of 52 books in a year (the closest I have come to that perennial goal was a few years ago when I got to 48 books) But I have read over 2400 pages.  One of the first things we did was get a library card.  Calgary has a great library system, branches all over and a large central library.  I have been reading Korean-related books almost exclusively (for those curious: The Coldest War by David Halbersteen, Under the Loving Care of the Fatherly Leader by Bradley Martin, Brother One Cell by Cullen Thomas, Comrades and Strangers by Michael Harrold) however, at the moment I am reading a history of Japan from the last few centuries to the present.  I would like to read more about the Chosen dynasty but I am not sure if the Calgary library is that good.  I would also like to read up on China as its power over the region waned in the 19^th century and the civil war that signaled the collapse of the empire and the beginning of Chairman Mao.  But that is for the future.

I discovered something interesting.  I was reading Micheal Harrold’s true account of living (voluntarily) in Pyongyang for seven years and he mentioned that the March First (3-1, 심일) Movement, which is a holiday in both Koreas, and named for the date on which Koreans rose up against Japanese occupation (and were killed for it), was inspired by the death of the King/Emperor Gojong (고종). (When he was king he declared—with the help of Japan—Korea to be an empire, rather than a kingdom.  This is significant because it meant that Korea was no long a part of China’s “tribute” system and that Korea was completely independent.  From Japan’s point of view—and probably China’s too--this meant that China would not be obligated to help when/if Japan invaded.)  This mention of Gojong piqued my attention because I have found his reign and him personally, quite interesting.  He was sort of the wrong guy at the wrong time.  He was a weak king—chosen because he was weak—who had to negotiate powerful internal factions that meant when Japan decided to become imperial, when China was trying to hold on to its traditional control and when Russia was discovering its Eastern flank, at the same time, it was up to a weak and indecisive king, who could not control the wild dynamics of his own country, to deal with it.  Having read up on Gojong I was surprised that his death was the reason for protesting.  After essentially allowing the Japanese to take over Korea, in 1907, he abdicated (at the "request" of the Japanese) and allowed his son Sunjong (순종) to be “Emperor” for two years until the Japanese did the inevitable and finally made Korea, which they already controlled anyway, a colony of Japan.  Gojong finally died in January of 1919 and so the timing makes since, but it surprised me that his death was the cause of massive protests because he was not seen as a great or effective king that would inspire such a reaction.

            So I looked up the 3-1 Movement to see what it said.  That is where things got interesting and complicated.  According to most sources, the movement was inspired in large part by the President Wilson’s “Fourteen Points.”  These were intended to rectify the sources of the devastating war and be the cornerstone for preventing future wars.  When it came to settling colonial claims, Wilson wanted  the decisions to be fair and impartial and for the claims of the local population to be equal to the claims of the occupiers.  Wilson had originally introduced the Fourteen Points as the reason for American entry to the war in January of 1918 and a year later when the Allies were deciding what to do with a defeated Germany, they became the blueprint for negotiations.  The Japanese were a part of the Paris Peace conference because they wanted German colonies in China and the Pacific and surely wanted to avoid any mention of their Korean colony. Nevertheless, the Koreans thought this was there chance; they had an inside man. 

Syngman Rhee (이승만) had been a graduate student at Princeton (in addition to being the first president of South Korea, he was the first Korean to get a Ph.D at an American university) when Wilson had been there.  Rhee had known Wilson quite well and had even attended dinner parties at Wilson’s house.  However, Rhee was not allowed a visa and not able to exploit his personal connection because the Americans wanted to avoid the hassle of dealing with a nacent independence movement that had nothing to do with the war in Europe and that would have worked against the vested interests of what was becoming an important ally (until 21 years later)

Prevented from being heard at the Paris Peace Conference, Koreans instead protested.  Given that assembling in large groups was banned I am not sure how the pretests were organized.  Gojong had died in late January and maybe the people were allowed to gather in order to mourn—however, given that there were rumors that he had been poisoned, the Japanese, if this was their reason for allowing the Koreans to assemble, should have expected something.  I wonder if the funeral was just an excuse to launch an independence movement and demonstrate to both the Japanese and fellow Koreans that things were not okay.

