Sometimes I Forget, A List

Sometimes I forget that Korea is still considered a developing country.
Sometimes I forget that techno-gadgets do not change the psychology of a country, but only the way that psychology can be transmitted.
Sometimes I forget that the people who are in charge of this country did not grow up in middle-class America.
Sometimes I forget that ajummas are ajummas because it was necessary for them to be rough and coarse in order to get their children to adulthood, in order to put food in their bellies.
Sometimes I forget that only a few decades ago, poverty was the norm and that this affluence and wealth is new and fresh. Sometimes I forget that this government is still learning how to be democratic.
Sometimes I forget that being part of a group and a community isn’t necessarily following the herd, but it’s a conscious decision to belong to something bigger than oneself.
Sometimes I forget that although Korea is modernized on the outsides, her insides still run on an agricultural clock.
Sometimes I forget that there are more important things than being on time or making me feel comfortable.
Sometimes I forget that Koreans don’t say, “my house,” “my wife,” or “my office.”
Sometimes I forget that Koreans always say, “our house,” “our wife,” and “our office.”
Sometimes I forget that I’m not here to change Korea, but instead, I’m here to observe and maybe let Korea change a little bit of me.