Seoul nights

"Hey, remember that J Lo song 'Waiting for Tonight,'" he asked, as we stepped out of the taxi. Just as we had when he asked the same question about Ace of Base or Backstreet Boys, we all started singing the song as we walked back home at 4:30 in the morning.

Our second night out in Seoul began about eight hours before our sing-along with a late dinner in Hongdae, the neighborhood around Hongik University. Three of us shared a rich, spicy chicken stew and a bottle of soju. Soju, the rice-based traditional Korean liquor, tastes like vodka, but just a little sweeter, and about a third as strong. You drink shots of it with friends, drinking after toasting with the Korean cheers, "gun-beh!"

We met up with more friends after dinner and had drinks at Star Bar before making our way to S-Club where we spent the rest of the night. The fact that it was free tequila night became obvious as soon as we walked down the stairs and onto the dance floor where we were met by more than a few guys passed out at the tables on the edges of the room.

Also apparent, as soon as we walked onto the dance floor, was which side of the family my awful dancing come from. S-club was--give and take a few songs--playing the current Top 40 hits from the U.S. But, the way Koreans danced to the music was different from any American dance floor where these same songs blasted from speakers. There was no close body contact. There wasn't even quick or varied movement. Mainly, there was very awkward and slow bobbing. Surrounded by bobbing and swaying, it became obvious who the Americans in the club were.




We didn't really try to assimilate. Especially when the DJ played our request: J Lo's "Jenny From the Block"

Koreans weren't the only occupants of the dance floor. If you want to find Americans, or other white foreigners in Seoul, there are basically two places to go. As in any other country, stops at American chains(Starbucks, McDonald's, etc.) will always yield a couple sightings. But, if it's hordes of whites that you want, stop by one of Seoul's many nightlife districts like Hongdae, Sinchon(where I live), or Itaewon.

Seoul clubs, just like in America, seem to have their fair share of sketchy guys. One of the guys we encountered happened to be one of the Americans who enjoys the Seoul nightlife. The four of us who came from Yale stuck together on the dance floor, joined at times by Jane's friend from Sogang and his friends. One rather obese and creepy American decided he wanted to join the fun and snuck up behind Jane and started dancing. The fact she skipped the normally more subtle hints of disinterest and straight out scattered away didn't seem to phase him. Another Korean guy came over to our group a few times, and kind of stood about half a foot from us clapping his hands over his head.

All in all, a fun night that resulted in so many unflattering pictures: