Relativity

It's interesting to note just how expensive things in Korea can be, and yet how oblivious people in Korea are to just HOW expensive they are relative to the rest of the world. For instance, the first time I bought rice at the grocery, I went for a nice-looking 3 kilogram bag... only to find out later that it cost US$18! Are you kidding me? I paid 18 bucks for 3 kilos of rice?

Just to put that in perspective, in Philippine pesos that would be over 900 pesos for 3 kilos. Wow. I'm not exactly sure how much rice in Manila is now, but I'm pretty sure it hasn't yet hit 100 pesos per kilo. Not even close. After all, the minimum wage is only slightly above 200 pesos per day.

This is why people from rich, developed nations often consider products/prices in developing nations to be so cheap.

But if you think a bit deeper, you may also realize just how little effort has to be expended to make the world a better place. After all, if you throw away 500 Korean won (20 Thai baht) on a small ice cream snack one day, then why not help feed a poor kid in a developing nation? 20 baht can buy you quite a meal in Thailand, especially in the countryside (where I once had a good meal for 10 baht). Think about it. Half an ice cream bar = one full meal for a hungry child.

I don't know if it's my Catholic upbringing (with the whole "guilt" factor and this uber-emphasis on charity), but I guess a part of me always wants to give back something to someone else who is more in need. And the fortunate thing about my current circumstances is I can now afford to be even more helpful. When I visit the Philippines again this year, I think I shall find a nice little charity to help out. All I have to do is give up eating ice cream for a year, and assuming I would have eaten one ice cream bar a week, I would have as much as 1,300 pesos (500 Korean won = 25 pesos). When I get back, however, I will have much more to give.

Just these little sacrifices can go a long, long way for a poor child in need. My father was a scholar when he was young, and if it wasn't for the kind-heartedness of donors, he would never have had the opportunity to go to school and make a good life for himself and his family. Now he's doing very, very well, which is why he always finds the time to give back. He was once really poor, and now he's really successful. That's why he can afford to give, and that's why he does. I'm just trying to follow in his footsteps.

It's all relative, after all. No pun intended.