 At any rate, an estimated 2 million Koreans protested, nationwide.  People from all walks of life took part, thousands of people were executed, many were tortured and in the end a provisional government was established in exile and the Japanese authorities relaxed some of their more Draconian provisions.

   As implied by Harrold's book, the North Korean version of the holiday seems to ignore completely the inadvertent contributions of President Wilson (how can they admit that the ideas of an American president touched off the independence movement that in their interpretation of history led to Kim Il-Sung’s "single-handed" liberation of Korea from the Japanese imperialists?) Moreover, they regard it as the naive failure of an non-violence movement.  In their telling the movement was centered in Pyongyang, not Tapgul park, it was inspired by Kim’s father and lead by his maternal uncle.  However, without the revolutionary zeal, military genius and inspired leadership of the “Great Leader,” who was only 7 at the time, the movement was bound to fail.

These sorts of connections in Korean history fascinate me.  Because of the Japanese occupation, and the division of the country it is very difficult to get to a version of history, whether from the North or the South, that does not contain an agenda of some kind.  Even pre-occupational Chosen Dynasty is seen as a golden time because such an interpretation makes what followed all the more tragic.  It seems that most of the time, Korean history, superficially, is a kernel of truth surrounded by an agenda (or if you prefer, propaganda) but, for me, that makes it even most interesting.  In many ways, it is the agenda that highlights the kernel of truth.  It is easier to find interesting moments in Korean history because the efforts to twist them only make them more noticeable.

This was written on Wednesday, before we got connected to the Interwebs:

It is a frustrating and difficult time for us.  We found a place Saturday and moved in Monday.  The problem now is getting the things that connect us to the world.  We made the mistake of moving in without arranging for phone and Internet hookups first.  After a trip to Starbucks to find free Internet and figure out which services were offered and who offered them, we found out that the “free Internet” was only free to people who were already customers of a certain level.  We ended up going across town to my aunt’s house and talking to them and arranging an Internet hook-up.  So they are coming to hook-up the Internet on Sunday (they cannot come sooner because Friday is Good Friday and therefore a holiday but Sunday, as in Easter Sunday, is okay.) 

The second problem is phone(s). We are going to forgo a house phone and opt instead for the two cell-phone option.  The problem is that we are only going to be here a year and we want to not pay too much up front.  However, since we have no phones, buying those up front is always an obstacle and that is the case whether we choose a pay-as-you-go plan or a monthly plan.  One of the downsides of the Internet is that it has become my primary resource for finding everything and I have forgotten how I found anything before it.  We want to find used phones but without the Internet we have no idea where to look.  When we were at my aunt’s house, ㅈ went on an Korean website and found a woman offering two phones for free if the “buyer” would take over the monthly plan.  We are going to find out more Friday or Saturday.  We need a phone soon because until then we are incommunicado.

 It has been a problem because my brother and sister-in-law had their baby on Tuesday.  When I was at my aunt’s I called them and talked to everyone.  It was a girl that they have named Christina James and she was 8 pounds 15 ounces.  Lest you complain that the middle name is a little too boyish, you should know that that is my middle name and they wanted to name the child after me regardless of gender.  I consider it a huge honour (remember, I am in Canada now) that was very unexpected.  My brother is very overwhelmed, but in a good way.  He could only say, “She is so beautiful!” over and over again.

ㅈ and I have been struggling with the lack of structure in our lives now.  We are frustrated at the struggle to fill up our empty days.  This morning we went running together and I discovered a huge pet peeve:  running with people who walk too much.  ㅈ kept stopping and walking and I ended up getting extremely pissed and pushing her (both literally and vocally).  After we turned around I told her that she could run as slow as she wanted but she had to R-U-N the whole time.  There was one time she walked and a few times I really had to push and nag her to get running after crossing some roads.  We are now getting up earlier, exercising, and trying to develop some positive habits and structure to our day but we are still having trouble filling in our afternoons.  I wanted to avoid tv but the apartment came with one that had cable and that is what we are using to fill in our days.  (ㅈ’s favorite channel is TLC, especially the show about the family with eight kids.)  Next week she’ll start looking for a job and soon we will fall into a rhythm that isn’t so wasteful.

