Take a Soloro Trip

My dream is to travel overseas and experience the many vast cultures of our world. I want to personally examine the Great Pyramids of Egypt, take a long spiritual dip in the Ganges River of Varanasi, and then enjoy cooking and eating dinner with a family in Mongolia. I want to dance in Japan’s underground world, I want to touch the face of an Old Italian man, and I want to hear stories of someone’s grandmother in a tribe of West Africa. More than anything, I want to see, hear, touch, taste, and feel what other people around the world do in their daily life. I want to learn life lessons and techniques from these people, their land, and their history.

My dreams are attainable, but it will take some time and money getting there. In the meantime, I am able to explore most all of the United States without spending too much money and still staying close to my current jobs. In fact, in over the past five years, I have been able to travel up and down and around the United States one to two times a year. It became important to me quickly that when you are traveling in a car, one must be sure to stop and spend quality time exploring each city, its history, its people, and its value. See a sign to catch a free tour of the Mammoth Caves in Southern Kentucky, jump on it. Barely any gasoline left in your gas tank but have the option to continue driving up a winding, beautiful scenic drive in the hills of North Carolina, do it.  Stop and pick out colorful rocks while looking for gold near a natural waterfall. Visit an old, possibly haunted penitentiary in West Virginia while it’s dark and rainy outside by chance. If you have around $500, extra blankets, a good cd collection, and a positive open-mind, a road trip can change your life.

This past summer, I worked over 50-60 hours a week serving, writing, and helping on film projects. I was able to save all of my $1 bills and put them towards an ‘end-of-summer Road trip’ and call it my Soloro Trip. My destination was Nashville, Tennessee, a place I’ve been thinking about moving to in the next year or so. As soon as the summer came to its end in early September, I took my $1 bills out and recounted them. I had enough to get on the road, but this time, I’d be heading out alone – hence, Solo-Ro trip.

Before my week long departure, I had messaged a few friends in random states and let them know I’d be passing through and would like to get together. I only really knew that I’d be driving around Lake Michigan and heading down towards Nashville, but nothing was written in stone. I told my roommates where I was heading, packed my bags, packed some snacks, made sure I brought my massive cd collection, filled up my gas tank, and went on my way.

The first ‘cool thing’ I came across was this beautiful, shoe tree. The tree is located near Kalkaska, Michigan on route US-131. Legend has it that graduating seniors, locals, and any random passerby will toss their shoes up on the tree. The tree had lost a branch in the past due to the weight of the shoes and snow in the winter time. Shoes are even growing on other trees surrounding the Shoe Tree. It was really quite magical to come across.

 

Friends in Sault Ste. Marie of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula took me around town, which bordered Canada, and introduced me to more new friends, including James, who would help put me in touch with someone who managed a brewery in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. We all had a great night out, touring the abandoned tourist town and climbing and jumping off of walls, nearly breaking my left knee cap. We woke up early to catch the sunrise peering from Canada’s border and onto Michigan. After some homemade biscuits and gravy, I headed out to get lost on the extremely scenic route across Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, coming across hidden beaches, richly-colored trees, old-Indian burial sites, and majestic natural waterfalls.

 

After enjoying a beautiful walk back to my car from the waterfall, I sipped from a Michigan Blueberry-Wheat craft beer, spoke with locals about the town, and headed on out down towards Wisconsin. The ride was peaceful, scenic, and rather quite long. With Wisconsin trees to my right, Lake Michigan was on my left for most of the ride. The weather was rainy, but the sun was still shining.  I sang, I danced, I thought, I didn't think. It was, great.

I had spoken with the brewery manager, Ryan, earlier that day about meeting up in Milwaukee at the Lakefront Brewery.  Moments before I reached the city of Milwaukee, my cellphone died, I ran through the wrong tollbooth, and I realized I might have been lost. Also, the sky went from dusk to really dark in just a few short minutes. I felt a little bit anxious. After stopping at a random fast-food restaurant to charge my phone, I was able to find the address and head on over to the brewery.

The Lakefront Brewery of Milwaukee, Wisconsin was closing at 9:00pm, as I had walked in around 9:09pm. I met one of the managers, Ryan, and some of his coworkers. They offered me a free craft beer on their tap and let me stay with them while they closed up; I was able to charge my phone for the rest of my ride. After mopping during closing time, the small group of talented and light-filled individuals then gave me an entire tour of the brewery house and I learned all about how the beer was made, where it goes to, where extra co2 goes, and how the beer is then bottled and packed up. The tour was so unexpected, so much fun, and so interesting, I need to go again. Before I left, I was even given an entire case of beer to take home. My roommates would be pleased, and I had made new friends.

Next stop was Chicago, Illinois, and I had to get back on the road. I reached my friend Natalie’s place after 12am and stayed up late conversing with her and a friend from her acting and improv class. I shared one of my new Milwaukee crafted beers with this new friend, telling him I heard it was one if the best rated in Canada. The next morning, Natalie and I went to brunch and enjoyed a unique twist on bagels at Reno in Logan Square. I tried the Hook:  Togarashi lox with a delicious artichoke cream cheese, avocado, cucumber, and red onion, mmmm. We got on a train to head downtown, but I suggested we get off at a random stop and walk the rest of the way. It was a thirty minute walk through beautiful, artistic, maybe-not-be-here-at-night, sceneries until we reached the skyscrapers and the Michigan Mile (art, food, and shopping for miles).

We spent time in one of my favorite parks to visit, where the flower baskets hang and the man-made waterfall holds pennies of wishes. We got a cheap cab back to her place, and our cab driver made the entire trip to Chicago worth going. He grew up in a mansion in Nigeria, and all of his children were born here in the United States. He, his wife, and their three children all received their masters in doctoral sciences. He could not take his smile off of his face. He kept talking about being a good person, being kind to others, not judging others, and to just be thankful and peaceful. He believed that everything happened for a reason, and that one is never too old to do good work. My heart is still gleaming just thinking about that man and his smile, his beliefs, and his wonderful stories and life lessons. That felt good.

After Natalie and I hugged goodbye, I got in my car to head south, but first, I’d drive a bit more through artistic areas of Chicago I had not yet seen before. This was good, insightful, intriguing, but also very time consuming as I hit almost every single red light. Next thing I know, I’m getting onto the highway heading towards Indianapolis in 5 o’clock traffic. Oy vey.

The ride from Chicago to Indianapolis provided a stretch of road bombarded by corn fields, some houses, and hundreds and hundreds of large wind-turbines. I had just changed over to loud rap, which played somewhat perfectly as I felt intimidated by the alien seeming wind-turbines. Finally, I stopped to get gas at a Family Matters gas station, and the attendant, Kandi, made my day even brighter. She was so kind, thoughtful, funny, cheery, and just perfect as herself. It was a good day to run into kind people.

I stopped in Indianapolis to visit with my childhood friend Charlie and his mother. Charlie jumped in the car with me and we headed down to Louisville, Kentucky. Disappointed by the lack of the nightlife we were once so excited to go see, we decided to keep on driving until we reached Cave City. We found a hotel that was only $50 a night for two queen sized beds, so that was only $25 each. The next morning, we got some old-fashioned country breakfast, visited a rather interesting museum that housed insects, butterflies, and stuffed animals that lived in Kentucky from the 1800s to today. Next stop, Nashville.

When we got to Nashville, we drove around the east side, the west side, and even twenty minutes south to Franklin, Tennessee. In Franklin, we walked around a scenic park for about 5 miles and took photographs of the nature, the trees, and the small lake we encountered (there are not as many lakes in the central south of the United States as there certainly are in North Michigan).

In Nashville, we went our separate ways for a few short hours to really take in the area personally. He wanted to go to a bar and restaurant and I wanted to walked around and up and down the hills in-between buildings and people. Finally, we met back up and with a close friend of mine, Breanna, who had just moved to the area. The three of us got drinks and appetizers at three different bars around and in downtown Nashville. We waltzed the streets and sidewalks and listened to music which played loudly in each bar we walked past. After then visiting with Breanna in her apartment, Charlie and I headed back towards Kentucky as the trip was coming to its end, and the work week was soon to pick back up.

Charlie was left in Indianapolis, helping an elderly woman right away, and I drove back to Grand Rapids, Michigan in five or more hours. The sun was going down, the weather was just right, and the music off was a nice touch to review my findings.

You see, it seemed for a moment that this road trip was maybe taken because I had the time and the resources, perhaps I was even running or driving away from my problems. But in an optimistic way, perhaps these small daring Soloro trips are just steps to getting closer to all of these exotic dreams I have. Small encounters with lovely and lively people just across the lake may suffice traveling thousands of miles just to feel the same feeling.

Try it. I can’t promise you will ‘find yourself’ or ‘change the world’, but I can promise that it will feel good to get away, it will feel good to be on your own, it will feel great to meet new people of all different realms and backgrounds, and you will feel thankful when you’ve made it back home.

From a collection of beloved road trips I had learned that stopping and living in the moment, truly appreciating a new culture and its history, spending time getting to know yourself and others was most meaningful in the end, no matter where in the world you are.

 

**more pictures to follow.

> Looking for passionate and talented people to join us!

Why IDC?

