Time ( 시 간 )

The clock in my classroom with the word for "clock" prominently displayed.


The issue of time here in Korea takes a lot of thought. First, of course, there are the usual issues of scheduling. Going to school, drumming, appointments, church all require assessing how long it will take to get there: how long a wait for the elevator (I'm on the 25th floor), how many minutes to walk to/from the subway, will a train come immediately, will there be delays? It takes more thought simply because the patterns are new; experience has not yet provided reasonable averages and the knowledge of what will affect those averages. Thus planning is more complicated.

The second aspect of time relates to the length of the stay. Today marks the end of my second week. That leaves about 11 to go. Eleven more weeks can sound both very long and incredibly short. When I think about all the things I want to do while here, I feel rushed and certain I won't be able to fit in everything. As I think about some of the mundane tasks of daily living, the time feels quite long -- how many more times will I have to have sheets draped over furniture to dry? how many times will I struggle through the grocery store confused about what items are and how they need to be prepared? how many times will I have to hunt for a restaurant where I can decipher the menu and get something I'll enjoy eating? how many more times will I feel incredibly stupid because I cannot communicate with the people who live here?

The third, and most discombobulating, part of time for me is the here vs. there dichotomy. I have a computer which shows CDT; yet I'm not writing this at 1:45 a.m. on Friday morning but 3:45 p.m. on Friday afternoon. (And Google will use some other time for the post time.) Because of the Armed Forces TV network, I can watch Good Morning America in Seoul from 7 to 8 a.m. The TV screen indicates a time an hour later than my watch says, but I know it was actually broadcast live many hours earlier, and I'm watching a recorded version. Being able to stream Minnesota Public Radio on my computer means that in the morning I can listen live to All Things Considered and Marketplace, while evening listening is Morning Edition. And Sunday morning before church I can indulge in the 5 p.m. Saturday broadcast of A Prairie Home Companion. My head swims. . . .