constantly under surveillance
The CCTV systems are everywhere ~ every street corner, every hallway, every store, every school … Korea is not unique with its abundance of monitors, it is a bit unnerving to realize that every single movement you make outside of your private living space is being recorded. It’s creepy. I don’t like it … but I guess I have nothing to hide. There is absolutely nothing going on out here that could lead to any mischief, unfortunately …
I consider myself under constant observation anyway. We, “the foreigners”, are endlessly fascinating and amusing. Most of the folks in my immediate neighborhood and those in the vicinity of any of the schools are pretty used to seeing us, but if we venture even a few blocks out of our “normal” area, it’s still a gawk-talk-and-squawk fest. Do NOT, under any circumstances, attempt to talk to anyone ~ if they don’t turn away (or run away), they get really closetoyou and talk loud and fast in Korean ~ it’s just not a good thing.
On the opposite end of the spectrum are the few who desperately want to speak to you in English, and will follow you around town ~ the “hovercraft”. THAT is weird, but totally harmless … The “conversation” generally begins with a series of personal questions regarding nationality, age, marital status, diet, hobbies, etc., followed by the “In America …” questions i.e. “What size are your jeans in America? What size are your shoes in America? How much do they cost in America?” or “Do you have plastic surgery in America?” or “Are you a Christian in America?” or “Do you like Korean food in America?” Like I said, the hovercraft are harmless … but don’t try to shake it up with any sarcasm, or you lose the audience. “In America, do you grow vegetables?” “No. In America, we have very little vegetation, and subsist primarily on rocks, fiber strings, and hydrogen. It is very difficult for an American to adjust to the abundance of fine food and clean, pure air that is available in Korea.”
Then, we have the remarkably intoxicated guy who approaches a group in a restaurant to apologize for EVERYONE in Korea who hates foreigners, because he LOVES foreigners ~ he loves foreigners so much that he wants to spend the rest of the night with the foreigners and drink their soju. Unfortunately, these are the same dudes that will expel big wads of phlegm at you as you pass on the street, while muttering “fucking foreigners” …
OK ~ so it’s basically a wacky, harmless group of folks out here on the island … so,WHAT are they monitoring? It certainly is not the spitting, the traffic, or the garbage … What could possibly be of such tremendous interest that there needs to be a camera every 20 feet? If the millions of hours of video footage is ever made available to the public, we will find out …
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Nancy