After 8 long years, my family had returned to Korea, my birthplace. Even though I was born there, and although up to that point I had only lived
one quarter of my life in the USA, Korea was a culture shock!
The Korean people are, as a nation, resilient and resourceful. They can also probably qualify as the most proud nationality in the world.
Koreans believe ultimately every Korean can trace their lineage to one family, and then therefor all Koreans are of ONE BLOOD.
This concept is so pervasive, it dominates their culture: The Korean name for their country is Han-guk, one nation. Their language
is Han-gul, one language. And they are very proud of their heritage.
(On a related note, the Korean word for America is Me-guk, Beautiful Nation. I always thought that was kinda cool.)
Part of my cultureshock was how crowded and busy Korea was: Indeed, all of Asia and most of the world is qualified this way (except for the
Americas and Australia). And while I was there, the country was focused on the 1988 Summer Olympics, which was looked upon by the Korean people as
their chance to show the world Korea was a real player. It was a great time to be in Korea.
My dad was stationed at Camp Red Cloud, in Ui Jong Bu, just north of Seoul. Ui Jong Bu's claim to fame was that the real 4077th MASH was
stationed there during the Korean War (1950-953). You may recall the immensely popular TV series MASH--It's not too popular in Korea . . .
Something else about Korean culture: Boys are important in the grand scheme of things, and the Firstborn male is treated like a king. I
qualified as both. My Korean relatives treated me well, treated my dad well, and held our return as a momentous event. My mother, the
prodigal daughter, had returned home. It was quite an occassion.
Korea was without a doubt quite an educational experience: I learned alot
about friendship, life and love. But the most important thing that happened
to me while I was there was I found GOD. Let me say I am not a religious
person; But I am spiritual. Life has made more sense and carried
more meaning since GOD became a part of my life. I think it was so cool
how HE brought me back to the land of my physical birth to be reborn spiritually
also . . .
The other thing that affected my life while in Korea was that we got a dog! Mom, who has always disliked animals of any sort, brought home a
puppy in June 1985. She was a mutt and cute as can be. And my dad, since the dog was female, named her Payback...
I would be remis if I didn't point something out here. The Korean war ended in a draw, as the USA and UN embarked on a policy of appeasement
toward communism. There are 10,000 American serviceman in South Korea right now, since technically North and South Korea are still at
war. Today, South Korea thrives, her people are benefitting from economic and personal freedoms, while the communist regime in North Korea is
starving its brainwashed citizens due to its misguided economics and fundamental principals (Mark my words: the famine in North Korea that is
quietly going on as you read this is WORSE than any famine we have seen in Ethiopia or currently in the Sudan. The North Korean government
has isolated its citizens from the rest of the world for 45 years, and now it's starving men, women and children in some dellusion that America
and South Korea will invade at any moment. Communism is a failure, and the politics of division are over. Hopefully, maybe North Korea's
"Enlightened Leader" Kim Jung Il will wake up and realize his failed policies and lead his country back into the circle of nations).
As long as there are American serviceman in Korea, serving in a land far away from families, friends, and "home", we as citizens of this country
must be mindful and respectful of their duties and the awesome responsiblity they must live up to.
I made some of my best friends in my entire life in South Korea. But like a bad dream that wouldn't go away, dad got a job offer in Washington,
DC. Once again, I was going to move, I would have to say good-bye to all of my friends, who I'd probably never see again, and try and make new
friends where ever I ended up.
At least we were going to bring our dog . . .
