Alien in the World

Entering an alien land for the first time carries mixed feelings of excitement and unease. The cultural differences seem to blaze bright enough to blot out the overwhelming similarities. As my first week here is coming to a close, though, the brilliant flash from first impressions has subsided enough to let in feelings of comfort alongside the excitement. I first walked in like a puppy, jerking my head around at any little flashing light or sudden movement (which are both in copious quantity in Seoul), barely keeping my tongue in my mouth. I'm still like a dog after a week, but I'm at least behaving like I've had some training.

My coworker and fellow native teacher Gina showed Corinne and I how Saturday nights are done in Korea. We started at a bombin' restaurant where the succulent bite-sized slices of steak are cooked in the center of your table over hot coals (which feel superb on frozen toes and noses). Little leaves of cabbage serve as the wrap which begins with a thin slice of radish followed by a piece (or two) of bite-sized steak dipped in a delectable seasoning salt accompanied by a tiny honey glazed chunk of onion and an even tinier piece of grilled garlic clove topped with a touch of kimchi. Enfold, engulf, enjoy. We saluted the meal with occassional toasts to travel, friends and Korea with soju, a common Korean liquor made from rice wine.

The delicious meal was followed directly by a VIP karaoke party. You rent the room, select some songs, then belt your heart out for an hour without any of the social pressure a normal karaoke bar presents. Corinne put us to shame, of course, but Gina trumped us both by demonstrating her superior bilingual powers by earning a score of 100 on three separate Korean songs.

After we had our fill of amateur entertainment, we met some friends of Gina's at a different restaurant to have some soju smoothie, whose defining fruit was kiwi. Her friends, like us, are native English teachers who are lovin' the life in Korea. We got some helpful tips and advice and shared some excellent company for the rest of the night before succumbing to our bodies' urge to sleep.