Clubbing in Hongdae...and Christmas Spirit!

This past weekend was relatively laid-back. After spending my yet-to-be-received paycheck on my upcoming trip to Japan, plus the fact that I still can't shake this flu/cold thing, I decided it would be wise to stay home Friday night. I got off work around 7:30 pm, came home, and spent the remainder of the evening catching up on all the e-mails that had been filling up my inbox.

Saturday morning I woke up to a dreary, rainy, cold day. Perfect time for me to clean...so that's just what I did. I love these wood floors, but man, do they get filthy! It's easy to ignore the dirt when it's buried in carpet! That afternoon I braved the conditions and set out for Wal-Mart...so much for saving money. Of course, it was for things I really need, like a Christmas tree and decorations...little did I know that a simple string of lights costs 10 bucks!

Saturday night I met my friends Kelly and Matt at Kelly's house. We then took a cab to Hongdae...it's an area right next to Hongik University, and a big nightlife mecca here in Seoul (and let me tell you, a nice change from Itaewon...Hongdae was much cleaner, much classier, and much less scandalous). We first stopped at a bar called "Route 66." Like many of the bars in Itaewon, it was packed with fellow foreigners. Call me crazy, but I find that I'm quite bothered when I walk into a joint and all I see are white faces and all I hear are English voices. I came to Korea, for the love of God, not St. Louis! I expect to see Koreans everywhere I go! It's just not right. I need, I want, I have to have culture!

Well, upon arrival at the night's final destination, culture is what I got! We went to Club O-Hoo, a dance club full of young people of all races, as well as the occasional Korean businessman still suited up in his work attire (most Korean white-collars have to work on Saturdays...how lousy is that?). It was a blast! For a few hours, I had the opportunity to show off my fancy dance moves (not excluding the Roger Rabbit, MC Hammer, and the infamous backbend, of course!) while burning kimchi calories. I would say it was a very good night! (Might I mention, too, that just the night before I regrettably missed a special performance by DJ Jazzy Jeff at this very club?) Finally, In the wee hours of Sunday morning, we took a cab back to Kelly's, ate some junk food, talked a bit, and crashed.

Sunday was another low-key day...I came home, took a shower, put on my jammies, and got in the Christmas spirit. With the help of the "Elf" Soundtrack and a couple mugs of hot cocoa, I slowly transformed my Korean studio into a winter wonderland, complete with tree, garland, and lots of $10 lights. Since the Koreans don't get too festive about December 25th, (the Christmas section in Wal-Mart is about 10 feet wide) it's not surprising that I seem to be the only person in a 5-mile radius who has decorated my apartment. Hey--who's going to be having a very, merry Christmas, the bah-humbugs out there, or ME?

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree, please make my place less depressing!