Today I woke up early and went on a short hike on Cheongryung Mountain. An older man gave me a nasty look and muttered something in a mean tone when he saw me walking off the pedestrian trail. I was startled at first because it took me a moment to realize that he was talking to me. And by the time I realized this, he had already passed by.
I was annoyed at him, and I couldn't help but feel there must be some racism behind his anger toward me. I don't really have any evidence, except that I can't imagine why else he would be upset at someone walking outside of the path. It's not like he owns the mountain, or is liable for me hurting myself, or that I was walking on someone's garden or something.
I will admit that he may have had his reasons to associate negative stereotypes with foreigners. I'm embarrassed sometimes by stories about things that foreigners do in Korea. Maybe he saw me as just another out of control "waygook" who doesn't give a shit about the rules, even one as simple as staying on the walking path.
But renegade foreigners or no, there's no excuse for having a sucky attitude towards people you don't know.
Looking around at the other Koreans on the mountain, smiling, many with their families, I took comfort that the man before was a rare example.
I decided that I need a purpose for my next two or three months. So I decided I'm going to learn as much about Korea as I can. I've already got a start on the language, and I certainly know more about the people than I did a year ago, but now I'm going to make learning more about those things a priority.
I acquired two new classes yesterday, putting my total up to three. I'll be working about 9 hours a week, and making about 2/3 of my old salary. Not a bad way to end this chapter.
The job market here is absolutely ridiculous. Since quitting, I've gotten about one new job offer a day. Granted I did a little bit of job hunting, but nothing major. From what I hear from people who have been in Korea longer than I, this is a bad market for jobs. If this is bad, I really can't imagine what the "good days" were like.
