#133 What’s Your Hobby?

[스티븐스 대사]

When I came to Korea as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the 1970s, I only had ten weeks to learn some basic Korean before going to my assignment at a Korean middle school in the Chungnam countryside.  By necessity, our Korean teachers focused my fellow volunteers and me on what we would need most:  1)  survival language (how to find a boarding house, open a bank account, order food, take trains and buses, etc., 2) memorizing a short speech in Korean to give to the students when we arrived – the “insa malsum” – I still remember it 36 years later, and 3) learning to ask and answer “twenty questions” Koreans were most likely to ask of us.  Our Korean teachers told us that if we learned these twenty questions and answers in Korean, we would be ready to start getting to know Koreans!

We were lucky to get such good advice.  During the 1970s there were very few foreigners in Korea and Koreans were curious about us.  Sure enough, the Koreans I met all asked me the “twenty questions” that I had learned in Korean! 

 
Practicing “twenty questions” as a Peace Corps volunteer in the 1970s

Some of the questions seemed obvious to us, like asking names and ages, though we quickly learned that even these simple questions were  complicated in Korean, and asked in different ways depending on the relationship between the asker and the respondent.  Others were questions that were a little surprising to us, because in the U.S. they would not be questions one would usually ask right away of a new acquaintance.  Questions like how much money you made and whether you were married, and if not,  why not.  One question that seemed a little optional, but turned out to be very useful in those early days was, “What’s your hobby?”  In the U.S. we don’t ask this question that often, but it’s a great way to learn more about each other. 

And how did I answer that question?  Well, in addition to bicycling and reading, tennis is one of my lifelong hobbies.  I enjoyed playing it on the clay (really dirt) courts of rural Korea back in the ‘70s, and I made lifelong friends throughout my diplomatic career playing tennis everywhere from Guangzhou to Belgrade.  But in recent years I hadn’t played much.

 When I came to Seoul three years ago, I discovered that the tennis court at the residence had not been used in several years.  We renovated it, turning it from clay to a hard surface, and had a ribbon cutting in the spring of 2009.  After that, I started playing as often as I could, year-round.  But because of my schedule, most of my playing was at dawn, starting at 6 or 6:30 am, even in the winter.  Luckily for me, I found a coach who was willing to play whatever the time, whatever the weather.   

Ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new tennis court at my residence on June 13, 2009 with Coach Kim Yong-sun,  Ambassador Sohn Myoung-hyun,  National Assemblyman Lee Koon-Hyon, Mrs. Kim Young-Hee, National Assembly Representative Park Young-Sun, and Korea Tennis Association Chairman Cho Dong-Kil.

 

In the winter we shoveled the snow and then played.  Coach Kim Yong-sun was always ready to play.

In Korea, too, I’ve found tennis has been a great way to meet people.  Earlier this year, I met with a scientist to discuss U.S.-Korea collaboration on climate change, and when he asked me,  “what’s your hobby?” and when I told him “tennis,” he promptly invited me to play with the Seoul National University (SNU) “over-60” alumni tennis club.  I took him up on the offer (even though I am neither a SNU graduate nor yet over 60), and our Saturday at SNU included excellent matches with a very fit group of tennis players, and a spur-of-the-moment lunch invitation from SNU President Oh Yeon-cheon.   And a few current SNU students who were out playing tennis dropped by to say hello; I encouraged them to keep up their hobby!  

Current SNU students; hopefully lifelong tennis players. 

Over 60 Alumni Tennis Competition

I’ve also gotten to know Seoul’s tennis players in the diplomatic community.  The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Korea Times sponsor an annual Diplomatic Tennis Tournament; this year I played with Hungarian Ambassador Miklos Lengyel.  We did pretty well; we made it to the finals, and then I had to leave to go to the airport to meet my arriving Secretary of State!  She laughed when I explained why my hair was so untidy.  And Ambassador Lengyel went on to win the title – with another partner!

With Hungarian Ambassador Miklos Lengyel (Photo courtesy of The Korea Times)

One other great tennis moment for me in Seoul was playing on Center Court at Olympic Park.  I actually watched the tennis matches played there in 1988 – it was the first year tennis was an Olympic medal sport, if I recall correctly.  I never dreamed I’d have a chance to play on the same court more than twenty years later, and with the president of Korea.  But I did.  See the photo below.

I took this photo at the 1988 Olympics; center court tennis.
 

A friendly match with President Lee at Olympic Park’s tennis court.

So tennis, in addition to being great fun and good exercise, has been a way for me to meet people from all walks of life in Korea.  For me, it’s a perfect hobby. 

For the members of the Camarata Music Company – who recently performed at my residence – music plays the same role.  The Company, made up of both foreigners and Koreans who are united in their passion for music, performs regularly in Seoul.  Through their love of singing they are building cultural bridges and forging friendships that will last a lifetime.   

My advice?  Bring passion to your hobbies.  And remember: Learning to ask and answer the question “What’s your hobby?” in Korean or English could open up all kinds of new experiences.