Rubbing Elbows

For Micah:

At dinner tonight, our waiter repeatedly rubbed both of my forearms, obviously stunned at how hairy they were. He exclaimed in Korean to his friends, so they could come see for themselves.

Noting this and joining in the laughter, my colleague from Oberlin, Joel, suggested that the waiters wanted to shave my arms and make a sweater.

How were you not here for this?

- Posted from my mobile device

Location:Nonhyeon-dong, Seoul,South Korea

"Less of you, more of us."

Things White People [Are] Like[ly to Notice]:

- Some things do not translate well across cultures.
- Some things very much do translate (humor, value, good food, and a million other things)
- For real. Korean BBQ? Oh!
- School motto in first Korean National School, Daewon: Less of you, more of us.
- Elevator says fits 11, four Americans are tight.
- Gelato and Waffles? Yep, should be everywhere.
- Courtesy and honor go a long way.
- Everyone is smaller than me.
- White people are sometimes expected to pay more.
- Because we often can pay more.
- Awkward or new is actually 'okay.' You'll survive, maybe even the
better for it.
- National schools are VERY different from international schools.
- Ambrosia may have left Olympus long ago, but it hasn't left Asia (see below).
- Seriously, nectar of the gods.*
- We are larger than everyone.
- We are larger than everything.
- Maybe we don't always have everything figured out.
- Reads: with a world of other perspectives, you've always got a lot to learn.
- We think our way is bigger and better. Really, it's just our bodies that are bigger.

And more to come. 3.5 hour flight to Hong Kong tomorrow mid-day, and a new New to experience all over!

*

Location:Seoul, South Korea

Chasing the Sun

If you read this, in all likelihood I not only arrived, but did so with little enough trouble that I warranted it worth the effort to find and connect to the interwebs. It was flight of "substantial" portions, around 11 hours. I ate two meals, including a goodly amount of beef whilst flying over Japan. There's something cute about that.

Assuming Mac Mail works "offline" like I think it does, it was also a productive flight. Some 20 outbound emails sitting in my outbox, a nearly empty inbox (well, since last syncing at 2:00pm on all of your Mondays). I listened to Cornel West, I read articles, I blew up Zombies, I listened to music, I cataloged pictures of Brian Griffith receiving tye-die socks, I blew up more Zombies. It's been good. Been glad to have the iPad and its impressive battery life, between Zombies and World of Goo.

Also, it has never gotten dark. That's a crazy thing to me. 11 hours in flight, crossing the international date line (surprise, it's tomorrow now!), being awake for some 20 hours. And it's been the same day, the same sun rising, the same bright presence, constantly. Note to self: living on the moon would blow my mind. Also, maybe Alaska. He he. Anyway, I might go send confirmation emails, or drop my wife her nth sweet note that she'll receive all at once, or blow up some Zombies or something. Hey, Seoul!

I'm getting out of the weeds and ahead of the curve[ature of the Earth!]