Media, memes and megalomania . . .

My neighbor up North is omnipresent on media these days - in news and analysis articles, cartoons, spoofs, jokes, Internet memes and chatter on social networks. Friends and family members express their concern  for those of us in South Korea, media outlets interview other media outlets and those of us who choose to stay try to explain to those elsewhere who worry.

So, partly in response to those concerns, I've decided to take the media interviewing media silliness to the next level (this being a blog, after all) and interview the nearest media figure I could find - myself . . .

Flight of the Kiwi: So, what do you do and what connection do you have with Korea?

Tracie: I'm a journalist and writer who has been living in Korea intermittently since late 2000. Even when not here, I follow the local geo-politics and have long been fascinated by the North. I'm lucky to have many friends and colleagues who know as much as most outsiders get to know about our unfriendly neighbors, from many different perspectives.

North Korea is big news these days - what is the feeling on the ground?

It's interesting to read posts on people's facebook pages and talk with Korean and U.S. military friends. Many expats have been posting articles to reassure those at home, explaining that this type of behavior from the North has been going on for years and assuring them there is nothing to worry about. That is true, as far as it goes. Kim Jong-un is following in his father's footsteps in making bellicose threats toward the South and also, now, the United States.

In the past, such bad behavior has brought rewards. (See here for my carrot, stick, temper tantrum, candy theory of play thus far.)

However, there are differences this time. The first, and most unpredictable, is Jong-un, the third Kim to control the socialist nation. His father, though just as much of a megalomaniac, was to some degree a known entity. Jong-un is not. Anyone who thinks they can anticipate what he will do is at best misguided. The U.S. does not know, China does not know, South Korea does not know, I'd be surprised if his generals or even Jong-un himself knows fully how far he will go.

He is young and newly in power, a power many suspect he is still trying to shore up. One analysis is that all his rhetoric is for internal consumption - bluster and threaten the South and the U.S. during their annual joint exercises that he presents as practice for invasion, then, when the invasion does not happen, claim victory.

Others expect a provocation following the exercise, similar to those we saw in 2010, when a ROK Navy ship was torpedoed and a border island shelled, both resulting in the loss of South Korean lives. The South did not retaliate at that time but has pledged to do so next time. The question is whether the North believes this, or views it as a harried parent stating, yet again, "this is the absolute last time I am warning you." Any response could easily escalate.

Other differences are that the other players - South Korea and the U.S. of course, but also China and Japan, are finding the North's continued belligerence tiresome, at least. (China, which has long tolerated and supported the Norks, is showing signs of also having had enough of the bad behavior, but there are serious questions of how much control China still holds over the North.)

So, some people are probably underplaying the possible risk and others simply choosing not to accept it. Others are more concerned, but unable to do anything more than wait and see what happens. Personally, I'm hoping the next provocation will only be a missile test launch and not an attack, and tensions will then cool somewhat.

Why don't you, and others, leave?

I'm sure some have, as I've seen happen in earlier years when similar threats were made. For many Koreans, that is not an option. For the expats who choose to remain, there are many reasons. Employment, income, commitments, optimism, their own perception of the degree of risk. Remember, most teachers of English here are young with the sense of invulnerability that comes with youth. The more mature expats usually hold jobs far better than they might be able to get at home in the current economic climate.

For myself, I have work commitments, housing commitments, friends and volunteer work. Plus I'm a writer, and Korea is never short of stories.

For those who can leave, especially Korean citizens, how long should one go for? The problem of the Norks does not seem about to disappear any time soon, unless they badly miscalculate and do reignite the war, in which case it becomes a whole other problem.

How much of the current situation is being inflamed by media reports?

You're damned if you do, damned if you don't. In some ways, this is Jong-un's moment in the sun. People are taking note. Attention is being paid. For a megalomaniac wanting to sit at the big people's table, this must be a heady time.

But, this is newsworthy and it would be remiss not to report it. We're not talking about giving a platform to a small anarchist group here. This is a nation that, however primitive its infrastructure compared to its Southern neighbor, managed a successful rocket launch before the South, and which has at least limited nuclear capability. I've compared the Kim dynasty to toddlers throwing tantrums before, but perhaps the younger Kim's behavior is more similar to that of a young girl newly discovering her sexuality - so much power with no experience of how to focus or use it and no idea just how dangerous it can be to experiment with.

