안녕하세요, 여러분. 선현우입니다. 여러분 모두 앞으로도 계속 건강하시길 바랍니다.

네, 제가 왜 갑자기 건강 얘기를 하느냐구요? 며칠 전에, 헌혈을 할 뻔 했거든요.

헌혈은 교통사고나 수술 때문에 피가 많이 필요한 사람들을 위해서 건강한 사람들이 피를 나누어 주는 것이죠? 여러분은 헌혈을 해 보신 적이 있나요? 여러분 나라에는 헌혈을 하는 곳이 많이 있나요?

한국에는 헌혈을 할 수 있는 “헌혈의 집”도 많이 볼 수 있고, “헌혈의 집”까지 갈 시간이 없는 사람들을 위해서 운행하는 “헌혈 버스”도 있어요. 평소에 헌혈을 하고 싶다고 생각하는 사람은 많지 않겠죠? 하지만, 대학교 캠퍼스 안에, 또는 종로나 명동과 같은 큰 거리에 헌혈 버스가 서 있으면, 왠지, 나도 모르게 “아, 그래, 나도 좋은 일을 해야지!”라는 생각으로 헌혈을 하러 갈 때도 있어요.

저는 지금까지 헌혈을 다섯 번 해 보았는데, 한 번은 고등학교 때, 그리고 한 번은 대학교 때, 그리고 나머지 세 번은 군대에 있을 때 했어요. 그런데… 요즘에는 헌혈을 할 수가 없습니다. 저도… 이유는 모르겠지만, 3년, 4년 전부터, 이상하게도 혈압이 낮아졌거든요. 보통 사람은 혈압이 80/130 정도이죠? 하지만 저는 혈압이 50/90 정도예요. 아주, 아주, 아주 저혈압입니다. 그래서 헌혈을 하면, 머리가 어지러워요.

그래서 며칠 전에도, 사실은, 혈압이 궁금해서, 헌혈 버스에 가서, “저 헌혈 할 수 있어요?”라고 물어보았는데, “혈압이 너무 낮아서 안 되겠는데요.”라고 하시더라고요. 하지만 평소에는 괜찮으니까 걱정하지 마세요. 혈압 이외에는 아주 건강합니다. 하하.

여러분은 헌혈을 해 보신 적이 있으세요? 저처럼 어지럽지는 않았나요?

자, 그럼 다음 주에 뵙겠습니다. 감사합니다.

이번주 이야기도 진짜 좋고 그림도 사랑스럽네요.^^오늘 찾아낸 링크에요
http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=IU_xIKMlaP4

Well, I haven’t donated blood before. I am only 14 years old however 내 생일은 11월 25일입니다. 오늘은 24일입니다 그래서, 내 생일은 1일 후입니다. Yay! Anywayz, I’m not actually sure if there are any restrictions about who can donate due to age. 호주사람입니다. What are the rules like on other countries? I’m just curious.

And another thing, because it’s almost the holiday season, there will probably be a lot more ads on Australian TV about blood donations because it is during the holiday season that more accidents happen. How sad!

미국에 헌열 하고 싶은 사람이 17세 (미국 나이) 되야해요. 만약 한국에 16세 된 사람이 할 수 있는대 그 사림이 미국 사람들보다 더 아주 젊어요. 16세 된 한국사람들이 미국 나이가로 15세 될 수 있어요!

난 현열 몇 번 봤어요. 하지만 지난 번을 기억하지 못해요! 고등 학교 때, American Red Cross가 우리 학교에 와서 헌여했어요. 헌열한 시간 후에 쉬어야했으니까 다움에 있는 수업에 늦게 갈 수 있었어요!

그리고 미국에 헌열 한 사람들이 다시 헌열 할 수 있기 전에 5게 월 동안 기다려애요.

In America you have to be 17 to donate blood (by American age). If 16 year-olds can do it in Korea, those people are a lot younger. 16 year-old Koreans could be 15 in American age!

I’ve given blood a few times. But I can’t remember the last time. During high school, the American Red Cross came to your school, and I donated blood then. Because I had to rest after the donation time, I got to go to next class late!

And, in America people who have donated blood have to wait 5 months before they can donate again.

Oh, by “16 years old” I meant the international age but thanks for pointing that out, yes, 16 here can be 15 or even 14 in other countries! Hehe. Not fair!~~~~

And you have to wait for 5 months ? 한국에서는 2 months인데~!

맞아요 맞아요~ 정말 조심해야 되요!!

Sindy..

