The best way to pursue happiness is to help other people. Nothing else will make you happier. - George Lucas
Thursday, October 31, 2013 (DAY 605)
Even though I am in a First World country that ranks #13 in the world’s most dynamic economies, I often miss Third World countries. This may sound absolutely insane to many people, because you often think of both rural environments, sanitation and health issues, as well as general safety, but from spending a fair amount of time in what is considered Third World countries, I find the overall populus much happier and while they may not have the luxuries of materialistic objects, their quality of life seems much happy and the family dynamic structure is more in tact. Don’t get me wrong, growing up in the United States I certainly appreciate many of the opportunities and things that I was given, but I feel that maybe as a global society we need to take a harder look at what is truly important in our lives. For example, being in Korea there has been a rapid, almost overnight transformation of Western culture and influence. The pressure of women and even men about physical appearance is becoming more prevalent. Self identity is lost and replaced with people’s potential earning power, education level, and career fields. Stop and think about when you meet a new person, often the question is, ‘what do you do for a living?’ And based upon this reponse people tend to sum you as an individual up by a few short words–teacher = probably not making much money, construction worker = often uneducated labor worker, doctor = smart and wealthy, and the list goes on. I know that through many of the conversations I’ve had with other travelers, we enjoy that while as mundane and repetitive the questions may be about where you are from and traveling and etc, at least people are not only interacting but they are not as quick to define you or pigeonhole you to a specific type A or type B person, but taking the time to get to know you as a person. Since I have had a very hectic week, and have lots to catch up on while the memories are fresh I will just say that there are several things I do miss about Third World countries and give a short list:
Even though I am in a First World country that ranks #13 in the world’s most dynamic economies, I often miss Third World countries. This may sound absolutely insane to many people, because you often think of both rural environments, sanitation and health issues, as well as general safety, but from spending a fair amount of time in what is considered Third World countries, I find the overall populus much happier and while they may not have the luxuries of materialistic objects, their quality of life seems much happy and the family dynamic structure is more in tact. Don’t get me wrong, growing up in the United States I certainly appreciate many of the opportunities and things that I was given, but I feel that maybe as a global society we need to take a harder look at what is truly important in our lives. For example, being in Korea there has been a rapid, almost overnight transformation of Western culture and influence. The pressure of women and even men about physical appearance is becoming more prevalent. Self identity is lost and replaced with people’s potential earning power, education level, and career fields. Stop and think about when you meet a new person, often the question is, ‘what do you do for a living?’ And based upon this reponse people tend to sum you as an individual up by a few short words–teacher = probably not making much money, construction worker = often uneducated labor worker, doctor = smart and wealthy, and the list goes on. I know that through many of the conversations I’ve had with other travelers, we enjoy that while as mundane and repetitive the questions may be about where you are from and traveling and etc, at least people are not only interacting but they are not as quick to define you or pigeonhole you to a specific type A or type B person, but taking the time to get to know you as a person. Since I have had a very hectic week, and have lots to catch up on while the memories are fresh I will just say that there are several things I do miss about Third World countries and give a short list:
COSTS:
As a backpacker these are the countries that offer the best bang for your buck! While scams and hustling are an issue, these countries tend to be more relaxed about tourists visa days allowed, border entry and exit fees, and for many countries they have a separate division of tourists police because a significant part of their economy relies upon those that are willing to travel to these so-called dangerous or underdeveloped countries. But things such as accommodation, food, drinks, even activites are much cheaper. For example I did a single-day diving trip in 2010 in Australia when I was still working in television and paid over $680 for 3 dives, while on the other hand I paid $259 for my PADI Open Water Diving Certification in Utila, Honduras with Parrots Dive Center that included the mandatory amount of dives, classroom materials, an additional two fun dives after being certified that were about 45-minutes each, a celebratory day-trip to one of the uninhabitated islands in the Caribbean, and 5-nights of accommodation in a 4-bed dorm. And yes, all of this for only $259.
LUXURIES:
While you can still find hotel rooms with air-conditioning, when you’re traveling and staying where other locals or backpackers stay this is often not an option, but embrace it. You will be amazed at what your body can get adjusted to, whether that be the cold or the heat). Also another obvious, but I will still mention it, don’t visit any country regardless of what so-called degree it may be considered and expect the same type of luxuries you are used to back home (i.e. firm beds, western toilets, etc).
