the potential to be heard..

i've recently been handed an opportunity to write in a magazine that will be circulated korean wide, and read mostly by foreigners. it's called The Korean Sun, and next month will be its first real debut in korea. i really don't know much about writing magazine articles, but i do feel like this kind of chance doesn't come along everyday, so i'm going to jump on it. i just finished and sent off an article to the editor, along with several ideas for other possible stories. here is my first article entitled "trash or treasure - you make the call".

Does the old cliché ‘One man’s trash is another man’s treasure’ mean anything to you? Well, to a bunch of foreigners in Busan, this phrase carries a lot of weight – literally.

As I wander the streets near my apartment I’m constantly amazed by the amount of furniture that I see on the side of the road. I don’t mean the old comfortable looking chairs in front of the side street coffee shops. I’m referring to the upside down couches with bags of garbage strewn beside them; the antique coffee tables that are placed next to the bins. It’s too bad the locals aren’t interested in the historical furnishings of past generations; my neighbourhood could be a haven for antique collectors. The most common items I come across include couches that are creased from use, desks that are faded from age, or shelves that are simply out of date.

Of course finding these pieces did not surprise me much as you can find such discarded furnishings in nearly any culture that is rich enough to afford new stuff. It’s amazing to me how cheap you can find brand new furniture these days. But what happens to the old stuff? These items are just left out until someone thrifty comes along and finds use for them, right? Wrong. I had the unfortunate chance to witness a whole living room set that was smashed to pieces, just so it would fit into the back of the truck to be brought to the dump. It seems to be an unjust end for these beautiful pieces of furniture. That is, unless someone comes along and saves them…

After seeing all those chairs and closets turned into firewood, I decided that I would try and rescue other items left stranded, awaiting a similar fate. It didn’t take long for my little studio apartment to fill up with couches, chairs, tables, you name it. Yet, as fast as these items come in, they can be shipped out thanks to websites like Pusanweb and Koreabridge Classifieds. It’s funny how many responses you’ll get if you post an ad titled “Free Couch”; apparently there are lots of foreigners in Busan who are sick of sitting on the floor.

After turning my place into a little furniture warehouse and talking to others about it, I’ve realized that I’m not the only one who does this. There are some who deal in used furniture so much that it makes their teaching position look like a job on the side. I’m glad too, because in this age of consumption it feels good to reuse these previously loved pieces. So now, as I wander the streets and come across a hand carved cabinet, or an uber comfortable couch, I know that sooner or later, someone else will be enjoying this in their house. Trash is transformed into treasure, as life in Korea just becomes more comfortable.