Cambodians in Korea

Last Sunday I met another foreign English teacher and his Cambodian wife at a small sports stadium near where I live.  We went there because there was supposed to be a Cambodian New Year's gathering.

I arrived first and was surprised to see several hundred young (20-ish) Cambodian men and women standing  around talking, some of them going in and out of one of the stadium buildings.  I had never seen so many non-western foreigners in one place in Korea before. Since nothing much seemed to be happening outside--no tents, booths, tables, etc.--I went into the building.

Inside there were hundreds more Cambodians, though mostly family groups sitting closely together in the bleacher-style seats.  On the small stage were seated some monks, intoning something, I guessed, of a New Year's ritual.

Since there was barely room to move, and since I was the only Caucasian face in sight, I wandered back out in search of my friends.  I didn't see them, but was approached by one young Cambodian man who wanted to practice his English.

He told me that he lived in Incheon, the city where the international airport is over on the west coast, about 1+ hour by bus/subway.  He said he worked in a factory and thought Korea had bad weather.

I laughed and asked him if he thought it was too cold in Korea (we just now are emerging from a long, very cold winter).  He rapidly agreed.

I then asked how the weather was in Cambodia.  He said it was medium, not hot and not cold.  I didn't reply because I didn't want to be negative, but that's not what I have heard about the weather in Cambodia--"medium".  I think it would be too hot and humid for me, kind of like an endless Korean summer.

While I was chatting with him I spotted my friends so I said goodbye.

Since the Cambodian gathering was clearly not a cultural festival--I had hoped it was going to be--we left to find a Korean restaurant nearby.

Since then I have learned that apparently Korea imports a lot of young people from Cambodia to work in factories here.  They get paid more than they would in Cambodia, but it seems the living and working conditions are not great here, so the gathering of people I saw was maybe a welcome opportunity for them to get away from a limiting life and enjoy some conversation with friends and acquaintances.