It Seemed Like a Good Plan

I have mentioned in the Too Much of a Good Thing post that I have visited Korean dance clubs three times. My second trip was so bizarre involving hostesses dressed as Russian submarine sailors, a fight, a trip to the police station, interviews by the U.S. Military Police, crashing an English course at one in the morning, smoking hookah with a model from Portland... I'm hesitant to write it because I fear I cannot do it justice. Perhaps one day, but not today. Instead, I will tell a quick story about my third trip to the dance clubs since I am procrastinating packing for my trip to CT tomorrow.

One of my good friends here, Mike, is a Korean who lived in the States for several years and now teaches English in Seoul. One night he texts me that he will be in Suwon Friday night and I should join him. The night life there is pretty good, so he wants me to see it for myself. Of course I agree even though Suwon is about an hour and half trip by subway.

I arrived around nine o'clock even though things don't really start until midnight. Since we both hadn't eaten, we decided to scout around for a restaurant. We found a Brazilian barbecue place (Korean style) that was all you could eat for 12,000 won ($12); however, if you left food on your plate it was 24,000 won. Okay.

What does Korean style mean? It means that you cook the meat at your table. Not someone that works at the restaurant. You. Korean barbeque is very good. I've heard it is becoming popular in the States. I hope that is true. Since this was all you could eat, the raw meat was part of a buffet that included pasta, squid, and of course kimchi.

Korean Barbeque is really good.

As you cook the meat, you cut it with scissors so that you can use chopsticks. Usually, you roll the cooked meat in a piece of lettuce with some other vegetables or rice. It is one of my favorites. Sadly, we did not eat all of our lettuce and were charged a 900 won food wasting penalty. That's roughly 90 cents.They can be very tough here.

Once we had finished dinner, Mike leads me to his favorite bar in Suwon, the Lucky Duck. "It's a dart bar with chicks," he says with a smile. Mike is a very good dart player, so I was surprised to see two dart machines, several tables, and a ... dance area. "They dance here too. Darts. Dance. It's all good. I don't dance though."

The club was not that crowded but we still had to wait our turn to play darts. As we were waiting one of the nerdiest guys I have ever seen wearing a blue tank top T-shirt begins to dance by himself. It was hilarious. Then some of his male friends join him on the dance floor. I love to watch the Koreans dance. They simply love to dance. These guys, however, were a little touchy-feely which is somewhat odd here.

Finally, it was our turn at darts. As we played I caught the eye of a woman near the dart machine. She clearly wanted to dance. Being the only foreigner in the dance club is a huge plus, so I asked her to dance. "Why not?", she said and off we went.

It was fun. She was a good dancer. When the song ended I thanked her for the dance and headed to our table. She must have really liked the next song because she grabbed me and dragged me back to the dance floor. I love the dance clubs.

Sadly, the summers here are really humid. Eventually, you work up a sweat sitting let alone dancing. We both needed a breather. I made it back to where Mike was sitting and started to drink my beer. The nerdy guy also needed a break until he passed my table. I guess seeing a foreigner was too much for him. Once again, a dude dragged me onto the floor at a Korean dance club.

I was a little concerned having seen him grind with his buddies, but I thought my female dancing partner would come to my rescue if I got in trouble. Indeed, I thought that would be a clever way to get her back on the dance floor. The guy was very nice asking me where I'm from and telling me how much he loves the U.S. Then his friends surrounded me. And they got closer and closer. Then the nerdy guy wanted to grind! His friends grabbed me, and I started waving to my female dance partner. I couldn't help but laugh. It was too ridiculous, but I also needed to get out of there. I got the attention of my partner's friend. She laughed and tapped my dance partner on the back. Thank God, I was about to be rescued. My dance partner turned, saw my predicament, and ... left! I really thought I was going to be dancing with her the entire night. Instead, I was trying to free myself form four grinding males as Mike just sat at the table laughing. I really thought the rescue ploy was going to work. The theory seemed sound.

Pizza on the Subway

The scene: One of the greatest subways systems in the world... and the most used.


The players:
A beautiful Korean woman standing in the subway car, headphones on, reading Jane Eyre completely oblivious to the rest of the world.

A doofus from Indiana carrying a pizza, our hero.


I suspect my friends are somewhat surprised how long it has taken for me to write about the subway. When I returned to the States last October after interviewing in Seoul, I raved about the subway system. I believe I was even mocked for how much I talked about the Seoul subway. Did that bother me? No, because the subway here is the greatest subway on the planet.

Okay, I have only been on the subway in London, Toronto, D.C., New York, and Tokyo. I really like the subways in D.C and Toronto. In 2004, I went to Japan on a business trip with a colleague from Greece. That was my first trip to a non-English speaking country, and I was a little intimidated. Fortunately, my Greek friend was well traveled and dragged me out to explore Tokyo.