I Dig Culture, where people gather to learn about each other's cultures. Culture is a living phenomenon that determines our worldview and lifestyle. We believe that cultural awareness is a necessity in our increasingly globalized world. Looking to discover cultures from all over the globe? Join us and let's get digging!

IDC’s goals are:

1. Discussion: Encourage discussion of cultural issues


2. Entertainment: Entertain people with culture-related topics


3. Community: Make a community where people from different cultural backgrounds can share their ideas


4. Advocacy: Encourage individuals and organizations to analyze and question culture


5. Innovation: Innovate and develop new forms of cultural expression

 

We are a voluntary non-profit organization / media channel where members can take their careers in international multimedia to the next level by collaborating with content producers from all over the world.  Our goal is to facilitate an environment that is hindered by no geographical, no cultural boundaries. We are looking for people who share our values and are motivated to invest themselves in this creative project to make it grow, from the non-profit organization it currently is, to a sustainable cultural company.

Even though our members come from all different walks of life we share one single motivation, our desire to become international multimedia leaders.  Join our proud community of artists, directors, writers, designers, and creative people from all of the world and expand your professional network.

 

Positions :

All of our team members participate in the creative process of other departments as well. The positions may also evolve depending on the involvement and skills of the team members!  

We are looking for talented motivated global citizens :

WRITING CONTENTS TEAM

>> Writers

We need a writer with a strong background in French Culture (French nationality, or experience living in France). However other writers with various backgrounds (especially including USA or Korea) are also welcomed.  You will be expected to discuss with other team members our monthly themes and issues regarding culture.  We need a staff writer who can produce 2 to 4 articles a month on these cultural topics for our media channel. We prefer curious independent thinkers who have a passion for traveling and learning about other cultures.

>> Translators

We want to make our video contents more accessible to an international audience, so we are looking for translators to take care of our videos subtitles on YouTube. Fluent english is required and the main language skills we are seeking  are French and/or Korean; however,  every other language skill is a plus! We prefer curious, independent thinkers who have a passion for traveling and learning about other cultures.

MARKETING TEAM

>> Webmaster and/or Graphic designer

IDC distributes its contents on many platforms including a Wordpress website. We are looking for a webmaster and or a graphic designer to help us managing the website and the whole image of IDC.  There may also be social media responsibilities.  A passion for HTML, CSS, Wordpress, FTP and/or Adobe softwares (or equivalent) required.

>> Facebook Community Manager

IDC promotes its contents on many platforms including Facebook. We are looking for a tech savvy and trend oriented community manager to entertain and develop our Facebook community. A deep knowledge of Facebook page management (Power Editor, Facebook Insights), paid campaigns and fluent English ability is required.

 

MULTIMEDIA CONTENTS TEAM

>> Video producer / Editor

We are also seeking a talented video producer who also has a background in editing, not only capable of producing high quality videos, but generating creative ideas as well.

>> Sound designer / soundcloud admin

We need someone who believes that sound can tell amazing, inspiring, or hilarious stories.  Apply for this position if you are crazy about sound design and love listening to podcasts and audio based mediums.  Skills in protools is not required, but certainly a plus.

Motivated to join us?

Send an email with your resume and a cover letter to idigculture@gmail.com before november 10.  No picture is required and age is not important in our community!

Please use the subject: "I am ready for the adventure with IDC as <Position title>"

The Mean Things We Say about People from Other Countries

[caption id="attachment_2306" align="aligncenter" width="960"] Why can't we all just get along?[/caption]

As a foreigner to Chinese, Korean, and Japanese friends, I seem to incite conversations on international topics more often than would seem the norm in strictly native circles. And, perhaps as some perverse gesture of solidarity with the Westerner in the room, these conversations quite often turn into xenophobic venting sessions directed at East Asian neighbors. The catharses usually begin as polite self-deprecating observations on one’s own society and then morph, with varying degrees of speed and completion depending on the drinks being served that night, into stronger and more earnest insults to the reputations of nearby countries.

What strikes me most about the content of such conversations is not just that the participants have generally realized that I lived for almost three years in China and developed several friendships along the way, have a Korean boyfriend and a close relationship with his family, and have made a few Japanese friends in both Chinese and Korean language classes and am thus very likely judging their xenophobia with some critical scrutiny, but that the comments, whether they be made by Chinese people about Koreans, Japanese people about Chinese, Korean people about Japanese, or any permutation thereof, are all pretty much the same.

[caption id="attachment_2312" align="alignright" width="300"] Regardless of whether we're red, green, blue, or purple, we might just tend to insult our neighbors in similar ways.[/caption]

A few close Chinese friends in Beijing once told me over lamb kebabs and beer that they considered Koreans “很吵，没有礼貌，不太聪明 (loud, rude, and unintelligent).” A few months later, I had a similarly sized group of Korean friends confiding to me over banchan and fish that Chinese tourists struck them as “시끄럽고 예의 없어 (loud and rude).”