SIMPLICITIES OF LIFE:
Yes power outages ocurred often at times, but instead of breaking down and getting pissed off, we chose to view this as an opportunity to set down our electronic devices and have even more conversations. I feel that especially being in Korea and talking with a variety of people in age, the older generation worries that the younger generation is so enthralled in their smart phones that the idea of human interaction is all done through social apps, texting, Facebooking, etc. and we forget what it’s like to talk. I remember my parents began texting us when it was dinner time and how often do you see couples (in a wide variety of ages) sitting in restaurants or bars not speaking to one another as they sit directly across from one another and just staring at their smartphones, often playing games not even communicating with another person. Very sad.
As a backpacker these are the countries that offer the best bang for your buck! While scams and hustling are an issue, these countries tend to be more relaxed about tourists visa days allowed, border entry and exit fees, and for many countries they have a separate division of tourists police because a significant part of their economy relies upon those that are willing to travel to these so-called dangerous or underdeveloped countries. But things such as accommodation, food, drinks, even activites are much cheaper. For example I did a single-day diving trip in 2010 in Australia when I was still working in television and paid over $680 for 3 dives, while on the other hand I paid $259 for my PADI Open Water Diving Certification in Utila, Honduras with Parrots Dive Center that included the mandatory amount of dives, classroom materials, an additional two fun dives after being certified that were about 45-minutes each, a celebratory day-trip to one of the uninhabitated islands in the Caribbean, and 5-nights of accommodation in a 4-bed dorm. And yes, all of this for only $259.
LUXURIES:
While you can still find hotel rooms with air-conditioning, when you’re traveling and staying where other locals or backpackers stay this is often not an option, but embrace it. You will be amazed at what your body can get adjusted to, whether that be the cold or the heat). Also another obvious, but I will still mention it, don’t visit any country regardless of what so-called degree it may be considered and expect the same type of luxuries you are used to back home (i.e. firm beds, western toilets, etc).
SIMPLICITIES OF LIFE:
Yes power outages ocurred often at times, but instead of breaking down and getting pissed off, we chose to view this as an opportunity to set down our electronic devices and have even more conversations. I feel that especially being in Korea and talking with a variety of people in age, the older generation worries that the younger generation is so enthralled in their smart phones that the idea of human interaction is all done through social apps, texting, Facebooking, etc. and we forget what it’s like to talk. I remember my parents began texting us when it was dinner time and how often do you see couples (in a wide variety of ages) sitting in restaurants or bars not speaking to one another as they sit directly across from one another and just staring at their smartphones, often playing games not even communicating with another person. Very sad.
While I try and also give the cons even after the pros about something, there are some but I still feel, personally, that these are minor issues and have always said that I would rather live dirt poor on a beach or something happy with every day of my life than making a six-figure income in the States stressed out and hating my life, because once again the quality of life, to me, easily is more important than the quantity of life. I also would tell people that 5-years from now who cares if you drove a BMW are you really going to remember that? When I look back on my life in 5-years I would like to think of all of the experiences I have had, the people that I have met, those I was able to help, and the places that I have been. Once again please don’t think I’m trying to come off sitting on a pedistal trying to tell people how they should live their lives, I just want to continue to encourage people to be open to how much of the rest of the world does live, and while they have little-to-nothing, their level of happiness is something we as a more modern of First World society should take a closer look at in general. So some of the quick negatives:
INCONSISTENT UTILITIES:
There can be things such as I mentioned, power outages that occur frequently and can last for hours or even days. I have also experienced times where water went dry from the faucets for a few hours or even an entire day.
THEFT:
Because these countries are quite poor it seems that petty theft is a larger problem. For example in Nicaragua when the average monthly salary for an individual is just over $160, and people carrying smartphones around (which are just now beginning to come down to an affordable price for many people) they often view these objects as something that can be stolen and sold and cover feeding their entire family for several months.
EDUCATION/COMMON SENSE:
While I don’t want to poke fun at this, my friend Lindsay and I would always say that common sense is non-existent in many areas of Central America, and it’s due to the fact that education standards or just continuing education may not be available to all families, often due to the cost to send a child to school.
So again these are just a few things that are pros and cons about Third World countries I thought I would share. And, again as surprisingly as it may sound to many of you, I do enjoy traveling Third World countries very much, because the people tend to be so wonderful and inviting.
There can be things such as I mentioned, power outages that occur frequently and can last for hours or even days. I have also experienced times where water went dry from the faucets for a few hours or even an entire day.
