Sex and the City

I know... I have your attention now.

Traveling around Korea affords me all kinds of stares. Older Women. Old Men, Housewives, Young Children, and everyone in between. I have become used to it and it really doesnt bother me.

Today I was running errands downtown before our trip to the Philippines on Monday, and stopped in the mandu house for a quick bite to eat. A man came in and sat down all the while staring at me. No problem. He rarely broke eye contact with me. I ate nearly my entire plate of dumplings while being watched. I still chalk it up as being a foreigner- I know I look different. I really am used to it. I asked him in Korean, 'Why are you looking at me?" His response was something like... 'you look good'. So I went back to eating and finished.

I really can not blame him for his staring. After I left and was walking down the street, he rode by on his moped hollering something that I could not understand. Can I blame him? Many Koreans (I didn' say all) have a view of Americans as being what they see on television. They think all women act like actresses on Sex and the City and Desperate Housewives. Can I blame them for what they think is the norm when American television is so popular here? No. I have been propositioned, amongst various other sundry exploits while being here in Korea not worthy of mention here. And sometimes I bow my head in shame. I really am ashamed of what other countries think of my fellow countrymen because we hand them that very image.

What a shame.