I am now at my brother (동생; D) and sister-in-law’s (재수씨; E) place.  재수씨 is pregnant and due this Sunday (although NO ONE expects it to come then.)  When I am in Korea, D is about the only person I really miss, so when I came back I wanted to spend as much time as possible with him; but there were complications.

My luck last week was a tad lousy.  I spent the whole time looking at cars.  Initially I found an Audi I liked but it was at a used car dealer and when I started looking at cars that were being sold privately I realized that being at a dealer added about $500-1000 to the price tag.   I also saw some good Subarus, but having owned and driven them all my life, I preferred to get something different.

The plan was to get a car in Bozeman, where I grew up and where my parents live and then use that car to drive north.  Since my brother lives more or less between Bozeman and Calgary, I would stop at his place and stay with him for about a week before continuing on to Calgary to meet ㅈ at the airport there on the 31^st.  However, looking for a car was difficult because the market was very thin.  Despite my reservations about Subarus, I found a great Outback for a great price, a feeling that was confirmed the next day after driving two VW Golfs the next day.  However, that night, when I called the Suby owner, I was told it had sold that morning, a feeling all the more frustrating because I knew it was the right car at the right price after driving it and had said so to my parents the night before.  The one thing the VWs had though was a manual transmission.  Every car I have owned (4) has had a manual transmission.  I don’t hate automatics and I was willing to buy one, but manuals are just better cars to drive.  Additionally, I intend on teaching ㅈ to drive a car in Canada and learning in a manual is much better, given that driving automatics is so easy.  The next day I drove another Subaru Outback (they are ubiquitous is Bozeman; my parents have one) that was essentially the same as the first but $1400 more.  The choice ended up coming down to the two Golfs that were very similar and I decided to choose the newer.  I got a 2004 VW Golf with 86,000 miles on it, heated seats, manual trans, sunroof, everything.  It is really fun to drive.  I drove it in Bozeman over the weekend waiting for Monday so I could register it and head north.  I had everything loaded, and was 12 miles out of town when the check engine light came on and I lost about half the power.  I turned around and went to the shop where they told be that it was no big deal but if it happened again to come back.  The second time it happened I was about 5 miles out of town.  Turned out the part would take at least a week to arrive but for an extra $150 I could send it express it but that would still take two days.  All I wanted was a car that I could depend on and here it was the first time I was depending on it and instead of being on the road I was in the shop.  ㅈ was arriving in 8 days, so next week was not an option.  Moreover the time I could spend with my brother was ebbing away.  My parents suggested I just take their Outback north and they would get the car fixed and I could then meet them halfway this weekend.  It was really the only option so I drove the 300 miles north a day ago.

My brother lives in Havre, Montana (pronounced /HAEV-er/ despite being named after Le Havre in France) in the part of America I call the “20%ers.”  It is right next to the Rocky Boy Indian Reservation in a flat farmland-rich, exceptionally conservative part of the world.  Politically, my family, like most of Montana, fails into the libertarian/pragmatist group.  My mother and I are more idealist but we are nonetheless, extremely independent and moderate.  But we all like our guns and hunting.  My brother has wanted to get into handloading.  He is already into taxidermy and butchering and so if he gets into handloading he will essentially be able to produce everything he needs himself to kill deer and get them to him plate.  I have always been the handloader in the family and so I brought all my equipment north to give to him since it isn’t exactly very useful to me while I am in Korea.  I was also looking forward to making a batch of .280 Remington ammunition for myself because the stores have all been devoid of a wide selection in that caliber and what is there is expensive.  The only thing we did not have was primers but when we went to get them everybody was out.  It seems between the two wars and a black Democrat in the White House, what little was available has been bought up.  In a moment of frustration, in the gun section of Walmart, in Harve, Montana, I complained to my brother “George Bush’s fabricated war is cramping my style.”  동생 gave me an alarmed look and whispered to me, “You are not in Korea anymore.”  It is easy to forget that, though I can blends in here so completely, I am not one of these people, especially up here.  I have not lived in this state for almost nine years now and I no longer am able to understand the place by feel as I once did.  The ironic thing is the coming up here I began to appreciate the stark beauty of this part of the state in a way that I had not before.  This is a hard and simple place that breeds hard and simple people.  When I bring ㅈ down here, she will feel as if she has landed on another planet.

Home may just be the strangest place in the world.  After having been away for about two years I am suddenly back and dealing with family and friends, with whom I seem to seem to have so little in common.  I have to remember the person I was the last time I saw them and try and translate my thoughts through the prism of that person they know.  If I slip and say something like “Borneo” or “Anchor Wat,” I get either blank stares or an excited smile and the exclamation of “Hey, I have heard of that!”  I feel like I am spending all my time getting to know people I used to know and leaving the encounter feeling like I know them less.  The frustrating part is that these are interesting people but it is so hard for either of us to understand the things that interest the other.  All the things that have been a part of my life for the last three years, language barriers, culture conflicts, standing out and being stared at everyday are things that these people have never experienced.  Finding my niche in a place where I really don’t fit in means that it is nearly impossible for me to fit in in the place were I should fit in most.  This is probably why I now only suffer culture shock in America, specifically Montana, the place I know better than any other place and the place I spend the first 25 years of my life.

Last night I had dinner in a restaurant covered in horseshoes with a 3-meter statue of a cowboy holding a rifle in front listening to my father tell me what the Korean educational system—a system that I have been working in and dealing with intimately for the last three years—was like based a Time magazine article he read on it.  My uncle was complaining about the difficulties he had driving through Portland, Oregon and I had trouble following him because I have become a creature of subways, buses, trains, airplanes and sidewalks and the travails of driving through cities is something I can only barely remember.  As he was talking I was trying to think of something to say but buses in Thailand, and jetties in Malaysia are not really relevant.  I am sure he was as disappointed by the blank stare I gave him as I was when he gave me the same look when I was talking about visiting 비원 in 서울.

In an hour I will be visiting my cousin who I know the least and who grew up in the tiny town of Hinsdale.  His father once told me that the farther he got from Montana the more he wanted to come back.  A trip to New York City when he was in High school convinced him that there was no good reason to ever leave, a conviction that he has maintained, save for the occasional trip to Minneapolis to remind him of how right he was and to see his beloved Vikings play.  My cousin in now in the metropolis where I grew up, Bozeman, population 30,000 people (40,000 when the local land-grant university is in session.)  He is my youngest cousin and I am the second oldest.  I don’t think we have ever had a conversation between just the two of us before.  I have no idea what it will be like.  Is blood really thinker than water?  Is that something we can talk about?

Last week I was on a tropical Malaysian island in the South China Sea, this afternoon I think I will go X-country skiing; I guess I really should not be complaining.

So, I translated this.  Unlike the Grand Narrative (the smartest Korean blog, ever) or Korea Beat I am not going to add any cogent gems of insight.  This is my first translation of an article and though it was not very difficult, it took longer than I expected.  So, how did I do?

Also if anyone can explain the one phrase I could not figure out 그제서야, I would really appreciate it. (I know it is V+어 야 하다, but I  don't know about 그제서.  Is it a noun+verb? Is it determiner+noun+verb?  And is 서, 서+어 or 스+어?  There were too many options and none were in Naver.)

택시기사들，외국인 박대 심각… 무료 통역서비스 ‘피커폰’ 무용지물

기사입력 2008-09-22 18:55 |최종수정2008-09-22 21:24 기사원문보기

지난 20일 서울 용산역 앞에서 쏟아지는 비를 피해 가족과 함께 서둘러 택시에 올라탔던 영국인 크니프(43)씨는 승차하기 무섭게 곧바로 택시에서 내릴 수밖에 없었다. 택시 기사가 "아이, 어디를 가겠다는 건지 모르겠네. 나가! 나가!"라고 큰소리로 다그쳤기 때문이다. 마침 근처에 있던 한국인 대학생이 택시 기사가 뭐라고 소리쳤는지 통역해주자 크니프씨는 "방배동에 가자고 영어로 얘기했는데 기사가 못 알아들은 것 같다"며 "아무리 그래도 외국인 손님에 대해 이런 식으로 막무가내로 승차를 거부할 수 있느냐"고 분통을 터뜨렸다.

외 국인 손님을 노골적으로 꺼리는 택시 기사들이 적지 않아 한국의 대외 이미지에 악영향을 초래하는 것으로 지적되고 있다. 전문가들은 "좀처럼 개선되지 않는 상당수 택시 기사들의 불친절한 모습이 외국인들에게 한국에 대한 부정적 인상을 각인시킨다"고 입을 모으고 있다.

한국어 회화가 가능한 제시 파커(44)씨는 "택시를 탈 때 영어로 말하면 기사가 손을 가로저으며 '내리라'고 막무가내로 소리 지르는 경우가 많다"면서 "한국말로 '한남동 가주세요'하면 그제서야 운전한다"고 전했다.

게 다가 많은 기사들은 서울시가 외국인을 위해 마련한 무료 통역 서비스 '피커폰'도 철저히 외면해 거의 무용지물로 만드는 실정이다. 택시 기사 조모(42)씨는 "피커폰에 전화해 통역과 얘기하도록 하는 등의 과정이 번거롭다"며 "사용법 교육도 받지 않아 어떻게 사용하는지도 잘 모른다"고 푸념했다. 개인택시를 8년째 몰고 있는 장모(53)씨는 "지금까지 한 번도 통역 서비스를 사용한 적이 없다"면서 "손짓 발짓 해보고, 정 안 되면 그냥 내리라고 하는 것이 실상"이라고 말했다.

서울시가 정보 공개 청구에 따라 공개한 '무료 통역 서비스 이용 실적'에 따르면 2005년 월 평균 9171건이었던 이용 실적은 2006년 5031건, 2007년 5409건 등으로 오히려 하락하고 있다. 올 들어서는 하루 평균 약 170건 정도의 통역 서비스가 이뤄지고 있다. 서울 시내에서 운행되는 택시가 7만여대, 등록된 외국인 수가 19만9000여명(출입국관리사무소 자료)인 것과 비교하면 매우 낮은 수치다.

이훈 한양대 관광학과 교수는 "외국인들이 입국해 가장 먼저 만나는 '접촉점'이 택시 기사"라며 "이들의 서비스 마인드가 한국의 대외 이미지를 결정하는 만큼 월드컵 등 특별한 이벤트가 있을 때뿐만 아니라 평상시에도 항상 서비스 정신을 갖춰야 한다"고 강조했다.

Taxi Drivers and the Seriously Cold Reception Given to Foreigners; Free Translation Service Worthless

On the 20^th of last month, a 43 year-old English man named “Konef” got into a taxi outside the Yong-san station with his family as the rain poured down.  As soon as they had gotten in, they got right back out, a little spooked.  The ride had ended when the taxi driver had screamed at them, “I’m not going to know where to go! GET OUT! GET OUT!”  Finally, a nearby Korean university student translated the taxi driver’s verbal assault.  “When you tell him in English to go to Bangbae-dong, the driver probably does not realize what you are trying to say.” The student exploded with rage adding, “nevertheless, why do they think they can stubbornly refuse rides to foreigners like this?”

Taxi drivers who avoid foreign passengers are common and it must be pointed out that this is something that gives Korea a bad name overseas.  Experts say, “The many taxi drivers that only reluctantly improve their unfriendly behavior give foreigners a negative impression of Korea.”

JC Parker (44), who speaks Korean, says, “When you are taking a taxi, if you speak English, there will be many instances of taxi drivers stubbornly gesturing and screaming at you to get out.” He added, “But if you say ‘Please take me to Hannam-dong’ in Korean, (그제서야) they will usually drive there.”

