just a thought

a few weeks ago, i had some sort of "korean day". i started the day at 7:30 am with a court case im handling where the opposing party is a korean national. then i ate lunch at the nearby korean restaurant i frequently go to. then before i left the office, my korean client dropped by my law office to have a document notarized. thats when i realized that it was a "korea filled day".

not a single day passes that i dont see a korean national in real life. this is true and im not exaggerating. the only time i dont see a korean in real life is if i dont go out of my house. if i dont go out of my house, i only see nine pretty korean ladies (TV, PC or laptop). i always see one whenever i walk home or go out to eat lunch or when i take my afternoon jog (so basically, when im outside). there's just so many koreans in my residential area. now, i dont have anything against them (nor do i like them simply because im a fan of girls' generation). i would say its neutral. they're no different from the way i see other foreigners. but the thought of seeing them on a daily basis, making me realize their population, well, its just...a bit uncomfortable to a certain extent. its like having a visitor at home or in class. you become aware of a foreign element and things arent as normal as it usually is. of course im used to having a lot of korean nationals in my residential area but there are times when i wonder, "why are there so many of them here?". the weather is annoyingly hot and the air is polluted. its not really the best place on earth. if i was some foreigner coming from a country that is better off compared to my country, only necessity would make me stay here. im not saying the philippines is a bad country to live in. its not. its a country that knows how to get by, knows how to roll with the punches, inhabited by warm and friendly citizens with a government thats a work in progress. its a country i can be proud of (its just the weather is so goddamn hot. its not as tolerable as when i was a kid). it just so happens that i also admit its not perfect. its far from perfect. korea or south korea looks like a country that has a nice weather (the cold weather might be really bad but, im really not a fan of the hot weather), nice environment, good enough government, etc. the only problem is that its really expensive to live there. also, i will admit that their food is nice (but then again, im not a fan of local cuisine and i only like a handful of local dishes) and their culture is interesting but it still doesnt change the fact that koreans here make me feel like having a visitor around and wonder why visit or why live here? actually i do get why theyre here. but is it really worth it? maybe. i mean, thats why theyre here.

anyway, the thing i admire about koreans is their sense of nationality and their sense of duty to their government. its something i hope this country will develop sooner rather than later.