Lotus Lantern Festival: What a Long, Strange Parade It Is

When I was a young upstart back in my college days, I was a Deadhead (for the record, I am STILL a Deadhead). What is a Deadhead, you ask? In the correct terminology, a Deadhead is one who is a fan of the music of the band known as the Grateful Dead. I attended eleven Dead Shows back in my youth, and each show was spectacular (some more so than others). What was the draw of the Deadhead community for me? That word itself: Community. Nowhere had I ever experienced a huge group of thousands of strangers all getting along like family. Peace, love, and music were the order of the day. The beliefs of many Deadheads are similar to those of Buddhist traditions, and so I was also attracted to Buddhism. The scene around any stadium headlining the Grateful Dead was surrounded and filled with drums, music, and colorful, kind people.

That sense of community is alive and well in the Heart of Seoul at the Lotus Lantern Festival, which is held every spring to commemorate the birth of Buddha. There really is no better time to be in Seoul as the air is fresh, the temperature is perfect, and the festival is preceded each year by the hanging of colorful lanterns all around the city. Walking around Gwangwhamun, Insadong, and the Cheonggyecheon stream (all centrally located) during the springtime just makes a person happy – at least, it always made me happy. The colorful lanterns strung along the roadways, and the larger lanterns floating in the stream, along with Gyeongbokgung Palace, the statues of Yi Sun Shin and King Sejong, and Jogyesa Temple, one of the most significant Korean Buddhist temples… there is a lot to see in this part of Seoul. And the Lotus Lantern Festival ties it all together just beautifully.

The festival officially begins on April 8^th of the Lunar Calendar, and commences with the traditional lighting of the Jangeumdang at Seoul Plaza. This large lantern symbolizes Buddhism and the enlightenment of the Buddha. The festival features weeks of programs in which anyone can participate on any given day, including cultural performances, traditional dances, foods, and booths for making Buddhist art and your own lotus lantern. And, of course, there is the main event – the large Lotus Lantern Parade that runs from Heunginjimun Gate in Dongdaemun to Jogyesa Temple. This is easily one of the largest parades I have ever seen. It gives the Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City a run for its money. It is preceded by Eoulim Madang (Buddhist Cheer Rally) and culminates with the post-parade celebration in front of Jogyesa Temple (near Bosingak, AKA "the Big Bell", for those of you familiar with Seoul). The festive atmosphere of this celebration draws people from all over the world, and quite a few Korean celebrities make appearances on the big stage as well. Based on my six years of attending this parade, I would say the best place to view it would be on Jongno, near Jonggak subway station on Line 1.

The atmosphere of this parade is peaceful, joyous and vibrant. The music, the drums, the brilliant and colorful lanterns and people, many in traditional dress… it is something to experience. There is just something about wave upon wave of Buddhist monks strolling past you, holding lanterns and smiling, some beating on gourds or drums or bells, mixed with dancers and giant lanterns of stunning colors, as drums and cymbals and other accoutrements ring in the night air, that seems to drive away any and all bad luck or ill vibrations you may have collected over the past year. You can't help but smile and wave at the parade participants as they smile and wave at you.

[caption id="attachment_1413" align="aligncenter" width="994"] Photo courtesy of www.peninsularity.com[/caption]

The lanterns are made of hanji, or hand-made Korean paper, of the most striking colors, and the warm glow of the lights within create a visual marvel with each passing sight. Each elaborate lantern float tells a story, depicting royalty, elephants, tigers, a few fire-breathing dragons and weird peacock-like birds flapping their wings and spreading their resplendent tail feathers to the delight of the crowds of onlookers. Children run down the street, trying to keep up with their favorites, and parents rush to get their cameras ready. As with most parades, the children also get to collect some candy, and the luckier children may even get a lantern or two of their own to take home.

The radiant lantern floats and the myriads of hand-held lanterns in between turn the entire road of Jongno into a seemingly endless river of colored light. You can watch from street level or go up into the buildings for an aerial view from one of the many restaurants and pubs that can be found along the parade route. The parade is long enough that you can explore and enjoy many different vantage points. As you walk down the street – the lights, music and the overall peace of Buddhism all around you – smiles abound. And if you miss a picture of a float going past, don’t worry. They are on display in front of the temple or at the end of the parade route at Jonggak, and you can get some great up-close-and-personal shots.

The magic of the event is palpable. Even as Korea moves closer to its rainy season at this time of the year, for some reason it never rains on this parade. Deadheads would liken this to what we called "Karma Pooling" – the idea that if enough people at a concert wanted to hear a particular song, they just had to sing it in their heads and the Grateful Dead would inevitably play it. Here, at the Lotus Lantern Festival, the collective will of the people combined with the good Karma of the scene keeps the rain at bay.

This will be the first time in six years that I will miss this event, and I have to admit, just thinking about missing it is making me sad. It is just such a beautiful thing to see, and a beautiful time to be in Seoul, and I don’t like feeling far away. So I will wrap up this article with a hope that, if you haven't already, you will get to experience this amazing event at some point.  I will leave you with one final piece of a song by the Grateful Dead:

 

Watch: Video of Lotus Lantern Festival from IDC Crew

 

 

Adventures in Oman: An Interview with A Local Expat

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DG1j214bHVo&feature=share&list=UUz1NiEbOmSlf8YIN-MFBxxA

Recently, some of you may have seen an excellent article posted in the ‘Society’ section of this site that discussed issues with the hagwon system in Korea (Illegal Tutoring, Millionaire Instructors, and Bad Reputations: The Real Cost of Korean Hagwons, Jan. 4, 2014). Many of my friends back in Korea have been dealing with an increasing number of problems with the hagwon system, and they largely blame it on the steady rise in the sheer numbers of expat teachers these businesses have to choose from: a wider selection of available teachers means fewer benefits from the schools. More and more westerners in Korea (and elsewhere) have been asking, “What else is available to me as an expatriated English teacher?” Well, have you considered Oman?

Yes, hot, lovely, friendly, warm in the winter, Death-Valley hot in the summer, Muslim, hot, on-the-grow Oman! More and more people are hearing of this second-world oven-roasting paradise for the expat EFL teacher. And remember: Second-world just means “transitioning to first-world”! Indeed, Oman has made tremendous strides in just the last few years alone. And so many of my friends have been asking me of late: “Hey – what’s the deal with Oman?” Well, let me give you a brief overview, and hopefully dispel a few myths.