Although the city of Seoul provides many drivers with a free translation service, (called “pekor phone,” 피커폰) for foreign passengers, the reality is that these are completely ignored and thereby made almost totally useless.  Taxi driver Jo-mo (42) complained, “The classes needed to learn to use the translation service and communicate were very cumbersome. Without receiving any instruction, how are we supposed to know how to use it?” Jang-mo, who has been a private taxi driver for 8 years, says, “so far, I have never used the translation service. But, in reality, I try to use hand and arm gestures and if that does not work, I tell them to ‘just get out.’”

According to the Seoul city administration, which released the ‘free translation service’ to meet public demand, in 2005 the service was used an average of 9171 times a month, 5031 times in 2006, 5409 times in 2007 and so on declining, unexpectedly. In the coming days the average is expected to be around 170 calls per day.  There are about 70,000 taxis that operate around downtown Seoul but if this is compared to the number of registered foreigners, 199,000 (immigration statistics), the number seems very small.

Lee Hun, a professor of tourism studies at Hanyang University, emphasized that taxi drivers are the very first point of contact that foreigners have when they enter a country.  If these drivers’ service attitude would be as determined about Korea’s overseas image not only during the World Cup and other special events, but on normal days too, then they would always have a service mindset.

It seems facebook critical mass has hit.  Although it has always been a hit with the kids, there was only one other person on the site from my high school when I joined.  Here, of course, it is mandatory for keeping in touch with people as they move from country to country but it seems that in the last few months things have changed.  My "friends" number has suddenly jumped as many of the people i went to high school with, long, long ago have joined up.  Even my mother, her friends and an aunt are a part of it.  (My brother, still AWOL.)

I bring this up because about a week ago an old friend that I spent a summer cycling around Montana with got in touch with me.  It seems he is in Kuala Lumpur with the Red Cross and since I too was in Asia thought maybe we could get together.  Though I had not seen him in at least 12 years, ㅈ and I have been wanting to go to Malaysia for awhile and had even talked about taking a trip South before we head to the Great White North.  Turns out tickets are quite cheap, so it seems we will be spending the first week of March in KL!  It will be nice to put some stamps in my new passport.

As for the "big move," it has gotten a little complicated.  My Korean visa expires at the end of February and ㅈ cannot get her Canadian visa until the end of March.  So the plan will be: I fly to Montana and see friends and family in Bozeman and buy a car, then I head north to see my brother, my though-now-pregnant-probably-won't-be-by-then sister-in-law and first niece.  After about a week there (my brother is the person I miss the most) I will continue north to Calgary to get things set up for ㅈ's arrival.  If we go to Singapore from KL, it will mean five countries and two continents in a month; not a record by any means but enough to be hectic.   It will also mean I will have shit shattered over three countries.

I will have a handful of classes next week and then two weeks to prepare everything.  어머니 is allowing me to store some things at her place since we intend to come back to Korea after a year.  However, since I was not able to kill the editing job I will have that to work on.  I made it clear that I would not be working on it after the third week in Feb and that I would be getting more money (a "hassle fee," if you will. It is the money we will be paying for KL.)  Things are busy right now but it is hard to be down about it.

Strange things that have happened
-ㅈ called to ask if I wanted to buy "couple's swimsuits." 

-There was an English club on campus that invited the winter English camp kids I was teaching to watch their performance.  The performed heavily edited and abridged English plays.  The first was Our Town, then Getting Out (performed in blackface), and then lastly, Waiting for Godot.  In uni I was a big Beckett fan and Godot, is without a doubt my favorite play (side note: when I was in Dublin I saw a production of Endgame that was incredible.)  If you think this production was dreadful, you are right but the ways in which it was ruined left me in disbelief.  First of all, they kept saying "GO-dot" instead of "go-DOT" throughout the play.  Not ruinous but deeply annoying.  The ruinous part came when the young girl playing Lucky started dancing to a Korean pop song.  Then everyone started singing; it was Waiting for Godot: The Musical.  Then the greatest travesty if all:  Godot showed up.  It called Waiting for Godot, Godot cannot show up.  But it turns out, it was not REALLY Godot, it was Godo, ha ha, very funny, I was not laughing.  Nothing destroys Absurdism like silliness.  Put down the book and step slowly away from the Beckett.