HOW
OLD ARE YOU?” - By Sharon Petterson
I landed at Incheon Airport in June of 2014 for a stay, which ended up being five years. Throughout those five years as I met new people there were a standard of three questions I was asked immediately: “What is your name?”; “Where are you from?”; and “How old are you?”
In America it is impertinent to ask any person of the female persuasion her age if she is over 18 and under 90 (we figure any person, even a female, likes to brag about living 90 or more years). American adult women try to be ageless. Younger women, between 18 and 28, want to appear older and all women from 29 on want to appear younger. So, at first, I would hesitantly answer the question of age. However, when it became a question I was, sometimes, asked several times a day, I began answering more confidently. My answer was also more confident because of the wonderful response of being amazed at how old I was. (At the time, I thought these responses were genuine and sincere, however after I got to know the Korean people, I realized their responses were evidence of the Kindness of Koreans.)
Because this question was asked so often, I did some research and discovered they ask this question for cultural reasons. If you are older than they are, then you must be treated with a great deal of respect. Even students who were only a few days older were bowed to by other students. Respecting age is a vital part of Korean culture. Americans are kind to older people, but you must be obviously old and there are no real culture age rules in America. And so, because of this cultural difference, it was an enjoyable experience living in Korea as an elderly woman.
The Korean culture of respect of older persons and the incomparable kindness of Koreans carried me through the five years on a pillow of pleasure. Even now, I find only pleasure in thinking back through my memories of Korea and the Korean people.
03호 2017년 3월 27일자.pdf