m-flo and all its brilliance

I continually get introduced to Korean culture when I step out of the English speaking bubble. Perhaps sideswiped would be a more appropriate adjective. This past weekend I attended a Korean/Japanese hip-hop fusion concert at the Walker Hill Hotel in Seoul. I was one of two Caucausian people in a sea of Asians. I hate admitting this, but I felt overwhelmed at moments being the minority, and getting stared at incessantly. I have traveled before and been ogled at, but this felt different. I LIVE here now. I am part of the society. Where do I really fit as a waugukin? (Foreigner in Korean) What's the big deal about being a tall, blonde girl with a mass of curly hair?

I got the answers to some of my questions later in the evening. I attended the concert with my good friend Jon, but he is a Chinese-Canadian and blends right into the Asian mix of people. He and I had excellent conversations that night about foreigners. I asked him,"Why are white people such a big deal in Asia?" He said it's because of the scarcity of foreigners that make us (in reference to white people) such an anomoly. Some Asians view whites with extreme curiousity, while other times view whites as an annoyance and simply don't exist.

Sadly, racism evolves at times as a result of the curiousity and/or annoyance. We got a bigger dose of this divide when entering into the casino part of the hotel in search of food. Jon was stopped for his passport while I just got to mosy on into the casino. We joked about it a little, but decided it needed further investigation. After breaking it down to DJ Clazzi till 2:30 in the morning, we decided to try and make our way into the casino. We even pretended to be a married couple the second time to test. They only stopped him! The blatant treatment of him vs. me was jaw-dropping.

Further conversations that weekend with my other new Asian friends, led to further evidence of this ethnic divide. My friend Christine told me she clung to Asian groups in college. Her friends back in Boston tease about having more white friends in Korea than she did in the States! I couldn't help but analyze my own friendships back in the States. Some are diverse, other homogenous. Is this something I need to worry about? Is there a competition to have more diverse friends?

The answer I concluded was yes and no. People will naturally gravitate to what is familiar, whether it revolves around race, culture, or gender. This is not always a bad thing. But what turns ugly is blatant racism, predjudice, and close-minded thinking. One way I noticed to overcome that is breaking down these barriers with intentional effort. Have a meal. Ask about each other's culture. Make an effort to visit homes or participate in celebrations.

I realize this is all easier said than done. It sounds too much like holding hands and singing kum-by-ya around the campfire. But it can work. I have witnessed it repeatedly over the last few months. Just one of the few lessons I have continued to learn during my time in Korea. Who knew that a hip-hop concert could open up door to such amazing conversations? Thank goodness for m-flo and all their brilliance! (Check out the group on youtube!)