American Weekend

I’m still trying to process it all.  On this adventure Jessica and I have had numerous cultural experiences.  We ate raw ocean “things” with a Korean family.  We walked on the street where a nameless man with shopping bags won a staring contest with a Chinese army tank in 1989.  

Ancient palaces.  Great walls.  Throne rooms. 

And strangely enough, none of the above is what I’m having trouble wrapping my brain around. 

This past weekend we visited our friends Michael and Victoria Mosley in Dongducheon, South Korea.  1 hour train ride north of Seoul.  On Saturday afternoon, we went to the US Army base in town.  Jessica and I were excited about seeing more than a handful of Americans.  There’s a grocery store on base.  American grocery store.  All week we dreamed of Mountain Dew.  Wheat Thins.  Fritos Jalapeno Cheddar chip dip.  I’m even slightly embarrassed to say we ate at the Taco Bell.  We weren’t even hungry. 

But I found myself feeling something quite different than I expected.  As we left the train station to walk down the street to the base, the area reminded me of a ghetto inner-city neighborhood mixed with Myrtle Beach.  The only Koreans I saw were taxi drivers and a few pawn shopkeepers.  The Americans we passed on the sidewalk looked a bit thuggish.  Honestly, I didn’t feel entirely safe.  This wasn’t the Korea I’ve grown accustomed to.

Before leaving for Korea last fall, Kim Carroll recounted her first experience of Seoul.  She asked her Korean friends if there were any areas to avoid should they get separated or if she traveled there alone. 

“No?” was the answer, with a confused look.  Seoul...Korea in general...is a safe place.

“Well, I wouldn’t go to Itaewon at night.  It’s the American part of town.  Anywhere else is OK.”

Like I said, I’m just having trouble wrapping my brain around it all.  Or maybe I’m having trouble accepting the reality of what I already knew to be true.

Thoughts?