The road less travelled...

Frost has always been one of my favorite poets, more so because I find myself identifying with many of the things he wrote.

One of the most "true" poems he's ever written would be "The Road Not Taken", not because it's so famous, but more because it is a pretty accurate picture of how decisions in life can impact your future.

I never could imagine myself living and working in Korea, for example, just 6 short years ago. I was a business consultant, tired of the grind, seeking new things in life. I accepted a one-year job offer to teach in Thailand's top private university mainly to explore new horizons, and to (admittedly) escape the stress of a job I was growing to like less and less.

One year stretched to four, however, and Thailand became not just a pit-stop, but more like a destination for life. I love that country so much, and I plan on retiring there. I still go there maybe twice or thrice a year, just to take a break, and I love everything about it: the food, the people, the general atmosphere of relaxed living.

Why then did I find myself in Korea? I've been asked this very question many times over, and I find that I have no real answer except that I liked the challenge of contributing to a national debate program in disarray, and I further liked the opportunity to work with very bright, very eager and very, very determined students. Plus, in many respects, Korea is almost the complete opposite of Thailand, and I wanted to see just how I would (or even if I could) adapt to such a great new challenge. If Thailand is my "safe" choice, the one that I'm sure I would always love, Korea is my "road less travelled".

It hasn't always been easy. I'm not even sure it's easy even now. :) I've battled prejudice, racial stereotyping, outright rejection of my ethnicity (from taxi drivers all the way to university professors) and even direct insults from old people on the subway. I've been victimized by unscrupulous people who tried to take advantage of me, and been used by people I'd come to trust. It's been an interesting set of experiences, to say the least, but I'm still here and I'm not intending to leave anytime soon. :) Heck, I've even started a business here, so I definitely am not planning on skipping town for a while yet.

I guess the whole idea Frost had of going down a path and finding it harder and harder to turn back and restart one's life afresh is resonating with me now. The more I sacrifice to endure things here, and to learn to adjust and adapt (i.e. learning the language, the culture and so on), the more I find it harder and harder to turn back. I just don't want to give up on Korea until I prove to myself that I can be a success and be accepted for such by mainstream Korean society. Call me stubborn, but I just can't imagine turning back now. It would seem like such a waste of two good years of my life.

Of course, no sane person would do any of this if he felt there wasn't anything worthwhile at the end. I mean, it's not like I'm living in NORTH Korea. :) I find many good things in Korea too. I have made some very good friends, found people I can trust in business and in life, grown to love the food and many aspects of the culture, and have even started understanding some of the fundamental motivations of the everyday Korean (which makes it easier to tolerate some of what I perceive to be difficult behavior). There's much to admire in a people that has survived devastating wars, occupations, dictators, and economic crises to become one of the leading lights of the Asian economic juggernaut. I can certainly understand why Koreans are so proud of being Korean; after all, how many other people in the world have been able to achieve so much in so little time. It's a testament to their determination, stubborness and work ethic that they've been able to do what they've done. I salute them for that.

But it's really individual Koreans that have drawn me in deeper into the metaphorical forest of Frost's poem. Each time I get frustrated by something, I meet some new person who fascinates me. I just saw a show on TV the other day that featured this man whose sole mission in life was to promote love of the Korean flag. Everyday he goes around his neighborhood handing out free flags or exhorting people with flags to proudly display them. I know many people in the Western world who'd call him crazy, but you've got to admire a guy who finds meaning in making other people prouder of their country. It's a heck of a lot more productive than spending your spare time learning Klingon or attending Trekkie conventions, I can tell you that much.

I guess the defining moment of my stay was when I spent one night out in the center of the city, together with what must have been a million people, watching the Korean national football team battle France in the World Cup. It was an amazing experience. :) Hundreds of Korean celebrities performed on stage before the game, during halftime and even after everything was done, as the first rays of morning sun peeped over the horizon. And when Park Ji-Sung toepicked that ball past Fabien Barthez's hands, securing an incredible draw, the roar I was swept up in was deafening, both sonically AND emotionally. Here was a people that lived and breathed passion for their country, that did not want to apologize for who or what they were, and that would willingly die for the glory of their nation. You've certainly got to respect that. It really touched me deep inside. It was an awesome feeling to have. And while I live here, I'll keep on the look-out for more of this to come.

* * * * *
The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveller, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference
...Robert Frost