On Suicide and Social Change

Now, for some hard news here at Vagabondage. Two interesting news stories in the English version of the Hankyoreh Shinmun (One People’s Newspaper – an ironic title for a “progressive” paper, especially considering what comes farther below).

First up, the bad news.

Past the hump already?

Woah… time is absolutely whizzin’ by. Which means I gotta work, work, work. So far, pretty good – did get some great articles and meet some great professors already. Today I went to Yonsei University and got an all-inclusive library card, courtesy of Fulbright. Way cool. In addition, they have free wireless and it works with my Mac (Seoul-dae doesn’t have either). In addition to that, it is closer to my house, just a short bus trip and walk.

Tomorrow, I’ll be finding out about an opportunity to serve as managing editor for a journal on Korean Studies, and will also go to a seminar by one of the pre-eminent scholars on the study of culture and history in the Korea’s colonial period, my topic exactly.

I have to say all this, of course, because the main topic of most of my entries is “play” and Mom has already tut-tutted once about me getting to work! I am working, I promise. But it is boring to blog about… and play is so much more photogenic!

Take for instance this super cute cat I saw yesterday as I shared a meal on the side of the Han-gang (delivered right to our spot via motor scooter!):

And for riverside entertainment, a shaman training session in progress (bad quality – due to distance/darkness):

I’ll tell you more about shamans in the near future, when i get a bit more time to write. For now, let’s just say, don’t believe any cultural generalizations you read about Korea if they do not quickly include a mention of the role of shamans/spirits/fortune telling. These folks are at the very heart of Korean culture, and moreover, their modus operandi of being in a constant battle for domination over those spirits is a perfect metaphor for Korean contemporary culture in general, including the realms of Confucianism, Buddhism, Christianity and secularism.

Coming up this weekend: first formal Fulbright get-together, a trip to a dance club in Hongdae, and a major demonstration on Sunday. Expect pictures of 2 out of these 3, hopefully.