We also have a serious response from the U.S. to the threats, with the deployment of some very bad-ass materiel to the region. Again, it would be remiss not to report that.

Do you have any predictions?

None, except that the problem isn't going away anytime soon. And a fervent hope I'll remain safe to chronicle what happens from my perspective.

Troublesome neighbors . . .

I have avoided writing about the current shenanigans from the Norks next door, a.k.a. Fat Boy's Fireworks Show, but, with military contractor friends urging me to get out of Dodge and other friends previously stationed here expressing concern, it may be time to do so.

I've been reading as much, if not more, as most of the saber-rattling/bluster from the Norks, monitoring the response from the South's new President Park Geun-hye, a woman who has never been accused of being a skilled communicator, and watching Washington's recent displays of military might. I've also read copious analyses and opinion pieces on what might/could/should/won't happen and am honest enough to admit what most pundits do not - we have very little idea what Fat Boy will do next, or how far he will go.

What we do know, perhaps, is how little we know. All agree that such blustering from the Norks, particularly during annual joint exercises between the U.S. and South Korea are nothing new. Anyone who has been in the South for even a year or two and follows the news is aware of multiple threats to turn Seoul and its lapdog puppet-masters of the Great Satan (you know who you are) into a "sea of fire." Ho-hum, again?

Having said that, there are differences this time, on all sides. The North, in this round of threats, warned of pre-emptive strikes on the continental U.S. and its territories. It has also, in past weeks, disconnected the two hotlines between the rancorous neighbors, declared a unilateral end to the Armistice and declared it is at a "state of war" with the South (I'm not sure how that trumps ending the armistice but, hey, I work daily with Koreans and don't pretend to follow their unique chain of logic).

The South has also upped its rhetoric. After the Norks torpedoed a ROK Navy patrol vessel in 2010, resulting in the deaths of 46 sailors and one rescue diver, then shelled a border island that same year, killing two soldiers and two civilians, then President Lee Myung-bak ordered rapid retaliation from the ROK military to any similar "provocations." The current president has also told the military to react firmly against any similar moves from the north.

The U.S., for its part, has openly displayed some of the serious firepower available in any escalated conflict on the peninsula, including publicized flyovers by nuclear-capable B52 bombers and B2 Spirit stealth bombers and the deployment of a sea-based radar platform, (which looks uncannily like it came from a Star Wars movie) closer to the Korean coastline. That's some impressively scary stuff, especially aimed at a country that is thought to have problems buying fuel for its own aircrafts.

Let's not forget, however broke they may be, that the Norks have long had enough conventional artillery aimed straight at Seoul and other points of interest to level the city to a state and financial outlook reminiscent of the scorched earth outcome of the (until recently suspended) Korean War. It also has a new, young, untested and unknown leader who is thought to be fighting to consolidate his power. Fat Boy is also the son and grandson of two dictators who were never told by anyone, "That might not be a good idea," at least probably not by anyone who survived the advice. He grew up observing his father's brand of toddler tantrum politics that consisted of what I term the "carrot, stick, temper tantrum, candy" approach. The UN and other supposedly adult interested parties offer the Norks a choice of carrot or stick - economic and food aid versus sanctions - the Norks accept the carrot then misbehave anyway then expect to be lured back to the adult table with sweeteners of more aid and more respect. It's a pattern that has been repeated constantly and, as with any toddler, its hard to blame the child for reverting to what it has been rewarded for in the past. (Yes, I know most toddlers aren't playing with nukes, missiles or in a playpen with Iran.)

Oh, and let's not exclude the world's second-largest economy from this equation. China has been trying to socialize it's younger neighbor and encourage it to open to the outside world in a limited way, but the Norks are starting to exasperate their remaining ally and financial benefactor as well. China supported the latest UN sanction against the North in a fairly public hand-slap and rt - an online Russian news outlet - is reporting that China has mobilized its own military  near the border with North Korea. China, like the South, faces a lose-lose situation with the North. It does not want a failed state on its doorstep with hordes of refugees streaming across the border, neither does it want South Korea or the U.S. military on its threshold. It would like everyone to get along, without the escalating threats, and for some openness from the North to bring in outside funds and reduce its own outlays. Again, the toddler refuses to listen.

