The Flowers of Keiwha
Page 11
who feel themselves especially young and harmless in the world; conservative elements in Japan would just say “toothless.” MEDIA-CHAN was a leftist; she believed in world peace, friendship between nations; perhaps even the idea of sending a Peace Boat all around the world communicating love and benevolence between man (before returning to industrialized Japan). Her mutual psychological aversion with TUSK is mutual. (“I think she gets bullied,” commented TUSK later to JOHANN.) But we digress.
The central commentary/issue to deal with here is that the tone of the week has become a bit psychotically logical. This led to this; this led to this; this led to this. To some degree this issue is unavoidable. As stated, such an incredible surplus of events occurred this week that it is hard just trying to narrow things down to their essentials. At the beginning, KANYE was going out with AKEMI; the Fulbrighters were bright and optimistic. By 11:59:59pm Saturday, ERI has flirted not only with TUSK but is just about to dance very heavily, drunk, to techno music at M2 with COPENHAGEN. Among the more major unrecorded events, TUSK was approached by a thirteen or fourteen year old hooker at Keiwha University train station. “Older brother, older brother,” she said, “do you have ten thousand dollars?”
A loose, more casual recording of events might go merely something like this: once upon a time, there were a bunch of Western young men and bunch of Japanese girls; the naïve innocent American one, who happened to be black, was cut out of the action through sophistication and word play; the infinitely cynical and devious American one briefly toyed with one (ERI) and was getting involved with another (AKEMI); the German, interested only in the asocial one (who was gone that weekend to visit her mother’s family in Pusan), played social games for amusement sake and to keep attention distracted from that last. Or perhaps from the girls’ point of view, once upon a time there were two girls ERI and AKEMI, both played with two guys in the second week of a program and thing were unresolved by the end of the week.
That is fine. There are those who have put this book down by this point. But in any case, though the narration being coldly rationalistic and even militaristic in tone, people interacted naturally and seemed carefree; in some sense only an autistic would prefer this style of text! TUSK asked TABUN, “TABUN, are you going home?” upon seeing her with her luggage. But in Japanese, the expression “kaeru no?” had another, implicit subtext for Korean-blooded Japanese; right at that moment TUSK picked up on it and seeing TABUN’s hesitation, followed up, in a sarcastic voice, English language “Are you going back to Japan?”
This was the beauty of the four-language mess. TUSK had spoken almost nothing to TABUN, but the particular point amused her. She had been amused by him since the beginning. And JOHANN, after TABUN but officially denying it, may have even set things more in motion by pushing AKEMI on TUSK; he was now popular and involved whereas before he didn’t even have her phone number. Neither JOHANN nor TUSK cared when COPENHAGEN started making moves on ERI. JOHANN noted that COPENHAGEN “seemed desperate;” TUSK wondered briefly if ERI was merely trying to make him jealous, but didn’t care in the final analysis.
Coming from 1/4 or 1/5, was in one of the higher first year classes. Having graduated from the National Univ. of Denmark, he apparently had an offer to LSE and was involved with Seoul National, two facts he let people know within five minutes of conversation. Majoring in political economy, he talked incessantly. But he was smart and he had previous experience in Japan , including one night stands in Japanese night clubs; he was perhaps the most normally adjusted of the Westerners. Sex has been studied in this text; its influence on the human condition briefly considered. But alcohol + dance + music is just a strong combination and arguments have a way of breaking down during actual circumstances.
The older Japanese women in the class have also not been totally inactive. This is the week AJ-3 finally falls off the radar, bringing in her husband (good-looking) to lunch, but finally in the end coming off as too active, too eager and controlling. AJ-1 and AJ-2 both find some sort of relationship with two different of the younger girls, but AJ-3, after having shepherded SHINO to the class, is eventually seen independent of her. And SHINO, much commented about in context spent most of her nights watching TV (Korean language, remember; not just for entertainment—though she favored the music shows), witnessed at times by JOHANN who used the dormitory gym.
