Weygugi (foreigner)/Ambassador of Black People

I finished my first full week in Korea.

It has had its highs and lows. I am adjusting to people staring at me, pointing, calling me Weygugi (foreigner), and being unable to communicate with 95% of the people here. In the classes the children stare at me, none of them have seen a black person before. I was asked by one of the Korean instructors to explain my hair to her class. I refused. I've been struggling with how to react. At first, i was upset and frustrated and angry, but now I'm taking it all in stride. I am becoming more aware of how behind this society is when it comes to different cultures and diversity. Essentially, I am here to help broaden the worldview of the native people of Korea. I am taking my roll as Ambassador of Black people very seriously. For the most part, a lot of these people will never leave this peninsula, so I will be their only experience with a person of color. I want to show them how beautiful my culture is. If I can erase the stereotypes and broaden the perception of one Korean, my mission will be accomplished. I plan to use my classroom as an opportunity to show the positivity of Black culture. I am going to use positive music and poetry from Black authors to show my classes a different perspective of Black culture. Most of them only have exposure to what is on American television and movies here (think Boys in the Hood and 50 cent). Don't get me wrong, It's not all bad here. I don't mean to sound negative, but that is one major part of my life here in Korea. I am very aware of the fact that I am Black. I am more conscious of my skin color, nappy hair, and weight than I ever have been in my life.

On a brighter note, I have met some pretty great people. I went out Friday and Saturday night and experienced night life in Ulsan. Friday night, we went to a traditional Korean club. It was fun and hilarious at the same time. I went with two of the teachers here and other foreigners who teach near our school. Here, there is a dj/singer/dancer/stripper in each club. He is on the stage as the DJ then he stops for a minute and becomes a singer/dancer and in the end he strips down to his chonies. It's great! Hilarious! Dance music is played for about 20 minutes, then slow jams come on (which is the cue for everyone to take a break, get a drink, and chat), then dance music again. Clubs don't close until after 5 a.m. Also, what I noticed, Koreans are a little more reserved when it comes to dating. Boys and girls don't go to clubs together. The girls are escorted around to tables where there are men and if they think they're cute they sit down. It's similar to speed dating. I found it all quite entertaining. I had a great time with the friends I made.

On Saturday night I went to a foreigners bar. There were a lot of new teachers there looking to make friends. I met people there from all around the world. Today, Sunday, I went hiking with one of the teachers at my school, Caroline. She is really a sweet woman. We hiked to the local store here, which took about an hour. I saw a beautiful side of Korea that made up for the bad parts of the week. When we came back, I saw a Black woman walking down the street. She is the first Black person I have seen since I arrived in Korea. I flagged her down and we talked for a bit. Turns out we are neighbors. I got her info and we're going to go to dinner this week. I didn't realize how starved I am for the company of someone that looks like me. It is comforting to know that I'm not the only one here, she's really sweet and I look forward to getting to know her.

I start teaching this week on my own, I'm sure that will be a whole new set of adventures :) I added pictures of my hike today.

Thanks for reading,

Namaste
Nichole