Similarly, a Chinese friend complained to me several times that I should watch myself around Koreans, who are cold-hearted business-minded folks who will befriend you for personal gain and, once you cease to be of use to them, “只把你扔掉了 (just toss you away).” Perhaps, though, I shouldn’t heed that advice, as, according to a Korean acquaintance, Chinese people are “물질만능주의자 (exclusively materialistic).”

The hate doesn’t stop at bashing each other’s aptitudes and principles. A close Korean friend once told me that she thought that compared with Chinese and Japanese, 우리 나라 여자들은 가장 예뻐 (our country’s girls are the prettiest).” This  declaration ironically called to mind an offhand comment once made by a female Chinese friend that Chinese girls had bigger eyes and were naturally prettier than Korean and Japanese individuals.

Multiple Chinese and Korean people have also complained to me that people from the other country "always" try to seize everything important in East Asian history as their own invention. The Chinese end of this argument is humorously depicted in one of my favorite Youku videos, which alleges that a Korean professor claimed that Sun Yat-sen and Yao Ming had Korean ancestry and that Korean academics have before concluded that Confucius, Xi Shi (legendary beauty said to have lived in the 春秋 period), and Li Shizhen (Ming Dynasty doctor and polymath) had Korean blood and will soon declare that the universe itself was created by Korea.

Such xenophobic sentiments have not been limited to close friends in intimate quarters. The head of my office in Beijing once told me after some slight inebriation at a company banquet that he considered the smartest and most accomplished people in the history of the world to be Chinese, German, English, and Japanese, but “对不起，不是韩国人 (sorry, not Koreans).”

This comment was countered and perhaps topped by the Yonsei KLI Korean teacher (and my absolute favorite teacher at the program, so I take her comments in a benign context) who asked our class if we didn’t think that Korean students were “다른 나라 학생보다 더 똑똑하지않아 (just smarter than students from other countries)?”

It might be easy to think so when surrounded by fellow Koreans, but I have a feeling that some people from the other 195-odd countries around the tip of this tiny peninsula might disagree.

 

This post is adapted from an article originally appearing in Strolling Toward a Mountain of Tigers, the author's personal blog on life, science, and how those two words together are redundant.

Loving Abroad #4: A Date with a Romanian Girl

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgCatE600z8]
Romania is famous for being the birthplace of Dracula, but they are also famous for having gorgeous women. I was lucky enough to have one of these lovely ladies join me on my next adventure on Loving Abroad.
Preda Laura, a beautiful Romanian woman, had a lot to comment about her experiences with Romanian and Korean culture.

[caption id="attachment_2282" align="aligncenter" width="379"] Pictured: Romanian girls[/caption]

Korean men aren't really conservative
I watched Korean dramas and I saw so many handsome Korean men treating women very graciously and politely. They would never touch a girl without her consent and even if they did, it would just be the wrist.

[caption id="attachment_2283" align="aligncenter" width="371"] What foreign women think Korean men look like (thanks to Korean drama and K-pop).[/caption]

However, when I went on a few blind dates with Korean men, I had a different experience than what I expected. I don’t know if it’s because I’m a foreigner, but they were very touchy. One of them tried to put his arm around me – on the very first date. The other one tried to hold my hand, and I had only met him for the first time.
I’m not sure if all Korean men are like that or they think that foreign women are easier, but I was a little disappointed to find out that all Korean men aren't like the characters I saw in Korean dramas.

[caption id="attachment_2281" align="aligncenter" width="402"] What Korean men actually look like... You disappointed?[/caption]

Dating differences in Romania and Korea
Korean women are often whiny and complain a lot when they want something from their boyfriends. That would never happen in Romania. If that did happen in Romania, the guy would throw the girl out the door, and there will be 100 more girls waiting for him.

[caption id="attachment_2279" align="aligncenter" width="300"] The door[/caption]

It seems like Korean women are more demanding and aggressive in the relationship. In Romania, men are often the more aggressive ones. Romanian women would only be really aggressive to other Romanian women because they are always competing against each other.
The reason is because there are more women than men, and there are only a handful of handsome men. That’s also why the women are so competitive with each other. It’s to the point that the girls always dress themselves up and wear makeup all the time. They would never go out without getting all dressed up.
I like to dress comfortably when I go out somewhere close or go grocery shopping, but if I do, other girls will make fun of me.

What are some differences between men in Korea and Romania?
In Korea, there are many different types of men. There are those who are cute, those who are macho, and there are those that are just a mix of different styles. But in Romania, there is only one: the tough masculine type.

