Lotte World

For some time I have considered changing the address to my blog.  The title The Tallest People in Korea began as a joke before Jessica and I left the far West for the far East.  I'm 6 feet, 6 inches tall.  Jessica is average height.  Naturally the jokes and speculation came as we prepared to leave.  "I bet they've never seen anybody as tall as you."  "You're gonna scare those little kids."  "Well if Asian people are that short, I bet kindergarten children are only like a foot tall."  I've learned that on average Asian people are indeed short.  I haven't seen anyone taller than me yet.  But this is not a land of pygmies or hobbit size folk.  The bigger cities we visited such as Seoul and Daegu generally contain Koreans with above average height.  Above the average stereotypical height that is.  So naturally I sometimes feel the need to explain my title.  I wouldn't want anyone to think I'm so ignorant as to believe I'm really the tallest person in an entire country.  I have already taken it upon myself to issue a blanket apology to all Koreans because of the joking I hear often about Asians mixing up their R's and L's.

                                   

I had a change of heart because I now understand why this happens.  At least in the Korean language, the same letter (ㄹ) can be pronounced as either an R or an L.  It is somewhat the same obstacle one may run into when learning the letter C in English.  It can either be used as a "cup" sound or a "cease" sound.  Language is a tough thing to tackle.  All this to say I'm a bit more sensitive and understanding about differences that were once humorous when I lived in America.  Until now.

Yesterday Jessica and I took a bus up to Seoul with two of our friends to visit Lotte World.  Lotte is a huge company in Korea.  There are Lotte cinemas.  Lotte marts.  Nine story Lotte department stores.  Lotteria fast food.  Last night I even saw a skyscraper with the logo Lotte Castle on top of it.  Lotte is everywhere.  Now, we have experienced Lotte World, an amusement park in the middle of Seoul.  It reminded me of Disney World, but on a much smaller scale.  There was an indoor area with roller coasters, a stage for musical shows, an ice skating rink, etc.  Outside was called the Magic Island.  After crossing over a moat we walked through a castle, very similar to Cinderella's, and came out at more roller coasters.  Bigger roller coasters.  Jessica and I love these kinds of rides.  We went straight for the biggest, most adrenaline pumping ride we saw.  It was cold, and the line was long, but we didn't mind the wait.  This ride was worth it.  For close to an hour we watched other people riding as the cars sped by on the track right beside where the line formed.  Every time people flew past us screaming, our hearts pumped a little faster.  As we neared the boarding area, I made eye contact with one of the Lotte World employees.  She started walking in our direction carrying a long metal stick.  I noticed markings on it, used to measure little children and then ruin their whole day by telling them they are too short to ride.  She stopped in front of us.  "Tall!  Bery bery dangerous."

Since arriving in Korea many people have informed me that I'm very tall.  They will pass us on the sidewalk and without fail we'll hear the words beautiful and very tall.  Apparently these are the only two adjectives taught in Korean schools for describing the foreigners.  

She kept standing there looking at me as if I was supposed to respond.  Wait.  Am I being kicked off this ride?

Long story short, I didn't get to ride the roller coaster.  I watched from the side as Jessica rode in the front car.  I've seen short children denied entrance to a roller coaster.  I've seen fat people exit as the shoulder harness would not come all the way down.  But being too tall to ride?  (sigh...) Only in Asia.