Enough has been written about Kim Yu-Na’s performance today, so I’ll keep it brief.
It was amazing.
On Tuesday, she broke the world record for the short program (she held the previous record) and today she broke the world record for the free skate (she held the previous record). But she didn’t just break records, she demolished them.
Her total score of 228.56 was 18.5 points ahead of her previous record and 23 points ahead of her second place rival, Asada Mao.
The New York Times had a great article yesterday on Kim Yu-Na and the enormous expectations that are on her to win the gold medal in Vancouver.
Given that Kim is a national hero in South Korea, “her loss or her winning will be perceived as a national loss or a national winning,” said Kyung-ae Park, a political scientist who holds the Korea Foundation Chair at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver.
“If she wins the gold medal,” Park said, “I think it will be a great boost for national pride for Koreans. In a way, it will work as compensation for past humiliations.”
Adding to the pressure is that the other top competitors for the gold are Japanese. Koreans don’t generally get butterflies in their stomachs with the Japanese… something to do with a small colonization thing in the early 20th century with a little forced labor and prostitution thrown in for good measure.
This the expectations game is one thing I am constantly fascinated with in Korea. There seem to be a lot of expectations on everyone, and a lot of the folks I know seem a little bit stressed out by it. I can’t understand any of this because I come from such a different place. I had expectations from my parents to make good grades and be a good kid, but looking back, it was nothing compared to the kids I see here in Korea.
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Of course, Kim Yu-Na beat everyone’s highest expectations in having the best performances of her life, scoring a 78.50 and breaking her own world record by over two points.
Let me just start by saying that the best part of my Korean gym is that they have those fat jiggling machines from the mid-20th century. I love them! I don’t use them (because they are almost always occupied), but I love that they are there.
Now that that’s out of the way, here’s the rest…
At the front desk they have these grey uniforms you can wear (it’s also a jjimjilbang… more on that later). Of course, considering my left thigh is larger than the waist band… I bring my own clothes.
Once you enter there’s this confusing shoe system that took me forever to figure out. When you walk in you take off your shoes to walk in the hallway to the locker room — and in that hallway there are small lockers for your outside shoes. Then, once you’re upstairs at the gym you have to put on your gym shoes. This is actually more confusing that it sounds due to the multiple floors, multiple rooms, and multiple hallways — and trying to figure out which is outside-friendly, sock-friendly, and gym-friendly.
There’s an attendant in the locker room (I’m pretty sure he lives there… not joking) selling shampoo, razors, toothbrushes, etc. He never seems to look at me with anything other than hatred, but I’m used to that.
Also, there’s usually a guy or two asleep on the floor or in a chair or on a bench, which is not a problem unless they’re asleep in front of my locker, which happens from time to time.
And it’s not just a gym, but also a sauna/jjimjilbang, so there are many standing and sitting showers, two hot tubs, one cold tub, and two saunas. And upstairs by the gym there’s a big unisex sleeping room where you just pull up a mat and sleep for the night, or afternoon…
And the gym… the gym is not as nice as what I am used to, but it’s interesting. The aerobic machines all have manual controls with only eight levels. So, if I want to go up a level I have to crank this small wheel — a task that is usually more difficult than the actually exercise.
And as I said before, they have those fat jiggling machines. I haven’t seen the strappy one in about 20 years, and I’ve never seen the one with the wooden rollers. I think these things were proven to not work like 40 years ago, but people seem to enjoy them.
And lastly, there doesn’t seem to be a lot of focus on strength building at my gym. This in turn has made me one of the strongest people there. One time while I was resting between sets, a man came up to me, lifted my weights, gave up, then gave me the thumbs up sign (along with several minutes of Korean). Now all I need is a strappy Gold’s Gym tank top, a fake tan, and an attitude.
Now I don’t know a lot about figure skating, but when I watch Kim Yu-na, I know I’m seeing something incredible. And since the ladies figure skating starts this week in Vancouver, I had to give a preview.
She currently holds the world record in the short program, long program, and combined score.
I don’t quite know how to describe her, except to say that she is amazing — an athlete of the caliber we rarely see.
Here’s her world record short program from November 2009:
And here’s her free skate from the world championships in 2009 (with the added bonus of commentary by someone OTHER THAN Scott Hamilton):
When I walked in to eat lunch today, I saw a “pretty” girl across the restaurant, but I didn’t pay much attention. There are a lot of “pretty” people in Korea (in my opinion) and I never talk to any of them.
But as I was eating I noticed her talking to the owners of the restaurant… and then my chopsticks stopped midway between the rice and my mouth as I saw them all staring at me.
