Everyday we troll the streets and brush off the countless stares from head to toe. But the biggest shocker is how frequently people point and blurt out, "Waeguk-in" or "A FOREIGNER!" The only place I don't hear this phrase 20 times a day, is if I happen to be on a day trip in Seoul. It is amazing how acceptable this outcast designation is here. I feel like if I pointed and yelped "foreigner" at passerbys in the US I get wacked with a purse or at least spit on. I suppose the unbelievable homogeneity of our city makes it more understandable.
While it used to bother us, we've adjusted to this as a normal occurrence in our lives. Jake has developed a new tactic of telling people on buses he is Chinese, Japanese, or whatever ethnicity seems more unlikely at the moment. They always looked flustered and rattle on. It's comical.
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