Introduction to the World of Competitive Eating

About a month ago, I was informed that Seoul would be hosting an amateur, confirmedly American-style gluttony festival (i.e., a 'competitive eating competition') hosted by the Korean corporation, NY Hot Dog & Coffee. Given my citizenship, proclivity to revel in overeating, and a lack of aversion to stomach pains, I was truly amazed that I'd never participated in one of these kinds of events. Guess that I'd never been presented with a comfortable place to publicly display food binging. Nothing could keep me from embracing this golden chance. Further, as if there was any need for additional encouragement, the presenting company would be offering prizes for the best eaters AND the event would be highly publicized afterwards. You're telling me there's a free lunch? And I'll be famous for it?! And I also might win stuff!?

Well, I'll prematurely let the cat out of the bag, but I didn't win any TV sets or iPads. However, there was sooo much more to gain & let me share...

Preparing to stuff our faces with carcinogenic meat products:

In addition to the free meal and notoriety, it was fantastic to learn about a new sport. I use the word sport, because if ice fishing (to which I can't see the lure), cricket (whose attraction is insectuously pathetic), and toe wrestling (which needs no pun, as it stands on its own) qualify, then eating certainly does. What better way to overcome nature and push the limits of human achievement than shoving processed deceased animal trimmings down one's gullet?

One minute into the competition, I was still a bit hungry. That feeling would be nonexistent for the next 48 hours.

For another oddity, this company that hawks an unambiguously American cuisine (well, as close as possible), is Korean. Throughout my time abroad, I've constantly come across this US-centric phenomenon. This usually produces good results (case in point), but never ceases to feel unsettling each time a McDonald's moves into a new location.

It appears that everywhere on this planet, one constantly sees similar examples of this: Turkish food in China, Malaysian clothing in Alaska, Hungarian kaleidoscopes in South Africa. So come to think of it, I guess that a New York sausage product in Korea isn't that odd. I reckon that almost anyone can get their hands (or mouths) on anything manufactured and promoted by other humans. Cheers to a smaller planet!







We are truly in the presence of greatness:

1st place finisher!

Gluttony, Swimming & Friends with cars, Suwon Fortress, Children's Day

Hi again from Asia!


My first love is and will forever be: eating. I have always been a 'big' eater, and have also fortunately been involved in many sports and exercise activities over the years. Good thing, or I'd probably weigh well over 300 lbs by now. Well, I have finally found a place where eating like a pig is smiled upon, praised even - and that place is where I now call home. This could likely be my heaven. Let me explain: Whenever I eat anywhere here in Korea, I always receive compliments for being a 'healthy' eater. I have gotten this from my boss at school (where daily I eat heaps of rice and whatever is offered), from friends' mothers who invite me to come back after I eat their monthly grocery allotment, from restaurant owners (who of course have a vested interest, since I probably pay for the first year of their kids college education).


If I had to compile a list of my favorite Korean foods, the top of that list would say dalk galbi. Galbi is to us Westerners is 'Korean barbeque', and galbi usually consists of either beef or pork. If you ask me, you can't go wrong with either of these two, but 'dalk' (chicken) is even more delicious! There's a great local dalk galbi restaurant owned by a very nice gentleman. I'm sure he makes dishes other than dalk galbi, but I have no idea what those are (and probably never will - I have no need for them). Another favorite Korean food has become 'gop chang', which is ox stomach. Yes, sounds a little unappetizing at first, and the texture is a little, how should I say - chewy. But it is mighty tasty from the restaurants I frequent. What else you ask? Well there's dankas (breaded pork cutlets), bibimbap (bowls full of rice, meats/seafood, eggs, etc), cold buckwheat noodles (which are really tasty, and I had just thought the name was a character from the Little Rascals), and ttoekboki (rice cakes) just to name a few. Korean food in general is very different than other Asian foods, and is a bit of an acquired taste, but I am now a convert.


I have also mentioned that we foreigners get together every so often to indulge our 'western food' cravings. We've had a few potluck dinners (which seem to be becoming a montly tradition), and American-style barbeques. The hosts of the barbeques say that they only had one of these last fall, but have already held two in the past month, since the weather has warmed up again.


Our school recently had a farewell party for one of the supervisors. This was another opportunity for our boss to show us how great he is. We went to a local buffet, and food and drinks aplenty were paid for by Mr. Yoon. It was essentially a company sponsored food festival.


