Ajuma Power Continued :)

They are indeed relentless! The madness never stops. In fact, I'm pretty sure that I will have an Ajuma story for 50%, or more, of my subway travels here in South Korea. The following are just a few of true tales that will non-other-than shock and amaze you.....

Umbrella Upheaval

Sharmilla and I were on our way to 명당 (Myeong-Dong) in Seoul Friday night to have dinner with 소만 (SooMan) and 재민 (Jeamin) after work. As I said earlier, Ajumas and Ajushis like to push through the crowds getting on and off the subway to find their seats. Well, they also might lean over your seat as they hang onto the ceiling handles above, implying that you should give them your seat. While I would hope it is generally polite in any culture to give older people your seat, their rudeness still sends shivers up my spine. This lady actually bent down, as to emphasize how tired she was, while Sharmilla and I were talking on the two seats in front of her. The Ajuma then proceeded to take out her umbrella and poke it at me as she folded it. I thought she was going to open it in my face, poking my eyeballs out for sure. Needless to say, she was only on the rain for 5-10 minutes, while Sharmilla and I were riding 1 1/2 hours.

Pure Persistence

In Korea culture, it is quite common to see girlfriends of any age holding hands. In fact, I always hold hands with my Korean girlfriends, which would obviously be taboo in the Western world. Well, Jaemin and I were holding hands as this Ajuma darted towards us, insisting to break up the bond despite our efforts to get out of her way. Ah, Korean experiences. Jaemin told me that there are three sects of people in Korea, Men, Women, and Ajumas.

Obnoxious Ajushi

Sharmilla and I were now traveling back home to Jeongwang and Oido when the most appalling behavior almost struck us silent. We were sitting down on the subway having a quiet little chat, along with some giggling, when this Ajuchi yelled in a deep scary voice "Hey, hey you...SHUTUP!!" Now, we were quite scared and stunned by this! However, I say "almost silent" because I refuse to let these Ajumas and Ajuchis boss me around and get me down.

오아 김치 Stealer

I also know that it is quite customary to share meals in Korea. They eat dinners in a family style fashion. Each person usually gets their own rice, but the rest of the dishes, both main and side, are shared. I understand this part of their culture and am fine with it. However, this is not what the teachers do at lunch time. We all get our own trays and have our own lunch. So little did I expect that the Ajuma, who is substituting for one of our co-workers that had a baby, would use her chopsticks, that had been in her mouth, to get some cucumber kimchee off of my plate. Yeah, maybe she had no idea that Americans don't do that, but still. One of my co-worker friends had this "Um, Americans don't do that" look on her face, but of course didn't say anything.