Oman is a Muslim country, but not all Muslim countries are the same. Most people ask me “How can you live somewhere where you can’t drink?!” The answer is simple: I can’t. Well, I could, but I don’t want to. Alcohol is legal in Oman, and drinking it is also legal. The tourism business here is booming, and the seaside resorts all cater to people from around the world, mostly Germany and France. You can head out to any one of the resorts in the capital city of Muscat (Qurum Beach is beautiful and lousy with such resorts), or, if you are like me and stuck in a more… rustic environment, you can head out to the more remote resorts, like the Millennium Hotel, located about forty minutes away by car from al-Rustaq, which is a good hour-and-a-half outside of Muscat. Whichever resort you choose, you will be offered a wide selection of wines, beers, and cocktails, along with some first-rate cuisine and some amazing scenery. If you want to enjoy more that these resorts have to offer (swimming pools, snorkeling, SCUBA diving, boat trips, jet skis, etc.) you can acquire a day pass. Prices range from 10 to 30 rial ($25-$75) a day, depending on which activities you care to enjoy.

[caption id="attachment_1402" align="aligncenter" width="922"] Qurum Beach[/caption]

If that seems expensive, remember: The rial is a hard-hitting currency, and one rial is equal to about USD$2.60 these days. If you transfer money back home, it looks a lot better in your bank account than some currencies I could mention. And to ice the cake, Oman is tax-free! They pay what they say, and they pay on time.

In Muscat, these resorts often have nightclubs. The most popular are located in Qurum beach: Rock Bottom is one popular place, styled after their vision of an American “biker” bar (they have pictures of Harley Davidsons all over and a wooden Native American (PC) by the entrance. One side of the bar has tables and a pool room, the other side is the dance floor. Another pub is located in the lobby of the beautiful Intercontinental Hotel, and right next door to that is Trader Vic’s (I hear that is mostly salsa dancing, if that’s what you’re into). Want something a little seedier? Then Club Safari by the Hyatt is the place for you. Loaded with more co-ed mingling than any other place I have been to in Oman. But watch out, fellas: The hookers abound!

Enough said about that. While drinking is legal in Oman (many of the Omanis will hoist a pint or six with you), it is important to remember that it IS a Muslim country and public drunkenness is not well-tolerated. You can be drunk, of course, but you can’t run around like a maniac. Disruptive behavior whilst in a drunken state will land you in jail for 48 hours, and it could result in your immediate dismissal from your job. Driving drunk is even more frowned upon, so drink – but be responsible in public. Never forget where you are. That’s just good advice wherever you are. Generally, people like to drink at home. The night clubs and hotels are a special occasion, once-a-month kind of thing. However, to buy your own hooch, you will need a liquor license. These can be obtained with paperwork from your employer after your first three months. You get a little booklet in which the purveyor of fine liquors will mark the amount and date of your alcohol purchases. You are limited to anywhere from 60 to 100 rial a month, depending on the type of license you wish to purchase. During your first three months, other people will usually volunteer to pick up your alcohol for you… or, if you feel daring, you can sometimes find a black market connection. Several people outside of Muscat do this, and they even deliver! Just keep it on the DL. And remember: You do not need a license to drink in the clubs and resorts.

[caption id="attachment_1404" align="aligncenter" width="922"] Qurum Beach[/caption]

Driving: You can do it! If you have a license to do so from any country at all. And yes, even the ladies are welcome behind the wheel. This isn’t Saudi Arabia. Shia Law is observed in Oman, but only in terms of marriage laws, and even they are gradually being left behind. Be VERY careful when driving here. Be aggressive and do not hesitate, as Omanis do everything very slowly – except drive. When they are behind the wheel, they fly. Car accidents are the leading cause of death in Oman. With that in mind, you can rent a small car for as little as 160 rial a month, or you can save up for a few months and buy yourself a slightly used Jeep for as little as 1600 rial. Keep in mind, the sturdy 4x4 Jeep-like vehicles are GREAT for wadi-bashing! (More on that later)

First, I mentioned the ladies. Many women worry about coming to a Muslim country. Will they have to wear the hijab? Will they have to defer to men? Is it safe to leave the house alone? You will be happy to know that Oman is very Western in its views of women. You can dress how you like (I recently learned that the hijab is a fashion CHOICE of the Omani women), you do not have to defer to the men-folk, and you can go anywhere you like unattended (except into the men’s restrooms and the men’s mosque). In hospitals and clinics, women and men sit in separate waiting rooms, so there is some division. In the classrooms, male and female students sit on different sides and are they cute to watch! So shy and awkward around each other. Still, err on the side of caution. If you are a female and you are out alone, you may get hit on relentlessly. It may be cute at first, but situations have been known to turn ugly. Just be smart and you’ll be OK. On the whole, the Omani people are some of the kindest and friendliest I have ever met. They stop to help strangers who have car trouble on the road, and will offer rides to people who need one. They won’t cut in front of you in line, and they will always smile and ask how you are doing. One guy at the bank even wished me a Merry Christmas this year.

[caption id="attachment_1405" align="aligncenter" width="922"] Jebel Shams[/caption]

Which brings us to religion. Ah, religion. Religion, religion, religion… Well, I’ve said enough. I will add that the Sultan himself (a great guy by the name of Qaboos) has done a lot for this country during his reign. He has built hundreds of schools and colleges, greatly improved the roads and highway system, built a beautiful opera house where you can go see some amazing operas – he even brought Tom Jones here to sing for everybody. And he donated his own personal lands for the construction of churches and synagogues. If you have a favorite deity, feel free to sport the accoutrements of your faith. In Saudi Arabia, you’ll get slapped around for wearing a cross on the outside of your clothing. Here, someone may buy you a beer. Or not. Either way, they don’t care what religion you are. If you are Muslim, they really like that, but if not, that’s OK, too.