Since cabs in Japan are expensive, we decided to try to use the subway. I remember entering the nearest station and being completely overwhelmed. The map on the wall was monstrous. The maze of lines was impressive. There were some English words, but that didn't really help. My friend and I just stared at the map trying to figure out how to get a ticket. Then a little old lady who didn't speak a word of English starts yelling at us as she points to the map. I smile at her, but she keeps talking and pointing. She points at the spot where we are. She points at another station. Then she points at the number above that station at the top of the map. She must have done this for several minutes. Then it hit me. If you go from here to there, you pay that. Suddenly, all of Tokyo opened up to us because a little Japanese lady who looked to be 150 years old was certain she could explain it to us. Awesome.

The subway in Seoul

It is not as complicated as it looks

So why do I rave about the Seoul subway? Well, There are English subtitles everywhere. The station announcements on the trains are also spoken in English. Transfer announcements are made in English. Those things are very helpful but those things don't set it apart. The first thing I really like about this subway is that there are glass doors preventing access to the tracks. For some reason, I sometimes fear someone will push me onto the rails just before the train arrives. Can't happen here (at least at most stations).

Outer glass doors will not open until train stops

Another thing that sets this system apart is the labeling of the stations above the glass door. Once in the New York subway, a friend who knew where she was going took the train in the wrong direction. I didn't mind. She was good company, but that is hard to do here.

The station the train came from and the station it is headed to has saved me many times.

A few months after my divorce I tried online dating. Many of my dates were in New York which meant taking the subway. "From the northeast corner of the subway exit go three blocks and take a right. The cafe will be on your left." Finding the right way out of the subway in New York drove me crazy. Granted, that is not a long drive but still... Here the exits out of the subway are numbered. "Let's meet at the Iranian restaurant. From Itaewon station take exit 3 and take the third right turn." Numbering the exits is simply brilliant.

Exits 1,4,5,8,9, and 10 are to the right. Exits 2,3,6, and 7 are to the left.

Finally, each subway train has its own wireless hotspot. Your cell phone will get a signal deep in the heart of the subway system. Many people watch TV on their cell phones as they ride the metro. Indeed, most people are online and in their own world which leads us back to the attractive Korean lady and our Hoosier doofus. Recall that she has her head phones on, reading a book. The train is crowded so she is standing near the end of the car. Having a pizza to hold, I make my way to the end of the car. I notice her book is in English. I love talking to people on the subway, but there is no chance today. She doesn't even see me. Then she sniffs. Another sniff. She looks up. She looks around. She spots my pizza and smiles. Off come the headphones, "That smells really good." The headphones go back on. Another sniff. Reading is no longer possible. I think it helped that it was near dinner time. "That smells really good."

"I'm sorry. I was in the mood for pizza."

"Isn't there a place near you? What is so special about that pizza?"

To me trains are romantic. Something about the chance encounter, serendipity. "I think the brick oven was imported from Italy. All I know is that it is really good. It's called the Canadian - pepperoni, mushrooms, and bacon. Would you like the menu?"

"I'll give it to my sister. I am visiting her. I live in Paris and leave in a few days."

She's Korean, lives in France, speaks English, ... and I have her complete attention. Offer her a slice. Suggest that we get off at the next stop. We won't leave the station. We will just wait for the next train as we eat a slice of pizza. Do it! It will be really cool. Pull the trigger. You will never see her again.

This wasn't about a pickup. It was just about sharing an experience. But I couldn't bring myself to do it. She might have said no. She might have said yes. I will never know, and that is what made me a doofus.  Still, I love riding the subway. Look for the guy with the pizza box. It's probably me.

Next week I'm in the States! I can't wait to see my daughter. I'm also a little worried about culture shock. "What do you mean, the bar is closing?" Hopefully, I will get to see the sun. That would be nice.

Parking Issues

One of the things I really miss is listening to the radio while I drive. I even miss the radio wars with my daughter. Thank God she no longer listens to the Disney Channel.

I do not have a car in Korea, nor do I plan to get one. Driving here is crazy. So is parking. In a city with 10-12 million people (I keep losing count) parking is precious. You know you are in Seoul if you are dodging cars while walking down the sidewalk.

One way Koreans deal with parking is to just double park behind other cars.

This looks like a good spot

This seems strange for a country that is so polite to be so rude when they park. Well, it turns out that they are actually considerate even when they double park. If you look at the second photo there are spaces between the double parked cars. It turns out that those cars are in neutral, so if you need to get out you just push the car blocking you out of the way. At first, Oliver and I were skeptical until we pushed one of them ourselves. Amazing. It sort of reminds me of those number puzzles where you have to push tiles around.

There is more to this than meets the eye.

