With the commencement of spring and warmer weather, I've started a new running routine. I recently discovered a tree-lined dirt path near my apartment that gives the illusion of a park even though it's only fifty feet from the main road. During my morning runs before work, the path is sparse with only a few elderly walkers. However, on Sunday afternoons, the usually empty trail is busy with families out for a stroll. As I found out on Sunday, some Koreans are definitely not used to seeing foreigners outside of an English academy. As I ran by a busy playground along the trail; everyone stared, some pointed, and even a few laughed. Later that night, I questioned one of my Korean friends about the incident. It went something like this:
Me: Joey, why do Koreans laugh at me while I'm running?
Joey: How do you run? (smirk)
Me: (gasp) Normal! I run just like everyone else.
Joey: You should laugh back next time.
Lavon: No, its true! Once, when I went running a group of girls started laughing and running right behind me (she demonstrates).
Joey: (doubled over in laughter)
Lavon: Now YOU'RE laughing at us, too!
Joey: No, it's just that I was thinking about you both laughing back at them. It's just that you're foreigners and you're running. People in Korea don't run that often.
Me: So the combination of a running foreigner is funny?
Joey: Maybe, to some people.
Me: Next time someone laughs, I'm definitely laughing back... and pointing.
3 comments:
I've considered laughing back and calling them hangugin (I think that means Korean) but then I remembered that I'm red and scary. I really would hate to make some poor kid wet themselves.
hahaha! Being red and scary gives you the upper-hand. You have power over those children. We're almost like the power rangers with red face, dirty beard, yellow hair, and curls. Now we just need 2 more powers for Andrea and Lavon. "With our powers combined..."
You recreated the conversation perfectly! So I want to hear more about these "powers" !! I'm interested:)
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