Bumbling Idiots are People Too

So I was in Seoul today, heading to the great palace of Gyeongbokgung, when I was approached on the street by a man wearing a big, grey, bathrobe.  'New York Julia' emerged, and I immediately put on my 'bus face.'  Unfortunately, my bus face did nothing to deter this man; he was on a mission to talk to me.  

"Hello. How do you do?"  He puts his hand on my arm, just to make sure I don't bolt.  "Umm, I'm doing alright... How are you?"  I reply cautiously.  "Good, gooooood!  Where you from? I'm from Busan, where you from?"  "Me?" (I don't know why I ask this, clearly he's talking to me).  "Yes, yes! Where you from?"  As this exchange continues, other people on the street stop what they're doing to watch.  Someone even pulls out a camera to take a picture of us.  I tell this man I'm from the United States ("Oh! Los Angeles!") and that I'll be teaching in Korea for a year("Oh! I need English teacher!").  He tells me over and over again that he hopes I'm enjoying Korea, and that he wants to welcome me to his country.  By now, I've started to warm up to this guy, although I still have no idea why he's talking to me.  Quite the crowd has gathered around us and I'm feeling a bit of stage fright.  Trying to flee the situation, I stammer something about how I "really should be going, as I want to get to the Palace before it closes." He's says ok, wishes me well, and then, as he's walking away, finishes the conversation with "Oh, you know I'm a Buddhist monk, yes?"  No.  No, I did not know that. As he leaves, the crowd disperses, and I'm left standing there feeling like an idiot.  How was I supposed to know he was a Buddhist monk? (oh! so that wasn't a bathrobe!)  And, even with that knowledge, how would that have changed our interaction? To be honest, I probably would have been just as awkward even if I had known he was a monk.  Also, what was with the cameras?  

Now, I don't really have anything insightful to say about this conversation.  But all day long, my mind kept going back to it and I'd have a good chuckle all over again.  And it got me thinking about some of the other people I've met and interactions I've had with them since moving here... 

Allow me to introduce you to Cleaning Lady... In the beginning, Cleaning Lady and I had a great relationship.  When I saw her at the school, she'd smile and bow and then rub her belly and mime as if she were eating a lot.  I'd laugh and smile and nod as I repeated the gestures, as if to say 'Yes! I DO eat a lot!'  I'd sometimes see her on my walk to school, and she'd always bow the deepest bow ever when she saw me. Seriously, she'd bow as she was walking, and everytime, I'd get really worried that she might knee herself in the face.  It was excessive.  Especially since I'm so uncomfortable with the bowing thing, so I'd always be doing a hand wave/head nod combo.  Then, one night while I was out on a run, I saw Cleaning Lady getting out of a van with other cleaning ladies.  I did a quick wave as I ran by, but didn't take the time to stop.  Boy, was that a mistake.  When I saw her the next day at school, instead of our normal laugh-y joke-y greeting, she pushed me out of her way with the vacuum cleaner, and slammed the office door.  Literally, she pushed me.  Maybe she just didn't want any of the candy I was offering her.  Or maybe she's really mad that I didn't show her the proper respect.  Either way, she doesn't want anything to do with me anymore.

And then there's Yoga Teacher... Yoga Teacher is one of my favorite people.  First of all, she has an insane amount of patience.  Her life would be so much easier if she could just teach her yoga class in peace.  Instead, she's got this buffoon, showing up everyday, that she's got to worry about.  Does she let her frustration with my inflexibility show? No, she does not.  She understands that I don't understand a word she says, so she demonstrates all the postures for me.  Thank you, Yoga Teacher.  I would like to say, though, that I did manage to make Yoga Teacher laugh last week.  My rendition of one of the postures was soo horrible (I basically looked like a beached whale, wildly flailing on my yoga mat), that she started laughing, then quickly  gestured at me to stop what I was doing.   

Gas Station Attendant Lady....  This lady works long, long hours.  I mean, looooooonnnng.  Everyday on the way to work, I walk by the gas station.  Gas Station Attendant Lady never fails to run out of her little house, yelling 'Hi! Hiiiiii!" while waving frantically.  I also see her every night when I go running, and then she runs out of her house yelling 'Hi! Hiiiiiiiii!" while doing exaggerated running motions.  That's pretty much the extent of our relationship.  But it's meaningful.  When she's not there, I worry. 

Train Man...  So I've only met this guy once, but our meeting has left a lasting impression upon me.  I was standing on the subway platform, waiting for a train to come when an old man turned around, 'shushed' me, and said "SILENT, please!"  Hm, ok.  Direct, and polite.  I will no longer talk in public. 

....So I spent the day wandering the palace grounds and the surrounding neighborhoods.  I was thinking about the monk, and the different people I've met here, and the different people I've met all over the world, and how we're all just people, trying to get along, trying to make it in this big, scary, place. I started getting all sentimental, thinking to myself, why did I ever need to use my 'bus face'?  And before that thought even had a chance to solidify, some toothless man popped up in front of me, "Hi! Welcome to Seoul!" Oh, yeah.  That's why I use my bus face.


As a side note: This weekend was the first time that I've gotten out by myself.  It was glorious.  Up until now, I've had plenty of alone time (you know, those ten hours a day when I'm not working).  But every time I'd gone out it had been with other people.  And don't get me wrong, they're great.  But there's something really liberating about wandering around a city of ten million people by yourself.  I love it.