Another creative innovation is in the parking garages. In New Haven I would go crazy when the car ahead of me would virtually stop in the parking garage looking for an open space on the lower floors. In Korea, there are lights that let you know if a space is open. That is just brilliant. The garage also talks to you when you leave your car. I haven't ridden with anyone who speaks Korean to know what was said, but it sounds very happy and uplifting.

Green lights are open spaces.

This garage is for the Korean version of Walmart. It is three stories with groceries on one floor and house hold items on another floor. To facilitate shopping on both floors, the escalator is flat so you can take your shopping cart with you. There actually are magnets near the wheels of the cart that lock it into the grid as you go up or down.

Perhaps one day I will get the urge to drive here. I love the signs. I mean the drivers may be crazy but at least they prohibit electric cars.

And some signs are quite considerate.

I'm not really sure why you need a sign to say goodbye. When I ask Koreans, they start to laugh. "I have never really thought about it. They are everywhere." The literal translation is more like 'we have enjoyed having you.' Of course, if I ever do drive, I will be too busy avoiding the taxis to read these uplifting messages.

Off to the Philippines for a long weekend. My first spur of the moment trip ever. I wonder what kind of disaster that is going to be.

Too Much of a Good Thing

I have gone to three different dance clubs in the last month or so. None of the trips were planned, but each experience can only be described as spectacular.

The first trip was to a place call Volume in Nowon. Nowon is a very cool place with many outdoor restaurants and one of my favorite bars called Metropolis. I have blogged about Metropolis before. It was there I watched the Stanley Cup Finals with the Canadians. Several Fridays ago one of the Canadians called, "Hey, you want to play poker? We are at Metropolis." We played three sets of Texas Hold-em. I was the first one out every time. My poker skills are non-existent here. Then I got crushed in darts. Just wasn't my night.

It was nearly midnight when the Canadians got the urge to go to the dance club. They were shocked to learn that I had never been. There is a good reason I have never been. I am too old. Several of the clubs require you to be under a certain age. This was not a scene I was anxious to visit.

"We always have a good time there. You have to go. You will be the token foreigner. Everyone will want to dance with you."

The club was only a few blocks away. It was in the basement. The bouncer looked older than me which made me feel better. We put our umbrellas in a locker and entered what looked like a miniature movie theater with tables in the seating section. Up front there was a railing that separates the DJ from the dance floor. In the back there was the bar.

At many Korean bars you have to order food. This place was no different, so we got the cheapest platter for three and hit the dance floor. The music was typical dance club fare. Electronic music with a strong pulse and lots of energy. The cool thing about this place was the amount of strobe and laser lights. Everyone knows Canadians can't dance, but my friends looked good moving in the strobe lights; so I was hopeful I wasn't making a fool of myself (I've got some moves - okay perhaps not).

Anyway, my friends were right. Several people wanted to dance with me. Every time I turned away from my Canadian friends a new girl was there ready to dance. Koreans are phenomenal dancers. Some of them have amazing moves, but what really makes them shine is their love of dancing. I have not seen such joy in a very long time. I have been to some dance clubs at Yale. They are fun but way more predatory. The dancing in New Haven seemed to be  more about the hook ups and not the dancing. At Volume, every time I made eye contact, the girl would just beam and start to dance with me. At times the fog machine would cut visibility to zero. As the smoke would fade, attractive women would emerge and begin to dance with me. With the laser lights bouncing off them, it was really surreal.

The Korean guys were really cool too. Many of them dance by themselves or with their male friends. It really is about the dancing and having fun. They too would want to dance with me. One even dragged me onto the dance floor as I was trying to drink my beer. Side note: the staff hang around the dance area with brooms and dust pans awaiting the inevitable broken glass from people being dragged onto the dance floor.

"Where are you from?"

"U.S."

"We love the U.S.!"

This exchange was repeated several times and was usually followed by high-fives. Then they would try to mimic my dance moves. Even if they were mocking me (I don't think they were), it was an absolute blast. At 2:30 in the morning the DJ took a break. When the music didn't restart at 3 my friends were ready to go home. I was actually disappointed. I was having so much fun I didn't want to leave. The club was still crowded, but too much of a good thing...

Slightly Miraculous

I have been a little melancholy lately and find myself reflecting on my graduate school beginnings which seem several lifetimes ago.

When I was 24 I entered grad school. I really didn’t know what I wanted to do, but I had to do something. I was busing tables at night and substitute teaching at my old high school during the day. It was fun for awhile until the restaurant hired a new hostess who was also a student of mine. I spent my next day off applying to the Ohio State University Biochemistry Program. And then I totally forgot about it. One night I was getting ready for my shift at the restaurant when I noticed the answering machine blinking. “This message is for Bradley Baker. This is Dr. Trewynn. We received your application and would like you to visit the University…” 

I knew no one in Columbus, had no idea where to live, or what to expect. I eventually found a two bedroom apartment above a McDonald’s that was right across from campus. I know it is hard to believe, but I never ate at that McDonald’s. I was too poor. With my parents help I moved in a few days before orientation. “Welcome to The Ohio State University. You are one of 10,000 graduate students.” 

