Sketchbook page 2k15 page 93

I was on the bus today and right across from my seat there was an old lady and a child. The lady was either the mother, or the grandmother of the child. Usually I don't put much attention into people in public transportation but this lady was obnoxiously loud. Most bus rides I've been on have been on the quiet side and every now and then you come across people who are a bit noisy. This lady wasn't all that noisy but the way she spoke was really obnoxious and annoying. She had this way of wording her sentences in a way where she was talking to her child, yet at the same time she would look around her for eye contact, and then continue speaking as if she wanted the people around her to hear what she was saying. She was very Christian and she was very adamant on making her child listen to her "very interesting" bible stories, and she was speaking just loudly enough for those around her to listen to those stories. It was quite obvious that her life revolved around the church, but the child was disinterested on whatever the woman was talking about. The child was much more interested in what she saw outside the window and the vampire cartoon that was being broadcasted on the buses LCD monitor (yes, we have televisions on some of our buses in Korea). I know it's none of my business to judge a person by their cover, and I'm sure that whatever the woman was trying to preach to either the child, or the riders of the bus was meant to be good natures. Still, I can't help but feel a tad bit uncomfortable in those kinds of situations and I would be much happier keeping my beliefs to myself. There are things that I can get pretty preachy about myself, and it is within everyones rights to express what justifies their beliefs, but there are times and places, even venues for such talk. A bus is definitely not the best venue for self expression. 

Korea is one of those strange asian countries where Christianity has really rooted itself into it's culture. I'm not talking about Catholicism. I'm talking about the Presbyterian ideals. Presbyterian churches are quite prevalent in Korea and there are many preachy people advocating the word of the gospel. They can be found around the hot spots of the city districts of Seoul, in trains, in train stations and many other public venues. They are usually intense performances of loud singing, shouting and general informative speeches on how all of us are going to hell unless we believe in the word of god. Something like this, I didn't see very often while I was living in Hong Kong. Surprisingly Hong Kong was a part of the British Colony yet there isn't a strong Protestant church presence.