3-2-1, Kimchi!

Having 300 people, almost all in their 20's, in a place they know very little about and know almost no one is a great situation to be in. It forces everyone out of their comfort zone and pushes you to make friends with whoever and whenever you can. That being said, the nightlife here gets very entertaining very fast. Everyone here leaves the dormitory every night in little groups and inevitably joins forces with all the other little groups in pursuit of the best bar. The area around the university here has a few restaurants and bars, but after a couple nights out, most of the people here have exhausted all those choices. Hence, my first real Korean adventure.

Last night I left the dorms with a group of girls who are all going to Busan. Almost immediately we teamed up with a few guys (who are unfortunately teaching in a different city) via the "make fast friends" approach. The guys had made up their minds to go into the downtown area to find some new bars, and myself and three of the girls decided this was a good time to venture out...we made the right choice! We successfully hailed two cabs and the guys managed to communicate a certain bar to the drivers. After countless attempts to communicate with our cab driver, who I think was just saying that he likes the USA over and over again, we ended up in a really cool shopping district. Also as a side note, the cab ride was about 10-15 min longs and the total fare 5600 won--that's about $5, so split between all of us it was a little over a buck a piece! Anyways, we took walk around the shops and ended up stopping in a little bar where a couple of Korean guys were playing live music; they were really good and even added in some Jason Mraz, which they sang in English for us. But the best part of the night was still yet to come.




We left the first bar to see if we could find a place with a little more going on. On the way, the guys decided to pick up a couple beers from the convenience store for the walk around-- that's right folks, no open container laws in Korea...for real. It was shortly after this that we were walking down the street when a group of Korean college kids caught up with us. They wanted to say hi, practicing their English, and take a few pictures with us. What ensued was them taking us under their wing for the rest of the night. They took us to get chicken wings, more beer and soju (Korean Liquor). The taught us Korean slang and talked American sports. They wanted to know what Basketball players we liked and what we thought of baseball-- Korea actually has a national baseball league. So naturally, being from Pittsburgh, I asked if they new any football teams. Much to my delight they said they didn't watch American football but they know.... Hines Ward!! Not only was this great for the obvious reasons, but also, one of the guys we were out with, was from Baltimore and was making Pittsburgh digs all night! Best .Karma. Ever. After I finish yelling in excitement and laughing in Mr. Baltimore's face, I took quick video of my Korean friend supporting the 'Burgh (see my facebook wall for this quick clip!).

We eventually made out way back to the dorms with minutes to spare before the university locks it's doors for the night, and I crept back into my as not to wake roommate, thinking of all things I would tell her she missed out on when woke in the morning. More to come soon!!