Music with Seoul

Hi Mom!! (and anyone else who reads this)

So yesterday i spent the day in Hongdae (which is fast becoming the major hangout spot around here ... lots of good drinking spots and the sort) and i had 3 very cool music experiences.

The first was a Korean hardcore show, which i went to with my buddy Craig whose pretty in the scene. I must say it was a pretty cool experience, i hadn't been to these kind of local shows since i was like 16, and the koreans really know how to rock it. The highlight of this show was definitely the singer of the headlining band, who can't speak a lick of english trying to encourage the 'fans' into a circle pit. A few of them obliged and it was definitely entertaining.

Next, i went to hang out at this park which was in the middle of the club area for about 5 minutes, and while there saw this super lame Korean hip hop crew who were trying to bust it out overtop of their boombox ... i'll attach the video and you can enjoy the musical stying of the group i call the Korean LFO.

Finally, after a night of chilling in Hongdae, me and some buddies headed back to the park to see if any of our fellow SMOE'rs were chilling and the park and we bumped into a few. However, i did stumble upon a few Koreans rocking some Djembe's. (djembe. .. my only weakness, how did you know?) I asked if i could pull a little jam and they allowed me to rock out with them which was certainly one of my highlights of this trip already ... I've put off buying a djembe at home for years now, but im definitely picking one up here when i get my first paycheck!

Enjoy the vids, the jam sesh one features myself and a random Korean guy on the drums, My new friends Gavin from England on the massive orange cone, and Mo from canada with the sick dance moves ... either that or i won't figure out how to post these damn videos and itll just be lame text.

** Hockey Update ** had my first season game with my new ball hockey team the Honey Browns today. We won both games 5-4 and i've been playing defence with them. Although i had a few lapses (after all i 've never played defence before) i think i did quite well all and all and did a succesful job checking the other teams top player with a few minutes left and the game on the line. My team seems pretty content with me (I'm the only rookie on the team) but i think i pissed off at least one member on the other side with my moderately physical style of play ... tough shit, that's how we do in Worms: Armageddon!!!

And one last note, I just talked to my recruiter Shane and it looks like this blog may be getting used for new recruits thinking about coming over to Seoul. If that proves to be the case and you are thinking about coming to Seoul i say hello! and i hope you make the decision to come on down. It's only been a month for me and I'm obviously very much still in what they call the, "honeymoon," stage ... but this month has been amazing and I haven't regretted it for a second ... I'll try and provide some actual insight that may be helpful, but no promises. Hope you get something out of my blog.

and that's that!
N2

Wow ... posting a video is freakin difficult lol ... i posted some pics and heres the youtube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77Xlgl9vDWA

Highlight of My Day

anyung haseyo!

so i know this post was spose to be about little things i miss from home, but the great thing about a Blog is i get to write about anything I want and can fully disregard previous ideas if i so choose. (If you must know, the answer is wooden chopsticks, forks and knives with every meal, drinking water from the tap and the smell of BC air ... no actual BC air)

That said, I was walking through the subway on my way to get dinner tonight (I am ashamed to admit i went to get KFC, and not so ashamed to admit that they have the best chicken burger here ... THEY PUT A FREAKIN HASHBROWN IN THE BURGER !!!!) when i walked past the subway performers at my station. My subway station is called Seoul National University (it's not actually that close to a university) and it is special from most subway stations as it has an area reserved for musical performances. Now usually i walk past these performances without paying much mind (busking acoustic guitar performances are basically the same anywhere in any language) but today I was treated to an amazing old Korean duo performing what i could only assume was in a traditional Korean style .. . the best part was they were a Trumpet and Accordion duo and they kicked ass. *** Attention future wife, these guys are playing our wedding. Love Darren ***

These guys were popular too, as there was a crowd of over 100 (mostly old) Koreans rockin their shit out to Seoul's Simon and Garfunkel. There was dancing and clapping and laughing, but easily the greatest part of all of this was one group of old folks sitting on the floor swaying and clapping. I mention these old folks cuz while they were all having a great time, one of them was Hand Jiving ... That's right, full on Danny Zuko HAND JIVING!!!! I've had a lot of times in Seoul where i've stopped and said to myself, "damn i wish i brought my camera," and yet i still hardly ever bring it with me ..... So instead i google searched a Korean dude with an accordion for you. it's almost 1/10th as cool as what i saw tonight.

Just as a final note, i got an email from the hockey team that drafted me this morning, only to get an email from them 4 hours later informing me that I'd been traded ... I wonder if these guys know im under contract and all transactions involving my services must be approved by Worms: Armageddon ...... I guess we can let this one slide;)

TTFN

Little Things (pt 1)

Little things…

So having been in Korea for about 2 and a half weeks now, I do have a lot of first impressions and have noticed quite a few cultural differences. So I thought now might be a good time to highlight some of these things that I think are awesome, and maybe even think about some of the little things I miss from home. So today I’m going to do a list of the top 6 little things I love about korea, and next time I’ll give a list about some of the little things I miss about home.

