Doubting thyself

Okay I just need to say one thing . . . this place has a lot of people.  This is no bold statement by any stretch of the imagination but this is one thing I'm going to try to explain in a short period of time. 

Just for reference the metro area of Portland has about 2.1 million people

Seattle has just over 4 million

Busan 3.6 million

BUT has just under twice the population density than Seattle and about 4 times that of Portland.  

Source from ye old Wikipedia . . . I know,  I know,  bad source.  But if they are all equally proportionally off then we can just imagine that the numbers are right and move on, Mmmkay?

So for every person you pass walking downtown, Alberta, Hawthorn, NW 23rd, or Mississippi why don't you just think of them being accompanied by their family of four.  All the streets here are at least two lanes in each direction, if not more.    So with all of this said people clearly have a different definition of space than people in America.  I can't speak for you East Coasters but definitely different that us Portlanders.  When you walk down a street people don't smile at eachother.  Think about all that damn smiling . . . sometimes you just don't want to smile at everyone in Portland multiplied by four.  People also just cut you off when walking around on the sidewalk.  You have to move forward when you can.  There is only so much space and people have places to go.  I'm assuming this isn't rude.  Happens to me all the time anyways.  Scooters and motorcycles do not observe crosswalk signs so beware.  I don't know if I was hit by one while walking across during a green, who's fault would it be?  

When we went to Gwang-ali park that follows one of Busan's rocky shores there were people everywhere.  I was amazed.  This really drilled it into my head how many people there are here.  There were people fishing, picnicking, chatting, drinking, doing anything you do at a park and more absolutely everywhere.  People were found on cliff edges, rocky and sandy shores, on the trail, in the bushes, on top of huge jagged rocks, I mean everywhere.  Its like a human ant farm over here.  There is no mass amount of space that isn't filled with some amount of people.  Even the older folks who, in the states, would use flat, easy to navigate trails are on some rocky cliff drinking soju having a merry old time.  Maybe there is something in that stuff that we don't know about.  Soju, by the way, is only 40% alcohol, costs only $1-1.50 for about 12 ounces of the stuff and tastes just short of rubbing alcohol.  Maybe its their diet, which is primarily vegetarian accompanied by lots of fish.  But people are everywhere and they like to stare at you, well me and any other whities.   The stare is weird too.  Its not like a whoah that person is different than me.  Its like a "I'm sizing you up;  What are you doing in my country?;  Stay away from my daughter!; I don't like you!". . .  kind of stare.  This specifically comes from people who are about forty years old and older.  The younger generations give the "I'm intrigued," stare.  The really young ones give the "Holy moly he has blue eyes, different skin, and hair.  Thats totally crazy.  Are you from another planet?" . . . kind of stare.  I'm not used to this yet.  There are lots of expat teachers here and there have been for years so the staring is not going to stop anytime soon.  I just need to ignore it.  But I can't yet.  When I'm walking around town looking at my surroundings in wonderment while trying not to get run over by a passing scooter, I look at people and they are staring at me.  I smile at them.  They don't smile back.  Now I'm nervous.  Did I just commit some kind of cultural phopah *how does one spell fopah?* by making eye contact?  So I look away and continue to be curious, confused, and lost about this city and culture.  

So I have to admit something.  I have been more of a hermit than my usual self.  All of this stuff takes a lot out of me.  I don't have a lot of hermit time but way more than usual.  I go out with Dave and Lindsay a lot (I hope they aren't sick of me yet), I'm at school during the work week, and I do some errands on the week nights and during the weekends.  But I have been downloading loads, no, hoards of movies, shows, and music like never before.  I've been watching The Office, Weeds, Iron Man, Casino Royale, and tried watching Braveheart but it was overdubbed in Russian.  I've come across this Rolling Stone Top 500 songs of all time which is ruling my world at the moment.  Also some sweet huge Soul and R&B compilations and a big Hip Hop and Rap compilation that I'm pretty excited about.  I've been craving all things American like no other.  I guess I'm going through what is called culture shock.  

In my travels I've just been so amazed at the differences.  I have always enjoyed rejecting anything remotely USAish.  When I got back from Guatemala I went through my first bought of culture shock.  But it didn't happen until I came home . . .  I was amazed at how comfortable I was on the bus and on the MAX.   I was taken aback by the super trendy clothes people were wearing.  I forgot how many people ride bikes in Ptown!  I was amazed at the choices I had at any store or restaurant.  I was amazed by the size of my house and the backyard!  But here I'm getting it right out of the gate.  This morning was bad.  I was being a real big hermit.  A GIANT hermit.  I feel like I have plenty of time to get out and experience things.  But I don't want to wake up one April morning and realize that I've been watching the world go by through my computer.  So this afternoon I went outside and began to wander.  I need to wander more.  I will explain after I have dinner with a PHD in Foreign Relations.   I just met him in an urban park that is just blocks away from my house (just found it today) and is on par with Forest Park.  I'm not shitting you either (he he).  This place is simply amazing.  I have to go.  I'll write more after dinner.