[caption id="attachment_2278" align="aligncenter" width="362"] Tough as a brick[/caption]

Even if a man is really thin, studious, or just plain nerdy, they try to act like something they are not. There’s so much pressure for men to be tough and cool, so it’s ridiculous to see men try to be something they are not.

What do Romanians think of Koreans?
Actually, no one really knows about Koreans. The only thing they might understand about Korea is Psy’s Gangnam Style, and even then, some people think that it’s Chinese. Romanians generally don’t go after Asians, and when it comes to Asians, most people think of rice, chopsticks, and slanted eyes. There are even jokes about Asians and their eyes.

[caption id="attachment_2280" align="aligncenter" width="395"] Psy - The epitome of Korean culture[/caption]

Living in Korea, it’s hard to think that Korea isn’t at the center of the universe, or to believe that there are countries out there that don’t know much about Korea. The world is full of many cultures that have yet to be explored and learned. Don’t take for granted that people will automatically know about your culture. After all, how much do you know about culture foreign to your own?
Open yourself up to new cultures and be receptive of other cultures. Learning culture gives you power to perhaps even date people from different parts of the world. I hear the women in Romania are quite beautiful. I know where I’m going when I travel Europe (someday). Do you?

Preda Laura is a 34-year-old babysitter who likes art and Korean culture. She has been in Korea for a year and thinks of the country as her new adopted home. 

You can also listen to the entire date on soundcloud at Loving Abroad #4 Audio

A Little off the Top: A Brief History of Circumcision

I apologize for this in advance. I have fallen behind in my duties as an IDC writer, and I decided to let the Chief choose an article topic for me this week. He hit me with circumcision. And then he said, “Well, that was fun! Why don’t you write an article about it?”

Where God Went Wrong

In all seriousness, circumcision is a serious issue. Even today the debate rages as to its health benefits versus its hindrances. Is it better to be cut, or is it better to be the way God made you and not the way some claim God would have made you if he had paid closer attention to the blueprints? From a religious standpoint, circumcision makes no sense as it implies God made a mistake in the design. Same thing goes for holy water. What, exactly, is the priest adding to water that God forgot to include in the recipe? “Whatcha got there, God? A little water? Just hydrogen and oxygen? Nice try. How about this – Dominus Ominous! Kazam! Now THAT you can kill some vampires with!” Why do so many religions claim that God is infallible and then go ahead and correct God’s obvious oversights?

[caption id="attachment_2290" align="alignnone" width="300"] "Well, hey there, little fella! Hmm... something's missing... or should be..."[/caption]

A Classic Whodunnit?

I am not going to get into a religious debate with you. That’s not why I am writing this. I am writing this because someone, somewhere, wants to know why that happened to his foreskin. You want to know why? We don’t really know, to be honest. Who had the idea originally? The Jews, right? See, there you go again, blaming the Jews for something they didn’t even start. No, in fact, circumcision goes back long before the Bible, back into the prehistory of human civilization. Whose brilliant idea was it to cut off a little piece of your thingy? We don’t know. All we can surmise is that the practice of circumcision started long, long ago, in East Africa, when someone decided that touching the little fella felt too good and could lead one into temptation. How would civilization ever develop if everyone sat at home touching themselves like we do today, what with the internet and all? That does explain a lot about our current situation… but back then, we had our whole lives ahead of us! Developing the wheel, and then building roads to roll it on. Stonehenge, Easter Island, the Great Pyramid of Khufu or Cheops or whoever the hell that guy was, all of it eventually unfolding into our bright modern age of airplanes and standing in security checkpoints to get on one of those airplanes. None of this could have happened without circumcision. If some random guy way back when in East Africa had not taken a sharpened stone and sliced off the feel-good skin on his wedding tackle, would we have made it this far? Or would we have all just masturbated our civilization into an early grave, scores of unsung would-be inventors dying of some rampant outbreak caused by untreated chaffing? Would we have vanished as an unsung species of blind, hairy-palmed do-nothings? One can only theorize. So let’s do that.

[caption id="attachment_2291" align="alignnone" width="300"] The usual suspects[/caption]

We have Opportunity, but what of Motive?

The most prominent theory is that male genital mutilation (because that is indeed what it is) began as a method of “purifying” the individual – removing the most sensitive part of the penis in order to reduce sexual pleasure. It just felt too damn good, apparently, and we were afraid that we simply lacked the self-control to be a productive civilization rather than a herd of horny hand-monkeys. The male prepuce (foreskin) is said to be the main region of erogenous sensation – the male G-spot, as it were, before we nipped it in the bud – and therefore, we could not be trusted with it.  Pleasure, we apparently decided, had no place in this world, only in the afterlife, when we had earned it by being total douchebags here on this corporeal plane.

