The Pig Shield
November 26, 2008
After years of inbreeding, the pigs are getting violent, and the pig shield around the house has worn thin.
Believe it or not, that quote from the ever-lovable Kenneth Parcel perfectly describes my life in Korea. I constantly try to keep busy because if I didn’t, I would feel the all-consuming loneliness that, I think most people who have been on exchange will agree, is a constant threat in every foreigner’s life. So if I always have noise around, always have someone to see or talk to, then I won’t have to face the real feeling that’s bubbling underneath the surface.
In a nutshell, I can’t let my pig shield grow thin.
But I’ve been really fortunate to meet two foreigners that I really get a long with and even a local or two that don’t seem to mind me as well. It’s still hard, though, as most of them have their own lives (the locals) and the foreigners have each other (they’re engaged) so there aren’t as many opportunities in terms of hanging out everyday or meeting up all the time like there is with a bunch of pathetic single people.
Don’t get me wrong, however, because I’ve also met a fair share of reprehensible foreigners whose ilk apparently are to be found in every ex-pat group in every country you can think of. Most are running away from something like a life filled with too many mistakes or a personality that has worn too thin into obscurity or, worse yet, perversity. It’s foolish to think that changing latitudes and longitudes would ever fix your personality, and, indeed, most foreigners find the same issues cropping up once they’re over here, but they’re lucky that they’re surrounded by more freaks and people desperate for companionship (uhh, like me) than they were at home.
