There are three types of people in Korea...

... men, women and Ajumas. Or so some people say. An Ajuma is a very specific type of woman. Some people say it is based on if a woman is married or not, or if she falls into a certain age range. Perhaps that is true in the generic sense of the word, but the Ajuma is a very specific type of woman.

I think there are perhaps three sides to the Ajuma. On the one hand, you have to respect them. Korea's recent history has been rather compressed when you stop and think about it. Think about the Korea represented in M*A*S*H.

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Yeah, it was a TV show. But the Korean war was no laughing matter. It was three years of brutal war. Like the American Civil War, it was one country fighting against itself. 

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The Korean war ended in 1953. That means that the children who were born in its aftermath, and grew up facing the effects of that war are still very much alive. 

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They are very much in power in Korea right now. When the generation that is currently shaping policy and culture were growing up, Korea was a third world, war torn refugee camp. 

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Now it looks like this. Stuff like this is supposed to take generations, not decades. Seoul has become a major international city, and Korea is an economic force to be reckoned with. You can't go from rice paddies to Samsung in 50 years without some serious determination, hard work, and some major sacrifice. 

I sometimes (perhaps even often) get annoyed with the Ajumas, and their male counterpart, the Ajoshis, but I can't even fathom what it must be like for them to walk around Seoul as it exists today. I don't understand the kind of work and sacrifice that it took for them to rebuild Korea the way they did. And for that, they deserve a TON of respect. 

However, there is a second side to the Ajuma. Naturally, not all women who fall in the 40-60 age range are true Ajumas. But it's really easy to tell if you're dealing with a true Ajuma, or just an ajuma wanna-be. Take a look at some of these examples. 

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A true Ajuma will be fearless in her curiosity, contempt, or any other feelings towards a Foreigner (or anyone else for that matter). You should also note the tightly permed hair helmet, loud print shirt, and wheeled tote bag that are good indicators of a true Ajuma. 

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True Ajumas have more important things to worry about than being fashionable. She is very conscious about protecting her skin from the Evil Rays of Death from the sun. Note the large, often plastic, usually rhinestone covered visor and the brightly colored long sleeve shirt she is wearing. Also note the conflicting patterns on her shirt and pants. There is also the ever-ubiquitous rolling tote bag. 

One other important note about the true Ajuma. For reasons unknown to me, the true Ajuma feels like she shouldn't have to wait in lines, make room on the sidewalk, or veer out of her way in the slightest to accommodate anyone else. I've lost count of how many times I've been elbowed by a true Ajuma on the subway. Check out this video, around the 0:42 mark for a prime example of what the true Ajuma will do. 

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Just this morning, I was on my way to work, and this exact situation happened to me. There are helpful signs, stickers, plaques and arrows to remind people which side of the stairs and halls to walk on, and to walk in a straight line. A true Ajuma doesn't notice such things. Instead, she meanders and darts her way through the sidewalks, subways and store aisles of Seoul. I'd never seen anything quite like this before. The true Ajuma walks so slowly that you want to pass her. You wait patiently, until you see an opening, then just as you start to speed up, she darts (with all the speed and agility of an Olympian) to the very space you were getting ready to pass through. Once her objective is accomplished, she slows back down to an appropriately geriatric pace. At least, that's how it often feels when one is dealing with the true Ajuma. 

It would be remiss of me to come this far in our tour of the Ajuma and not show you what many consider to be the most endearing aspect of the true Ajuma. The true Ajuma and Ajoshi have quite a bit of free time on their hands, comparatively speaking. They like to go on trips and tours. Of course, since we are talking about the true Ajuma, it takes something special to spice up her trip. I would like to introduce you to the Noraebus.

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This is a normal bus that you can charter for your trip. It has seats that are moderately uncomfortable and that special smell that seems to come part and parcel with tour buses. What sets a Noraebus apart is the Norae part of it. It comes equipped with its very own karaoke system. Koreans love to do karaoke, but it's quite different from what you're thinking. You and your friends go rent a private singing room, and you can live out your squelched rock star dreams to your heart's content! I've heard its quite the experience, although one I have managed to avoid thus far. The true Ajuma loves to sing and dance on the Noraebus. Technically, it is illegal to stand up and dance on the bus, but the true Ajuma isn't stopped by such details. 

I recently had the opportunity to interact with some true Ajumas at their very best. I wrote several days ago about my trip on the Wine Train. The Foreigners were all together on one car, and there were lots of Ajumas and Ajosshis on the next car over. We were on our way home from the winery when this all happened. The train stopped at several stations on our trip back to Seoul. There was a tiny compartment with stairs to get on and off of the train in between our cars. At one station, both of the doors opened at the same time, and one of the Foreigner girls dashed over to the Korean car. We were all confused, but continued our conversations. 

The next thing I know, she comes back and starts getting her friends and more and more people start going to the Korean car. When the doors opened, there was a lot of music and laughter coming from the Korean car, so my friends and I decided to go check it out. When we walked in, we discovered that the Koreans were having a lot more fun than the Foreigners... The car was FULL of dancing Ajumas and Ajoshis. There was one Ajuma in particular who was quite excited to see so many Foreigners all in one place, and she was quite insistent that we dance with her. Thankfully, the Ajuma dance isn't difficult, and somewhat resembles a 6th grader trying to dance. 

As the song came to an end, and I started to head back to my car, the Ajuma decided that we should have a picture together. And that, my friends, is how this picture of me with a true Ajuma at her best came into being.