[caption id="attachment_2261" align="alignnone" width="300"] Visual distraction: Look, puppies![/caption]

Circumcision, therefore, became entwined in religious ritual, a way of getting us incarnate humans to reject the pleasures of the flesh and to seek a higher spiritual calling. Look at all the great religious leaders throughout history – surely they could not have enlightened us all had they all been diddling their doodles in the bushes rather than preaching from the pulpit about why such diddling is a sin. Who was the first big leader in the Bible? Moses. Let’s look at him… I mean, really look at him. Let’s peek under that tunic and… wh – what’s this? Moses was never circumcised! And neither were his sons! (Exodus 4:25) What gives? God was even going to kill Moses for not doing the deed to bleed… that is, until Zipporah took the initiative and circumcised her son in Moses’s stead, going against her own beliefs (she found circumcision

[caption id="attachment_2292" align="alignnone" width="300"] "Son, gonna need you to take one for the team here..."[/caption]

to be repulsive) and sparing Moses so that he could lead his people out of Egypt… and into the desert for 40 freakin’ years. They wandered, they got water from rocks, they ate manna, and they received the Ten Commandments. Do you know what Moses didn't do during those 40 years? Institute circumcision as a common practice for the Jews. It wasn't brought back into practice among the Chosen People until Joshua popped up as the new leader and said, “Hey, guys, I have a great idea…” (Joshua 5:2-10) As soon as all the men had sliced up their goodies, they joined Joshua’s army to invade Palestine, because as you can imagine, they were probably pretty pissed and looking to kick someone’s ass.

Who Else Wants One?

The Greeks and the Romans, however, never went in for such silliness. They abhorred circumcision as the plight of the Jews. It was a Jewish issue and of no concern to the likes of Caesar or Constantine or Socrates or Plato. Many of the Jews saw the frivolity of their self-mutilation and tried to pass themselves off as uncircumcised Greeks, until around 140 C.E. when a new procedure called peri’ah was introduced. This made circumcision even worse – it was more painful as it stripped away all of the foreskin, right down to the glands, and it was impossible to conceal. Today, in medical terms, this procedure is called a synechotomy, and brother, you do not want to be on the receiving end of this treatment. Before this, early circumcision as it was done by Abraham and his ilk only cut the very tip of the foreskin that overshot the end of the penis proper. Now they were shaving it down to the shaft, and I am sure I do not have to remind you how many super-sensitive nerve endings there are down there. They are called the Meissner corpuscles, and they do not like to be cut, scratched, or caught in your zipper, and they don’t grow back if you are circumcised. On the negative side, they take away from some of the sensations of sex. On the positive side, you don’t have to think as hard about baseball to buy yourself a few more seconds. Anyway, a synechotomy is the type of circumcision you get as the medical norm today. Just for the record, I will share more information than you would care to know: I, myself, am circumcised. I’m not Jewish (at least, I don’t think I am, and that seems like the kind of thing I would know), I guess my parents just thought it was a good idea. The trauma of just being born not being satisfactory, they figured a little slice off my new naughty bits would keep me clean and teach me an early lesson: Life hurts sometimes. Obviously, I have no memory of the procedure itself, but there it is. Look! A kitty getting tickled!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urturSNMgd0

Passing as a Regular, Unclean Guy

Moving on… not all men liked the look of being circumcised, largely due to the stigma that often accompanied it, particularly for the Jewish men. Many circumcised men would go to great lengths to restore their foreskin to improve their social standing or to avoid persecution. During World War II, some circumcised men underwent surgery to restore the foreskin – even those that were not Jewish – simply to avoid trouble from a certain goose-stepping group of idiots. In ancient Rome, men would try to restore the foreskin so that they could participate in athletic events or patronize the local bath houses – both of which required them to be fully nude. To achieve this, they sometimes wore a copper weight, called a juedum pondum, which was hung from the remains of the foreskin to stretch it out again. Similar weights, such as the Foreballs, are still in use today by circumcised men who wish to restore the uncut look. So there’s that image.

[caption id="attachment_2259" align="alignnone" width="300"] Out of consideration for our readers, the image “Stretching the Foreskin” has been replaced with this picture of kitties playing patty-cake. You’re welcome.[/caption]

Getting back to history...

