I have finally achieved celebrity status. Consider my childhood dream accomplished. However, it has not been because of anything I have done.
I am a tall, white, English-speaking person of European descent. That makes me stick out. Children point and whisper at me as I ride the subway. And if I open a map to make sure that I am at the right station, someone will offer to assist me in less than five seconds. I am 1 of 22 million Seoul residents, yet random people on the street stop to make small talk with me. Sometimes they take my picture. Sometimes they ask for my phone number. And sometimes they start to tell me their life stories. The other day a little girl even leaned out of a car window to wave and yell "hi" as I walked past on the sidewalk.
But my favorite celebrity story is about the time I was waiting for the elevator inside Soon Jae's apartment building. Another person was also waiting, and he suddenly decided to start talking to me. His English wasn't very good, and he surprised me as he asked if I like potatoes. I thought he was simply struggling to make conversation, so I smiled and said "yes." That's when he reached into his bag and pulled out a potato to give to me! I was so shocked that I forgot to receive it with two hands, which is the polite thing to do in Korean culture. But he didn't seem to mind too much. I put the potato on the kitchen table when I got upstairs, and the next morning Soon Jae asked me if I had a craving for potatoes.
Sometimes it's annoying to be such a celebrity here. Foreign = famous, I guess. And there are times when I just want to blend into the crowd. It's easier to go quietly along and not have to put any energy into others. But someone recently told me I should take these moments as they come and recognize them for the grace they bring into my life. These awkward conversations are moments of welcome, and this wide-eyed curiosity is an opening for me to share. Uninvited interruptions will inevitably happen, but it does not have to follow that they must be unwelcome. So I will try to welcome them. There is enough grace to help me, I think.
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3 comments:
WOW!
Yah my teacher's partner had the same experience when they went to India. She is very tall, and very American so she was always standing out so to say.
That just made my day. :-D You should try to preserve that potato and bring it home with you. Maybe it's good luck!?
I'm glad you're posting more. I enjoy reading your blog.
I thought about you tonight...we had a Czech Republic reunion thing at Cindi Reddish's house tonight. You weren't there, but we talked about you. ;-)
--Brooke
In regards to the mega-church: God made man in his image and man returned the favor.
People prefer Jesus Christ superstar to Jesus Christ, homeless, itinerant preacher and blue-collar carpenter.
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