So, September has come and almost gone!
We've switched classes, which will happen every two months, so we have a new batch of kids to get to know and learn. That's 5 - 8 classes of new names! It's thrown a much needed change of pace into the work schedule though.
September has been somewhat quieter than the
past few wild months, but not a lot quieter! We went to a dance club one night to satisfy Bla's (Simon's gf) unquenchable desire to go dancing since her broken foot had finally healed. So, she got the names of a few clubs, and we went to the one that was supposed to be a 20-25 year old crowd, what we thought would be a fun night. We all got on our dancing shoes and headed to New Concert dance club in New Downtown. There were some serious looking but scrawny Korean bouncers at the door in suits and headsets. We were nervous there was a dress code, but in the end it seems there wasn't. (Though I was later informed that there was an "age code"... any Korean older than 25 is rejected. Good thing Simon is British and intimidating, otherwise he could have been kicked out because he is 35) The place was HUGE! Absolutely large. The ceiling was a few stories high, and there were tables and booths everywhere, and then a huge dance floor at the front with a giant stage, and a d.j in center stage that rotated every song set (as shown in picture!).
So, the dance floor was rocking, we got some beers, and then Bla and I went to dance. We started grooving to some really cool remixes, all of western hip hop and pop songs. It was nice to hear songs we knew.... even though I hate those Much Music songs in Canada, they were a rare comfort here on the dance floor. Dancing to random Korean songs just wouldn't have been the same. So, we are just getting into it, 3 or 4 songs in, and the music stops, moves into a slow tune, and everyone leaves the dance floor. Bla and I are confused. We go back to our seat and drink. In Korea, a lot of things are organized or pre-decided for the youth by elders. Opening a dance club must have come with its rules by the older generation, because a dance club this big and popular and hot, and with such great sound and music is probably too taboo and Western for the average Korean parent. So the Korean flair is that the music stops/slows every 5 songs exactly, so that no one get too tired, exhausted or too close and sexy with a member of the opposite sex that they would get the chance to hook up. Then you go back to your table with your friends, and wait for the next 10 min dance set. It was tooo weird. The second you get into your groove, the music stops and everyone leaves. It was definately a way mostly to deter close dancing and mingling of opposite sexes, as the groups of friends were all single sex. Actually, the majority of people on the dance floor were groups of guys dancing together in a circle, breaking out intense dance moves. It was strange to have a mainly guy dance floor, as girls are usually the overwhelming majority in Toronto clubs. The age limit also probably ensures that if people do hook up, they are within 5 years of one another in age.
We also went on a spur-of-the-moment trip to Busan, Korea's 2nd largest city (Seoul = 1st). I needed to shop, and Jake needed to go to a casino! Casino's in Korea are only for foreigners (another example of controlling citizens behaviour), so they are obviously rare, as the clientelle pool isn't very large. We had some nice dinner, chicken galbi, went to the mall where I got a few unique articles of clothing, and then we played Black Jack and Roulette at the Busan Lotte Seven Luck Casino!
Jake and I are head
ing to Beijing for the Chusok, or Thanksgiving, holiday for 5 days and 4 nights Sept 22nd-26th. We just got our finalized travel itinerary and take a look at our 5 star hotel!! The Loong Palace Hotel has 9 restaurants (2 clubs) and anything else you need for sports, spa, cinema, bowling or anything else really. We are very excited. Here's our travel itinerary!
Only one more week of work 'till we hit up China!! Yaaay! I am super stoked for the Beijing duck, acrobat show, Forbidden City, Great Wall and Tian'an Men square!!
That's it for now, here are my pics!
** Colleen's Pics**
We've switched classes, which will happen every two months, so we have a new batch of kids to get to know and learn. That's 5 - 8 classes of new names! It's thrown a much needed change of pace into the work schedule though.
September has been somewhat quieter than the
past few wild months, but not a lot quieter! We went to a dance club one night to satisfy Bla's (Simon's gf) unquenchable desire to go dancing since her broken foot had finally healed. So, she got the names of a few clubs, and we went to the one that was supposed to be a 20-25 year old crowd, what we thought would be a fun night. We all got on our dancing shoes and headed to New Concert dance club in New Downtown. There were some serious looking but scrawny Korean bouncers at the door in suits and headsets. We were nervous there was a dress code, but in the end it seems there wasn't. (Though I was later informed that there was an "age code"... any Korean older than 25 is rejected. Good thing Simon is British and intimidating, otherwise he could have been kicked out because he is 35) The place was HUGE! Absolutely large. The ceiling was a few stories high, and there were tables and booths everywhere, and then a huge dance floor at the front with a giant stage, and a d.j in center stage that rotated every song set (as shown in picture!).So, the dance floor was rocking, we got some beers, and then Bla and I went to dance. We started grooving to some really cool remixes, all of western hip hop and pop songs. It was nice to hear songs we knew.... even though I hate those Much Music songs in Canada, they were a rare comfort here on the dance floor. Dancing to random Korean songs just wouldn't have been the same. So, we are just getting into it, 3 or 4 songs in, and the music stops, moves into a slow tune, and everyone leaves the dance floor. Bla and I are confused. We go back to our seat and drink. In Korea, a lot of things are organized or pre-decided for the youth by elders. Opening a dance club must have come with its rules by the older generation, because a dance club this big and popular and hot, and with such great sound and music is probably too taboo and Western for the average Korean parent. So the Korean flair is that the music stops/slows every 5 songs exactly, so that no one get too tired, exhausted or too close and sexy with a member of the opposite sex that they would get the chance to hook up. Then you go back to your table with your friends, and wait for the next 10 min dance set. It was tooo weird. The second you get into your groove, the music stops and everyone leaves. It was definately a way mostly to deter close dancing and mingling of opposite sexes, as the groups of friends were all single sex. Actually, the majority of people on the dance floor were groups of guys dancing together in a circle, breaking out intense dance moves. It was strange to have a mainly guy dance floor, as girls are usually the overwhelming majority in Toronto clubs. The age limit also probably ensures that if people do hook up, they are within 5 years of one another in age.
We also went on a spur-of-the-moment trip to Busan, Korea's 2nd largest city (Seoul = 1st). I needed to shop, and Jake needed to go to a casino! Casino's in Korea are only for foreigners (another example of controlling citizens behaviour), so they are obviously rare, as the clientelle pool isn't very large. We had some nice dinner, chicken galbi, went to the mall where I got a few unique articles of clothing, and then we played Black Jack and Roulette at the Busan Lotte Seven Luck Casino!
Jake and I are head
ing to Beijing for the Chusok, or Thanksgiving, holiday for 5 days and 4 nights Sept 22nd-26th. We just got our finalized travel itinerary and take a look at our 5 star hotel!! The Loong Palace Hotel has 9 restaurants (2 clubs) and anything else you need for sports, spa, cinema, bowling or anything else really. We are very excited. Here's our travel itinerary!Only one more week of work 'till we hit up China!! Yaaay! I am super stoked for the Beijing duck, acrobat show, Forbidden City, Great Wall and Tian'an Men square!!
That's it for now, here are my pics!
** Colleen's Pics**