Let’s see… I’ve covered booze, cars, and women, and even dabbled in religion. I feel I have covered the important stuff. What else is there? Oh yes! The JOBS. The jobs vary, as they do everywhere. There isn’t much of a private “hagwon” school scene here. Most of the jobs are through TATI-Oman (Technical & Administrative Training Institute) or the Ministry of Higher Education. There are private recruiters (I am with a company called Hawthorn-Muscat and they have been good to me). You can even work for the military, teaching young recruits how to communicate with their English-speaking counterparts. Depending on how much work you want to do versus how much you are willing to take in your paycheck, you can find a good fit if you look around a bit. I was referred to my current school by a friend who came here from Korea back in 2010. He has since gone home and I have taken his place. From people I have spoken to, the military jobs in Muscat pay the best – at least 1300 rial a month – but the work is taxing and the hours are long. If you have a Master’s degree or a reputable TESL/TEFL certification, you can make around 1000 rial a month in one of the Colleges of Applied Science. The work load is light, but you might have to adjust to life in the outlands, like where I am. Whether in Ibri or Nizwa or Rustaq or Suhr or whatever, odds are you will be a good two hours outside of Muscat. There is no real public transportation here, but if you can haggle (and you don’t mind sharing a cab with some Indian fellows) you can get a pretty good deal on a ride into the big city every once in a while. Treat it like a vacation! Check into a hotel and stay the weekend. You can get rooms on Qurum Beach starting at around 40 rial a night. Split the cost with some friends and have some fun. It is kind of nice to be able to hit a gorgeous beach and have a few cocktails by the pool every few weeks. The weekends here are Friday and Saturday, and you work from Sunday to Thursday (but there are a LOT of holidays in the fall, a mid-semester break, and everyone gets July and August off with pay… most likely due to the heat).

[caption id="attachment_1406" align="aligncenter" width="922"] Jebel Shams[/caption]

As for other details, some jobs provide housing and utilities (like mine) and others – mostly Ministry jobs – give you a stipend to get a place you like. Everyone has air conditioning. You would die without it. The employers are largely reliable and honest (I have heard of complaints about incompetency, but never about treatment), and the students are respectable and nice… although some are pretty rough around the edges and are very low-level.

Some final details: Shopping is great. Visit the Souks (markets) for all your touristy and traditional Omani needs. You can visit the malls at Seeb City Center or the Grand Mall near Qurum if you want to get back to western consumerism a bit. Muscat has movie theaters where you can see the latest Western films and Bollywood fare (if you’re into that) but some scenes may be edited for content. Most foreigners here rely on the internet for entertainment – and yes, the internet is good. They have made huge improvements in just the last year. It is fast, reliable, and Wi-Fi-ready, all for around 20 rial a month.

In closing, before I paint an all-rosy picture of life in Oman, I would be amiss if I did not say that it is an adjustment. Despite all the exploring there is to do, life here can be pretty boring. And it is hot… the heat alone made me want to get right back on the plane and go home when I first got here. That was in August. The winter here (November to February) is lovely. Now March is creeping in and with it, the heat. The unholy HEAT. Imagine setting your oven to BROIL, climbing inside and shutting the door behind you. Bring sun block and loose-fitting, light clothing. I am told it takes a year for your body to adjust to the heat. I am from Pittsburgh. I don’t like heat. Most of the water here comes from tanks up on the roofs of the buildings, and in the summer you can get two temperatures: Warm and scalding-hot.

[caption id="attachment_1407" align="aligncenter" width="922"] Driving out to a wadi[/caption]

There is relief, however – the wadis (I told you I’d have more on these later). The wadis are deep valleys between the majestic mountains of Oman, and they are sometimes filled with natural pools up in the hills. It may take a rugged vehicle to get to the best of them (if you don’t have one you will make friends who do), but when you do… beauty. There’s no other way to describe it. Most have more fun swimming in the wadis, sitting ‘round campfires and sleeping under the stars than they do at the resorts. And in the mountains and deserts, there are lots of natural and Omani-made wonders to see: Forts and castles over a thousand years old; the Beehive Tombs; a massive canyon out by Jebel-Shams that gives the Grand Canyon a run for its money. And down by the sea, there is even more, including traditional wooden-ship building yards that look like a scene out of the Bible. And everywhere, friendly people: Omanis and other foreigners like yourself. And lots of camels and goats. In short, there is a lot to discover on this little edge of the Arabian Peninsula… IF you can survive the heat.

[caption id="attachment_1408" align="aligncenter" width="922"] The Beehive Tombs (AKA The Honeycomb Hide-out)[/caption]

Oh GOD, the heat.

[NOTE: I also do not want to paint too rosy a picture because…well, it may meet the same fate as Korea and become over-run with expats, which will bring the job quality and pay scale down]

Five Techniques that Make Learning A Foreign Language Significantly Less Impressive

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Up6VuAbykos

“What did you eat for breakfast as a child?” asked a wide-eyed woman from across the conference table.

My friend had just introduced me to her clinical research group as “Kelley from Korea who speaks Chinese, Korean, and French” because she loves nothing more than to engineer awkward moments with strangers just to watch me sweat. The scientists, whom I had expected to react to the unnecessary boast with polite but detached smiles and nods, instead seemed to be more impressed by my various language experiences than by the admission that a white girl named Kelley was a friend “from Korea.”

While this anecdote admittedly tiptoes into dangerous humblebrag territory, it also illustrates what I think is a sorrowfully inaccurate popular perspective that learning a language is a harrowing undertaking reserved for people with oddly wired brains fortified with supervitamins. I certainly won’t knock the necessity of nutrition for proper cognitive function, but I will stress that this cognitive function is something that the grand majority of us possess. Developing proficiency in a foreign tongue, even at a relatively mature age, should not be intimidating for either the learner or those who might praise her: Critical periods of pronunciation development aside, we are “wired” from the start to learn language—which is, after all, a creation entirely of the human brain, and one that most of us have mastered in at least one form already.

While I have been immersed for over a decade and a half in developing and maintaining proficiency in three foreign languages that I began learning relatively late in life—French at eleven, Chinese at seventeen, and Korean at twenty-four—I am not a teacher and thus have no authority to claim any well developed theories on what language-learning strategies might work for most or even many people. I can only look back with limited retrospection and report on what I think has been effective for me, in the hope that my advice might enable or embolden some others to succeed at their own linguistic pursuits.

 

• Fabricate need: Like any pursuit, learning a language is a lot easier given the proper motivation. Unfortuately, unless you have an immediate need to develop spoken and written proficiency in another tongue, it’s difficult to justify putting in not just the time but also the consistent energy and attention it requires. Spend some time in a country where that language is spoken, even if just a semester or a short vacation. Set a deadline to take—and pass—a proficency test. Join a weekend discussion group or set up regular meetings with a language partner for some stimulating social pressure. In short, find out what motivates you and establish a study system that takes advantage of those tendencies.