The most striking event of the week for some observers would be the 13 year old hooker. It was unusual for TUSK as well. He had been approached once before, in circumstances that eventually resulted in a narration of its own, but this girl, unlike the other, made her play verbal. She had a friend with her, a slightly gamy looking girl who found TUSK’s response funny.
"Ten thousand dollars?” (Korean) “Oh my god, I am an American.” (English)
He scrunched down his shoulders to avoid alarming the girl; he walked off… but looked back. Hooker was agog in confusion; hooker’s friend was amused.
Why didn’t TUSK grab the girl and take her to the police? The problem was that his Korean wasn’t so good. He felt the girl might just as easily report to the cop, “Hey, this weird foreigner just grabbed me, arrest him!” And though he felt he could try to reform her, there was something impossible about the situation. If the girl was “wild-catting” (freelance prostitution on the street) at age 13, she was incorrigible. It was sad, but the situation couldn’t be changed. TUSK also of course could have slept with the girl. He could have scraped up ten thou U.S. (or the fraction of that sum he could have negotiated it down) and such a sexual act would have been intense. The girl weighed no more than eighty pounds, she would have been the ultimate in ‘spinners’ and her adolescent frame would have arched back in passion as he entered her (motel, inevitably; the dorm was guarded 24/7). But then, what else to come in life? And what the consequences?
There was one third, final possibility. TUSK could have attempted to become the girl’s (or both girls’ manager). He could have had sex with her and then beaten her to take the money back. Or possibly the girls had stun guns and would have stunned him before taking the cash he withdrew. All of these were distinct possibilities, but it must be noted that in multiple months living in Seoul , TUSK was never before approached by a wildcat hooker. Hold back the attack dogs, Seoul Tourist Board, we know this was a real statistical aberration.
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I am interested in majoring in Economics, eventually working at a bank or in multinational business. In life there are many people who pursue frivolous things or are just addicted to pleasures. I think building a lasting business is one of the most meaningful things a person can do, and though it isn’t easy to subordinate yourself to others, it’s only through working hard in a tough environment that you really improve yourself.
My father is an employee at Ssangyong Motors where he is a line engineer and my mother is a housewife. We come from a respectable background and though we aren’t rich, we believe in education and we are proud of Korea. This is a great and special time for all Koreans because our economy is finally becoming world-class. There are Korean microchips powering US computers and there are Korean designed cars on the streets of Paris , Berlin , London , Washington D.C. , Los Angeles. I am attracted specifically to challenge, to becoming my personal best.
My primary leadership experience has been as Officer of our Community Service group. This position entailed 5-10 hours a week of work and made me learn how to motivate others. One time a group member kept shirking his duty, so I met with him privately and told him exactly where he stood. At first he looked like he was going to blow me off, but by the end of our chat his shoulders slumped and he agreed to do what his responsibility was.
My hero is Bill Gates; the last movie I saw was ‘Avatar.’ I sympathize with the native people of course, but in real life communities sometimes try to take things that aren’t theirs.
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It may not be unfair to say that when we become involved with someone, we then become e
xtremely vulnerable to becoming involved with someone else. So in a sense TUSK brings together ERI and COPENHAGEN. This particular social phenomenon will appear later in this work, even in year 2. The second matter is ERI’s estrangement from the class; she no longer really speaks with SHINO or AKEMI. The feeling of rejection is felt on both sides. (“Academic snobbery?” “No, I just don’t feel like extending a tentacle, ha!”)
Perhaps the most important uncovered topic is that Thursday’s lunch, by which time KANYE has already come to realize his diminished status in the class and one in which TUSK said a few overtly dirty things in Japanese. (“Go back to Pyongtaek,” says the girls, not all offended, though.) The conversation, as perhaps inevitable as including so many Westerners (FARMBOY is present, so is QUARTERBACK), turned to politics. But despite KANYE’s excellent riff on race relations, TUSK wanted to talk about aesthetics.
"Don’t you understand? You’re just being overt about everything. You’re like summer days, sunshiny days at the beach, definite truths and categories. Some people like the shadows; some people like cloudy days and indefiniteness.”
"It’s