*Disclaimer* these are all just small superficial things, of course there is a lot about this country that I absolutely love and there are tons of major things about home that I miss a lot… But I’ve only been here for under 3 weeks and it is definitely way too early to be making reflections on anything major.

So here we go, the top 6 little things I love about Seoul

6- Sandals to work- I’ll admit I am yet to take advantage of this (I’ve been too cheap to buy a decent pair of sandals.) But I’m allowed to wear sandals around at work… Looks like I’ll have to break my own socks with sandals rule for a year ;)

5- Air conditioning everywhere- Literally every room ive been in in Korea is airconditioned. Even my dumpy 1 room apartment building has A/C. The subway, my classroom, my office, every restaurant… seriously awesome

4- Soccer Tennis- I can’t remember what the actual name of this sport is… but it’s awesome. It is exactly what the name implies, a mix of soccer and tennis. I played it once at the training ctr (we played Canada versus Korea and did surprisingly well) and the teachers at my school have informed me that I will be playing with them every Wednesday (didn’t get to play today because I had to go to a seminar, but in the future it’s on!!)

3- Bowing- Everyone bows in Korea. Students to teachers, teachers to teachers… everyone. I pretty much bow everytime I see anyone and they get a good kick out of it. But bowing is not only respectful, but pretty damn fun too. I’m implementing bowing in all Canadian schools when I go home

2- Cost of living- 1200 won (about a buck) for a bottle of Soju. 2-3 bottles of Soju to get hammered…. Nuff said

1- Drinking Customs- I must say, we are harsh lacking behind the Koreans when it comes to drinking customs. Everyone here drinks Soju in shots and believe me, after a few bottles you will be hammered. The rule is anytime you see someones glass empty you have to fill it, meanwhile you aren’t supposed to poor your own glass. When I first heard about this I asked my co-teacher, “Is this so no one drinks too much?” and he replied, “No, the opposite.” Suffice to say it’s a good party when you drink in Korea

So there it is, top 6 little things I love about Korea… I’ll do the top little things I miss about home later this week (or maybe even later today… looks like I got a lot of time to kill in my office today)

Bulgogi Birthday

Hey Everyone,

So for those of you who either don't know me that well yet, or just straight up don't know me... (if you don't actually know me and you're reading this i ask you to strongly re-evaluate your social life)... today is my 24th birthday.

But wait Darren it's only your 23rd birthday, you may say to yourself yet address to me...

To which i reply... That's right, but in Korea when you are born you are 1 year old, therefore as per the local system i am 24. So i bid you adieu sweet 23, you are the age i will never be....

Anyways, I'll be honest, I've bless with some amazing birthday presents in my lifetime. When i was 6 i got a Super Nintendo from my parents (possibly the most vivid memory of my childhood), When i was 19, my ex got me a wicked expensive double kick pedal (which i still use a lot yet am somehow remarkably shitty with) and almost every year my best friend writes me these hilarious home-made stories which can only be explained by seeing them and are really only funny if you are "in" with some of our many inside jokes...

But today i may have received a present that beats them all, for out of nowhere one of my 15 year old korean students who speaks maybe 4 sentences of english gave me the amazing birthday gift that is.... A giant garbage bag filled with pork.

Yes, after informing me earlier today that his favorite food is a Korean marinated Pork called Bulgogi, a fine young Korean man asked me after my last class today to confirm, "today is birthday???" After affirming his hypotheses, this wonderful child pulled out a rolled up black garbage bag filled with raw meat out of his backpack and said. "I get you present. It's Bulgogi." Now i have no idea how long this pork was in his backpack for and i'll be honest, i didnt get home to my freezer for at least 4 hours later (the 3rd grade... which is actually 12th grade teachers in Korea, wanted me to join them for an amazing Korean Beef dinner tonight)... So this Korean delicacy, "Bulgogi," my very well just straight up kill me. That said, I'm never one to turn down a gift, and im so flattered that one of my students actually got me a birthday present, that after freezing this meat for about 3 days, im gonna cook me up some. If i dont post again for awhile, its cuz im in the hospital with salmenella.

Anyways, just thought that was kind of a funny story. And to confirm how my birthday went (I was kind of half joking at home when i said i would spend my birthday this year crying myself to sleep alone in my apartment) I actually went out and got food and drinks with the teachers from my school. The vice-principal treated us to some Korean Beef which i will go out on a limb here and say is probably the best beef ive ever had in my life.

These middle aged Korean men love to buy me liquor and food... Now i know what it feels like to be female and hot.....

Until next time

PS, the picture is what bulgogi is supposed to look like.... i dont think im gonna be so lucky