 

• Prepare to feel stupid: Learning a language requires assimilating a lot of new information—countless vocabulary words composed of phonemes you may never have heard before, various arbitrary rules about how they can and cannot be combined, cultural context behind the potentially strange new concepts they might be used to express. And it’s often difficult to appreciate the subtleties of foreign diction and logic of syntax until you’ve blindly learned, botched, corrected, and re-learned multiple instances of it. So if you’re doing your learning job right and processing your rich inputs with a sizeable number of corresponding outputs, you’re going to make mistakes.And if you spend any part of your language-learning experiences interacting with native speakers (as you should!), your powers of understanding and expression will also inevitably be both over-and underestimated at awkward turns. Be prepared to swallow your pride, both to ask questions when you don’t understand something that your interlocutor assumed you did, as well as to avoid distracting frustration when they repeat or water down a concept that you grasped sufficiently from the start.

 

• Have fun: Have fun, that is, while feeling stupid (see our previous article on drinking in Korea for some ways to practice this art). Deciding to devote the resources needed to master a new language requires passion, and passion is not distilled from punishing goals and strict schedules. Developing passion for a subject means not taking yourself too seriously and not feeling guilty about turning studying into a game. It means spending hours playing classic game ROMs in your target language and staying up later than you should binging on dubbed Pixar movies and foreign dramas. It means reading cheap fiction and comics that you might not normally allow yourself to waste an afternoon on were they in your mother tongue. Because the point is maximizing exposure, and isn’t being able to effortlessly integrate your desired language into the activities you love one of the ultimate goals of learning it in the first place?

 

• Be patient: According to one widely cited but unfortunately apocryphal statistic, “research shows” that mastery of foreign pronunciation alone---one tiny and sometimes even slightly disposable aspect of the multifaceted undertaking of language learning---depends in part on the purely physical development of tiny orofacial muscles that can take months of daily practice to reshape themselves. Even in the event that this particular factoid is just an Internet rumor, it stands to reason that going from mute to conversational, conversational to proficient, proficient to eloquent, and unlettered to literate doesn’t happen overnight. Indeed, the more you begin to parse and understand, the more poignantly you become aware of how far you have to go, making the uphill climb toward a satisfactory skill level a painfully Sisyphean process. Be patient.

 

• But also… don’t wait: Don’t wait to “learn” the language before you start forcing yourself to “use” it; the best way to learn is to use, and developing proficiency only promotes rather than deprecates the learning process.

It’s a little-applied fact that one does not need a large vocabulary to speak a new language with confidence; you just have to learn to creatively apply what you have. Focusing from the start on the most commonly used words is also important for developing efficiency, and one of the best ways to determine what words you need the most is to force yourself to speak and listen to only your target language for an extended period. It wasn’t until I moved to Beijing after two years of college-level Mandarin study that I realized how absurd it was that I could expound with some confidence on the advantages brought by China’s socialist history for the status of women in society but didn’t know the word for “hairbrush.”

You should dive into listening with the same confidence, as you’ll find that the human brain can understand quite a bit even with weak knowledge of verbal components and structure. In the words of social psychologist and Harvard Business School professor Amy Cuddy, “Fake it until you make it”—don’t write off a conversation as incomprehensible simply because it’s in a language you just started to learn or even haven’t learned at all; throw yourself into it with full attention and take note of every scrap of recognizable data—tone, expression, hand signals, loan words—that might be useful to you. At the very least, you’ll find yourself passively absorbing information on intonation and accent that could be useful for later adventures in proper expression.

I decided to take a short vacation in Tokyo following college graduation and use the opportunity to practice Japanese. This was a slightly problematic decision because I did not know Japanese, and even after a few halfhearted glances through survival language books between final exams, I had a paltry vocabulary of fewer than twenty words. I assumed (naturally) that I was just setting myself up for failure.

And yet, feeling the full brunt of Point 2 above, I pressed on anyway, finding to my pleasant surprise that when I challenged myself to use my scant knowledge to ask passerby for directions or order from a menu, I could generally pick up on the interlocutors’ responses: By focusing on gestures and the very few words that I knew (mostly verb particles and place or food names), I could fake a conversation in Japanese—without knowing Japanese.

 

So manipulate yourself into desperation, have fun feeling stupid, and be patient about the inevitably unsatisfactory results of precipitously challenging yourself to use the language you wish to learn. It might sound like a tall order, but just remember that what you’re seeking to master is something that’s already known by countless others, something that the brain is primed to acquire–indeed, something that has been suggested to be important, if not necessary, for some forms of thought itself. So eat whatever you want for breakfast. What's the big deal?

The Hangover: Remedies from Around the World

http://youtu.be/xBdtuBUaT-o

We all know that the best way to prevent a hangover is, of course, not to drink. But what if you’ve already started drinking? Don’t panic! We’re here to help a friend slow his or her roll before downing the rest of that seemingly blinding pleasure of confidence. And also help provide the reader with a fun list of unique ways to treat a hangover.

First of all, remember that not everyone experiences hangovers, and if you think you’re a person who already has and may again experience the pain and awfulness of a weary head and loss of memory from the drink, here are some things to consider.

Is this your ‘first night out on the town’ in a while?
Is your vision cloudy, or are you falling over?
Have you experienced a hangover before?
Are you forgetting to drink water?
Are you sure you want to take another shot?

If you’ve said yes to any of these, chances are that you could experience a hangover the next day. It is important to understand that a hangover is caused by several factors all relating to dehydration in the body. Dehydration and other hangover symptoms can be a result of consuming too much alcohol, the body’s ability to break down the alcohol, mixing alcohols, and not having enough rest. A person who is hung-over will experience headaches, sensitivity to light and sound, weakness and fatigue, dizziness, nausea, and sometimes vomiting and diarrhea. In some cases, persons with a hangover may experience feelings of shame and regret, and also moodiness 1. For those who enjoy drinking but would like to escape the horrors of a hangover, here are some key things to look out for when partying in any area of the world.

• Be mindful of whom you’re drinking with, who is buying your drinks, and if any one is willing to be your designated driver.


•  Drink lots and lots of water! Keep your body hydrated and well fed before and even during your drinking adventures. Remember that consuming a lot of alcohol will lead to a lot of trips to the restroom. Urination and even defecation depletes the body of hydration, which leads to further dehydration.  Drinking alcohol can also lower your blood sugar levels, which will in turn cause shakiness, tiredness, and weakness, so make sure you’re eating something 1. Having a healthy or even greasy meal at night before going out is okay too; the greasy food will help act as a lining for your liver and intestines. However, the myth that greasy food is good for your morning hangover instead, is false. The grease will actually irritate your liver, and may cause you to want to throw up.


