oh wait!

Actually, I DO have some things worth mentioning! They were well documented on facebook, but I should do them proper justice here. The stories are a tad old, but they were fantastically fun.

-Experienced my first norae-bang. This is a uniquely Korean custom: it's a small, private karaoke room. You pay to enter for 60-90 minutes, usually about $3 per person. There is a video screen and console, a table, some couches/benches, a book full of karaoke songs, two microphones, and some tambourines. You and your friends punch in your own numbers and sing whatever you want, with no inhibitions, to your heart's content. The selection is not great, but there's no one to make you self-conscious, so go ahead and sing Journey or Aerosmith or Evanescence! I know I did! Also, on the screen that displays the lyrics, there is a constantly changing wallpaper of completely irrelevant pictures. Flowers blowing in the breeze, perhaps, or farm workers picking soybeans. This may be the best part of norae-bang. That, and the fact that I frequently have no voice the next day, because I scream with such ruthless abandon. Last time, we wrapped up with an all-girl rendition of "Barbie Girl." I also cannot get away from Pat Benetar, Cyndi Lauper, and Spice Girls. It's shameful, but ever so much fun!

-Saw a Fish Doctor. More accurately, Dr. Fish. This phenomenon has found its way to the US, but it costs a LOT more. Here, you pay less than $2 for 20 minutes, although you are also obliged to buy a beverage, for Dr Fish resides in a coffee shop. Let me back up, if you're confused: there's no actual doctor. This is just the name for putting your feet into a tub of, essentially, polite pirahnas that are only interested in eating dead skin. From your feet. For 2o minutes. This is one of the strangest sensations I have ever felt. Yes, they only eat the dead skin, but you still feel the nibbles and tugs, and it tickles immensely. Some of the larger ones can nip quite hard. You just sit on cushions and put your feet in the tub, and the fish come to you! It was really hard to watch, for me, and also really hard to hold still. If you flinch or kick, the fish will swim away, but they always come back. Afterwards, my feet felt very very soft! Another entertaining element: you request this service while ordering your beverage. I think it's the only time in my life I will order "a vanilla latte, plus fish."

-Experienced a DVD-bang. ("bang" just means room, if you were wondering.) This is generally a place for Korean teens to make out, but the concept is cool: you can rent a movie for a couple hours, at any hour of the day or night, and watch it on large comfy couches that you can stretch out and lie down upon. It's a little pricey ($7-8 per person) but it beats taking a cab home, should you finish clubbing before the subways start running. I went to one of these with some new friends after we got done with the goth club around 3 AM (subways start at 5:30). DVD-bangs and noraebangs are allllll over, by the way. We rented "Angels and Demons" and I promptly fell asleep. Cheaper than a hotel!

I've also had lots of good food, including Korean interpretations of Indian, Chinese, and Mexican cuisines. Not too shabby overall, but I confess: I'd gnaw off my own hand for some good sushi or Ethiopian or Middle Eastern food. I need to get to Japan soon, when I have money to burn!

Absolutely Nothing

Hello faithful readers, I'm sure you've all wandered away in boredom, after so many fruitless days spent waiting for my updates. I don't know if you will forgive me for my silence if I say there has been literally nothing worth writing about. I still have not taught a single class, nor have I explored much more of Korea. I've made some friends and I see them frequently, and sometimes we make our way to museums or other notable historic sites, but mostly I surf the web and chat with friends. My life is actually quite boring right now. I'm more or less entertaining myself, but right now it is not quite the international experience I had envisioned.

Items worth noting: in February I will likely be visiting either Thailand or Vietnam: both cheap destinations full of tasty food. We get a week off for lunar new year, and there is a chance I will actually have some teaching experience by then. Hurray I say!

I've written a couple of cool units for our upcoming Intensive Winter Program, and I might even get to teach them. I've learned a few more words of Korean, and engaged in some entertaining pantomimes to get my point across. I found a goth club (!!!!) which was a highly entertaining experience, and I'm pretty comfortable finding my way around Seoul. I made a friend in the army, so I've gotten to see what life on base is like, and I get a few American goodies now and then. Otherwise, I sort of feel like I'm just passing the time. No doubt things will get more interesting once I start teaching, but I do still worry that it might never happen: if the program goes under before my year is up, I may resign at another school in order to get a more complete cultural experience. I'm not sure I want to be here for another full year, though.

It's hard to write an update blog when there's not much to update! I promise, if I have something cool to say, I will say it.