A group of friends usually goes to the local swimming pool on Saturday mornings. The pool is attached to our City Hall complex, which is about 20 minutes away by bus. Another bonus is the free shuttle provided to the city hall area. So I joined the group a few weeks ago and it was a great time. It had been many months, maybe even years, since I'd swam for the purpose of exercise. I forgot what a good workout it is, and that afterwards I should have an entire slaughtered animal on hand. But the greatest revelation that came from our swimming trip, was realizing how nice it is to have a car again. Since I've been here in Korea, I've never especially had a need for my own auto. Public transportation is quick and accessible, and the cold weather put a damper on a lot of excursions. All this has changed now that Mother Nature's mood has changed. So now I am super glad to have made some Korean friends with their own wheels. My Korean buddy Johgwha joined us on my first swimming trip (and he has a car, so was able to give us a ride). It was excellent not having to rely on the bus - which meant no waiting at the bus stop, and a much quicker commute time. We went swimming a second week, but this time Jongwha wasn't able to join us. So we had to catch the bus to get to the pool, but fortunately met a nice guy while there named John. Well, after we had know John and his dad for about 20 minutes, they offer to give us a ride back (ah, Korean hospitality)! My friends Travis and Megan also last month bought a car. They have a dog, who is not allowed on public buses. So, of course, the obvious choice was to find a cheap used Kia that they can use as a knockaround car. The past month they've been taking weekend trips all over Korea (for a camping trip, to beaches, to visit friends, etc). I'm pretty jealous of their newfound freedom. It recalls the days when I was a freshman in high school and only a handful of the cool kids had their licenses so could actually drive.


I visited a local fortress here in Yongin. It's called Hwaseong, and is in the town of Suwon (about 30 mins away by bus). Us foreigners usually simply refer to it as 'Suwon fortress'. It's a very old guard post, and was also used basically as a vacation palace for the royal family. I guess Yongin was a nice place to relax and get away from the rat race in Seoul. Like it still is today!













May 5th was another great holiday over here - Children's Day. It's a magical day for everyone to celebrate skinned knees, colds, and Korean kids studying until their noses bleed (I'm told this is a real and common occurance). And it provided an extra day off for us teachers! It unfortunately fell on a Wednesday, so we weren't able to make many real plans, but it was still a nice mid-week vacation. And we all know what else falls on May 5! (Hint, it rhymes with Sinco de Mayo). So a bunch of us foreigners had a Mexican-style party! It was held over at our friends' Travis and Megan's (and Megan did the majority of the excellent cooking - complete with tacos, burritos, and guacamole).



Our week vacation from school will be the last week in July. Originally, we had planned for my family to come out and visit. But alas, airline prices and some health problems have reared their ugly two heads. So, I have 9 days to see as much of Asia that I can! I've booked my flights to see 3 countries during the time. I'll be spending 2 nights and days in Cambodia, the same amount of time in Bangkok, and my last leg is a 4 day visit to the Philippines. It'll be a whirlwind tour! I'll plan to devote a post entirely to that week. Stay tuned.



That's all for now. Talk to you again soon!



Matt

Movies, US Taxes, 10K, Return of Godzeera, and a BBQ

Hey again. It's hard to believe, but I've already celebrated my 3 month anniversary in Korea. That means I'm already a quarter of the way through my stint here! Feels like I just got here. I feel like I've finally gotten over the learning phase, and I'm starting to fall into a comfortable rhythm (i.e., grit my way through teaching kids all week, have a glorious weekend, rinse, & repeat). Speaking of good times, I've had some pretty eventful times since the last post:


In my last note, I forgot to mention that I had finally filed my US taxes. My taxes are pretty straightforward every year, but I still procrastinate as long as possible because I dread it! I really don't know why though - you would think that I wouldn't mind the process after doing accounting for all these years. On a side note, I have an accountant friend who prepares his taxes by hand every year (he manually prints in ink on the hardcopy IRS forms. Kind of archaic, huh?). He believes that a 'true' accountant should do so, because he's experienced in the mystical ways of numbers. I don't think so - I rather agree with my other friend who compared this as follows: 'I have a pair of legs, therefore I should run a marathon'. Think about it. So I guess the tax process is just another thing that I'll never get accustomed to - just like the summer heat in the southeastern United States. So anyway, I finished the chore, and was even rewarded by Uncle Sam with a nice return!




