Gangnam

Gangnam romanced me twice in one weekend.

Friday night, I found Son Latin Bar, which George had recommended to me. The bar was little, the floor was large, and everything was lined with mirrors. After my friends left to find an actual bar, I was the only foreigner in the place. I never had to sit down, and I never had a bad dance. Each of them asked before we began if I danced on 1 or on 2. In Denver, most people dance on 1, because that's what's taught. In NY and LA, people dance both, and on 2 is popular because it gives a little more time for flair and shine, I think. Anyway, I danced until everyone had cleared off the floor, and even when I began unstrapping my gold shoes, I was asked to dance again by another Korean with a strong lead. When that (awesome) dance ended, they turned the music off and he began cleaning up the place.

Getting home was an adventure in trusting strangers. I got on the 9404, recommended to me by the boy at the bus stop, and decided, well, either I'll get there or I won't. He got off halfway through and told me it would be two more stops. Two stops later I asked the kid next to me, and he crossed his arms the way they do and said, "Jukjeon, no." When he got off, he said, "Jukjeon next next." Sure enough, two stops later, and fifteen minutes faster than the 1005-1, I was at the stop down the street from my work.



Saturday, my new friend Ji-hyun met me in Gangnam again. She showed me the shopping area in the subway station, the chain clothing store called Who.A.U (pronounced "who are you") with "californian style," the stretch of popular bars and nightclubs. Then she took me out for Japanese/Korean food; broth that you boil at your table and dump in cabbage and shavings of meat. Once you've eaten the big bits, you can sip the broth and order rice to make porridge. Oh my gosh. I wish I could send you a link for your taste buds. Later, Ji-hyun took me to Kyobo mungo bookstore and when I asked about a library she promised to take me there next time.