Better Than Noraebong

For all the plans that fell through last week, my first experience hosting an international visitor in my new homeland ended, I thought, quite entertainingly and appropriately.

First Int'l visitor (Becca!) and I outside Gyeongbokgung Palace near Insadong.

That is to say, it ended with a 4am cabride after a couple of hours of sidewalk singing at the top of our lungs with one of those live guitars that are so rare in Seoul. It was better than noraebong, the standard inexpensive karaoke that usually accompanies such nights on the town in Seoul. Rubbing hands up and down our arms for warmth and passing around fried snacks in shifts, we belted out vinyl-quality competition from the Beatles and Janis Joplin to old Korean ballads such as Ariarang to classic croons like Moon River. It included a small amount of vomit (the natural accompaniment to breaking a Soju cherry), masked by the waft of the candy maker next to us, who leisurely melted sugar and formed crystalline cookie cutter shapes well into the night. Many hearty cheers, a lot of warm laughter, and the jocosity of “the wee sma’s” camaraderie: three American girls, two Korean girls, a handful of Korean men, a Swede, and random passerbys . All this was preceded by a respectable live jazz club experience and a few pubs in the relatively quieter little dong called Heyhwa. At least for me as hostess, it seemed a jaunty bon voyage. I can only help she felt the same!


Visitors are asked to remove their shoes outside one of the buildings of Gyeongbokgung.

The week has been busy in many more ways, however. Open class, wherein anxious, disapproving mothers descend upon POLY school (and my preschool class) for inspection, monthly tests and evaluations, written debate exams for upper elementary students, and Halloween preparations have consumed much of my work time this week. In between, I managed to find the best bulgogi (spicy barbequed meat) ever, spend more money than I’ve spent the rest of my time in Korea, and accomplish some random adventures with one of my favorite people ever. Becca helped decorate my sitting room in traditional Korean style as well which is awesome. I've been using candles for ages but incense does wonders! Pics up soon. I’ve also started formulating plans to possibly spend the Christmas holiday in Taiwan with another absolutely wonderful person.


Mara and I on an all-too-brief shopping venture in Myeongdong.

On an unrelated note, a friend recommended this article today via Twitter that supports my recently developed philosophy regarding church attendance (which should not be misconstrued as an excuse for why I have not made regular church attendance a habit in Seoul). It’s a thought-provoking and, hopefully, action-inciting article.

And while I’m musing in my unstructured, untrained philosophical mood:

Life is too short to not take advantage of it. Yet why do we always make things so complex and busy and unsavorable for ourselves? Life is sitting there. Yes, it’s forced upon us in a way, but since it is, we decide what to do with it. We create the complexities in our minds and let small encumbrances become heavy burdens or impassible roadblocks. We spend the majority of the time wrapped up in ourselves but not even in letting ourselves enjoy things. We strive for some far off distant future of success and happiness that never comes and never comes. We ignore relationships and overlook opportunities to broaden horizons while yet enjoying the oft-cited “simple pleasures.” Why does it take the human being so long to develop and prepare for adulthood only to mourn what’s left? And why do we live for ourselves yet still find ourselves so unhappy?

Eat, drink, and make others merry. In doing so you will be merry yourself. And you will die merry, too.

Just finished reading Meeting Mr. Kim. Not bad.
Currently reading: Murukami’s The Wind Up Bird Chronicle.
Book evaluations due soon.