Talk Radio and the other hobbies of Kings......

Fall is in the air and I could not be happier about it. The dense moisture that hangs in the air here is, at last, beginning to cool off and I have even required the assistance of a jacket the past few evenings on my walk home form school. The leaves are starting to turn mottled yellows and reds; there is crispness in the air that wasn’t there before. I’m sure if I were in Calgary, I would be confronted with the begginings of commercials declaring that there are only 78 more shopping days till Christmas and I better get on that shit now!!!!!! Here, however, there is nary a Santa hat in sight, and I can’t say I am unhappy with the fact that it is October 7, and fall is only beginning to happen. Autumn is really when New Year should happen, this is the time when things start to change for people, school gets back into the swing of things, the fantasy world of gorgeous summer days that stretch late into the evening, long slow sunsets, lawns and trees lush with greenery, BBQ’s, Margarita’s and beer…well, all that’s over now. It’s back to reality.

And speaking of things that suck…


There are few things more annoying in this world then talk radio.
I fucking hate that shit. Some guy who probably chose radio because he knew with his looks a career in television was out, going on and on about god knows what for god knows how long, and just when you think it can’t get any worse, they cut to a commercial, (one of the few things actually MORE annoying then talk radio) only to return a few minutes later to barrage the listener with more incessant opinion giving and ranting and raving about whatever the hell is on their pea-sized minds at that current juncture. It sucks to be me regarding this because my boyfriend happens to be a big fan of talk radio. Sports talk radio to be precise….see? It just got worse……
Back home, waking up to a clock radio blaring various viewpoints and judgments from some guy named Mike, is not, for me, a constructive way to start the day. Love gives you the strength to take on many burdens, it would seem, and I somehow managed to restrain myself from throwing the damn thing across the room every AM. I found myself content in the knowledge that a move to Korea would ensure that I would be free of talk radio, sports or otherwise for the duration of my stay.
You know you’ve got a hate on for something when you would honestly rather wake up to the sound of jackhammers going off across the street at 7am then put up with someone’s morning commentary.
Then this morning…..
Sunday morning in Suwon is Saturday night in Calgary. Autumn has arrived brining with it the hockey season and the Canadians in Korea could not be happier/more bummed that they are stuck in a place where hockey is most defiantly not a priority. My boyfriend being one of them. The Internet being both a blessing and a curse, I woke up this morning to the sounds of a flames game being broadcasted into our tiny apartment. At first I was confused. Then I understood. Then I was irritated. Then I became cross. Dave was exuberant at the fact that he could now listen to flames games live. I was less then.
Sigh….strength to take on many burdens it is……..

And speaking of which, here is something I have noticed in the past few weeks. Depending on where you are in Korea, foreigners can garner somewhat more attention then perhaps some of us are used to back home. We kind of stick out here, and while not unexpected, it can be somewhat jarring at times to realize how much you do stick out, particularly in a culture that has no qualms about staring at things that seem out of place at any given time. I have noticed that Dave and I get very different types of attention from the locals. Dave is considered something of a king in Korea….being white, 6’4, and male automatically puts him in a very enviable position here. Korean men either nod respectfully or smile broadly in a friendly manner. Young Korean girls giggle profusely when he passes, shyly ask his name, and how old he is or gaze up at him with mildly masked adoration.
And me? Oh I get attention too.
Why just the other night a truck pulled up beside me on my way home (baby seat still in the car mind you) and it’s driver gesturing for me to join him, and with the stream of Korean being nattered at me, I made out the words “Russian” and watched him take out a fistful of won and wave it at me. I gave him the finger and walked on before he could wave anything else at me. Arrogant stares are directed in my direction more times then I care to even think about accompanied with a sense of entitlement that seems to permeate from males in this country. They stare unapologetically and without shame. Most of the time, I stare back, and they seem startled by this. They don’t look away mind you…..just seems surprised.
This seems a little unfair to me. What does he get wonder and awe, and I get fistful’s on won waved at me? Where the fuck is my awe? The separation of men and women in the world has never been so apparent to me as it is becoming the longer I stay here. It’s the 1950’s with technology. For a country that seems bent on catching up with the rest of the western world, they sure seem content to stick with the status quo as far as men and women and their roles in society go.
But that, my dears, is a blog for another time……..