Welcome to the Freak Show

We have become the stars of our own little freak show over here. Everywhere we go - every street we walk down, every building we enter, every classroom we teach in - Koreans of all ages (adults to newborns) look at us as if we come from another planet. All for the simple reason that our hair isn't black, our skin is lighter, we have freckles, we are much taller, and in Jenn's case she has big boobs. Those of you who have been through this in Asian countries know what I'm talking about (Cory & Megan in Japan; Merv & Kathy in China). And those who plan on visiting us here, be prepared to be stared at, laughed at, pointed at, and gawked at. Being stared at is becoming a way of life for us, but being laughed at can be a bit degrading and humiliating. We think the laughing is because they are amazed at how different we look and we think it's harmless, but who knows what is going on inside their heads as they act like a three-headed monster just walked by.

There is one girl at school who giggles uncontrollably, interspersed with a few English words, every time she talks to Jenn. Something like this: Heehee ... pretty ... heeheehee ... beautiful ... heehee ... pretty girl. This is always followed by a few strokes of Jenn's curly hair before she runs off in a frenzy of more giggling. This girl's name is Evelyn, by the way, but we weren't responsible for naming her. (As a side note, there is also a Chad in one of Jenn's kindergarten classes that was also named before we arrived.) Aside from Jenn's curly locks, the star attraction of our freak show is my hairy arms. To the Korean kids I am the equivalent of a werewolf. At least once in every class, I have kids stroking my arms. It doesn't matter if they are kindergartens or teenagers, it is highly amusing to them to see such hairy arms.

We also get swarmed in the streets by Koreans who want to show off their English words to us. In most cases, with much enthusiasm, they simply say "Hello!!!" They simply want us, and any other Koreans around, to know they can speak English, even if it's just one word. One way we are sure to meet these English speakers is to stare blankly at a map of the city (or the subway, or a mall) and they will approach us gladly with a "Can I help you?" and we always end up following them blindly to our destination (why is it that one is so trusting in a foreign place? Shouldn't it have the opposite effect?)

To live comfortably in this foreign land, we are learning to live with the gawking and laughing, but we think it will subside after a while. And we will glady accept any help that comes our way. This especially works well in Seoul when we don't have the faintest idea where to go (if only this had worked when we almost missed our bus last weekend). There is also a store near our school that likes to accomodate us in their own special way: when we walk through their door, they change the TV channel to an English station and last week Jenn was able to catch a few minutes of Desperate Housewives, making her feel right at home.