Ego Boosters

In my experience thus far, being a (white*) foreigner in Korea frequently seems to invite compliments about one's appearance. One of the first things my director said to me when I got off the plane was, "Oh, you are so handsome." Since then, I have been called "handsome" by Koreans, men and women alike, more times than I can count (and just to clarify things, it's not like I'll be winning any beauty contests anytime soon). Often, I think that they say this because they simply want to compliment me in some way and not because I measure up to any standard of beauty that exists here. I know that the Korean language is structured in such a way that the speaker must humble him or herself and exalt their conversation partner, and I feel like these compliments play into that social schema somehow. If that is the case, then I imagine I am either supposed to reciprocate or engage in some sort of self-denigration, but usually I just blush. At any rate, it can be quite an ego booster sometimes. Case in point: my trip to the Cheonsang Lotteria yesterday. As soon as I stepped up to the counter to place my order, one of the girls working that shift exclaimed in broken English, "Oooh! You so handsome! Just my style." Later, as I was eating my burger and fries, she brought over a handwritten note, saying "Hey handsome guy, I write this for you." It reads: "Hi~ You handsome guy! You very good. You best. Oh~ ^^ I'm happy! (drawn smiley face) P.S. You smile very good." I chuckled and said thank you. Sadly, I'm not at all interested in her, but it's the thought that counts, right?

(*I say "white foreigner" because I'm not sure if this is the case for non-white wayguks. I have a sneaking suspicion that racial prejudice runs deep in some people here and I wonder how accepting they are of non-whites, especially the ones who even give white foreigners a hard time. I have been told that it is more difficult for non-whites to get teaching jobs here. I've been meaning to do a post on the issue of white privilege in EFL jobs and perhaps I will sometime; it seems to me to be an important and extremely problematic part of this experience and one that I would like to explore further.)