• Figure out what you’re drinking, and stick to that. It’s advised to not switch back and forth between beer and liquor, or even liquor to different liquor. Your liver cannot handle that. Your liver also has a difficult time breaking down some types of alcohol over others, like those that contain congeners. Congeners contain esters and aldehydes, which give drinks distinctive colors and flavors.  Congeners that give drinks a dark color, such as red wines or whiskey and bourbons, may exaggerate the effects of a hangover. Another type of drink that can lead to a devastating headache and weary head is the cheap one. Cheap liquor has its price for a reason: the impurities are not as well distilled as its top-shelf cousins. Overall, all alcohols contain ethanol which causes headaches, a dry mouth, and tiredness.


• Know what you’re doing the next day. Do you have to be at work early? Are you meeting your boyfriend’s mother for the first time? Do you have to drive your Grandma across the state? Will you have the day off to sleep in? Knowing if you have a lot to do the next day may help you sway your mind from having another drink which would help you avoid an awful experience which includes bloodshot eyes and muscle aches.


• Get as much rest as you can! Your body works best to fight off impurities and is able to best heal itself back to normal when you are at rest and lying down.

If you still have a hangover the next day… don’t worry. All you need to do is:

• Drink more water, fluids, and even fruit juice to rehydrate and replenish your body. Beverages such as Gatorade help add electrolytes and salts (which contain more water) to your body.


• Raise your blood sugar levels by eating bread and crackers to metabolize the alcohol in your stomach. Your liver will be working hard to break down the ethanol contained in alcohol and is not then able to produce the proper amount of glucose your body needs. This is where bread can save the day.


• Eat eggs, because they contain cysteine, an amino acid that helps to break down acetaldehyde and other toxins in your body that come from consuming alcohol.


• Eat fresh vegetables, such as asparagus and green beans.

If you still have a hangover… reconsider:

• Taking aspirin in the morning if you are experiencing a hangover, not before bed. The aspirin’s effects will wear off before the morning, and you will still have a hangover. Plus, you should never, ever mix medicine with alcohol, as when mixed together, as they play a very dangerous role in inflaming and damaging your liver and stomach. Also, aspirins and ibuprofens such as Advil and Motrin work better for your hangover versus acetaminophens such as Tylenol or Excedrin.


• Having another drink. Some people of European countries and even American college students will swear that “The Hair of the Dog that Nipped them” or another drink, will help their hangover. In reality, you’d only be softening or mellowing that initial nausea feeling, but adding on extra work to your body. It takes any where from 8 to 24 hours to get over a hangover.


• Indulging in too much black coffee. The caffeine may temporarily reduce your headache, but the natural diuretic will leave you dehydrated.

So, there you have some new insight for if you wake up with a hangover and would like to be rid of it faster. If you happen to be traveling in another country and need a hangover remedy or are simply willing to try something very unique and different, here are some exciting, outside-of-the-box remedies:

Eastern Europeans, people from Turkey, Mexico, and even downtown Manhattan all call for tripe soup. Tripe soup is a combination of the digestive linings of pigs, cows, and even goats, peppers, spices, salt, and broth. This special soup contains the fatty acids and proteins needed to replenish the hung-over person, also adds heat to help raise the blood pressure levels, and get the blood to start working again 2.

Both Koreans and the Japanese pull towards more natural foods, fermented soups and broths to help heal the hung-over. Some of these include potato soup, vegetable soup, and seafood soup. All of the soups and broths contain a lot of salts, which help replenish the body with water. Umeboshi is a Japanese fruit, which compares to both an apricot and a plum. The fruit is pickled and then dried. It tastes very sour and salty, but it is believed to help the body heal and also promotes “slow aging” 2.

Germans, Russian, and Mongolians also love to indulge in pickled meals the day after a long night of drinking. Many residents of Germany enjoy pickled vegetables wrapped in raw herring, called rollmops. Russians enjoys salty broths, pickled vegetables, and even sugary lemons with ground coffee on top. Mongolia takes the win with tomato juice and pickled sheep eyes. Because the majority of individuals living in Mongolia are lactose intolerant, they also partake in drinking fermented milk when hung-over. Another milk cure is preferred in Scotland. They drink hot buttermilk with salt and pepper and corn flour, as they believe that lactose helps raise blood sugar levels 2.

Back in the old days, things were a little more interesting… it is said that Ancient Grecians and Romans would fry a small bird and consume the entire thing. Their neighbors in Sicily would consume dried bull penises for the proteins, which were later used in the culture to make canes for the walking impaired 2.

Here in the United States, people tend to go anything they can get their hands on, even greasy foods and ‘the Hair of the Dog’. One dish that is quite radical is known as the Prairie Oyster. It contains raw eggs, oysters, Tabasco and Worchester sauce, vinegar, salt and pepper and the spirit is optional. If you can down it fast enough, the eggs will provide your body with the essential amino acid cysteine to break down any acetaldehyde and toxins 2.

Overall, no matter what culture or place in the world you come from, it seems that the world’s best cures include preparation, water, salt, and rest. All in all, we can conclude that the overall best hangover cure is time itself.

 

 

How I (Almost) Became a Korean Pottery Fiend---and Why You Should, Too

This is supposed to be an article about Korean pottery. To be honest, my closest association with traditional Korean pottery was posing for pictures next to the infamous kimchi pots at the entranceway to Haebangcheon, known simply as HBC to the widely diverse expat community that lives there.



In recent times, and largely due to the foreign influence of that tiny area beneath the shadow of Seoul Tower, this neighborhood has become known as the HBC Arts Village to the Korean tourism bureau. Although I frequently encountered these familiar stacks of pots, which have become a landmark to expats in Seoul, I was fortunate enough to visit several of Korea’s museums to see the more elaborate representations of this impressive creative process.

Of all of Korea’s wonderfully innovative artistic endeavors, there is none with a richer history than pottery. It really is exceptional, and if you watch the video, you will see that it is not so easy to create. It’s not like two guys sat down at a pottery wheel and just threw some clay together. Look at that shape; the contours; the edges; the balance. Look at the design and the emotion that… well, OK, maybe not in this video. But the tradition of Korean pottery goes back for centuries, and it is a skill that has been handed down in many forms, and these forms are loosely classified into the styles of the three Korean kingdoms: Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla.