THEFT:
Because these countries are quite poor it seems that petty theft is a larger problem. For example in Nicaragua when the average monthly salary for an individual is just over $160, and people carrying smartphones around (which are just now beginning to come down to an affordable price for many people) they often view these objects as something that can be stolen and sold and cover feeding their entire family for several months.
EDUCATION/COMMON SENSE:
While I don’t want to poke fun at this, my friend Lindsay and I would always say that common sense is non-existent in many areas of Central America, and it’s due to the fact that education standards or just continuing education may not be available to all families, often due to the cost to send a child to school.
So again these are just a few things that are pros and cons about Third World countries I thought I would share. And, again as surprisingly as it may sound to many of you, I do enjoy traveling Third World countries very much, because the people tend to be so wonderful and inviting.
MY RTW PERSONAL EXPERIENCE:
Today is our earliest morning according to the schedule for the week. Most of us are waking up at or before 6am, which makes for a rough morning since several of us did not make it back to Mugunghwa House until after midnight. One of the interesting things in Korean culture is that it is a late-night culture. It is very rare to find a coffee shop or any restaurant open before 11am. The reason for this is that many shops will stay open late in to the night, even on weeknights. When I asked about this, I was told from a local that it is a problem and is actually often a reason for divorce, because men are pressured to work both long hours as well as be expected to participate in after work dinners and drinks. It is also a cultural difference that workers will not leave the office until their boss or superior does, which from what I’ve personally noticed averages around 8pm. Also it tends to be a reverse drinking culture, where once again young men growing up are spending all of their time studying in high school and university to obtain highly valued careers that there is not time for going out for drinks, so the reverse aspect of this is that you will often see grown men in full on business suits puking on the side of the street or passed out in the street in their suits because they are not used to drinking in this manner, but oddly has become a part of Korean culture, I think some from Western influence. (Photo is © of John P. Gamboa)
Today is our earliest morning according to the schedule for the week. Most of us are waking up at or before 6am, which makes for a rough morning since several of us did not make it back to Mugunghwa House until after midnight. One of the interesting things in Korean culture is that it is a late-night culture. It is very rare to find a coffee shop or any restaurant open before 11am. The reason for this is that many shops will stay open late in to the night, even on weeknights. When I asked about this, I was told from a local that it is a problem and is actually often a reason for divorce, because men are pressured to work both long hours as well as be expected to participate in after work dinners and drinks. It is also a cultural difference that workers will not leave the office until their boss or superior does, which from what I’ve personally noticed averages around 8pm. Also it tends to be a reverse drinking culture, where once again young men growing up are spending all of their time studying in high school and university to obtain highly valued careers that there is not time for going out for drinks, so the reverse aspect of this is that you will often see grown men in full on business suits puking on the side of the street or passed out in the street in their suits because they are not used to drinking in this manner, but oddly has become a part of Korean culture, I think some from Western influence. (Photo is © of John P. Gamboa)
Our volunteer translator, Eileen, tells us that we can wait in their small café while she finds the person who will be giving us a tour of the facility. After a short video that was played off of a VHS tape, old school yo, we toured the various programs that are offered in each of the four or five buildings we visitied. The first was a facility that trained mentally challenged or disabled people and helped to provide them with skills such as baking, running the small café or shop, and the Korean version of Dunder Miffilin–a paper supply minifactory that was again ran by a group of mentally challenged adults in their 30s. We also had a chance to visit the school that ranges from a kindergarten through high school and were given a tour by the director or principal of the school. Once again I was glad to see that the interior of the building was not drab, but full of colorful artwork and photos on the walls and if you didn’t know any better you might easily mistake it for a smaller public school in the States. We were hoping to visit ‘Jacob’s Home,’ which is where many of the children that had not been adopted at ESWS while babies or placed in foster care, were moved to this facility to be with children that are a bit older. One of the girls in our group, Hanah our lone Aussie, actually had a deeper connection with this facility because she was adopted from here after living in ‘Jacob’s Home’ until she was about 3 and a half years old. Unfortunately the building is under construction and we were unable to tour it. Both her and I had also brought a few gifts for the kids, and this also bummed us out that we would not have a chance to meet with them as many of the kids were on a field trip for the day so we had to leave our gifts with one of the school administrators. On our way to tour ‘Esther’s Home’ was by far my favorite part of the day. As we were walking by the quad there was a group of both American troops and ROK (Republik of Korea) soldiers playing with some of the toddlers. Being told to wait for a moment, after a few short minutes we received permission from our guide that it would be ok to join them. Eager to start playing with the kids we started to jump the small boulders surrounding the grassy area and start playing with the kids alongside the soldiers. Losing track of time, and needing to keep to our rigid schedule, we were soon told that we had one last building to tour, which was ‘Esther’s Home.’ This facility is for pregnant unwed mothers that are given refuge from bad home environments or abusive situations and are given everything from housing to education courses as well as professional counseling sessions. Some of the women are planning to give their children up for adoption, while others plan to raise their children themselves and are given a variety of resources to secure housing and employment skills for after they leave ‘Esther’s Home.’ At the end of our tour our guide was a very humorous Korean, that often did not mean to be, and one of the funniest parts of the tour was when he was telling us that he has a younger daughter that loves some American television shows and when we asked which ones in particular he said, “Wimpy Kid and Captain Underpants.” As soon as he said this, our entire group couldn’t hold in the laughter, and finally someone said do you mean “SpongeBob SquarePants?” Awe, oh yes, he said, and still we could not stop laughing. At the end of the tour we all thanked him for everything and boarded the bus to head to our next destination, Minsokchon (Korean Folk Village), which was an hour away.
