A Spring in My Step

Last night KIST held a K-Pop concert for 7,000 people on the grounds near the reflecting pool. The stage was impressive with a large orchestra in back and two huge screens on each side. As we filtered in to find our seats, KBS TV was showing a documentary about KIST on the big screens. It took a little while to realize this since the first scene I saw was what appeared to be the water treatment facility. Man, do they know how to get you ready for a concert.

Anyway, it seemed to be a day at KIST because they would show the Institute at various times during the day and interview someone. At one point the camera crew happens upon the office of a scientist with her picture on the door. The crew knocks and opens the door. Inside is an elderly man sprawled out on a chair watching a computer screen. He clearly has no idea what is going on. It is at this point that my two Korean friends start laughing and begin to translate. They tell me that the lady pictured on the door doesn't work at KIST. She is a model. He just liked her smile. Didn't anyone preview this documentary before it was aired on campus?

Next, the crew follows a young scientist back to the apartments where I live. He opens the door and invites the crew in. You then see his wife give him the look of death. She clearly wasn't warned of this intrusion and is frantically picking up their toddler's toys as the crew films her. As the scientist puts the toddler to bed, they interview the wife. Again, my Korean friends translate. "A scientist's salary is so small." Didn't anyone preview this documentary before it was aired on campus?

Back to the labs where they actually show my lab before it was renovated! I recognized the sign over the door. The crew enters and is welcomed by several smiling Middle Eastern men who proceed to show the camera... their prayer room?! My lab was previously an Islamic prayer room? I am not a religious man, so I don't know why I feel a little guilty occupying their prayer room. But I do. Maybe that is just too random for me.

Finally, the documentary crew ends up back in the elderly scientist's office with a picture of the model. He seems a little better prepared now as he has two beakers on his desk. He shows the camera a small spring and dunks it into one of the beakers. The spring gets longer. He then dunks the same spring into the other beaker and the spring collapses upon itself. He repeats this a couple of times, and it dawns on me that one beaker is full of hot water and the other has cold water. Cool, it is a temperature sensitive spring. Again, my Korean friends translate. "He wants to implant the spring into humans", my friend says as her face turns red. "And you can guess where he wants to implant it."

"No way! No way he said that." She continues to nod her head. "Why isn't everyone here cracking up? He is going to treat erectile dysfunction with a temperature sensitive spring?! What? you put a heating pad on your privates? I can't believe you." So I ask my other friend who verifies the story with her embarrassment. Wow! Didn't anyone preview this documentary before it was aired?

After the documentary, they showed a video on what to do in the case of a natural disaster. Rock and Roll! I was so ready for the concert to start.

I must say the concert was very entertaining. I told my Director that whenever the camera panned our way to act like you are singing. When I have watched Korean Pop on TV, I've noticed that the cameramen tend to find people in the audience who are singing. I tried to memorize the chorus of the Korean songs but couldn't really pull it off. Then they got to the first all English song. In Korea they have Teachers' day May 15th which is when last night's concert will air on TV. To honor Teachers' day they sang To Sir With Love. I started cracking up. I doubt many people in the US would get that reference let alone Korea. That song is from a 1960's movie about a teacher starring Sidney Poitier. I remember liking that movie but couldn't really remember much of it. Anyway, I may have been the only one there that knew that song. Fortunately, the program had printed the lyrics so I start singing along waving to the sky a little bit like Lulu does in this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbLs80cuots. Next thing I know my mug is on the two huge big screens flanking the stage. I'm on Korean TV! Well, maybe. They might actually preview the concert before it airs.