Gwangju: Barely Scraping the Surface

It’s nothing but a beautiful Monday night. Had a great day at school and I’m happy to say that this week’s lesson is going swimmingly. I can’t understand why teachers in the U.S. have to student teach for an entire semester. I feel confidant enough playing the part in a little over a week. Generally I just think up concepts that I know I would want to learn should I become stranded in a nation whose language I am not familiar with. This week we’re discussing how to ask for and receive directions. Maybe next week we’ll move on to how one tells time, but I’ll give it more serious consideration around Thursday or Friday. It’s such a pleasure when a student who appears so perplexed finally understands what I’m talking about. Many of the students seem eager to learn and put a good deal of effort into class but there are a couple kids who seem as if they could care less. I can understand that feeling as I remember being apathetic in my adolescent years and while I sympathize I still make it a point to pick on them and call them out in front of the rest of the class. If I can get those kids to say even the poorest sentence in English I feel like I’ve succeeded.
So after school I put on some shorts and flip flops, dialed in 2Pac on my trusty IPod, and set out on an expedition. More of an exercise in getting lost than anything else. I stopped at the E-Mart on the way to get a battery for my camera. Halfway through my weekend it refused to power on any longer and won’t take a charge, so at least I’m hoping it’s just a battery. My electronics seem cursed in this country. Maybe they’re susceptible to the yellow dust from China. Well, after a quick game of charades with the store clerk it was determined that E-Mart simply did not carry the particular piece I was looking for. In honesty, I didn’t expect much. It’s hard enough finding one of these Lithium-Ion jobs in a region where English is the status quo. If I can’t figure this thing out you can expect future blogs to have fewer visuals. But I’m probably starting to bore you. Allow me to describe the coolest weekend in Korea yet.
Despite a strong and well-rehearsed inclination towards sleeping late on Saturday mornings, I managed to drag myself out of bed and catch a bus to the train station a little before 8:00 a.m. Once aboard Korail 1116 to Gwangju I tried to go back to sleep but found the scenery too stunning to ignore. Outside the city limits the bulk of Korea is simply gorgeous farmland flowing from one ridge of mountains to another. There are no rolling hills or medium geography whatsoever. It is either flat, worked agriculture or dense rising mountains. Neat, regulated farmhouses lie in disorganized settlements, plotted spontaneously at prescribed intervals. Perfectly furrowed mounds comprise misshaped fields. Man’s touch is obvious yet nature dominates. It is truly order in chaos.
So after four hours of trying to conceive profound poetic phrases for an endless stream of shacks and soybean fields I finally arrived in Gwangju. Carlos met me at the train station and I was thrilled to see a face I recognized, let alone one that spoke English. Before I continue I would like to thank both Carlos and Steph for being the most gracious, accommodating hosts that one could ask for. I had a fantabulous (Do you know Microsoft Word won’t flag this as being misspelled?! It even gives a definition!) time this weekend and it’s all thanks to you guys. I had such a blast that I was barely aware it rained all Saturday night. Oh and their new puppy, Peaty Con Carne is adorable.
So I could go through the whole weekend in chronological order but that would be rather boring and some of the pictures I managed to take tell the story better, so I’ll stick to the highlights. I met this cool guy Mark who is probably the best thing to ever come out of Nebraska and seems to be the type of person I could discuss corn with for decades to come. We went to an outdoor market that sold everything from fresh produce and boiled cockroaches to pig’s heads, live octopus, and stingray. In the early afternoon we went to the bar that Carlos works at called The Speakeasy, and started the evening off with the smoothest drafts I’ve had since I left the States. Then it was over to some seafood restaurant for appetizers and Fruit Soju. The name of the place evades me but I feel it was something like Charred Fish, Burnt Halibut, or Cooked Cod. I’m probably wrong on all counts. Later we went to a traditional Korean BBQ. You cook the meat on a little grill right at your table and roll it into little lettuce wraps with sautéed onions and other fixins. It was delicious and I’m sure it will become a staple entrée over the next year.
As the night wore on we found ourselves at the best club I have ever been to. Period. It was called Super Club Houze so I have to assume that it was established by the hippest group of 12-year-olds ever. It was a 10,000 Won cover but that included free beer. Yeah that’s right. Let’s see them match that deal in the States. The DJ’s we’re sick; spinning everything from Korean pop and 80’s club classics to Drum & Bass and techno. Mindlessly we jumped though the crowd, lost in a shower of strobes, sweat, and synthesizers.
Eventually we left Super Club Houze but by that point I was more following the crowd than making conscious decisions regarding the outcome of the evening. We made it back to The Speakeasy where I had a heart to heart with the owner Derek (who came for the 2002 World Cup and never left) and ended up wrestling the manger Tony. It was great. The best part about Korean bars is that they don’t close at 2 a.m. like in the States but rather whenever the customers stop buying.
The sun finally came out on Sunday and we took full advantage of the day by strolling up through the nearby park and exploring the local Buddhist temple. Also, Carlos let me ride the scooter he just bought and I’m dead set on acquiring one of my own. It’s more fun than a rope swing in August.
Well I have the day off tomorrow so I’m going to go explore the local fortress with a buddy of mine. Hopefully I’ll be able to fix my camera before my next blog entry. Next weekend is the DJ festival in Seoul so you can look forward to my insightful commentary regarding that particular event. Reading over this I don’t feel as if it’s my most rhetorically commanding or well formatted entry to date but in all honesty I’d rather go stroll around Suwon than do any revision tonight. I feel it could be better but I’m posting it anyway. You be the judge. Thanks for reading friends and family.

Cool Thing About Korea #3: McDonalds Delivers.