New Korean Slogan

The sound of a weed whacker...the smell of asphalt...the smell in the morning when I go to walk the dog...these are all things that, oddly as it may be, remind me of home. I'm sitting in my office right now, and I hear a weed whacker outside getting to business. I find it kind of funny that a weed whacker, of all things, would make me think of home, but...well...it does!

So, recently I've decided what my new slogan for life in Korea is. The slogan goes something like this: Korea-where weird becomes normal, and normal becomes weird. This first came to mind when I was walking down the street with a friend and this guy (he sounded American by his accent), came and asked for directions to a certain sushi restaurant. I explained to him and showed him where it was, and we went our separate ways. At that, my friend said "That's not supposed to happen..." "What's not?" "Someone asking you for directions on the street in English...and you answering in English..." I laughed about it, but when thinking further, it was really true. Those kinds of things, the things that should be so normal in life, have become so few and far between, that they seem "weird" to us now. On the other hand, not being able to effectively communicate with people, not knowing what's in my food, not having half a clue as to what's going on in school sometimes....those things are the things we'd consider "weird" in the states...weird enough to note every time they happened. However, here, they've become so normal to me that I just don't think to talk about them anymore! So, I live in Korea-the land where weird becomes normal and normal becomes weird.

Also, Korea has done something for me in my thoughts of communication. In the states, I would tell people I HATE when there's a lack of communication between people. I thought that communication issues were one of the worst things to happen...ever. However, now living out of my normal element, living somewhere that communication is so different, and is not congenial with my instincts, I've learned so much about how to deal with communication issues. I've also learned to not jump to conclusions about what someone says or does, thinking first "Ok, is this cultural? Was there some sort of mix up in communication?" And that has helped me relax so much about my...well, basically my overly active worry-gene. It's a good thing, for sure!

Alright, I should go. A friend and I took pictures for some of our friends' wedding. I'm busy editing them (I've spent several several hours already doing it, and I'm only just over half done...and the wedding is next week! Ah!!!) so I should probably get back to that.
Oh!! Before I go, a random story! I walked into my classroom yesterday and this one boy was practically hyperventilating and another was livid. I have no idea what happened, but the entire class period, I was on top of this kid, trying to keep him from yelling and getting out of his seat...it was crazy! Definitely a first for me in Korea!! Ok, for real now...picture editing, here I come!