Blog 6

I remember that I visited my hometown Korea during summer in middle school. Needless to say it wasn’t the best trip of my life. I wasn’t sure what to expect since I haven’t been to my home country since I’ve moved to America. I had to memories whatsoever about the place. That is why when I went to visit my grandparents; I realized that I didn’t want to stay there. Of course I knew that Korea would be a completely different place in regards to America, but I didn’t know how different they could be.  I would say that the best part about the trip was the food. I eat Korean food here and shop at Korean grocery stores and whatnot, but they do not compare to the actual authentic food made in Korea.  It was also nice seeing my grandparents again but I don’t think there were any other good parts to the trip. As much as I love Korean food, I also love steak and hamburgers and other American food. Plus, Korean food also has a good amount of vegetables which I hate. I ate my grandmother’s food in Korea, and since it was my grandmother’s whose lived in the Korean lifestyle all her life, I had to eat everything so that no food was left. I know it’s not good to leave food as a waste, but I think it’s worse if someone forces themselves to eat everything when they don’t want too or when they are too full. Unfortunately I couldn’t really act against it so I continued to clean my bowls anyway.  The other thing I didn’t like about the trip was the whole age respect thing in most Asian cultures. I know it’s a given to respect your elders and such but sometimes it can get too extreme. I opened the door for an old lady and I expected a thank you or a nod or some type of gratitude, but she didn’t even look at me or anything and continued on her way.  Obviously I did not appreciate that gesture, a normal person would have said a simple thank you but I guess not.  Because I am Korean I know how most Koreans are usually like, and I can say they are not the best kind of people. People do not notice this because the great reputation Korean has received lately from its music worldly known as k-pop and its dramas also famous around the world. I suppose I do like Koran music, but I also don’t get why it’s so popular. The gangnam style music video went completely viral around the whole world. Even here at Virginia tech I can’t go anywhere for five minutes without it playing somewhere. Due to just personal experiences in my life I just tend to avoid the fake appearance of most of Korea and Koreans.