Finding a Point of Reference....

Before I came to South Korea, my good friend, Dr. Kimberly Campbell, spoke to me from experiences she had while teaching a two-year stint in China.

"eRiC, it's like being in a fishbowl for your entire life...and then...one day...you leave the fishbowl, and discover you can breathe air. You venture to other parts of the room, and you realize that YOUR point of reference is just that; YOUR POINT OF REFERENCE. Doesn't make it right or wrong, but understand things are done DIFFERENTLY at other places in the room outside the fishbowl."

The day she gave me these words, I knew they would come in handy.

So, in response to responses I received on the post, "To Be Black," I offer the following:

Let's go back to FUNDAMENTAL BASIS for ghettoGEEKS. In this philosophical statement you find the following rhetoric:

"ghettoGEEKS fill a void that is actively neglected. Through courage, contempt, passion, and desire for freedom, ghettoGEEKS constructs entrances into spaces of freedom. We are about enlightenment and liberation at our core."

...and...

"Postmodern in nature and name, ghettoGEEKS takes advantage of the oxymoronic juxtaposition in order to find new ways of viewing traditional problems.

Put bluntly, we (I) don't have all the answers. This ghettoGEEK journey is all about a process of self-growth and discovery. The process is not neat and clean; it's messy. It is organic. Sometimes it will feel GOOD. Sometimes it will feel BAD. Sometimes, as a writer, I will feel comfortable. Sometimes, I will feel uncomfortable. But, at the core of my decision to occupy space in another part of the world, is to observe, evaluate, and possibly understand difference(s) without the filter/bias of a media outlet with an "agenda." So, the last thing I want to do, is propagate fear and anger for the sake of doing so.

I wrote "To Be Black" as a cathartic exercise. Yes, I was upset when I wrote it. I needed something to do...and writing "To Be Black" was the most constructive thing could think of at the time. But, I find it just as important to say, I DO NOT want this ONE negative incident to paint a distorted picture. As a ghettoGEEK, I share certain moments for a general audience...but especially, for that American child who is growing up being bombarded with TOO MANY messages and reasons for why they SHOULD NOT or CAN NOT do something. If ghettoGEEKS are at war with anyone or anything...it is with people who propogate messages of FEAR and TERRORISM as a means to control and subjugate.

We are not at war with Koreans, Nigerians, Chinese, British, Mexicans, Cameroonians, Malayasians, Filipinos, Ugandans, etc. BUT, we pick up our arms with anyone WITHIN these groups who feel the need to unjustly oppress people within these groups for the sole sake of abuse, prostitution, and/or other forms of inhumane activity. That was our focus in America. THAT has not changed.

So let me provide a more complete picture of my time in Korea thus far...

Since being here, I have received a gift every single day. Gift-giving is a HUGE part of the Korean culture. Whether large or small, I have received something from someone every single day. On average I'm receiving more than one item a day. I've just started to try and return the favors...but they give without necessarily expecting/wanting a gift in return. Now, to an American like myself, I have been constantly wondering, "What's the catch?" I have, on several occassions, unsuccessfully tried to refuse the gifts.

Let's speak on this act of gift-giving in further detail...

I have NEEDED help since I placed my body, mind, and soul in this country. For an independent-minded person like myself, this has been a HUGE lesson in Humility. (Some of my ex-girlfriends can tell you this.) I've HAD to humble myself. No other way around it. (I can not yet read simple street signs...much less go to the bank and set up an account by myself...can't ask for help in the grocery store by myself...the list goes on and on.) It's a continuous lesson in swallowing my pride...and I haven't had the opportunity to regurgitate it yet! So, if nothing else, I will suspect I will return to the United States much more humble than when I left.

My Co-teacher(s), my LandLady, and my students have been nothing but supportive through this process thus far...and I feel it my duty to state these facts as well as my moments of frustrations. It is only fair....because it is TRUTH.

So, I'm going to "ride-out" now...and continue to discover my new Points of Reference. I'm already beginning to see that my traditional binaries of Black/White, Rich/Poor, Male/Female, and the like, are beginning to be challenged...I'll share more about that later.

Thanks for rollin' with a Brotha...

Peace,

OuttaBoundz, a.k.a. EncyclopediaBrown

WeBeGeekin'
www.ghettogeekin.blogspot.com