In April, I joined the Kindergarten classes on another one of their monthly field trips. This one was a visit to a nearby energy plant. We visited the educational area, where they talk to the kids about energy generation, distribution, conservation, etc. Since my last job was at an energy company, I figured that I might be able to lend some knowledge, or perhaps another perspective. It basically was just another babysitting session, and everything was spoken and written in Korean, so I didn't get much out of it. But parts of the visit were enjoyable, so I wouldn't call it a total failure.



I saw the new movie, Clash of the Titans, at the local theatre. I remember watching and enjoying the 1981 Laurence Olivier version, but this modern version is even better. I've always really enjoyed Greek mythological stories, and this one definitely does not disappoint. The guy from Avatar plays a good part in this one too. I didn't get to see it in 3D, which may make the movie even better. Check it out if you get the chance.


A couple Fridays ago, we held our first monthly Movie Night at SLP. I'm saying 'monthly' because we're hoping to make this a habit. It was organized by one of the supervisors, and the director even supplied beverages. About 15 of us stayed after work, and a few other friends joined us too. We have an auditorium classroom complete with a projector and a big screen, so it's a perfect place to watch. Everyone chipped in for some pizza and food, and we watched 'Yes, Man' with Jim Carey. I had seen the movie before, but forgot how funny it is. Kind of the familiar Jim Carey schtick (if you ask me, this one is very reminiscent of 'Liar, Liar'), but still very funny. There's even a plotline in the movie where Jim takes Korean language lessons. At one point in the show, he speaks Korean to a woman, which was very amusing to our group of Koreans and Korean novices.




Last Saturday, my city held the Yongin Marathon. Me and a couple fellow foreigners signed up for the 10K about a month ago, and the three of us had a great time (Travis is fellow Yankee, and Toby is a Kiwi). I believe Toby is the first person that I have even known from New Zealand. Sounds like a really nice place. Have added it to my 'to-visit' list.


















Here's our gold medal ceremony after finishing the race. (Yes, they really did give us medals for finishing! Will be a nice addition to the trophy room.)



Last weekend was also the official Cherry Blossom festival in my city. The trees have been gorgeous around here lately. They say this year's fluctuations in temperature was especially erratic, so I'm sure that has affected the blooming. So maybe I didn't get to experience the optimal cherry blossom season. I guess this will give me an excuse to visit Asia again in the future.

The night after the race, my race buddy Travis (the fellow Yankee), and his wife had a bunch of us over for a barbeque. It was exquisite. You can imagine how much you can come to miss the comforts of 'home' when living abroad. Even when this comes in the form of hot dogs, hamburgers, and beer. We had a big crowd of mostly other teachers, but we always have the few token Koreans around too.

Here's most of the gang from the BBQ:

And Travis with his puppy, Otis. Great dog. He's a boxer, so is about 10X the size of all these little Korean apartment dogs.

Monday morning we were greeted by the return of our favorite supervisor, Susan. Susan is genuinely one of the best bosses I've worked for. She's very competent in her job, handles things in a timely manner, is constantly busy, but never appears flustered. As alluded to in the title (and mentioned in a previous blog), the students have what I will call a 'healthy fear' of Susan. That makes her a great asset when trying to handle rambuncious groups of kids. All of the kids seem to have great respect for her, and even some appear to be deathly afraid of her. That first week of her return, cries of child terror could be heard throughout our school of 'Susan Teachaa'.

And on a completely unrelated note, (I took this video and want to share it). As a general rule, Koreans are always in a hurry. All ages, genders, walks of life, anywhere, and at anytime. It's sometimes quite amusing to watch people run around like beheaded chickens. The various modes of transportation are the best way of seeing what I'm talking about. One great example is the buses. The drivers all must be mentally ill. I've learned through experience that prior to stepping onto any bus, you must mentally and physically prepare yourself. It's kind of like psyching yourself up before going, say, skydiving. Case in point, check out this video I took last week on one of these busrides. Notice how the driver rarely stays in one lane, he frequently speeds up and proceeds to cut off other cars, and it looks as though a cameraman from the show COPS took this video. Enjoy:

2 Months down!

Hey everyone, long time no talk. Entirely my fault - sorry for the delay since my last post. Here's some highlights from my past couple weeks:


Last weekend, I saw Alice in Wonderland (for the second time). But this time we watched it in 3D & it was very cool. I highly recommend it if you haven't been to a 3D movie.. The closest and best movie theater is about a 40 minute busride from my town. It's a CGV, which is a huge media company based in Seoul. They also have an English TV channel that I sometimes watch. They always play NCIS/CSI/Bones (i.e., forensic crime shows - they love them!). There is a closer movie theater in the local EMart complex, but the movies are unfortunately mostly in Korean.