Jericho: A Cut above the Rest

Are you still reading this? Fine. So if Moses did not practice circumcision, why is it still practiced today? Let me tell you about the mass circumcision at Jericho. After wandering in the desert, where many of the fighting Jewish men had died, Joshua, the new leader, felt he needed to reinstate the covenant with God to ensure his people’s victory over the Canaanites. As noted earlier, there was no circumcision during the forty years in the wilderness. Now, at Jericho, Joshua decided it was time to set things right. He proceeded to circumcise anywhere between 300,000 and a million men, depending on whom you ask. These men were then laid up for three days to recover, the third day of recovery said to be the most miserable. The spot where this happened is known as the “Hill of Foreskins” because that’s where all of those little bits of flesh were buried. Then, after Passover and a weird little trick involving ram’s horns, they swept down on Jericho and “destroyed with the sword every living thing in it—men and women, young and old, cattle, sheep and donkeys” (Joshua 6:21). Because they were understandably very pissed off, and misguided rage can be therapeutic.



Then came the Talmudic period (500 – 625 C.E.) and the introduction of the Metzitza, the third stage of circumcision. This is the famed version of circumcision in which the mohel, or circumcision specialist, sucks the blood from the wounded baby peepee. Gross, right? Yes, it was…because it did transmit diseases to many a sliced infant, and it caused many deaths. Today, if this traditional method is followed, the mohel performs a metzitza b’peh, a practice that uses a glass tube to suck the blood, bypassing any viral transmission. This practice has, of course, come under some scrutiny. And, finally, the Reform Movement of 1843 decreed that circumcision was cruel and unnecessary. Theodor Hertzl, the founder of Zionism, refused to have his son circumcised. Good on ol’ Hertzl for breaking with tradition.

Those Christian Cut-Ups

Christians, on the other hand, were never very big on circumcision. St. Paul the Apostle even warned parents against circumcising their children, and was even quoted as advising at least one person to beware of the “circumcision group” (Titus 1:10-16). The modern practice of using Hebrew circumcision style dates to the late 19^th century in both England and the U.S. South Korea adopted circumcision after WWII, during the American Trusteeship and it was common place after the Korean War. Consider that the next time you hear a conspiracy theorist saying that circumcision is proof that the U.S. is under Israeli control… even though circumcision has not caught on in other parts of the world. Most people from these circumcised cultures still claim it is done for sanitary reasons, but this is not really true. A little soap and water can cleanse a foreskin just as well as it does anything else down there. The real reason behind circumcision is still to prevent masturbation (and take it from me, one of the circumcised – it didn't work).

[caption id="attachment_2260" align="alignnone" width="300"] A squirrel drinking an itty-bitty beer! He can't do that![/caption]

I am not saying I am against circumcision. I actually am happy my parents made that odd decision and had me sliced up. It is just more aesthetically pleasing to me, mainly because of the culture I come from, I guess. That’s just me. Still, many adult men decide to have circumcisions performed simply because they do not like the reaction they get from some people when they whip out that extra bit of flesh at the bus station. They also feel it may be better to be circumcised, if only for aesthetic reasons. Most doctors advise against this, however, as it is painful and can carry such negative side-effects as psychological impacts, emotional difficulties, and – in rare cases – physical problems. Some still feel that circumcision protects against such ailments as penile cancer and STDs, but studies into these claims have been inconclusive. Conversely, some men go to great lengths to reverse the effects of a circumcision in order to restore some of the lost sexual sensation, even though this is impossible as the nerve endings can never be repaired.

It’s Almost Over!

On a final sickening note, the practice of female circumcision also exists, and it is horrible, brutal, cruel – just barbaric. And remarkably, rather than being wiped out by now, this practice is actually growing in popularity. Meanwhile, as our world culture becomes more and more homogenous, the practice of male circumcision seems to be falling out of favor. Fewer and fewer parents are choosing circumcision for their offspring in the U.S. Both the American Association of Pediatrics and the Canadian Pediatric Society have taken the position that circumcision is medically unnecessary. Since 1971, male circumcision has been on a steady decline in North America. As far as the rest of the world is concerned, the majority fashion choice is sporting the ol’ flesh turtleneck. We still need to put an end to female genital mutilation the world over. That horror must be stopped. As a male, I can say I am OK with the cut of my jib. I have yet to hear of any female who has spoken up in favor of her procedure.

If you take anything away from this troubling article and its disturbing imagery, let it be this: Girls should never have to be circumcised. Anywhere. Ever. Even boys don’t really need it. The enjoyment of sex is nothing to be met with shame or punishment. Still, we do need to reduce our numbers – that is painfully obvious. Use protection, be responsible, and have fun. The earth can provide for us all – if we can stop the corporations from hogging all the resources and making the rest of us pay for them.

Screw the corporations. Let’s circumcise them.