So, we wait and see. The main concern I see among military friends here is from those new to the Peninsula and its inhabitants' behavior, good and bad. Which doesn't mean others are complacent, as most are aware of how much we don't and can't know and how much any analysis of the North is primarily guesswork and conjecture, with a large dose of prayer and crossed fingers thrown in.

But, I and most I know will stay, while constantly testing the wind. And hope that the escalating game of military chicken doesn't end with someone failing to turn in time . . .

New Beginnings - again

I've been slack about posting this month as I returned to Korea, started a new job and hunted for a new domicile. I've had lots of ideas simmering but wasn't really in the right physical place to sit and type.

However, I've just found a room, sharing an apartment but a good-sized private rooftop room with space and light and a view. It has no heating so I'll only be there til about November, or earlier if the weather turns cold before then, but that's seven months away and a good respite until I need to make more permanent decisions.

So, I hope to move this weekend, if I can sweet-talk a friend or two with a vehicle, then to start writing more often again. The ideas have simmered long enough for at least a couple of posts - thoughts on whether you can ever go home again, musings on reaching a half-century (it's a good thing in cricket!) and finally having to accept I'm middle-aged (yes, I plan to reach 100) and appreciating friends and extended family.

Spring has sprung, it's time to re-emerge . . .

Captain Clean

In the course of traveling this past month, I conversed with another writer who was excited I reside in Korea. I was in the place, she said, to expose the corruption.

She was probably right, but I realized while talking to her, that is neither my calling nor interest.

I prefer to shine a light on the people doing what they can, in an organic way, to improve our planet, rather than taking from it.

(Drum Roll): Introducing, Captain Clean . . .

Home is where the heart is . . .

I visited with my sisters over the last week or two - a visit that was long overdue and which taught me much. This morning, as I sat to write about the lessons learned, I looked up a word on my computer and found this essay, from a visit home four years ago.

As I wrote  below, and a slogan every Kiwi knows from a television commercial, good things take time. That's not to say this piece is a good thing yet, but it may become one when its time is right.

For now, it gives some background to the next, "Going Home" blog post . . .

tangata whenua

(noun) local people, hosts, indigenous people of the land - people born of the whenua, i.e. of the placenta and of the land where the people's ancestors have lived and where their placenta are buried.  – Te Aka Maori Dictionary online

That Maori have the same word for land as we do for placenta demonstrates the visceral attachment we have for the land. The earth itself is Papatuanuku, our earth mother. Our creation myth has Papa and her husband, Ranginui, the sky father, forced from a loving embrace by their mature sons who craved space to grow. The rain is Rangi weeping at his separation from Papa and the morning dew is her crying for him.

When we whakapapa, or recite our genealogical line, as we do on all important occasions, we start with the land (“My mountain is …”).  That is followed by our waterways (“My river is …”), and only after that the waka (canoe) in which our ancestors traveled to Aotearoa, our iwi and hapu (tribe and sub-tribe), our parents and, finally, ourselves.

But somewhere along the way, I lost my whakapapa, and in doing so lost a true sense of who I was and where I belonged. 

I left my family home at age 15, my home town a year or two later and departed my country while still in my teens. I came home at age 30 to belatedly attend university, but chose to do so in Te Wai Pounamu, the South Island of New Zealand, not Te Ika o Maui, the North Island where my family resided. By that time I had realized I was more at ease with my mother if I kept a vast body of water between us. Previously it had been oceans that protected me but the Cook Strait seemed wide enough to suffice.

I remained in Aotearoa, the Maori name for New Zealand, for about seven years that time, completing my degree then working for a regional daily newspaper. Two and a half years as a reporter taught me to write every day, whether the mood presented itself or not, and a stint as a copy editor taught me to write more clearly. Then I left the country again, adding more countries and cultures to my life experience.

Now, even though I can find the words of my whakapapa easily enough, I have a need to connect in a more fundamental way and to find my way home. I need to be grounded in a very literal way, to the soil, the people and the country where I have turangawaewae – a place to stand. I’ve never been to my home marae  – the iwi or hapu meeting place that is the heart of Maoridom. 

Marae are a combination of a place of worship, a meeting place, a museum, town hall, event venue, classroom and family home. It is the place where family health should be nurtured but also where any family dysfunction is first felt. The home marae is the physical representation of turangawaewae, and a healthy relationship with it and the whanau (family) allows us to travel the world. It is the anchor that holds us to our land.

