Today was my first day on the job. I actually met with the Mayor Park Seoung-hyo, then met with both deputy mayors, one for administration, Kim Hong-Gab, and one for political affairs, Kim Young-Kwan. I also met with the Ambassador and Special Advisor on International Affairs to the Mayor, Choo Yeon-Gon. (He actually was an ambassador—to El Salvador and some other Latin American countries—before joining Daejeon City.)
And of course, I met with Mr. Kim and all his managers in the International Affairs and Education Office, where I will be working. They showed me a newspaper article with my picture in it. All of these meetings, which involved drinking tea, took pretty much the whole morning. What I learned from my morning is that my being in Daejeon is actually kind of a bigger deal than I thought it was and unfortunately, I’m going to have to be on my best behavior, such as it is.
At lunch the Ambassador and several people from the office took me to a traditional Korean restaurant where we had a multi-course meal, most of which was actually vegetarian. Korean group eating is pretty fun because everyone just reaches across the table, snags whatever they want with their chopsticks from the dozen or so platters and bowls of stuff. It’s not like you have your own plate or anything—everyone is eating directly from the communal dishes, all of which are rather mysterious looking. It’s not for the squeamish or timid.
I quickly impressed everyone with my ability to drop things on the table while using chopsticks. The Ambassador also very diplomatically corrected me regarding using my handkerchief to wipe my nose at the table. It’s not done in Korea, considered quite disgusting, apparently. He compared it to talking with food in one’s mouth, which he pointed out is quite acceptable in Korea but not in the west. This will be a problem for the next twelve weeks or so, because a lot of Korean food is pretty spicy and spicy food makes my nose run. I’m basically screwed. He also suggested strongly that I learn the Korean alphabet, which I have now set out to do.
After lunch Mr. Cho Jungjae wandered over to my desk and asked me if I had a toothbrush! “Yes, in my apartment.” “Not here?” “No.” In about thirty seconds he reappeared with a new toothbrush and a large tube of toothpaste for me. It was quickly obvious that everyone in the office (and by inference, everyone in Daejeon) brushes their teeth immediately after lunch. So now I have a new and positive dental hygiene habit.
With sparkling teeth I began my mastering of the Korean alphabet and was immediately interrupted to be interviewed by two reporters from the Daejeon Post, the local newspaper. Fortunately, Cho Han-sic, (a different Mr. Cho and a really bright guy, served as my interpreter. I’m confident he was able to modify my answers during the translation so that I said whatever I should have said instead of what I actually said. Then the city photographer came to take some pictures to send to the paper. That was my suggestion; the picture they have been using is the one I included with my Daejeon employment application, a snapshot Patti took for me one morning before I had even shaved. (This was during one of my darker periods in preparing for Daejeon.)
Finally I got to spend some time doing my first actual assignment, editing a booklet for foreigners about living in Daejeon. I find that I’m actually taking a personal interest in some of the content. A little after 6 Mr. Lee Lim-Moo, the manager of the Creativity and Management Section of the Planning and Management Office, who had spent six months working at the Seattle Engineering Department, came by to ask me to have dinner with him. About 6:30 we left. We were the first to leave.
And of course, I met with Mr. Kim and all his managers in the International Affairs and Education Office, where I will be working. They showed me a newspaper article with my picture in it. All of these meetings, which involved drinking tea, took pretty much the whole morning. What I learned from my morning is that my being in Daejeon is actually kind of a bigger deal than I thought it was and unfortunately, I’m going to have to be on my best behavior, such as it is.
At lunch the Ambassador and several people from the office took me to a traditional Korean restaurant where we had a multi-course meal, most of which was actually vegetarian. Korean group eating is pretty fun because everyone just reaches across the table, snags whatever they want with their chopsticks from the dozen or so platters and bowls of stuff. It’s not like you have your own plate or anything—everyone is eating directly from the communal dishes, all of which are rather mysterious looking. It’s not for the squeamish or timid.
I quickly impressed everyone with my ability to drop things on the table while using chopsticks. The Ambassador also very diplomatically corrected me regarding using my handkerchief to wipe my nose at the table. It’s not done in Korea, considered quite disgusting, apparently. He compared it to talking with food in one’s mouth, which he pointed out is quite acceptable in Korea but not in the west. This will be a problem for the next twelve weeks or so, because a lot of Korean food is pretty spicy and spicy food makes my nose run. I’m basically screwed. He also suggested strongly that I learn the Korean alphabet, which I have now set out to do.
After lunch Mr. Cho Jungjae wandered over to my desk and asked me if I had a toothbrush! “Yes, in my apartment.” “Not here?” “No.” In about thirty seconds he reappeared with a new toothbrush and a large tube of toothpaste for me. It was quickly obvious that everyone in the office (and by inference, everyone in Daejeon) brushes their teeth immediately after lunch. So now I have a new and positive dental hygiene habit.
With sparkling teeth I began my mastering of the Korean alphabet and was immediately interrupted to be interviewed by two reporters from the Daejeon Post, the local newspaper. Fortunately, Cho Han-sic, (a different Mr. Cho and a really bright guy, served as my interpreter. I’m confident he was able to modify my answers during the translation so that I said whatever I should have said instead of what I actually said. Then the city photographer came to take some pictures to send to the paper. That was my suggestion; the picture they have been using is the one I included with my Daejeon employment application, a snapshot Patti took for me one morning before I had even shaved. (This was during one of my darker periods in preparing for Daejeon.)
Finally I got to spend some time doing my first actual assignment, editing a booklet for foreigners about living in Daejeon. I find that I’m actually taking a personal interest in some of the content. A little after 6 Mr. Lee Lim-Moo, the manager of the Creativity and Management Section of the Planning and Management Office, who had spent six months working at the Seattle Engineering Department, came by to ask me to have dinner with him. About 6:30 we left. We were the first to leave.
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