Getting Old, Cross-Culturally

I turn 31 this year, and while there may be plenty of hip 31 year-olds, I feel less and less like I am one of them.  

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I go to bed at between 10 and 11 every evening (even most weekends). I don’t know who is #winning. I have no idea who Nicki Minaj is. I’ve never heard an entire Lady Gaga song. I’ve never seen Jersey Shore (is it a reality show or a soap?). Oh, and I find Bon Iver extremely boring. 

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I did dress up for the Harry Potter movie…but I don’t think that helps my case.

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This doesn’t mean I’m not cool. I think I’m rather jiggy, myself. However, I am coming to a greater realization that I am no longer hip.

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Upon moving to Korea three years ago, I was quickly introduced to accosted by Korean pop culture. Cell phone stores (which are ubiquitous here) and appliance shops blast K-pop from loud speakers, outside their shops. It plays on buses, in grocery stores, shopping malls and cell phones. K-pop stars are not just musicians, but dancers, comedians, models, talk show hosts and game show contestants. A hit single lasts about 3 months here, and it is extremely common to be a one-hit wonder. 

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I was really surprised when I actually started liking loving some of the music and comedy.  Groups like The Wonder Girls, Big Bang and 2NE1 grabbed hold of my ear drums with their catchy beats and pop-perfection. I was impressed with Comedy skits by comedians like Chocoboy which were very funny, despite being in a foreign language.  

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Another reason we couldn’t escape this pop-culture influence is that most of these groups use English as choruses or punch lines…So, every time I’d say “Tell me the answer to number 3.” One of my students would start singing The Wonder Girls’ tune “Tell Me”. Any time I said something about it being hot outside, some funny student would start chanting “Das Berry Hott!”  

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As a matter of fact, here’s a short list of phrases I couldn’t use unless I wanted my class singing pop songs:

• Nobody (A Wonder Girls song)
• Tell me (A Wonder Girls song)
• Any mentioning of the letter “G” (A Girl’s Generation song)
• I don’t care (A 2NE1 song)
• Very Hot (Chocoboy)
• One More Time (a song by Jewelry)
• I’m hot (A Wonder Girl’s song)
• Fantastic (A song by Shinee)
• Marshmallow (This is a song by a group called I.U. and I LOVE IT!) 
• I’m sorry (A Super Junior song)

Before long, I started not only tolerating these outbursts in my class, but I discovered it became far less disruptive if I were the one who used the phrase, or sang the chorus. I started utilizing the phrases to command the attention of my students, and for some of my higher classes, even used the songs as teaching points. 

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The thing is, most of these songs are 2-3 years old.  In a job where I’m constantly receiving new (younger) students and saying good-bye to the older ones, I’m finding that my newer students haven’t ever heard any of these songs! And for the older ones who I still have, they’ve moved on to other pop-phenomena. 

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So, on Monday, I found myself standing before a group of eleven 12 year-olds. I’ve been teaching this group for a couple of months and we have a fairly good rapport. We had just finished doing an exercise that I hadn’t felt they’d mastered and I wanted them to do it again. I looked at the group, bent my hands around my head, touched my index fingers together and said “Baby, one more time.” 

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Nothing.

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Not a giggle. Not a reaction.

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They just stared at me.  THEY DIDN’T KNOW WHAT I WAS TALKING ABOUT!!

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Then I knew it…

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I’m getting old cross-culturally.