Over the last ten years or so I've traveled back and forth from the U.S. to Korea regularly. After meeting other fellow travelers and expats, I began to ask: What is the psychological effect of these multiple border crossings? I met many others who shared a similar mobility propensity and I began to see patterns of behavior as I was simultaneously writing stories, and meeting and observing more people. Even those without regular incomes will spend most of their money on travel, to brush up and ultimately clash against cultural and language differences. I witnessed the friction creating a curious kind of psychological disturbance in individuals, which can manifest rather extremely in their intimate relationships and friendships. They are seeking refuge from an otherwise unsatisfying, unpleasant situation, only to find that they regress and experience a psychological kind of displacement as well that can lead to fragmentation of both body and mind.
I began to create characters based on these experiences, and saw them develop into chameleons and charlatans. They are savvy and naïve. They can adapt and change as well as stagnate and wander. My characters are mostly Korean American expats and Korean adoptees with a sprinkling of Korean Koreans who have escaped their families, their troubled relationships and jobs. Sometimes they are looking for new careers, extended family, love. Other times, they don’t know what they are looking for.
No comments:
Post a Comment