I've discovered the magical world known as torrent downloading! I had heard about it before while in the States, but never tried it because of the slow connection speeds. The awesome technology here makes it so quick to download music and movie files. I've already nearly filled my hard drives now, I'm thinking about buying a new terabyte drive (1000 gigabytes!). These are also very cheap here. A terabyte drive will hold more than 1000 movies!


I had some more interesting new food last weekend. I was a little put off at first by the menu: ox stomach! But once you get past the chewy texture, the taste is surprisingly good! They say it's also a very healthy food - it must at least have some sort of minerals that I don't normally get. I went to this restaurant with a group of Koreans that I (again) met at the gym. The gym has turned out to be a great place for making new friends :)


Thursday morning of last week, I joined the Kindergarten classes on their monthly field trip - this month was a musical. It was the Korean version of 'Everybody Poops', and although it was entirely in Korean, I thoroughly enjoyed it! I had the fortune of sitting next to a fellow Korean teacher, so she was able to translate for me occasionally during the show. Here's the Readers' Digest version: The hero character (henceforth referred to as Good Poo) visits a racoon character, and they embark on a journey of discovery for how to defeat the 'evil poos' (played in the musical by bad poos of 3 kinds - with one carrying a devil's pitchfork, one a plunger, and one a toilet brush). Good Poo carries a magical rock that allows the Good Duo to travel searching for the 3 things that must be obtained to defeat the Evil Poos. They visit a variety of people and places - including the birthplace of all poos, a wise old frog, and a fun-loving skateboarding turtle. In the end, the 3 tokens turn out to be: 1) exercise, 2) vegetables, and 3) love. The Good Duo collects all 3 and unlocks the portal that sends the Evil Poos to their final resting place - that Big Toiletbowl in the Sky. So I saw a good show, learned a little more about Korean culture, and possibly learned something new about my GI health!






The Good Duo is here on the left, facing two of the Evil Poos.






Another new experience last weekend was finding a weather phenomenon worse than the pollen season in the Southeastern US. Until now, I didn't think I would ever come across another yellow coating that covers absolutely EVERYTHING outside. Well guess what they have here in Korea in the spring? It's called Yellow Dust (brought by 'the yellow winds'), and is said to be sand and pollution blown to the Korean peninsula from China. Many people wear face masks during storms like these, for great reason. Accompanying the Yellow Dust are winds that I have never experienced - it feels like being in a tornado. And not being able to see anything because of everything in the air makes it feel like you're in a whiteout. They advise people to stay indoors on days like this, for obvious health reasons. On a personal note, I had a sore throat and felt sick for over a week afterwards. I should really invest in a good facemask. Read more about Asian Dust here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asian_Dust.


The crazy weather hasn't been limited to only the disgusting dust, either. For weeks now, Mother Nature has played cruel temperature games with us. It has warmed up on several occasions to near T-shirt weather. But just when we're convinced that warmer weather is here to stay, a cold spell will snap again! Last Monday snowed hard all day long, but it only stayed for a few days before completely melting. It must have been right on the edge of freezing temperatures, because the snow was very wet and slushy. This weekend was rather chilly too. Hopefully warm temperatures will be coming soon..


On Saturday a group of us went to see the Korean show Nanta. Nanta is at the core a traditional drum performance, but it has also modernized the performance and added some comedy - it's very good. The show has toured all around the globe, and has even appeared on Broadway in the US. The show mostly takes place in a restaurant kitchen, and follows a day in the life of 5 characters. They have a lot of fun drumming on every imaginable surface and object - and the show even being largely unspoken, is very funny. I've definitely learned that comedy is universal. For more information on the show: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanta_(musical) or http://nanta.i-pmc.co.kr/en/about/nanta_01.asp.

We went for a special promo for Nanta too - it was a half price performance, plus they included a small brunch for us prior to the show. The brunch was quite unsatisfying though - I was expecting a giant spread like our American buffets, but all we got was some coffee and juice, a tiny sandwich, and a cupcake. But after the show, my buddy won a nice door prize - a Polaroid camera!


