Saturday, July 7, 2007 Mid-day

I recently stumbled upon this website called "photojojo" and although I don't know much about them, they gave me a good suggestion. It was to take one photo a day and publish it on the web. Without fear of jinxing this suggestion (by talking about it here), I will attempt to do just this. Sometimes all the things you can take photos of living in a new culture get overwhelming. Also, once the rhythms of life have set in, sometimes it's easier to forget to see the newness and present moment of life. Everything seems like you've been there, done that. Although, I do realize that I am the eyes and ears for my friends and family who have no idea what life is like here and might be a tad bit curious. I will attempt to record my everyday life by a photo and a thought to accompany it. Hopefully, I will continue to upload at least every 2-3 days. Further, I hope my eye continues to improve in regards to photo quality, lighting, etc.

This is the time of year when it is blindingly bright outside and all the women carry around sun umbrellas. They often wear darthvader masks, men alike. And sometimes don white gloves, long sleeved shirts and pants in order to stay freakish pale. Anyhow, oftentimes you can tell the difference between these and rain umbrellas because the print is on the underside of the contraption. South Korea is a land of four season umbrellas. In the winter there's the cold rain, and in the summer there's monsoon season, in the fall and spring often it is sunny or rainy. Koreans like to boast, "We have four seasons!" like this is something very unusual.

For me, the umbrellas are fine although sometimes the necessity of them in the summer makes me irritated. Sometimes while walking down the crowded street where there are vendors selling tomatoes and plums and then subway construction and a basket of clothes for chun won (1,ooo won) and then the smell of cinnamony fried chicken wafts out the chicken and soju joint and all these people are carrying umbrellas in the rain down this crowded corridor. I go past them in my red rain boots and umbrella of the week. Our umbrellas do the up down penguin dance or sometimes they fight for territory. My umbrellas don't last very long here and that's okay because often during monsoon season you are caught away from home. Gotta buy another one in the quicky mart, or the beauty store, or the entrance to the subway from an ajumma or down in the subway station. Most are cheap, compact, and of low quality. I must make something clear though--and that is that I have not yet broken down to buy a sun umbrella, a darthvader mask, or white gloves. I have, however, while waiting for light to change, place a newspaper or book or my hand up to cover my face from the evil sun's rays. Women also do this while walking down the street.

They are more a problem for my friend Mike. He is over six foot tall and Koreans on average seem to be from about 5 foot to maybe 5'8". This puts good ole Mike right at about eye poke out height.

My last thought on umbrellas and sun is that since Korea is the miracle economy, they are trying very hard not to look like they are doing hard labor in the fields anymore. Whereas Americans will bake their fair skin off in tanning salons until they become hardened leather so they can appear to be on an eternal Bermuda vacation and rich, Korean thought is quite the opposite.