One of the owners comes over to my table, opens the menu, and points to another dish and then points to me — clearly wanting me to eat it. I say “No, no, no” because I did not want (or need) any more food. Owner walks away and Pretty Girl leaves.
Then, Girl #2 comes over to my table to tell me what just went down. Evidently, Pretty Girl bought me take out. For the record, we never spoke. She did not ask if I wanted take out, and I did not send body language signals telling her that I was unable to feed myself. Nevertheless, I left lunch with an extra pork cutlet.
To make things even better, Girl #2 comes over again and tells me that if I ever need anything, I should just give her a call. Then she slid me her number.
Well, it’s officially been six months since I moved to Korea. I know it’s trite, but it really has gone by fast.
There were several moments I didn’t think I would make it, but that was mostly due to some work issues and receiving “anonymous” hate mail from someone who accessed my Facebook account. Those things have passed for the most part.
And, there were many more moments of fun and (if I can be completely un-Adam for a moment) happiness.
I’m so glad I came to Korea. Every day is interesting. And most importantly, I’m constantly learning.
When I came here I told myself I would wait until the six month mark to make a decision about my future. Having gone back and forth approximately 283 times, I think I’ve decided to stay in Korea for at least another year while I prepare for graduate school. It would be dumb to ignore how good my life is here, no matter how much I miss hamburgers and grandparents.
This is one of my younger classes — 제우스 (translated Jeuseu, which means “Zeus”). Last Friday we played a few games and and I brought in some dduk filled with bean paste (dduk is a kind of dumpling made with rice flour). They really liked it and were quite cute about it.
What confused me the most was that they didn’t use their hands to eat the dduk. I have no idea why… but then again, I don’t have an idea about most things that happen around me these days.
When I moved to Korea, one thing that stood out for me was the fact that there were a very large number of lingerie/underwear stores.
There are more small businesses everywhere given that they don’t purchase everything at Wal-Mart and Target… but there are A LOT of lingerie shops ranging from the simple to the bedazzling.
As a Fruit of the Loom kind of guy, I’ve never understood spending disposable income on underwear… but well, here you go.
Ever since I turned 16, I’ve been looking forward to my 30th birthday. I just wanted to be grown up. I wanted to skip dating. I wanted to skip first days of jobs. I wanted to skip high school and college and land in a time when I would be old enough to like people my own age, and have the freedom to do what I wanted.
30th Birthday Dukk
So today, as I turn over a new decade, I am excited. But, I am also thankful for the many experiences I was able to have during the last 10 years of my life.
When I got my first job as an organizer for a gubernatorial race in Connecticut, I would have never guessed that it would then take me to the far reaches of Tennessee (places I had never seen, i.e. Wartburg), Oklahoma, New Hampshire, back to Connecticut, and off to Korea.
A lot of it was impossibly difficult (e.g. working with a sociopath who is now in jail, dating people who probably should be in jail, etc.), but I know I was also impossibly lucky to be able to spend time with some really amazing people.
I am so proud that I was able to be a part of so many causes that I believe in… electing a governor (lost), electing a couple of state Senators (won-won), electing a Presidential candidate (lost), campaigning for marriage equality in Connecticut (won), and bidding for universal health care in Connecticut (won — at least part one).
Politically, I think I’ve accomplished all that I can imagine. And while the allure of politics will probably never die, I’m happy with my current resume.
And now I’m in Korea. I’m away from politics. I’m away from family and friends. I’m 30. I’m trying to figure things out.
One thing I think I have figured out is that I need to enjoy the present. I need to stop trying to skip ahead and just enjoy what I have in front of me. I can’t imagine my life if I had skipped my twenties.
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And while I could never thank everyone, I did want to mention a few names (randomized by random.org of course) of people who have helped me grow personally, spiritually, and intellectually throughout the last 10 years…
Justine F., Shomari, Karl W., Dr. Atwill., Angie, Sarah R., Amy M., Lynnette G., Anne S., Maureen M., Prof. Hammontree, Dr. Hirschfeld, Anthony G., Tom S., Dave C., Beverley B., Dell, Han, Sarah Rose S., Mom, Carol B., Kate G., John M., Yam, Jerimarie L., Debbie S., Phil S., Emily, Jason M., Charles F., Jim & Gary, Betty G., Johnny R., Ron A., Sarahi, Majune & Big Daddy, Paul W., Lynne, Dan H., Jack, Dad, Annalise S., Bob S., Karen B., Neil F., Jeremy W., Sam S., Dave F.
Enough has been written about Kim Yu-Na’s performance today, so I’ll keep it brief.
