Korean Beach

This is the one story that really sticks out in my mind during my trip to Jeju island: The Beach.

Ok, so when you hear beach, you tend to imagine people swimming in the ocean, lying on the beach tanning, drinking water and generally having fun in bathing suits, right?

Well, in Korea you'd be wrong. The only people in bathing suits were about 9 Korean men, my friend and I. The rest of the guys in the ocean were wearing shirts, which was strange because they weren't fat guys, they were just wearing shirts. The rest of the women were in the ocean fully clothed. One was wearing jeans, one in a dress, at least three in rain jackets, and one in a shirt and basketball shorts. There was one girl surfing in a wetsuit, that was the closest thing to a bathing suit on that beach. Ok, what? I'm not complaining because I went to the beach to gawk at women, I went to the beach to go into the ocean and get some sun. I assumed most people went to the beach for that reason. But seriously, wearing a rain poncho on a tube in the ocean? That's like having an umbrella in the shower. Why go into the ocean if you don't want to get wet? Also, why risk literally EVERYTHING by going into the ocean in your regular clothing and betting that your tube won't get tipped by a wave or by a friend. That's some serious lack of planning. It kinda weirded me the hell out because I know sunburn and skin cancer are serious, but long sleeves and jeans at the beach serious? Hooded-windbreaker in waist deep water serious? Just plain funky. 

Also, the amount of whipped dudes at that beach was kind of off putting. I know I always harp on the femininity of Korean men, but there were a few things I saw that were just plain demeaning to any man. For example, there was one girl on a tube in the ocean sitting on a tube about 30 yards off shore. Not too far, about waist deep water. But her boyfriend had gone back on land to dry off. He was dried off and sitting on the towel when she put her hand up in the air, like a student with a question. But she wasn't asking a question, it was a demand. When her boyfriend didn't see her quickly enough she just started yelling his name. The reason she put her hand up: She needed to be dragged to shore. She, already in the ocean with the ability to swim and already soaked by the water, was demanding that her boyfriend get wet once again just so she could feel like she had a prince charming and so everyone could know how great her boyfriend was. I may not be the leading authority when it comes to romance and relationships, but I know a shitty attitude when I see one. It's cute when a guy does stuff for his girlfriend and vice versa, but this kind of crossed the line of "romantic" into the territory of the relationship not being a two-way street. I don't see waiting on one's loved one to be romantic. The hand raise and yelling didn't help either. I guess I'm kinda ready to come back to America, and re-examine US relationships again to see if I'm being a hypocrite. All I know is that romance shouldn't be done just so the rest of the world can say "Oh, they're in a relationship," or "Oh, look how good her boyfriend is." Love shouldn't be an inconvenience.

Incidentally, I went to a sex based sculpture park two days later and had a good laugh at all the sculptures of penises and people having sex and the giant penis fountain. 

I have a feeling I'll never fully understand this country, but hell, another four months of research here would really be appreciated.