Wow showed up at Hulk's today, no need to really say anything more because him walking in the front door of Hulk's was pretty cool. We had expected him to come yesterday but plans changed and today he arrived. I'm not too sure how long he's in the country for but those were 12 long days without him. When word got out later in the day that Wow had made an appearance at the club and had trained, members were all curious as to whether or not he'd be back today.
Feels great to have Wow back, even if it's for an uncertain amount of days and whatnot. Today we had an overdose of Wow today as in not only did he come to Hulk's but so did his two sons -- Kato and the First Son.
Later in the afternoon a reporter working for KBS called to interview me. Snickers talked to her about me for awhile and then I sat down to talk to her. The total interview took 49 minutes and was just the first step of the anticipated documentary they'll be featuring on me. The reporter started off with some expected, usual questions, like why did you come to Korea and how long have you been here, and then went into more detailed and personal questions like what is your biggest challenge with living in Korea and what do you like most about Korea.
So... what is my biggest challenge living here, I have two....
CHALLENGE #1: My identity -- I'm not totally a foreigner but I'm also not a Korean.
Consequently... KBC (Korean Boxing Commissioner) doesn't know how to treat me. I am a Canadian boxer who turned professional here, I train and fight out of a Korean boxing club but I'm not of Korean blood. I have my Korean name, Su Hyun, on my fight uniform as a means of trying to be more accepted as a Korean fighter but Korea often treats me as a foreign boxer, they can hype it up more and get more publicity doing so but it also gives my opponent home advantage and biased judging. Korea doesn't like foreign boxers winning fights here and they'll stack the cards so that they don't win if they can.
Consequently... even my own boxing club members don't know how to properly address me. Koreans use titles when addressing people and so you'll never hear a Korean member calling Snickers by his first name unless they were friends from outside of the club first. Him being older than most members automatically grants him a title but so does his position as club owner and coach. Similarly, I too am older and sport the title of club manager and coach but many members just simply call me Amy or don't call me anything at all because they really don't know how to address me. People don't know whether to show Korean mannerisms to me or their interpretation of what they think are Western manners. I can't really blame them though because even I have cultural confusion with what's appropriate here.
Consequently... I feel very much in the middle with who I can relate to, foreigners or Koreans. I have a hard time relating with many foreigners because of obvious factors: I'm older, I don't teach English, I run my own business, I'm married so I now have family here, and my spouse is Korean. We share the same language but I honestly feel that's pretty much all we share. Throw in the fact that most foreigners only stay one or a few years and ya, it's hard for me to want to invest in a friendship when I really don't know if they'll be here beyond just this year. On the other hand, I have a hard time fully relating with Koreans too because I am not a native here, my culture is so different and things get lost in translation. They have no idea what it means to be a foreigner in their country because for many this country is all they know. Moreover, as for many of my friends (Korean friends) they don't really care for foreigners but I seem to get excluded from this label because I am what they refer to as a "Cheonan person" -- I am neither from another country or from this country, instead I am from this particular city.
Consequently... I've become much more of an introvert than the social butterfly I originally came to Korea as. I find I am very open with friends here but that I don't really extend myself to going out to meeting up with friends or meeting new ones. Instead, I am much more social on the Internet via connecting with friends back in Canada and sharing my life here on my homepage. I don't like meeting new people and I try to avoid large crowds of people, especially if I don't know many of them, because they give me anxiety.
CHALLENGE #2: Running a business as a foreign woman and also participating in (being a pro boxer) in an industry that's not only viewed as not a real job but also not woman-appropriate for a career.
Consequently... every so often I get visitors to the club who treat me as I'm some kind of part-time helper, like I'm some ESL teacher or foreign student trying to make extra cash or who likes to hang out all the time at the boxing club. This means I don't get the due respect or people feel more freely to treat me as a lesser person.
Consequently... a lot of business deals and meetings get held without me being invited or being properly filled in to as what's being discussed. Things are constantly lost in translation and my head hurts trying to not only translate and comprehend but also digest and give feedback as to what's being talked about.
Consequently... people often ask me what's my "real job". You'll never hear Mama Kim or K-Gere (Snickers' parents) introduce me as a pro boxer and they'll always first introduce their son as the owner of Hulk's and add "and his wife works with him". It's almost expected now that I'll be labelled as a tag-along to Snickers, as if I'm working in his shadows or have a lesser importance at the club.
Consequently... if I'm not considered the "tag-along", part-timer here than it's considered I must be some kind of out-to-break-stereotypes butch kind of woman, trying to prove a point and wanting to take on anyone who says a woman can't do "a man's job". Oh please. I'm all about being a strong woman but I don't think men are out to rule the world. Sorry men but don't flatter yourself by thinking my dream job is to prove you wrong. My dream job was to do something I love and it just so happen to be in a sport that's not typically, here in Korea at least, a women highly occupied profession. If I loved figure skating, I would have done that but I don't. Boxing is my thing. It's what I love, it's what I do, it's a part of who I am.
And as to what I like most about Korea, well there are many things but here's some....
Without a doubt, I feel super safe here.
The people are very innocent-minded and sweet.
I really enjoy learning the language and having fun teaching English slang to friends and Hulkies.
Businesses are open super late.
Public transportation is so very cheap.
It's a very communal culture so friends here are like family.
Living expenses here are very cheap.
I really like expanding upon the Korean culture that I've learned so far.
Korea is actually so much prettier that most probably expect -- hello mountains!
Being a foreign female pro boxer here has opened doors to many experiences I wouldn't have got in Canada, like documentaries and global sponsors.
Korea is pretty flexible with it's rules, hence why I can drive a scooter with no license.
Korean food is A-W-E-S-O-M-E!!!
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