Clubbing in Korea

 

Photo taken from Google.

One of the most unforgettable experiences I had in Seoul was going to a club for the first time ever in my life! I have never gone clubbing before, not in Singapore, not in Australia so going to the club in Seoul was a real eye-opener and unexpectedly awesome.

I have always had the conception that clubs were sleazy places for people to hook people up or get hooked, and that it will be dirty, filled with smoke (from the smoking) and crazy drunken people. I guess clubs are more or less like that, but the club I went to was a little less like that though it was still rather smoky in some areas.

I went clubbing with bf and three of my classmates (a Chinese girl, and two other Koreans who were born in US and Brazil). SS (Chinese girl) was three years younger than me so she has never been to a club before and she was really curious as to how “clubbing” was like. That was the same for me. I was curious too. And since we had a classmate (the Brazilian Korean) who frequently went clubbing few times a week, why not join him for a night and experience it for ourselves?

I actually thought that people are supposed to drink tons when they go clubbing. But of course, the choice is up to the individual. That night, bf and I only had one bottle of beer which was actually a free drink that was part of the very expensive club entrance fee, 30-freaking bucks (apparently it was a special night for that particular club we went to). We only drank that and danced the rest of the night away!

I do not really know how the clubs in other countries are like but in Korea, MOST of the guys (not all) are really GUTSY and they throw out their conservatism completely out of the club’s door once they enter. On the dance floor, when a girl is dancing alone, she is most likely to be grabbed by a guy or crept up upon from behind while dancing. Those are from my own observations and personal stories told by my classmates. My Chinese friend actually experienced both grabbing and being crept up on while we were there! It was probably because she was dancing alone… my bf was always beside me so thankfully I did not experience that (or maybe I’m not hot enough? haha). A lot of times, if the girl allows it, the guy can get really touchy feely…! I’ve seen a few of such cases while I was dancing and it gave me the creeps.

What I really enjoyed while clubbing was dancing on the dance floor however you want! I mean you don’t have to be a great dancer to enjoy club dancing. Just move to the music and dance your stress/worries away! I also got the opportunity to flaunt my shuffle dance moves when Party Rock Anthem started playing! Not that I’m a pro but I actually tried dancing while at home because it seemed so easy when you see so many people doing the dance. But it was surprisingly difficult at first and it took me a few practices before I got the hang of it. Anyway, I love how HIGH the atmosphere was while on the dance floor. Even if you’re not a dancer, you would get pulled in by your surroundings (the people and music) then eventually move to the groove!

However, the downside was dancing too much made me rather tired and it was way past bedtime so for me, I cannot really stay the entire night or for a veeeeery long time like how most would do when they go clubbing. I actually got tired at around 2+am (we went there at around 12+), rested and pulled through until 3am when I finally admitted defeat and asked to go home.

I did enjoy the overall experience but I am not the kind who can go clubbing regularly. Too much smoking and too late into the night.

A Peek Into His Home

Okay, so here are some photos I took while I spent the Lunar New Year over at bf’s home in Daegu. (Finally some photos to show!)

This is the front of his home.

The backyard where two dogs used to live. I saw the dogs last year but they’re gone now. One was given away while the other was… I shall let you guess what happened to it.

The entrance where we take off our shoes.

The corridor that leads into the living room, Kitchen and the rest of the house. The door right there at the back leads to the toilet while the room (at the left of the photo) right in front of the entrance is his sister’s room.

The kitchen and dining room where the family never fails to have a meal together when they’re all at home. (That’s bf’s hand)

Next, a peek into his grandparents home where his eldest uncle and family is staying at as well. Their house is more traditional and you have to go out of the house whenever you want to go to another room.

Now the surroundings of their village:

As you can see, his home is located more in the rural areas of Daegu. His family owns a cow farm so that’s why they live in the countryside. It is kind of inconvenient since one really has to have a car to travel in and out. But his village is not as far from the city as it seems. By car, it only takes about 25-30mins.

Back to Singapore…

Yes, I landed at exactly 12am this morning from Seoul. Already I’m missing bf badly, and missing everything about my life in Korea. I loved my life in Korea, the times spent in school, with my classmates and of course, with beloved bf. My heart felt so heavy when I had to leave that place, I wanted to stay longer, I had that bit of impulse to prolong my stay there, but I can’t… because of the dreaded last semester I have left in Aus.

Isn’t it amusing that there is such a bipolar difference in my response towards my study abroad experience in Australia and Korea. Albeit it was a pretty short stay in Korea, but I still loved everything about it. I wanted to stay longer, even if I have to study… in fact I loved studying there too. In Australia, I just want to complete my studies ASAP and get out of that boring country. I never fail to look forward to leaving Aus… Always counting down to leaving during vacations, not really missing that place much besides the awesome weather. One of the reasons I dreaded leaving Korea was because of the fact that I knew the time for me to go back to Aus was nearing. If Aus was out of the picture, I wouldn’t be as reluctant. Oh wells. Too much for me to state WHY I feel this way so I’m going to leave it for now. Anyway, I’ve come this far, just one more semester and I’ll be out of the bore-hole for good!

Although I’m no longer in Korea now, I’ll continue to blog bits and pieces of my experiences in Korea!

Living in an ice box…

Actually the weather these days may well be colder than an ice box. Today’s weather is presumably the coldest this season, with the lowest temperature at –17dc in Seoul. Fortunately, having lived here for more than a month I have learned to dress warm so I don’t feel that frozen when I’m outside wrapped up in warm clothes. I have a great Fubu padding coat, a pair of cute ear muffs, gloves and mufflers to keep me warm!

Two days ago, it snowed really heavily. Although the aftermath of a snowfall isn’t pretty, I still find snowfall beautiful and enticing. My bf is sick of snow due to his snow-clearing duties while serving in the S.Korean army. He had to spend hours clearing piles and piles of snow in kangwon-do, the province that experiences the most snowfall in S.Korea. He added that snow causes accidents around the country too. Yes it ain’t all that pretty when you’re around to experience the aftermath of a snowfall especially when the melted snow on the ground freeze into ice, making it hard to walk on slippery areas that has the potential to make you fall and break your bones. Thus, the past two days has been quite a chore for me while travelling to school especially when the snow doesn’t melt that quickly since SNU is located in the mountains where it’s colder than the other areas in the city. Besides the caution I have to take while travelling to school, I still love walking on (non-slippery) snow and I still love snowfall. It’s still beautiful no matter how awful the aftermath may be. Perhaps people from tropical countries (Singapore, other SEA countries) may share the same sentiments as me!