As far back as 57 BC, the people of Korea were forming various types of ceramics in numerous kilns. Mostly they consisted of common-use houseware items, but they also included artistic pieces featuring royal figures, horses, and Haetae.

During the Silla period, pottery was simple in its design, but over the years the potters developed new styles along with new types of glazes. They also developed better types of clay to be used on their potter’s wheels and in their hand-sculpted pieces. Celadon glazes gave a greenish hue to some of the pottery that was greatly prized in many Asian cultures, largely because of the demand by Buddhist traditions. This style of ware is created by adding a bit of iron to the pottery before glazing. During the firing process, the iron interacts with the glaze, giving the finished products a wide range of green-tinted finishes. This color made this type of ceramic one of value because it not only resembled jade, but traditional beliefs held that the ceramic would change color if poison foods touched it, so there was a safety feature involved.

Over the years, different artistic styles developed, new shapes evolved such as the popular gourd-shape, and elaborate motifs featuring animals such as birds, deer, horses, or fish often adorned the pottery. Celadon versions of this style are called cheongja, while pottery made from high-grade white clays, glazed with feldspar, are called Baekja. The popularity of Baekja peaked just before the rise of the Joseon Dynasty.



Goryeo porcelain was usually used for smaller, more stylized ceramic items, such as incense burners or tea cups, and ran the gamut of colors that included shades of brown to almost black. Celadon glazes were used to highlight various changes in the shading of these items, which were often modeled after birds, insects, flowers, and geometric shapes. The influence of Confucianism, however, lent a more simplistic style to Korean ceramics, including a rise in the amount of white porcelain produced.

The Joseon Dynasty produced some of the more spectacular works of pottery and ceramics, and the styles became much more elaborate and colorful, not only in the design but also in the decoration. These were considered the height of the culture, and many art historians today refer to this period as the “Golden Age” of Korean pottery. This is thought to be due to the use of chambered climbing kilns, a few of which can still be seen throughout Korea in traditional folk villages. As a result of new styles, glazes, clays, and kilns, Korean pottery became famous and highly sought-after, particularly in the Busan region. Many quality ceramics found their way to Japan, either through trade or outright theft. Korean pottery was so valued, in fact, that the Japanese were known to actually abduct entire families of potters in order to get their hands on these wares. Who would have guessed the Japanese were such pot-fiends?



Several beautiful examples of the original, traditional Korean-style ceramics are on public display in Korea’s many museums. If you happen to be in town, we highly recommend taking a day or two to visit some of these places to see the many products of this amazing hand-craft for yourself. If your travels will miss the Land of the Morning Calm, you may yet have a chance to view some of these stunning works as the museums often arrange international tours of many of Korea’s cultural artifacts. But take my advice – see them in Korea. It is a place not to be missed.

Sore Throat and Sniffles? No Problem! Try These Korean Cold Remedies

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZM-QLZciJzI

After a year of research and instruction on integrative modern and Korean medicine, two years of mealtime conversations with some very health-conscious Korean friends and acquaintances, and six years of ginseng jelly care packages, if I were asked to summarize my take on the Korean folk remedy approach to colds, my answer would probably be: “Don’t get one.”

No, I’m not confessing a lack of faith in Korean traditional medical perspectives on rhinitis (though that wouldn’t be quite so chauvinistic given that modern medicine is similarly deficient in this department) nor my own ignorance of the subject (which I nonetheless readily admit). Instead, I am attempting to emphasize that indigenous Korean medicine holds dear the traditional Chinese notion that “上医医未病之病, 中医医欲病之病,下医医已病之病,” or “top-rate doctors treat illness as it has yet to occur, middling doctors treat illness as it is about to occur, and low-quality doctors treat illness after it occurs.”

As I described in a previous post on the medical mystique of Korean bathhouses, the various Korean traditional medical theories that have been syncretized from domestic and Chinese sources and passed down through several works of national literature (including the Yibang Yuchui 의방유취/醫方類聚  [1443-1445], one of the most comprehensive syntheses of otherwise unrecorded Chinese medical theory to date; Dongyui Bogam, 동의보감/東醫寶鑑 [1596-1610], a collection of disease symptoms arranged by affected organ system, and 동의수세보원/東醫壽世保元 [1901], the underpinning of Korea’s own four constitution medical theory, which develops a more systematic approach to patient-centered treatment than most lines of TCM) describe the human anatomy as multi-layered fields of energy—not only the well known qi or ki (기/氣) but also essence jeong (정/精), spirit shin (신/紳), and blood (혈/血)—in constant flux among various organs and the external environment. And while not even the most hard-line of Korean medical traditionalists would argue that a cold is induced by energy field imbalance in the absence of a little something called germs, Korean medical tradition does seem to contain some lines of thought that one’s daily habits have a large hand in whether external insults like rhinovirus—which fall within the traditional concept of bad qi (사기/邪氣)—will be handled properly by the body’s natural defenses—also called proper qi (정기/正氣)—or allowed to bloom into nasal waterfalls and scorching throats. For example, it is thought that weakened defenses might be precipitated by a sudden drop in temperature, either due to change to a colder season or even rapid jump in indoor air conditioning use from spring to summer; the chronic stress of an academic lifestyle; or being a small child whose immune system is yet to be fully developed [1].

Okay, right. So in an ideal world the Korean traditional medical establishment (and the continuously changing streams of loosely related folk remedies that serve as both source and outlet) successfully collaborates with 100% compliant patients to develop personalized strategies for halting all manner of infectious disease in its tracks faster than you can say “H1N1.” But no amount of pontification over a meridian map will console the poor sniveling sap who doesn’t finish her dinnertime kimchi and insists on galloping around polar vortex Gangnam in a miniskirt. What, then, to those less-than-vigilant patients for whom a conscious diet, frequent spa visits, daily morning qigong, and a commitment to a stable inner life is already too late?

• Stewed pear (배찜): A favorite dish in both northern China and Korea for cold prevention as summer turns to autumn, this simple stew is made by boiling a clean Nashi pear (also known as “Asian pear” or just “pear,” depending on who you ask) with some honey and red dates until the solid ingredients are soft and the water reduces into a thick nectar. The honey provides some relief for a sore throat, and the pear, considered in traditional medicine to be of slightly wet constitution, is thought to supplement fluids lost to illness.


• Honey water (꿀물): A remedy similar to one with which many non-Koreans may also be familiar if they’ve ever coated a painful throat with a spoonful of honey. This is also a nice snack found in the hot beverage counter at many convenience stores.