[caption id="attachment_2294" align="alignnone" width="204"] "Just you try it, m***erf***er!"[/caption]

 

English Trouble for Native Koreans Abroad

“Condoms, please,” he whispered. What the hell are condoms, I thought.
The line was long and people were waiting to pay for their merchandise, while I stood behind the register, trying to get through the midday rush.
“What?” I asked him.
“Umm… condoms,” he repeated. I could see the other customers sniggering and trying to hold in their laughter. His face turned red, but I still had no idea what he wanted.
It was my first week on the job and the only thing that was going through my head was Is he asking for cigarettes? After all, this was Canada and unlike Korea, there were many different brands and sizes for cigarettes. That’s right, he’s probably asking for a pack of smokes!
And so I asked him with my broken English, “Mmm… Haoou BIG ij eet?”
Everyone in the line broke out laughing, and the guy asking for condoms suddenly flushed red all over. I didn’t understand. Why are they laughing? I was just asking what size cigarettes he wanted.

[caption id="attachment_2242" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Hmm... I see no "condom" cigarettes...[/caption]

“Well, uhhh… it’s not too big, but it’s uhhh… not too small,” he replied.
“Cooud you pleaj explain the product?” I asked him, still confused.
I didn’t think his face could get any redder, but it did.
“It’s uhh… used umm… when… uhhh a boy and a girl… uhh… share… a bed…” he stammered. Ah, I finally understood what he wanted.
“OH! Okay! You want COHN DOME! Okay, you cohn dome okay,” I answered relieved in comprehending his request. I handed him the condoms and he briskly paid and left the store in a hurry, while everyone else laughed merrily.

[caption id="attachment_2244" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Cohn domes![/caption]

That was one experience my friend MJ encountered during his year abroad. I’m sure there are many other stories for non-native English speakers who were caught in funny situations because of their trouble with the English language.
We often hear of many situations when English speaking foreigners go to a non-English speaking country and run into difficult situations revolved around language. However, the opposite is true for non-English travelers as well.
Here are some things to know about Koreans staying abroad in English speaking countries.

1. They learn non-practical English in Korea
   English is huge in Korea. People learn English from an early age, and a lot of people believe the language is absolutely necessary in obtaining a prestigious job. Many companies look for TOEIC (Test Of English for International Communication) scores when they recruit new blood. It’s no wonder the Korean education system puts so much pressure on learning English. The kids learn English in school, private cram schools, and private tutors. However, the system teaches English for testing purposes.
   Thus, when Koreans study English, they focus on the parts that would get them the highest scores, which are heavily concentrated on grammar, reading, and listening. However, the education system in Korea does not focus as much on practical English.
   This is why Koreans abroad have trouble understanding what other people are saying. They definitely understand some words here and there, and they even get a gist of what the person is trying to say. But because they never had much practice with conversational English, it’s hard for them to catch every piece of detail when speaking with native English speakers.
   Another thing to note is that in Korea, American English is taught. That means accents from England, Australia, and any other country that has a distinct accent are hardly understood.
   [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wF7qw6TSP8g]


2. They tend to flock among their own kind
   This probably proves true with any other foreign community in a different country, but it’s more blatant among Koreans. I have seen Korean students immigrate to America during middle school and watched them grow and go to high school. During those seven years, some of them barely improved their English. The reason? They would stick with other Korean immigrants, and because speaking Korean among each other was much more comfortable, they didn’t have many opportunities to mix with native English speakers.
   I’m not saying Koreans don’t associate with anyone that isn’t from their native country, but given the chance, they will almost always choose to hang out with one another.
   
   [caption id="attachment_2248" align="aligncenter" width="365"] "So where are you from? Korea? OMG! We must hang out!"[/caption]


3. They still crave rice
   My parents have lived in America for over twenty years, and there is not a day that goes by without rice for at least one meal. As I talked about in my “5 Things to Know About Koreans” article http://idigculture.com/5-things-to-know-about-koreans, Koreans bleed rice.
   Sure there are some that don’t need to eat it every day, but most Koreans can’t help but think about having rice for their next meal. This proves a bit truer with Koreans who have recently traveled abroad.
   When traveling, you can’t help but want to try the local cuisine and dishes. But after a while, you get sick of it and begin thinking of food from your native country. For Koreans, that would be rice. Many Koreans I have personally known that have lived abroad always told me that Western food was too greasy, salty, and overabundant. That’s why Koreans can never give up rice for good.
   
   [caption id="attachment_2250" align="aligncenter" width="468"] The secret to being Korean is in the bowl of rice[/caption]

Traveling is important. Going out to see the world helps people to find a story they have never read before. Everyone should go abroad and experience new encounters. However, sometimes language can be a big barrier in enjoying the world out there. Just as you hope you will be accepted and treated with respect, do the same for foreign travelers and dwellers in your native country.