Rest and not so much relaxation

I realize that a blog post is long overdue. In fact, I've got an unfinished waiting in queue on this blogger as we speak. But I've just returned from "vacation" in Jeju, so I figure I might as well write what's fresh on my mind.

So a trip to Jeju, South Korea. I guess that's how I'd write it. I'm still uncertain as to the relationship Jeju has with the rest of Korea. A state? A territory like Puerto Rico? I'm not sure, but somehow, having to ride a plane across a body of water makes it seem more like a Puerto Rico than a Palm Springs. I went thinking that this would be a well-deserved vacation after a hard summer's work at Hoyah Academy. And being in a different country, ofcourse, lends itself to its share of ups and downs. But hey, I just got back from 4 days without internet access. That in and of itself is a major up. Somebody give me a high five.

It's really hot here
my my...it feels like a cloud is suffocating my face. That's kind of how I felt the entire time I was there. And sometimes, the clouds actually were in my face. One minute it would be sunny; the next there would be a huge downpour. Mother nature, how you love to play these foolish games.

Lost
We got to go to an actual, life-size maze. Yes! Those mazes that you only see on tv and in books with other hallucinogenic things, such as playing card men and dodo birds. As lame as I felt asking my relatives to take me there, I knew I'd never be able to find one in the US (or atleast in Texas). As a I began to wander through the maze with my cousins, I started to realize why this sort of "maze park" would never fly in the US. This shrubbery of..."fun" is literally a lawsuit waiting to happen. What kind of person would PAY to get lost? Evidently, a lot of fellow Jeju-do travellers. I tried to impress my cousin by looking at a map and boldly proclaiming that I did know the way out. Not only did I NOT know the way out, but I slipped down an entire flight of stairs in my muddy flip flops. There's just no redeeming yourself after falling down a flight of stairs.

It's noon...I think
There's some old Korean tradition, that I may have just made up, where you absolutely must accept any alcohol given to you by an elder. Yeah, I think I might have made that up, but I think it stems from some truth. It just so happens that by this time during my stay in Korea, I've grown to detest soju. Soju = death. It used to be the perfect companion to good times back in the day (i.e., June) but now all I can think of whenever I drink it is rubbing alcohol. It smells bad, it tastes bad, and one shot of it doesn't even get you drunk. But ofcourse, I HAVE to accept it when my oldest uncle offers me some...at lunch time. Not once, not twice, but THRICE during my stay in Jeju, I felt the effects of Korean moonshine right around noon time. Sometimes, drinking just is not as fun when you know that you won't be dancing it off within an hour.

No speak Korean
So that's kind of a lie. I can most certainly get by with my Korean. But you can't "go on vacation" to a place where the language is not your first language. Sure it's fun to experience a new culture and eat new food (note: not all the food was quite so fun--sea cucumber, octopus, squid...not so fun), but when it's a constant struggle to communicate?? When you can't even crack a joke because Korean just doesn't have the capabilities to sustain subtle American sarcasm?? When you can't be yourself because all your sentences trail off because of lack of language skills?? That's certainly not a vacation. However, I've noticed that a little bit of alcohol--just like a spoonful of sugar--makes the medicine go down and the korean come out MUCH easier. Due to the aforementioned lunchtime soju, I was able to have some good conversations with my relatives. No worries...there was no dancing involved.

Still waiting for that high five
Although I had quite a bit of trouble carrying on conversation like a normal Korean, there were times when I was mistaken for *gasp* an ACTUAL Korean! Ever since I've stepped foot here in Korea, I haven't really felt like an ACTUAL Korean. Some of my relatives judge the basis of my Korean-ness on my ability to eat kimchi, while others expect me to eat crazy things because I am by some default, KOREAN. Walking around Seoul, I've never felt like one of these people. I stand as an outsider, a man from across the ocean, and thus, I'm free to judge and criticize and even laugh at these so-called Koreans. But there is this sense of satisfaction when strangers do think you're one of them and even through a slightly botched accent, they seem to accept you. People would ask me questions at the hotel and on the street about how much things cost or where something was, and after hearing my response would either ask me more questions or politely thank me. They think I'm Korean!! I just gave myself another high five right here in front of this computer.

A couple more days and I'm back in the States Back to being "Korean American" and back to the real world. First stop...Taco Bell.