-Kife in Korea-: November 2006

Ex-pats?

I'm become detached from Western people and ways of life. I hold nothing in particular against them, but the Western attitude suggests to me that a lot of people are very insecure. I listened to fellow teachers at my workplace today (not exactly and uncommon experience) discuss how Korean culture is bizarre and lacking and made up of people who are unwilling to accept foreigners. Clearly then, perhaps foreigners who a) make no effort to learn Korean while living in Korea, b) expect Korean people to cater to their wishes because they believe that rich Western countries hold some sway over other nationalities, c) make little or no effort to actually venture out and experience Korean culture, save for the standard hofs and bars that they routinely get hammered at, d) suck, have no method for gaining any entended knowledge or greater understanding outside their own subjectivity. Approaching Korean culture from a Western viewpoint removes the possibility for being able to extend one's own experience into the realm of a foreign culture. This can be a problem and lacks empathy. Experiences like this are not resigned to Korea, but can be found in many cultures in Asia rich in both cultural heritage and language development, yet treated as sub-standard. The whining of whitey's is almost enough to encourage a renunciation of culture.

The book Jonathan Livingstone Seagull relates that after being belittled and shunned from his flock, Jonathan, having achieved something greater than his community could before him, came back to his flock in order to offer himself to instruct those who lacked the knowledge he acquired, but only those who had the desire to learn. In Korea however, many Westerners responsible for teaching the flock are themselves unwilling to undergo any sort of education.

Additionally, I promise to rear my children in such a way as to never even closely approximate the lifestyle of my roommate, who somehow believes that she is a character on Sex and the City.

The Venusto Experience

For the past 10 months or so, I have had the fortune of playing with the Venusto String Ensemble (established in 1999), an amatuer but devoted group of musicians. We practise every Sunday afternoon from 2pm until approximately 6pm. I had originally joined this organization simply to keep up my pretense of being a marginally competent violinist, however, it became more of a ritual typified by long and arduous practise sessions and dinner conversations revolving around speaking better Korean or English. Venusto was first mentioned to me by a Korean friend whose roomate happens to be the concert master, and he suggested that I come and audition for the orchestra once he learned that I knew what a violin was, clearly being drunk and speaking facetiously. I took him seriously of course, and went to my first practise session the following day.

After 10 months of rehearsal, Venusto staged a concert in Yangjae, a district adjacent to my workplace. Our conductor had selected a fairly wide range of music, including Brahms' Academic Festival Overture, an oboe concerto, and Bach's Tocatta and Fudge in D(oom). Unlike the metal scene in Korea (which showcases a wide variety of talent and style, yet is only menially supported by the public), the turnout for the concert was extremely decent. It felt stimulating to play concerts again, and to be a part of something productive and inspiring.