Arriving close to 2pm, way off schedule from our itinerary, by this point our group was starving. After speaking with Eileen she told us that we would be having lunch at a restaurant inside Minsokchon (한국 민속촌), which is a living museum of a traditional Korean Folk Village in the city of Yongin. The purpose of this highly touristy destination is to display traditional Korean life and culture. Since our group was more concerned with food that sightseeing, we chose a restaurant rather quickly and were informed that we were given individual budgets of ₩11,000 ($10.34) for our meal, which wasn’t difficult as there were only a few items on this limited menu that exceeded this per diem. Lunch was an excellent time that allowed each of us to talk about our various experiences growing up, shared some painful memories of the racial slurs and teasing we each experienced, but we also talked about the hilarious stereotypes that we embrace with family and close friends. Everything from nicknames of ninjas, sad pandas, and even at one point when Hanah wandered off after ordering her food to purchase some gifts for her husband and two-year-old son, when the food arrived, Mikey being sarcastic went in to a few shops looking for her and asked if they had seen a short Asian girl. Dumbfounded the shopkeepers didn’t find humor in this, but of course, when he returned and told us this, we all laughed and thought how great it was to be in a country–our country, where we weren’t a minority. We also had a great discussion about dumb things white people say to us, here’s just a few things that tend to annoy us and we find pretty insulting:
Where are you from? And when we answer things like Colorado, Minnesota, New York, they follow up with no, no I mean where are you really from.
Asking our parents so who is this? Oh so you’re not a foreign exchange student?
The phrase ‘me love you long time,’ get some new material.
I bet you know karate or something huh? So according to this logic being white I bet you know how to shape a pillowcase into a cone and make a noose.
So being adopted, you should feel really grateful. Ok number one, yes I am grateful for the opportunities I was given, but that’s just very offensive on a lot of levels. That’s like telling a person’s biological kid that they should feel special because their parents decided to have sex and they were born. Really people! Constantly pointing out the fact that we are different from our families BECAUSE we are adopted is VERY insulting and rude!
I feel as though the girls get a lot worse…they HATE things like when guys come up to them and tell them that they have an Asian fetish, they have the yellow fever, they’ve always been in to Asian girls, etc.
So seriously people, I know that racial sensitivity and political correctness is often over exaggerated, but just STOP and fricken think about the stuff that you are saying at times. It’s similar to the fact that OUR close friends and among each other, we can make fun of one another and often it is self-deprecating, but if we don’t know you and you try one of these things, you will unleash the ninja-dragon. For example it’s just as with African-Americans there is a certain degree of words that can be thrown around among one another, and within the Asian community it is the same. So just again stop and think and have some respect.
Where are you from? And when we answer things like Colorado, Minnesota, New York, they follow up with no, no I mean where are you really from.
Asking our parents so who is this? Oh so you’re not a foreign exchange student?
The phrase ‘me love you long time,’ get some new material.
I bet you know karate or something huh? So according to this logic being white I bet you know how to shape a pillowcase into a cone and make a noose.
So being adopted, you should feel really grateful. Ok number one, yes I am grateful for the opportunities I was given, but that’s just very offensive on a lot of levels. That’s like telling a person’s biological kid that they should feel special because their parents decided to have sex and they were born. Really people! Constantly pointing out the fact that we are different from our families BECAUSE we are adopted is VERY insulting and rude!
