The All Nighter

Quoting from the Customs and Social Expectations section in the Handbook for International Students and Scientists (KIST):

'-The exchange of business cards is common on first meetings. If you are a visiting scientist, it can be useful to bring a supply of cards, as well as order ones for your KIST position upon your arrival.

-Social drinking has been an important part of Korean culture. It is considered a way to deepen friendships and foster relaxed relationships among colleagues and business partners.'

I have sort of taken these two suggestions to heart. There seems to be a direct relationship between the number of business cards I hand out to the amount I have had to drink. This has led to some interesting phone calls and text messages.

'Hi sweet nerd! =) hows ur day going?'

Oh, boy. I'm glad I don't remember that conversation.

A few weeks ago a friend told me of a place in Itaewon that served really good Buffulo wings. When I entered the bar, the bartender said, "Bradley, I thought I would never see you again." Turns out I had met her at another bar the weekend after my Birthday which was over a month ago. I didn't recognize her at first. Then I remembered that she had passed the bar but would rather be a bartender than a lawyer. I told her that I got that. "Why do something you don't enjoy?" She immediately asked me to teach her English. Apparently, I had told her my life story. It was strange to talk to someone I just met who knew so much about me, but I was touched that she remembered.

Potentially, the best story happened last week. The Cohen lab had just arrived in Korea and wanted to go to a good wings place. Tuesday night the wings are 30 cents. Since my colleagues were new to Seoul, after wings we ventured on a pub crawl. In Korea, some bars will have last call, others will stay open until everyone has left. Having closed two bars down, we were heading home. The next thing I know, we are sitting in a pub talking to a woman who has had a little too much to drink.

She asks what we do. For some reason that night no one believed we were scientists. "Scientists, my ass," said one woman from Wisconsin as she left the bar. The Wisconsin girl had given us her extra wings and wanted us to guess what her boyfriend did. I guessed hand model. When she said it had something to do with fire, I guessed glass blower. Turned out he is an F-19 fighter pilot. Oops. I hope he doesn't transfer back to Seoul anytime soon.

So when we were asked this time, my colleague said, "Show her your business card." She snapped it out of my hand and put it in her purse. As we were waiting for a cab in the pouring rain, she came up to us three times telling us she has to go. A Korean man walked up to us and said one of you is going to have to take her home. Helping people home is part of the culture here. At night security guards are stationed in the subway stations to help those that have indulged too much to get on the right train home. We thought he meant something else. Fortunately, someone who knew her found her as a cab finally stopped for us.

That was Tuesday night. The wing place was hosting a Canada day celebration on Friday, July 1st. Since one of my colleagues is from Canada we went. As we were eating dinner, I got a phone call. "Hello, who is this?"

"My name is ____. I found your business card in my purse. What are you doing tonight?"

My group met up with her and went to the Canada day celebration. That was an amazing party. My new friend wanted to show me some other bars, so I split off from the group. Having a Korean show you the town is awesome. We went to three different places that included a lounge, a jazz club, and a bungalow bar called Bungalow. Then we ate at a tent along the main street in Itaewon where we had noodles and what I thought was squid. Turns out it was chicken feet. Not my favorite.

I had fun, but it was a little weird. It was definitely time to rejoin my friends who were still celebrating Canada Day. We met up, visited two more pubs, and then had some McDonalds. That gave us a second wind so back we go to the Canada Day celebration.The party had calmed down somewhat. Some of our group decided to head home, but the Canadian and I were having fun talking to people at the bar. One guy came up to me and asked if they were still serving alcohol. It was nearly four in the morning. He turned out to be an independent film maker. We exchanged business cards. An attractive woman at the bar wanted a business card. I'm out! I asked if I can have my card back. He refused.

"I want to introduce you to a friend of mine. She wants to meet westerners who are smart."

"Well, I'm a westerner."

Now I wasn't going to blog this story until I had met this person because I really wanted to end this post with:

...and that was how I met South Korea's first astronaut.

Weren't expecting that, were you? Unfortunately, due to some communication snafus that meeting is still in the works. I just received an e-mail that sounds like it will happen, but I decided to go ahead and tell this story just in case it falls through. I don't want to post stories that are not real. I have also been dying to tell this story.