Also this past weekend, I went to my second FC Seoul soccer game. They play in the World Cup Stadium in Seoul, where the home team is obviously FC Seoul. They play other football clubs throughout the country - this last time the visiting team was Pohang. I've never been much of a soccer fan, but it's pretty huge here, apparently also in the entire world..! :) The fans get very into the games - lots of cheering. Here's a few pics:












Fireworks before (and all throughout) the game:












Wild crowd cheering, chanting, and waving flags:

Our team






Sunday I made the trip to the nearby Korean Folk Village. I had heard about it even prior to arriving, as it's very nearby in our city. Although, unlike most places, it isn't very easy accessible by public transit. So a taxi is a must-do, but taxis are also so very cheap around here. The village is very cool - it has recreations of all types of traditional houses - from slave quarters to yangban (the Korean aristocracy). My favorite part of the village was definitely the performances. They have all kinds of things ranging from music and dancing to tightrope and equestrian acrobatics.

Hoping all is well with you, and I'll update you again in the near future!


Take care,



Matt

I'm an alien. I'm a legal alien.

This news is about a week old now, but I am now finally an official Korean alien! The immigration office has finished processing my paperwork, and here is my new ID:

This ID gives me my equivalent of a Social Security number, so I'm now able to conduct business here. The hospital has also finished processing my health insurance, so now I can be as dangerous and reckless as I want! :)





I also have opened up my Korean bank account:
I'm using Worri Bank, which seems easy to use (and convenient -as they have branches everywhere, including in our office building). Our manager Eddie helped me out on the first visit, and hopefully I can manage from here.

One cool thing I've seen is scanners next to the ATM machines in the bank. Apparently, you just scan your utility bills, and the bank pays the companies electronically. Takes e-billing a step further!


Here's a few pictures of my gym that I told you about. It's called New Wind:



Here's the main area with plenty of new, modern machines, free weights, and cardio equipment.




And here's the stretching area. Behind that standing sign are 3 'shake machines'. I've looked them up, and they've been on the market several years now, including in the States. They are essentially a large vibrating platform that you stand on, and manufacturers try to market them as a way to tone muscle in shorter time and with less sweating than the traditional way. The jury's still out, but of course nothing is better than old-fashioned sweat. Although, they do seem to be more scientific-based than the older vibrating belt machines. Here's an article:
http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1531693,00.html

I haven't found a website for New Wind, but it's a chain here (like many gyms back in the States). It's interesting - they seem to love foreigners, as evidenced by many of the workout posters (mostly all pictures of caucasian people), and they give us a sizeable discount when joining (I believe it was 20%). But the majority of the staff and other patrons also don't seem to know much English. Another funny sidenote is New Wind's motto written on all signs: 'New Wind Total Fitness Center: The Best Your Partner'. Although I've found that as a general trend, most Koreans can communicate in English better than they give themselves credit. Guess they're just afraid of butchering the language, much like how us foreigners feel about speaking Korean I guess!


The gym has what we would call a sauna room. It's a dry heat room usually at 86-88 deg C. They refer to this as a 'jim jil bong' room. I haven't been, but apparently their steam rooms (what are truly refered to as 'saunas') are quite common, and are everywhere. The sauna/jim jil bong facilities have many rooms of varying temperatures and steam contents (and I've heard some even have other aromatic additives in the air).


Another thing that I've found different about the gym is the public showers in the locker room. None of the men wear flip flops! I thought this was a little strange, as I've always been warned to be very cautious of foot health in public shower areas. I looked this up too and found that athlete's foot is easily prevented by a healthy immune system, and another thing - that fermented foods are a great source of immuno-boosting compounds. I'm sure you know how kimchi is made, and how much of the stuff Koreans eat. Nevertheless, I still wear shoes in the shower, even if I may look like the crazy foreigner.


For more news on the food front, I've had several more new dishes since we last talked. One is a soup called 'shabu shabu', and is pretty good. Although, the soup is mainly broth and vegetables, so it doesn't quite satisfy my protien cravings. But I'm sure it's healthy. My second time having shabu shabu, we went to a buffet which was excellent. And it had chicken and pork dishes, so I left that time full. I went to a 'pan-fried food' restaurant and had an oyster pancake that was very good. I went here with my new Korean friend, Revan. He also introduced me to a Korean rice wine drink called 'makgelry', which is quite good and is drunk from a small bowl - very interesting. And another new food was a pork stew, called 'kam-je-tong'. The pork is actually spine meat, so removing the meat from the bone/vertebrae is a little challenging, but well worth the effort.


I'll be sure to update you again soon & hope you're doing well. Take care,


Matt

Week 3

Hi again and Happy New Year!