I feel as though the girls get a lot worse…they HATE things like when guys come up to them and tell them that they have an Asian fetish, they have the yellow fever, they’ve always been in to Asian girls, etc.
So seriously people, I know that racial sensitivity and political correctness is often over exaggerated, but just STOP and fricken think about the stuff that you are saying at times. It’s similar to the fact that OUR close friends and among each other, we can make fun of one another and often it is self-deprecating, but if we don’t know you and you try one of these things, you will unleash the ninja-dragon. For example it’s just as with African-Americans there is a certain degree of words that can be thrown around among one another, and within the Asian community it is the same. So just again stop and think and have some respect.
Since many of us were so exhausted after lunch, we made a group decision to forego the guided tour and limited our time to about 30 more minutes after lunch at Minsokchon before taking the almost 2-hour bus ride back to Seoul. I think within minutes of boarding the bus the majority of us were quickly asleep or at least tried very hard to sleep. About 4:45pm we arrived back at ESWS and immediately I was pulled aside from Ms. Kang where she informed me that unfortunately Eastern would not be able to accommodate her for her one-night stay in Seoul or help with the expenses, since time was running short–knowing my mom was arriving tomorrow–Ms. Kang was at least able to find a hotel that was just a few short blocks away. Since it was already late Thursday afternoon and many hotels and guesthouses can fill up over the weekend in the city, we literally sprinted down the street to the hotel hoping that there was a vacancy. By the way, Ms. Kang is fast for a shorter Korean–I’m talking marathon speeds. Since Eastern was unable to help assist in the cost for my mom’s accommodation, I paid the ₩40,000 ($37.60) out of my own money, which was a little bit of a hit since I was still averaging my daily spending of between $4-12 a day. Regardless, I was just thankful to have a room secured for her when she arrives tomorrow afternoon. After this transaction was completed, once again Ms. Kang and I sprinted as though there were a pack of velociraptors chasing us, and by the time we made it back to ESWS (a quick 3-minute run) there was a taxi waiting where Mikey, Danielle, and Kaitlynn were already sitting inside waiting on me to take us back to Mugunghwa House. On the short drive to the house we were discussing doing a group dinner since this was our only night of the week and the program, where there was no scheduled evening activities and the first item on Friday’s agenda didn’t begin until 4pm for most people. Everyone was in agreement of this idea, but wanted to relax a bit first since it was only about 5:30pm after we arrived at the guesthouse. Thinking this would be a great opportunity to just lay on my bed and maybe even get in a power nap, as soon as I walked in the house and my iPhone connected to the Wi-Fi I received a Kakao message from my CouchSurfing from Ara, a local that has grown up in Korea and is also very interested in traveling, asking if I wanted to meet up with her since she was on the subway at the moment and could be in my area in the next 15 minutes. Asking if it’s possible to meet up later, she said either she was going to get off at the Hognik University station or keep taking the train to head back to her University, which is an hour and a half away. Feel the pressure to make a decision I decided since our group was thinking of going out for dinner later and no one wanting a late night. I figured this would be fine. Fight off the exhaustion, you just have to do it sometimes, is what I told myself. So still rushing from one place to another I grabbed a local bus and headed to the subway to meet Ara. Meeting Ara was a great experience. Since she spoke English very well, she was able to give me more insight in to Korean culture. I know that I had learned a few things from other Americans that have been living here for anywhere from 2-8 plus years but hearing it from a local that grew up in the culture is completely different. We shared a lot of laughs and she was very interested in all my travels backpacking since she is planning her first trip out of Korea to India in December, so I was able to give her some tips. I continued to wait to hear back from the rest of the group about dinner, but the enthusiasm wore off quickly and exhaustion won the battle even in spite of not having an early morning. Since the subway stops running at midnight and we lost track of time talking about so many different things. It was 11:30pm when we departed, but we made plans to keep in touch since her University is only 30-minutes away from Iksan, the city my birth mother lives in, and she said that she would love to meet her and help be a translator for us since I told her that ESWS would only be providing us with a translator for Friday afternoon and again on Saturday until about 3 or 4pm while we were in Yoseou. I knew it would be a struggle with a lot of hand gestures with the absence of a translator. So when she agreed to meet up with us Saturday afternoon or evening I was very excited. After a very quick goodbye she headed to the subway and I began the 20-minute walk back to Mugunghwa house, where I proceeded to pass out like a NyQuil® addict.
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