I'm Still Alive

Since Korea is making all the headlines back home, I figure it's worth a post to explain what life is actually like on this side of the pond. In a nutshell, nothing's changed. Like a fistful of irony, I didn't find out what was going on between North and South Korea until I logged into nytimes.com and, lo and behold, my little corner of the Earth is front and center in a cloud of smoke. To be honest, I can't actually say whether this because a) no one is talking about it over hear or b) no one felt like talking about it with me. I think it's a mix of the two.

As far as I can tell, these skirmishes have been going on between the two sides intermittently for the past 50 years. I don't want to belittle the events, there were death's on Yeonpyeong Island, but these flare ups have gone on for so long that Koreans are largely desensitized from any serious emotion. Yes, of course it's on the news--and it's probably a welcome respite from 24 hour kimchi jiggae documentaries, despite the inherently morose nature of the proceedings--but that doesn't mean the whole country comes to a halt and climbs under their chairs. On the rare occasion that I talk to Koreans about they're neighbor to the North, the feeling is more of embarrassment than serious anger or anxiety. It's like your crazy uncle who keeps embarrassing the family name in the news, maybe he killed somebody, what can you say?Is your life suddenly screwed forever? Except for many people in South Korea, they do have uncles up North. And even if they don't know them anymore, this is one homogenous race that shares the same history and culture. Sure, some people are scared that war will break out--but eventually you stop being surprised and start expecting these events, even if you're scared to death that some day it'll hit close to home.

Long story short, I think this is bigger news in America than it is in Korea. If only because American media is so much more sensationalist than their counterparts over here. So maybe I should just say "news" instead of news, but most Koreans here seem to take it in stride, absorb the details, and get one with their lives. I mean, someone's got to keep this Asian Tiger chugging. Let's not forget, though, that South Korea's war is America's war by default. So even if we're not "one people," I guess we definitely have in interest in what's going on over here. And to allay any fears, I would like to tell everyone that I, and everyone else outside of one unfortunate island, am OK. In the event that anything were to happen, being a part of the FB family puts me in first contact with the U.S. embassy, and we have a staff working full time to look out for our best interests--whether that means evacuating us on a moments notice or answering our mundane questions about life in Korea and how to figure our internet banking. Even if I shouldn't, I feel pretty safe over here. The odds say I'm far more likely to get murdered by a crazy-man back home than I am by a North Korean--I guess it's just the proximity that makes you think twice.