unexpectations

So I've mentioned to many people that I didn't know how well I would do moving to a country with which I had little to no cultural/linguistic connection. I had never studied the Korean language in school, I had never seen any Korean television or movies, and I had never played Starcraft, so I was kind of worried. And I still am a little bit.

But I did have expectations about what I would learn and encounter when I moved to an East Asian country. For example, I thought I'd learn about Buddhism and zen and whatever else I thought non-Christian Asians did in their temples and spare time. I also thought that when I traveled to the more rural areas that I would see rice paddies and tea groves everywhere I looked. I expected mountains to look Asian-y (whatever that is) and I thought yellow dust would cover my hair.

But the things I have actually learned and experienced have nothing to do with those expectations. For example, I am now an expert on separating the bones from a fish (with chopsticks!). And I know how to instinctively bow every time I see an elder. I did NOT see Asian-y rural areas on my train ride to Seoul- it turns out that fields and mountains look pretty similar to those in the U.S. And although all of Korea is gearing up in big ways for Buddha's birthday next week (I have no clue how old he is), with lanterns lining every street and festivals getting under way, I haven't heard any Koreans talk about their beliefs and I haven't felt very zen.

But I'm happy with the unexpected. I never thought that my teachers would get excited to simply speak one sentence to me in English, and I never thought that food and drink fairies would drop off snacks at my desk almost every day at school. I never expected to wear an orange bag on my head at a baseball game (more about that later) or get shots in the butt seven days in a row for a sore throat. Eating Krispy Kreme donuts with chopsticks could become the norm and apparently I can no longer eat salad successfully with a fork (although who has ever been graceful at eating salad?).