Why not Minot?

Hello blog readers,

I have to say, the weeks really fly by here. I spend most of my days working, and when I get off at seven I’m too tired to do much. Of course, that doesn’t keep me from eating out and spending most of my money. I get paid in a week, so it’s okay!

Anyway, the job is getting a little more comfortable. I still have days where I’m wondering why ANYONE would trust me with their children, but I have good days too. However, the good ones are usually tempered by some silly mistake that gets a child bawling. They’re three and four, after all. I used to get a little freaked when someone started blubbering, but now I’m used to it. It’s not like they bawl every day, but they don’t always deserve sympathy and comfort. They’re so young that it’s surprising how conniving they can be. One of my kids will cry to get out of trouble. One will cry to get another kid into trouble. One will cry if she just wants some attention. There are all kinds of tears, and I’ve been learning how to differentiate the ones to ignore from the serious ones.

This weekend was interesting. My coworkers and I hung out at a bar nearby. Naturally, we sang Noraebong (Korean Karaoke), and naturally we sang badly. I think the high point was the half hour where we sang Queen songs (ending with Don’t Stop Me Now). The low point was when a guy sang Enter Sandman at the top of his lungs. I need to get some earplugs, if only to dull the pain.

After that, three of us went to Hongdae. Hongdae is an area in Seoul that caters to foreigners. It’s somewhat similar to Itaewon, but with fewer military types. The bar we went to felt more like bars at home than anywhere else. It was loud, full of foreigners, and had a dance floor. Just like at home, there was earsplitting dance music (unlike at home, they played the Macarena and Getting Jiggy Wit It), cheap drinks (rails and tap beers), and the occasional creepy guy. I got home quite early in the morning.

Yesterday I ended up in Itaewon. One of my coworkers had a friend in charge of some benefit for the cats and dogs in Seoul. It was too random to pass up. The benefit was at a bar in Itaewon, and the cover charge was 10,000 won ($8). That was the biggest waste of 10,000 won I’ve ever spent. We went inside for about fifteen minutes, then decided that it was too crowded (we couldn’t move), too loud (we couldn’t talk), and the music was too awful (a girl was doing a Cranberries cover with an acoustic guitar and no noticeable talent). After hanging out for a while and stopping for some delicious Kebabs, some friends of D’s were playing music at a bar on Hooker Hill. The name is self explanatory, so I’ll keep the description short. A high grade hill (15% if I had to guess) with lots of little innocuous shops. If you actually look in the open doors of the shops, you see scantily clad Korean women in neon colors. Who knew a notorious area could be so mundane? I’ve been wanting to visit Hooker Hill since I got here. The nickname is offensive and everything, but it’s one of those places in Itaewon that everyone knows. No year in Seoul would be complete without at least one trip there. Gosh, I hope my parents are reading this.

Anyway, the guys played at that bar for a while (Speaking of parents, they’d love the music. There was a lot of Pink Floyd, some Tom Petty, and a few Rolling Stones songs.) . And we played pool, talked to some Air Force guys (They were in their late thirties, but one of the guys was from Minot, so how could I resist?), and didn’t do a whole lot else until we went home. The bars don’t really close in Seoul, so you can literally stay somewhere all night. I have to say, that night was a lot more my style than the dancing at Hongdae. Give me pool and conversation over loud music and creepy guys any day.

I guess this may not be the most illuminating post of all time, because it is essentially a rundown of what I did this weekend. But the point I’m making is that I’m getting a lot more settled here. I have people to hang out with, there are places I now know, and I’m pretty comfortable. Ooh, and Tuesday is wings night! Just like at home!