Back in the States

I am finally back in the states and want to start blogging about old things in Korea and my take on things here in the states.  I will probably be blunt and frank - cause the only follower I have right now is bglegacies...  

Okay so we lived in Korea for 3 years and had limited contact with American friends and family.  We lived in the capital city of Seoul so moving back to the States has been culture shock all over again!  We are constantly reminded of the things we miss and can't have here.  But, having our friends and family around is more valuable than anything!  

Things I miss!

1.  First and foremost I miss the people that became our "Korean" family whether they were from Korea or not!  Mrs Cindy and her family, K.B., Mrs Sarah, Mrs Victoria, Mrs JM, Mrs Sujin, Welchie, Doc Leens, J Davis, Sharifi, Saylor, Mr. Warren, Ki beum, Ms Katie, Mr. Kim, (The corner store family - Hyung and Halmoney) and the List goes on...  We truly miss these people, they hold a special place in our hearts!

2.  Kimbap Heaven -김밥천국 - a greasy spoon pretty much on every corner!  They have tons of Kimbop/Gimbop/ Kimbap/Gimbap.  available!  Kimbap is - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gimbap.  It is not Sushi or fake Sushi.  I love Kimbap!  

3.  Having a bakery nearby ALWAYS!  I hate getting slices of bread that can sit in the palm of my hand!  The varieties of bread are so small!  My favorite bakery in Korea was Paris baguette  http://parisbaguetteusa.com/

You can not get that stuff here!

4.  Getting around the city whether it was walking, buses, subway, or taxis.  I can't believe how much we depend on our car here!

I will post about my American firsts soon - just wanted to let people know we are back in the States.  some of our friends and family, haven't seen us in so long that they forget we are here!  Holla at cha boy!  

http://www.facebook.com/only1bigg

Rant

"I am going to put tons of stress on you about school so you can eat what ever you want as long as you stay thin - and I don't care how you stay thin - just do it cause no one will want you unless you are thin, cause I never let you be different in any other way!"  Oh and by the way the job you want 10,000 others want it too and I don't care how easy it would be for you to get a job in America paying double what you would make here you are staying here, cause I need someone to take care of me when I get old and that is your job because I got you the best education you did not want and put you in the best hagwons that you slept through and paid the dean of admissions to get you into University ALL so you could be depressed on a regular basis In a job you do not want and constantly unplugged from reality, shopping or watching our K-dramas, while pretending that K-poop is real music!  

someone - clear things up for me...

"Family" in Korea

Family
For a culture so into family, how do you justify 12 hour work days, hagwons out the wazoo, and soju bathed nights!
I am by no means the most present father or the greatest one, but my son has access to me. My case is a little extreme, I am a teacher and my son is in my class. But, what about the father that works 12 hours a day then goes out drinking with his boss? That sounds extreme - I know, but it is oh so prevalent in Korea.
Another concern I have is the hagwon. This is an academy that offers instruction ranging from Tae Kwon do to math/science. Why do I bring this up? Well the reason is that these children are shuttled to and from hagwon after hagwon throughout the day. The instructors are the main stays and the parents have no influence in the child's life. The thing I see that keeps the kids loyal to family is guilt and the ideology that this is how it has always been done and how it will continue to be done!

Any given night you likely to see hundreds of men out drinking in my neighborhood. Well past 10 o'clock! This is not only because they like to drink, but because they are obligated to go drinking with their bosses!? I know money makes the world go round, but what about the children that don't see their fathers until Sunday. Does the time spent on Sunday allow them to learn about this kid? His likes and dislikes! Does he learn about the kid's true abilities and not just what his wife is telling him? A relationship has GIVE and TAKE involved. I think the lack of fatherly input has and will continue to hurt this nation!

I am of the mind set that a father MUST be present to be effective. If you child is at school 8-10 hours a day and you work 10 or 11 hours a day there is little chance for you to be effective!

Here is a quote from an article I read: The central familial relationship was not that between husband and wife, but rather between parent and child, especially between father and son. At the same time, the relationships among family members were part of a hierarchy. These relationships were characterized by benevolence, authority, and obedience. Authority rested with the (male) head of the household, and differences in status existed among the other family members (Park and Cho 1995a).

1. Isn't a relationship a two way street?
2. How can a child be expected to show piety and the parent not be expected to instruct that child?

Fat while in Korea

I have lived in Korea for three years now I am a big man fairly good looking- I am happily married and probably have one of the top ten cutest sons in Korea. But for some reason Koreans ESPECIALLY women think I NEED to loose weight so I will be "more" good looking. Why? Does the way I look make me do my job better (maybe if I were a model, but I am not)! I am a teacher- will children learn better if I loose weight? I speak to single men and women in the neighborhood, at work, on line, and at the gym. They are constantly "dieting" even though they weigh less than they should already! Their main intent is to get a mate - I guess one question is why do they do so much work on the outside and never realize to work on their attitude and personality? Another part of this question is - why do Koreans seem to be so preoccupied with appearances when their personalities push people away? Many have acted like they are concerned about the health problems of being overweight, but seem to be unaware of the health problems associated with binge eating and drinking or smoking! I also wonder if they realize the mindset that is perpetuated is what keeps the suicide and depression rate so high here?! I also want to know if Koreans realize that fat people have just as much to contribute to society as thin people!

Just a little something