• Spicy bean sprout soup (매운 콩나물국): Perhaps not the first choice of those suffering from a sensitive larynx, the red pepper powder in this soup is nonetheless great for providing temporary relief from congested sinuses.


• Ginger tea (생강차): This sweet and slightly spicy tea is a much more appealing way than straight water to maintain much-needed fluid intake to loosen annoying mucus deposits, and the ginger provides a nice kick to the nasal passages.


• Toxin release by sweating: Dip your feet into some warm water, take a long shower, engage in light exercise, and support your immune system by stimulating circulation and sweating out the poison. Just don’t be rude and take your viruses to a public jjimjilbang.


• Appetite stimulation: In some cases, a cold is accompanied by a loss of appetite, under which condition it is thought that replenishing the body’s heat with foods of “warm” constitution—ginseng (인삼/人蔘), huanggi (황기/黃芪), and changchul (창출/창출) root—will enhance digestive function. [1]

Armed with a taste of some folk Korean medical knowledge, dear readers, you are now equipped to tackle the final frigid days of winter, endless examinations of spring semester, and sudden onslaught of summer air conditioning with some time-tested weapons of battle with rhinitis. Feel free to add to the armamentarium by posting your own personal remedies in the comments below!

 

Fifty shades of Gay.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqoMomj3QtE

50 Shades of Gay: Perspectives of Gay Korea

A Tale of Two Emotions

“You’ve never been to West Hollywood’s Pride, but you’re from LA?” James asked incredulously, almost as if there were no possible way. “Yeah,” I explained equally shocked, but was then quickly distracted by an incredibly sweaty and muscular duo in matching hipster summer tanks. We continued wandering in the plaza looking at the parade and trying to seek refuge from the sun. It then dawned on me; I only participated in gay events here in Korea. I’ve always been politically active, so much so that I staged a one man protest in high school. Yet, despite being so outspoken on many things, I was in the closet back in the United States.  Maybe it’s because I’m older now? “What about you?” I figured that I would flip the question around. “Yeah it’s my first pride,” my friend said in between sips of now Luke-warm Cass. Possibly Korea, had something to do with wanting to become politically active or at least show solidarity in the fight towards equality.

Korea officially has no laws against homosexuality. While many Western progressives cheer at this, the reason is actually pretty hurtful. Korean culture does not believe such acts would exist on the peninsula. So the rationale is, why legislate on something that would never happen? Thus attitudes, as surmised by a Korean friend of mine, are somewhat prevalent.   “Bummy, that’s way too much money to spend on your girlfriend,” I downed my drink while thinking about the staggering price he stated for a romantic getaway. “Well, how much would you pay for your girlfriend?” He stated. Fair point, I thought.  “Not 900,000 won ($850) a night.” Soon a few other friends joined into the conversation. Jokes about prostitutes, nuns, and cucumbers abound.  Then, as if some divine edict of comedy actually exists, the obligatory gay joke. “Okay, let’s say that a guy paid you 900,000 won ($850) instead of you paying for a room. Would you do it?” I looked at Myra and looked at Bummy. A plastic smile was hiding the intense anxiety of how he would respond to Myra’s seemingly innocuous question. “I don’t understand.”  I knew what that meant; it meant that he did understand the words, but not the concept. “Would you sleep with a man for 900,000 won ($850)? Doesn’t have to be sex, but a blowjob or you know, messing around?” “Fuck no. I don’t like the gays.” The plastic smile I wore intensified into more of a Kevlar protected shield to try to cover any insecurities and insinuations about me.  I expected the response ‘I’m not gay’, or ‘I’d never do that with a guy.’ However, I didn’t expect the level of vitrol that he had. I am gay. Thus, he doesn’t like me. Myra looked at me smiling awkwardly desperately wanting the conversation to go back to its debauched joviality. A few months later, as I came out to him, he made me choose between him and my boyfriend. Well, I choose the later. Thankfully, I don’t  often have to make a choice between my friends or my boyfriend.

It is important to note that attitudes are changing. A recent Pew survey showed 71% of Koreans aged 18-29 believed that homosexuality is not wrong. This contrasts with 16% of Koreans 50 and up. Currently 25% of Koreans support gay marriage, while 67% of Koreans oppose it. 8% do not know¹. Obviously, the majority of my peers would be accepting and tolerant.  Things are definitely changing for the better in this regard.

“I envy you!” It’s funny how often that word is used. “Why? I mean you make more than me, travel more.” Yeah, there was a twinge of jealousy in my voice as looked around the stark and utilitarian space otherwise known as my kitchen. “You and Andy have not fought” Hyung Min looked a little dejected as slumped into a worn dining room chair. We continued eating pizza and drinking beer in my humid apartment. “Of course we have. He cheated on Call of Duty once,” I said this in all seriousness, which prompted me to look around my apartment. A skateboard, PS3 and X-Box, a beer pong table. Well, you can take the man out of the fraternity, but not the fraternity out of the man. Hyung Min wryly smiled. “Amanda and I… I don’t know.” What was odd was that it was one of the few moments that I shared with a straight person talking about relationships on an equal level.  Andy and I were not a sideshow, but rather people in a relationship. It transcended cultures as well as sexuality. However, unfortunately, such solidarity and support is not always found in homosexual Korea. Especially when dating.

Two Gays, Another Gay, and a Coffee Shop

 It would be a lie to say that I was sober at 5am on Sunday. Well, not so much a lie as an exaggeration of the truth. Regardless, I ran into James and his friend Tom. They both stumbled out onto the street as bleary eyed as I was. “Going to the Hill?” Aw, the obligatory question of every homosexual in Seoul. “It’s 5am. I’m going home. I’ll see you at noo-make it 1pm,” I said trying to hail a taxi with little success. At this point the other group of guys that I was originally with was more enthralled at street vendors selling shawarmas than the barrage of women exiting the bars and clubs. Personally there is something a little sad when a guy, or girl, has hopes of finding another person and ends up buying a burger instead. Dejected, they entered the cab after not finding their proverbial Cinderella, if only for just one night.

In Korea dating is hard. Competition is stiff for heterosexuals who are not only expected to maintain a high beauty and income standards as well as fulfill the wishes of both significant other and their family. Currently the largest market for male cosmetics in the world is in Korea, in terms of per capita usage. Thus, men are feeling the proverbial heat just like the women.  Just as important as beauty are income and societal ideals. The pressure to get married propelled Korea to have the second highest rate of marriage in the OECD². Mate selection, however, has driven the median age of marriage to roughly 30 years old, about 3 years older than the OECD average. Much of this is due to the high cost of living in Seoul as well as ever increasing university fees which is causing a rise in debt. The takeaway is that it’s hard and stiff in Korea for heterosexual males to get hard and stiff regularly.