But as any New Zealander knows, good things take time, and I’m in no hurry to get there. I’m also finding my personal whakapapa in unexpected places, as I renew acquaintance with my New Zealand whanau, who I am related to both by blood and choice. 

Part of my whakapapa resides in Dunedin, where I attended university and created surrogate families, as I am wont to do all over the world. Coming home after so long away has made me realize that we each have our own whakapapa, and that although my siblings and I share the same ancestors and written whakapapa, the different paths taken since birth create different personal whakapapa. Mine now adds in whanau in other countries, who have helped nurture and form me as much as my blood whanau have. My U.S., Korean and Indonesian whanau are as valid a part of my whakapapa as those connected by the accident of birth.

I look forward to traveling my country this summer, writing about the places I go, the people I meet and the country I no longer know. Aotearoa – literally “land of the long white cloud” as that is the first sight my Maori ancestors had from their massive waka on first arrival – is my first home and I am excited at the gifts and learning I will find here.

Downtime . . .

I'm not sure how it works for others but, for me, being in limbo creates a stultifying lethargy. I'm almost always excited to set sail in uncharted waters but while waiting to cast off, I feel anxious and unproductive. I guess I'm more a person of action than I realized.

So, although I have had the past two months off work after leaving my last place of employment, they have been among the most unproductive of the year, in terms of physical and mental health and writing. Despite all the time I had in which to write, I barely blogged or freelanced, although I did do some interviews for future features and kicked my own butt enough to complete one article I'd wanted to do for a while (which, once I sat down to do it, took surprisingly little time). Mostly though, I just waited for decisions by others - a situation I am not at my best in.

Not surprisingly, the moment I made decisions for myself - to move to Australia, probably take a deckhand position on a yacht up north and visit with family and friends - the positive energy attracted other positives, including a job offer that would start next month. This month, although I still am not working, I'll be constantly traveling and exploring and once again embracing and enjoying life, and will no doubt find more time to write than when I was doing nothing.

The great thing about the potential job is that my early mornings, when I write best, would be free. With an 1100 start each day and the stimulus I get from being gainfully employed and otherwise active, I imagine I'll soon be writing up a storm.

Watch this space . . .

View from Hanging Rock, Victoria, Australia.

(Note: The article referred to above can't be linked to until it has been published by the buyer, which should be later this month.)

A bittersweet goodbye . . .

As I prepare, once again, to leave Korea, I can't help but reflect back on all the good and bad I have experienced here. It's been more than 12 years since I first came here and in that time I have witnessed many changes and experienced many changes in myself, many facilitated by the people I have met and shared time with here.

I have made many friends while here, many who have become whanau and will be part of my life no matter where I journey. I've found love and realized that isn't always an easy journey in itself, especially when one has spent almost half a century independent and unemcumbered. Learning the responsibilities that come with commitment to another is a steep learning curve and I've made many a glaring mistake as I try to balance my dreams with another's realities and existing obligations.

That's a story that is yet to be completed, I trust.

I've learned much from my jobs here and believed I've grown in my writing and understanding of others (with the exception of the above-mentioned glaring mistakes, that is). I've been privileged to work with some of the best writers in Korea and to number many wonderfully creative people, both Korean and expats, as dear friends and respected colleagues. I've watched young friends grow and develop and attain great things in the  crucible of South Korea where change is rapid yet tradition remains strong.

But, it feels my time here has finally come to an end (although friends tease me I will be back, and I've learned never to say never). I've been here too long and have fallen into lazy habits I dislike. It is time for a new challenge and new horizons, although I will begin those by returning to the bosom of my family while I plan the next adventure.

It's also strange, that after so much of my life spent excited by the thought of stepping into the unknown with only what I can carry, I've found myself nervous this month about doing just that. Perhaps it's just the cold and a seasonal illness that has me down, there's also much yet unknown that I would like to plan but can only wait on for now. But I remembered that freedom again yesterday, and that there are thrift shops and stores in most parts of the world and that possessions are merely that - possessions. When they become more than that, they start to possess you.

So I'm happier in myself, again.

I'm also very sad today that a much-loved friend lost his best friend today, and my heart breaks for him and his family. The only solace I can offer, apart from my thoughts and prayers is a quote I've cited here before:

Grief is the price we pay for love.

I believe the reward is worth the steep price, no matter how much it hurts . . .