Until we encounter aliens...

...we won't have world peace.

Let me explain.

Growing up in South Philly, it was common to hear about different neighborhoods not liking each other – 30th and Tasker didn’t get along with the Two Streeters, 9th and Wharton wanted to fight 13th and Porter. There was always some sort of fierce drama being played out between these places. During my junior year at Neumann, I went on a school trip to Archbishop Carroll to watch the Pirates play basketball. I remember two things about the game: 1- we got whipped, and 2- all the kids from all the different corners united to taunt the Carroll kids. I was reminded of this as I was walking around Seoul…..

In Seoul, one of the adjustments I had to make was communicating with an Asian population that knows no Chinese. This was a challenge because I can’t tell the difference between Korean and Chinese people until they speak. In communicating with the Seoul locals, first I would try Chinese, then English. Neither worked well, but I definitely had more success with English.

Trying to bridge language gaps is what lead me to notice that the Koreans attitude towards westerners is different than that of the Chinese. I'm not an expert. I was only in Seoul for four days, but this is my gut feeling.

I was at a western restaurant and the waitress continually tried to help us lower the price of our meal by pointing out the specials. She was kind and didn’t get flustered with the communication barrier. She simply smiled and persisted until we understood each other. Generally speaking, I've had different experiences in China. If you can't speak Chinese, the waitress might give up or run off to find a co-worker. It was their unlucky day that they had to wait on a foreigner. But in Seoul, it was almost as though they felt apologetic that their English wasn’t better.

My guess is that the attitude stems from the culture and the culture was partially influenced by the Korean War. The Allied Forces defeated the Japanese in World War II and the Japanese were the enemy of China at the time. But as soon as that war was over, China and the U.S. were oppposing forces. During the war, the North Koreans pushed the South Koreans south, well past Seoul and almost into the Pacific Ocean, before U.N. forces arrived. Then, it seems like our side went too far and pushed the North Koreans all the way north, practically into China. It was around this time that the Chinese aided the North Korean Army and restored balance to the War, balance which resulted in the 38th Parallel Armistice which is still in effect today.

Many years later, China opened its doors to an open market but cultures don't change overnight. Every now and again you can feel some skepticism hanging in the air here. It’s not overwhelming, but it’s there sometimes. And my guess is it comes from the war and the government policies that followed. Obviously, anytime you’re immersed in a completely foreign culture, the locals are going to wonder what you’re doing there. I accept that just as I accepted the street corner rivalries in high school. Neighborhoods don't get along and states resent each other. It's human nature. In Asia, the Chinese don’t like the Koreans. The Koreans dislike the Chinese, but both are united in their distaste for the Japanese.

Before I came here, I thought all the Asian countries were friends. After all, everyone gets along with their next door neighbor, right? I'm sure if these ethnicities meet abroad, they shake hands and trade stories. And it's this last thought that leads me back to where I started. Until an outside force reaches us, we won't have a common need for world peace.