It’s just as “hard” and “stiff” for homosexuals too. Legally, gay marriage is not allowed. Ceremonies are performed, but much to the ire of the general public. The first publically performed gay marriage ceremony (non-legally recognized) in 2013³ was met with more consternation than ecstasy. In terms of dating, the level of conservatism creates a maelstrom of emotions and misunderstandings with, albeit, sometimes hilarious and awkward consequences.

“He just tongue darted in and out my mouth and squeezed my junk,” James said in between sips of his latte. I met them both promptly at 1pm in Gangnam later the same day. “I’m like does that seem like it would feel good?’” I didn’t know how to respond. Not to brag, but I feel really happy my sex life is less like the blooper reel of “Freaks and Geeks” and more like the director’s cut of “Queer as Folk”. About 10 minutes later, after eating an overpriced sandwich, I asked whether or not his parents knew that their son was having sex with James since James would stay the night. “No. I mean they thought it was normal that we took showers together, slept together. Dude, It’s Korea.” I guess in the West, the equivalent would be wrestling half naked with your bros. Nothing sexual, but genuine male bonding before marriage. What then occurs, according to Tim is that “(Gay) Koreans are quick to love.”

That was one common complaint I heard over and over. Personally, as a romantic, I find it endearing. The idea of waiting in the rain for your love, and then proposing to them in a grand gesture, appeals to me. However, hearing other perspectives of how after one or two dates, baby names and country selection debates become the topics du jour paints a picture of how juxtaposed Korean gay culture is. On the hand, it’s liberal and taboo with Homo Hill best described as a “Hot Mess” according to Tim. On the other, exhaustive and quick planning to such an extent that even the psycho girlfriend meme could not capture the awkwardness and eccentricities that exist in gay dating in Korea. Much of this does go with the cultural expectation of love and marriage. Gay males in Korea are still socialized as Korean, thus it would only seem natural that the same mate selection pressures would apply to a certain extent. However, since gay marriage is illegal, what occurs is something akin to America in the 1970s-1980s, the gay party scene, which is a stereotype rooted in some aspects of reality.

I left the sandwich shop about 20,000 won lighter and not as full as I would have liked. As my wine hangover with hitting its zenith, I decided to follow up with Su Min to see if he finished the survey.

Lovers in a Dangerous Time: Gay and Korean

            I first met Su Min when I was seeing John. John is extremely attractive. He doesn’t seem to think so, but any guy with six pack abs, a strong chest, and a cute smile generally qualifies as attractive. Being new to Korea and to the gay scene, I fell for him. The problem was that Su Min, fell more for John than I had. An awkward friendship arose with the occasional sexual escapade.

Staying at Su Min’s house was initially like living in a SoHo loft with Artists coming in and out at all hours of the day and night. The stark walls and floors added to the minimalist bohemian feel. Not to sound overly cliché, or to use too many word play devices, but I did see the depths of Seoul’s soul while staying there. It was there I asked what Su Min wanted from his family. He had no plans to tell them. In fact, he considers that his greatest challenge of being gay. After 7 years of coming out only to close friends, I found it odd that he wasn’t out to his parents. I mean didn’t his parents ever wonder why a talented, attractive young singer never mentioned a girlfriend?

With that I could empathize. I accidently came out to my very Ivorian mom on April 1^st. I should qualify that the accident wasn’t coming out; it was the terrible date selection. I’m not good with time zones. I digress. Yeah, I grew up in California, but I always have a part of me that remains rooted in Africa.  In some strange sense of solidarity, being gay in a conservative culture, I maintained contact even after awkward sexual encounters and bits of jealousy.

While for him the greatest challenge about being gay is adhering to what is expected of him in Korea and not telling his parents, things are changing. Another friend of mine, Don, mentioned about a high school girl that was openly gay at the place where he used to work. You could attribute it to personal strength, however, the statistics corroborate with the notion that indeed the times are a changin’.

Letters of Love and Hope: The Future and Beyond

            Currently, as I’m typing, I’m staring at my own fears of moving back to the US. The air conditioning is fanning the insecurities and irrational fears I have concerning the future. Torrential downpours serve as a tangible symbol of the inner emotions I’m repressing regarding leaving Korea. However, with that, as my friend said “The past is of no significance.” This isn’t to say that we don’t stand on the shoulders of giants, but rather we should look towards the future instead of rely on conventions and situations that no longer pertain to the current.

The first gay film festival in Korea was held in 1997 with considerable outrage. Local officials threatened to cut the electricity and tried to thwart the event the following year. Despite such efforts, the festival and ensuing parade survived and, well, thrived. In 2000, there were 50 participants. In 2009, there were over 1,500 participants in the parade and festival⁴. This is not to call Seoul the next San Francisco or Amsterdam, but it demonstrates that just the extent of how homosexuality is changing and is gaining more acceptance in part by challenging archaic beliefs. Yes on a macro-societal level, that’s great and all, but what does this all mean regarding what people want for their personal futures?

When I first started this article, one of questions I asked was where do you see yourself in 5 years. The overwhelming response was married and with a family. One such answer seemed almost as if it were a liberal lesbian interpretation of Rockwell’s America. She wrote that she wanted a small farm, children, and her wife. As I prepare my own adventure across the Pacific, I realize that’s what we all want. Okay, maybe not small farm or, in my case, a wife, but a very simple and comfortable life. A life that is free from reproach and castigation, but a life ebullient and brilliant that elevates the most morose of souls. We should follow the advice of Quintus Horatius Flaccus as to seize the day and look towards the future regardless of what it holds. I guess in more succinct and contemporary terms, YOLO. It’s time, the future is not only mine, but yours too, let’s seize it together.

Sources:

1. Pew Research. The Global Divide on Homosexuality: Greater Acceptance in more Secular

and Affluent Societies. Washington DC: Pew  Research, 2013.

1. OECD. Family Database. Paris: 2012.


2. Kim, Christine. “Gay South Korean film director to marry in bid to pry open closet.” Reuters.           15 May 2013.


3. Kelley, Matt. From 50 to 1,500: “Korea Queer Culture Festival turns 10.” Fridae.

15 June 2009.