Koreans count age differently. Life is believed to start at conception, so they consider that part of the baby’s age too (and interestingly, abortions here are illegal after the first month).

So a newborm is considered to be 1 year old (in their 1st year) And then, in January, everyone becomes one year older. So age is counted by your birthYEAR. I was born in 1982- which makes me 26 (even though I’m 25 in American age, since my birthday is in February) But come January, I’ll be 27 in Korean age, while still being 25 in American age!! Until February anyway…

So to find your Korean age…add 1. And if you haven’t had your birthday yet, add 1 more.

Does that make sense…?

Sindy, We have a culture lesson on Age coming up soon! I hope that lesson will clarify everything!

매튜 생일 축하해!!!

제 코멘트의 마지막 「이번 ..한국에서는..」라고 쓰고 있지만.. 현우의　이야기인데 ,한국의 많은　청년들의 생각이라고 착각해서　「한국에서는」라고 써 버렸어요.하지만 한국은 우리나라보다 그런 맘 가진 사람들이 많이 있는 것 같은 생각이 들어요・・

비누 누나,
저는 일본에도 착한 청년들이 많이 있을 거라고 생각해요!! 한국에도 별로 착하지 않은 청년들도 많이 있지요 .하하.

James,
You’re banned for the rest of your life?

Hi Sergey,

I didn’t know foreigners cannot donate blood in Korea. Wow. It’s so funny that they said your friend cannot donate blood “because he cannot speak Korean well”, but I’m sure they just didn’t know what to say - I guess they hadn’t been trained to get blood donation from foreigners, although it must be the same anyway.

Your comment got me thinking about a lot of things… We just say in such a simple and easy way that Korean people are ‘kind’ to foreigners but it’s more complicated than that, right? Some people will be kind and some people will be rude. And those who are rude might just look like they are rude because they don’t know what to say to a foreigner or maybe they are just really rude.

I’m glad more and more younger people are more open-hearted toward foreigners in Korea and are trying to learn foreign languages (although it’s for a better job that they study hard in many cases).

Sergey, by the way, do you go to Korea University?

Sergey,

thanks for the reply too. I go to Korea University too and I live just across the street from the school - so if you are living near the campus maybe we can meet up someday in person?

I agree with you on this issue. A lot of Korean students (even when they are old enough) end up wasting a lot of time and energy to sort of ‘find the balance’ between what they are told that they should do and what they really want to do, mainly because Korea is a society where no one can easily be free from what others think. But things are changing, right? I see more and more people around me who are more honest about what they want. I’m very optimistic about it - I don’t know, maybe because I want to think so

BTW, I also think the college slogan of “Global Pride” of Korea University is a bit funny Hehe.

Wow.. we’re all pretty close! Sergey, I’m right around the corner from you at Sungshin Women’s University. We talked a little bit about making a video on your blog Sergey… are you still interested?!

현우… I think you’re right that attitudes are changing. It isn’t just wishful thinking. I suspect that our generation will bring about a lot of change in Korea in the coming years. There is a real difference between the way that young people act towards foreigners and the way that many older people do.

As for the “Best in the World” attitude, it used to bother me a lot until I realized that Americans are largely socialized to think the same way….

형!

언제나 형의 Audio Blog를 즐겁게 들어 공부하고 있습니다!
이번에 오피스에서 만나면, 여러 가지 한일 문화의 이야기를 합시다＾＾

앞으로도 잘 부탁합니다 ~!

타쿠미.. 듣고 있네 ^^
PDF는 무료 이니깐, 공부 열심히 해 ^^
근데 한국말이 너무 잘 하니깐, 공부 많이 안 해도 될꺼 같은데

Sergy - I’m sorry that you’re friend had to experience that I think he just got a rotten apple. And rotten apples can be found in any country. Right?

Also, to chime in on non-Koreans donating blood in Korea…

Blood donation in, not just Korea, but other countries as well are limited to people who have lived in the country for at least 12-months (I think). I, being a Korean-American, could not donate blood because I had not lived in Korea for the required length of time . The same goes for my friend, who is not Korean. And just as Daniel said, there is a a barrage of questioning (although, I’m not sure how true this is for Korea).

Korea is a country undergoing rapid social change, in a quickly globalizing world. I think Korea is slowly, but surely, getting used to it If you look back even 10 years, there were hardly any non-Koreans living in Korea. But now there are about 1,000,000 non-Koreans living in just Seoul

very interesting, but I don’t agree with you
Idetrorce