FaceTime has become the weekly form of contact with the parents. Waking up early Sunday keeps me in rhythm with the rest of the week so now I manage to wake up around 7:30AM daily. During this week’s barrage of questions from my mother, she brought up if the girls at my dorm are ever surprised at seeing a guy, especially one like myself of the darker complexion. Actually having never experienced trouble yet, I blew off the question as being a really presumptuous view on Asian women. But then again, the universe and irony really enjoy each other’s company.
A handful of hours later, my roommate and I decided to grab dinner in 신촌 (Shinchon). Since we live on the top floor (the 6th and 7th floors are the only ones even occupied by men), we go through every level in order to get out of the building. A rather petite girl called the elevator to the 3rd floor. Although I was reading an article on my phone in the corner of the elevator, I witnessed the entire event transpire slowly. As the doors opened to the floor, the girl looked at us with her mouth agape for about 5 seconds, presumably grasping the fact that both Zach and I were white and brown men, respectively. It seemed clear she did not want to ride the elevator with us as she pushed the call button three times before realizing that worked to no avail. In turn, she thought it best to actually run away from the scene, at which point the elevator finally closed when she was out of sight. Rarely, do I immediately get irritated (read: pissed the f*** off), but my roommate witnessed the immediate change in my facial expression. I understand how many factors played a role in the situation that could have rationalized the decision making she went through in the situation. Hell, the mainstream media has done a great job at shedding the vastness of rape culture and bringing the male culprit into light so even as a guy, I don’t trust most men. If I lived in predominantly homogenous society, I would have also been surprised to see two men of different race in her place. Going to a women’s university, I would have presumed that there were only young women living in dormitory spaces in her place. Numerous other things not specifically stated could definitely have also played a role in that situation, but ultimately what happened entirely relied on her decision making; she decided to literally run away.
I accept the action as having, hopefully, a rationalized basis but I cannot condone it and will not excuse it. I found it grossly offensive and apologize to anyone reading that I offend, but would like to remind you that you actively chose to read a spread on my very human thoughts.
Fresh fruit and a class later…
Monday marked the first time Tim and I would see Dr. Kim since leaving Yale at the end of the term. Well if we had actually met up with her. A miscommunication, lack of wifi, and a long wait forced us to give up and resolve on seeing her the day after. It sucks to be unpunctual, especially to a person that helped you out so much during your preparation process, but the meeting that followed the day after near her place made up for it. Dr. Leventhal, her husband, and she committed to moving to UCSF to work and live together in their 5 years of marriage. Encouragingly enough, they helped us both plan out the remainder of our summer in relation to the lab work we would be tackling at Rudolph. They even got me set up with a meeting to start preparing for my academic year project with another lab in association with 서울대 (SNU).
Wednesday morning marked a festive time for Koreans this summer: the first World Cup match! While folks on the East Coast enjoyed the game at 6 in the evening, us folks watching it in Korea had to wake up before 7AM to get stoked. Tim and I met up at a bar right by his 곳이원 (goshiwon). Businessmen, avid fans, couples among others all gathered, drank, and cheered on as the Korean team took on Russia. The first half admittedly seemed lackluster as South Korea kept on hugging one flank during their attacks at goal and failed to push back their defense to draw out Russia’s midfield. In turn, the Russians played with great patience and were rewarded with a solid number of opportunities. Fortunately, in the second half, at about the 68th minute, Akinfeyev failed to control the shot that Lee Keunho took. Unfortunately, the moment of glory was short-lived as the Russians answered back right at the 74th minute. Shortly thereafter, a truck came by to dismantle a closed down Chinese restaurant right next to the bar, making it apparent that this game was over. Hopes guide us into the next game and excitement sparks at the idea of having more fried chicken for breakfast, again.
Wednesday essentially worked out as an errand day. Up until the point the Yalies in Korea decided to grab a dinner together. And you know any day is a good day for 갈비 (galbi). A hodgepodge of language study students, Korean Yalies of numerous ages, and even friends deciding on stopping by before going off to other programs attended the gathering. 잘 먹었습니다! Plus being able to catch up with the other Yalies and those who were getting ready for their first year made the time ever more enjoyable (i.e. we got mango bingsu afterwards so many noms were had). Something in my dialogue caught my attention: I talked about Yale as if I had fully left it. Melancholy struck me. The idea that I will be away from Yale for much longer than ever this time really cemented into my brain. After arriving for Culture Connections fall of 2012 (C!C! for my preorientation homies), the longest I had been away from Yale was 37 days when I left to backpack through Western Europe with my friend, John M., from high school last summer. Being away from home is one thing, but I have been away from home already for numerous lengths and various reasons. Two years in, I am already in the midst of testing how long I can truly remain away from a place I consider to be even more than a home. Already reflective, the feelings were not nostalgic, yet.
Time will tell.
And time had come for me to start my first behavioral session. I arrived to Rudolph immediately after school Thursday with time to relax before the first treatment session. I would observe two cohorts of children with high-functioning autism that day. Again, when blogging about my research I won’t be at liberty to say what I observed or concluded, but I can tell you the children were super cute! (Cue the “aww”‘s.) Although my Korean remains sub par, Koreans still humor me and compliment it, nevertheless. Korean children seem to get in awe when they hear someone speak English, it made me feel humbled. I cannot wait to go back next week.
Friday, Ewha took us on a little field trip to Lotte World. Picture a lesser Disney World with seemingly fewer rides than a traveling carnival. If that didn’t make it bad enough, we were slightly treated like middle schoolers and guided through specific parts of the damn place. But entering the trip with low expectations made it better as I got to know members of my class more outside of a school setting. Collectively, we’re a goofy bunch. Individually, we’re a goofy bunch. It works well. But damn am I glad I won’t be returning there anytime soon.
Saturday, Patty and I traveled to Danyang to go paragliding, which will be retold in its own post.