That was a very special time. The classes were so difficult. There were 24 students in our program half of which were Chinese. We were told there would be about a 70% attrition rate. They were wrong. It was higher. In an effort to survive, a few of us formed a study group. A couple of my favorite quotes:

“My last Biochemistry course was C201 Chemistry of Biological Processes. Now I’m taking C801 Physical Biological Chemistry. I’M MISSING 600 COURSE ASSUMPTIONS!”

“Okay, the section I was responsible for last night was describing the chemical reaction… and I quote from the text ‘with the position of the substrate to the nucleophilic group in the catalytic site, the polarity of the transition state is intuitively obvious.’ Uhm, I think we’re screwed.”

“Uhm, that was intuitively obvious.”

“Hey, your cat just shit on page 603 of my genetics book. Can you tell me what it says?”

Oh, those were good times. I was responsible for that last quote as one of the girls brought her new kitten to a study session. I thought her cat liked me as it sat on my book just staring at me. I was wrong.

Two of the women in that group became very special to me. Both were in long distance relationships. One boyfriend was in England. The other boyfriend was in Toronto. Email was just becoming available, and Anne was using it every afternoon to catch her boyfriend before he went to sleep. Kelly would drive 8 hours every weekend to Toronto. The weekend study sessions (sans Kelly) lacked focus.

“Hey, has anyone studied the z-cycle of photosynthesis?”

“No, let’s race go-carts.”

Since my apartment was so close to campus, Anne and Kelly would come over several times a week to study. They didn’t have anything else to do, and, sadly, neither did I. So that is what we did. I did pretty well that first semester. I also fell in love with both of them. I have hated long distance relationships ever since.

The second semester was a different story. On the coldest night in January, I was woken by yells. “Fire! Fire! Get out!” I put my jeans on, found my glasses, and saw smoke coming from under the kitchen door. I became so nervous I couldn’t put on my socks or shoes. When I opened the door opposite from the smoke, I scared the hell out of two guys standing in the hallway yelling at their friend to get out. I can still see the flames preventing them from getting to him. He didn’t make it. I had fire extinguishers in the kitchen. I never thought to use them until way too late.

Shirtless and barefoot, I went down the back stairs. It was about two in the morning. In the back parking lot three people were watching the fire, a guy, his girlfriend and her sister all about my age. The sister took charge. “I have extra socks and a blanket in the trunk.” The boyfriend refused. “Give me the keys. It’s cold.” I still have the socks. They are one of my most precious possessions.

They left as I watched the fire spread to my bedroom. Flames were shooting out of my bedroom window. Not more than ten minutes had passed since I had woken up. I realized that if those guys hadn’t had been yelling at their friend to get out I probably wouldn’t have woken up. For weeks after the fire, I would wake up in the middle of the night and swear I would see smoke. I did not do so well that semester. I nearly dropped out. But I have always had the most amazing friends. They refused to let me quit. I am extremely thankful.

Fortunately, I had replacement insurance. It was at this time that surround sound came out. Amazing. One night, I was getting annoyed with the guy yelling in the alley next to my apartment until I realized it was really the movie. I love surround sound.

Now, I’m in Korea and do not have a sound system. I didn’t bring mine from the States because I was worried about the power converter (I’m still concerned with fires). So when two of my colleagues asked if I would like to go shopping for sound systems, I agreed.

My Korean colleague had already purchased her system from this place. She had spent several hours listening to different combinations of speakers, receivers, and CD players. She claimed the sales person had become her friend even though she made him turn off the air conditioner while they listened to each setup. It was only in the 90’s that day.

We listened to several systems, again with the air conditioner off. My other colleague listens primarily to classical music. I was surprised at how different the sound was for each system. There clearly were some better combinations. He decides on one, and we all agree that his choice had the best sound. As we were leaving I noticed a receiver with vacuum tubes. I really wanted to hear that. The sales person kindly hooked it up to the best sounding speakers. This time we listened to Queen. Unbelievable. The sound was so warm it enveloped us. We looked at each other in disbelief. We next listened to Russian Red’s Just Like a Wall. It was angelic. Larry looks at me and says, “Slightly miraculous.”

I’m ready to buy, but I need to make sure. “Could you please turn the air conditioner on? There is no way on God’s green earth I’m going to turn the AC off to listen to music.” Absolutely beautiful. Then the salesperson tells me the price. So I bought this portable speaker/CD gadget. You can’t always get what you want, but sometimes you’ll find you get what you need.