It feels like I've finally fallen into a rhythm here with the job. It's definitely been easier this week, which has let me enjoy things a bit more. And on an even better note - this weekend was a 3 day break! Offices are closed on Monday for Lunar New Year. This is apparently a pretty big holiday here, as most Koreans go home to visit family, and everyone has been exchanging gifts. I got a very nice Korean wine set from the boss, Mr. Yoon, and another 2 very good gifts from students. It was much more common for us teachers to get gifts from the younger students (you were kinda SOL if you only teach the older kids!). The 2 I got were from my younger class - 9 year olds. Here's a picture of the gifts (set of ginseng tea and candies, the wine set, and a couple of really good cake loaves):

















A group of teachers hold a weekly discussion meeting where we get together to talk about all kinds of interesting topics (culture, politics, business, etc). We had our last meeting on Wed night. It meets at 9:30, so to kill some time after work and before the meeting, a coworker, Stephanie, and I went to grab some food. Stephanie is quite good with Korean - can read it well and talks a good bit with Koreans. Well, we found the 'chicken' section on the menu and found a picture that looked good. It looked spicy, like maybe buffalo wings, and was topped with cheese. Sounds good, right? So the dish comes and my reaction was that it looked pretty good, but the meat didn't look like chicken. I said to Stephanie, 'looks like squid'. So we go about eating, and the flavor was very good, but the meat was a little crunchy. So several minutes go by, and we've eaten about half of the dish, when Stephanie remembers that Koreans eat some parts of chicken that we may consider unappetizing - such as appendages, like feet. Quite suddenly, we were full. After we paid and were leaving, Stephanie rereads the menu to check on our dinner. Sure enough, there was the Korean word for 'foot'. Well, at least now I can cross 'eat chicken feet' from my bucket list.


Here's several pictures of my neighborhood and apartment, which isn't huge, but is very adequate for my needs:
























































When home, I usually keep the thermostat at 24C (approx 75F), which is very cozy. The heating is done through a process called ondol floors - which is heating the floor, and thereby warming the air in the entire room. Very efficient, and very nice to have warm toes too.







And here's the bathroom. It's a common Korean design that the shower is not separated from the sink and toilet, so as you can guess, everything gets soaked when the shower head is turned on!











If you were wondering, it's still frigid cold most days here. It did warm up for a day or two, but was snowing several days later in the week, and into the weekend. The heat in my apartment is very good though. I turn it down during the days when I'm gone, but usually the temperature only falls 2 or 3 degrees. The heat systems here are very nice - they heat the floors, and the warm air fills the room. We also take off shoes inside, so the floors are extra nice. The insulation isn't great, but doesn't need to be since the floors are very good at retaining their heat.



I've discovered a new reason to love the E-Mart. They have a food court outside of the lower floor, and the food is very good and inexpensive. There are 6 vendors in the court, and it did take a little effort to figure out how to order. You place your order at a register near the entrance of the court, and of course none of the writing is English. But luckily, several meals on the menu have numbers beside them (and they all have pictures), so I was able to find something and type the number in my phone and show that to the cashier. Then you get a ticket with a number on it, and wait for a place to cook the food, and your number flashes up on a screen. Kind of like a huge deli.


As for nightlife: I ventured outside of our town, Dongbaek, for my first 'long-distance' night on the town. Friday night went to a nearby town, Bundang, with 2 coworkers. Bundang is about a 50 minute trip from Dongbaek - you take a bus, then transfer to a subway. But since there were 3 of us, we just shared a taxi, and got there in about 15 minutes! They have a big shopping plaza there, and tons of restaurants and bars. We went to an English pub that had some great nachos, and was definitely the first time I've been the whitest person in a place like that.. We later ended up at a dance club advertised as a 'clubby bar', and was exactly how I had imagined an Asian dance club. Wall to wall people, bone-jarring rythmic music, and lights and lasers galore. Oh, and was of course filled with smoke, like most places here. It was really cool. I was also hoping to make a second visit to the local norebang room, but it was closed this weekend. Norebang is awesome - karaoke in private rooms. This one has very nice rooms, like your own personal luxury box seats. There was a fun place in Atlanta like this on, appropriately, Buford Highway.



Also this weekend, I did some exploring and picture-taking around Yongin, but I'll save those pictures for the next post. I'll also try to take in my camera one day to school this week to take pictures of some of my students.


Until later - take care..


Matt