Friday Nights
Category: Life

Here it comes around again and I realize that as I have been working madly and almost non-stop for a month that I have barely noticed the passing of time except that it is now Friday night and I want to go to dinner with a friend.

And as it happens that time of year has come again when those friends I've made and gotten to know and gotten close to in the last year and a half have gone again. Most notably my infrequent but fun Friday night date who spent a lot of time volunteering the Daegu Animal Shelter.

The Volunteer, as it were, has left Korea with the hopes of journeying to China, then home to England, and the finally to stop in Italy for a year of teaching in Milan. An excellent idea and one I will have to try myself at some point.

During the month I was in front of a lot of people trying to do my helpful part in introducing others to Korea. So Friday night I go by myself, realizing that my dinner plans are moot and I will simply have to find someplace nice to eat by myself. The one restaurant I wanted to go to would not seat me.

"Moya?"

"Chay-sung-ham-ni-da. Jiggun-um, du-saram....chany-sung-ham-ni-da."

Tonight we can only serve two people at a table. We don't have enough tables for you to eat alone. I'm not thrilled about eating alone. I'm less thrilled about being turned out of one of my favorite places because I am alone.

I stumble until the cool but somehow muggy streets and I think of all the friends I've said goodbye to as I work my way to the Lonely Hearts Club. On my way down the stairs I run into teachers who were in one of my lectures. They say hello and I'm polite.

I head into the bar which has roughly twenty people sitting around a bunch of tables gathered up. They each separately find a second to come up and introduce themselves, attendees at one of my lectures, happy to see me again, thank you.

Each walks away and I'm left at the bar alone.

The Lonely Hearts is crowded with people who know me and still I sit isolated with them all. Even more so because of my erstwhile fame.

I say goodnight to Hyun and go home early.

11:45 AM - 6 Comments - 12 Kudos - Add Comment

Politics: I have a vagina, yet don’t go into $19 Million dollars worth of debt

Sarah Palin


So I really need this. Sarah, like you, Sara, you're like McCain's VP pick.
Yes, thank you random Korean student. Sara is now a name in the media. Aren't I lucky. Can we go back to comparing me to Abraham's wife and asking me if I'm submissive to my man? Cause really, that's less annoying.

Why did McCain pick Palin?

7:24 AM - 19 Comments - 16 Kudos - Add Comment

Body Color

Body Circus: Highlights



Body Magic and the Organizer of Doom



The Jamaican and her fantastic paint job.



Body Circus



Devil



Motion



Movement



Rest



Revelry



Exposed

8:16 AM - 26 Comments - 22 Kudos - Add Comment

Body Painting Festival and Daegu
Category: Art and Photography

Daegu somehow managed to get the World Body Painting festival to come for a visit. I discovered the event shortly upon my return to Korea from a my all to short holiday in Chicago while standing on the street in the middle of the bright morning sun and wishing to the merry gods that I was in air conditioning. Somehow even in my jet lagged state I managed to recall it during the following week and do some google searching to pull up the info.

After reading through the site in English I realized there would be a Body Circus/Ball in advance of the day shows at the stadium and the only thing I could think about that was that I wanted to go. So I made an appointment to pick up some tickets in person ahead of the party and in the meantime made do with trying to stay on top of everything else going down in my work life.

As the date approached I dealt the last minute franticness of a run to Seoul and arrived in the 'Gu at six in the evening and just ahead of my rendezvous with the Jamaican who was going to accompany me to the party.

Originally I intended to make a new outfit for the Circus but my idea and reality chose not to conicide. I wanted to be colorful and pink and the outfit I designed fell flat so I wore instead a pink silk blouse I had made some time ago thinking that it would have the appropirate amount of color and flow.

At eight I walked down to pick of the Jamican with a cheese sandwhich in tow since she had not eaten and I had only barely had time to eat. On the walk I gave her a scarf that I had found that just screamed it would match whatever she would be wearing and was rather mollified that the chamelieon scarf which shifted between pruprle and gold did just that.

I realize, that rather stupidly, I had a number of expectations. I should no better. I live in Korea. Korea will completely dash any hope or expectation that one has. What did I expect in going to the Body Painting Festival? Ahhh, so much. I wanted an evening to hang out with some like minded individuals from around the world. I wanted to meet lovely young models from Europe and watch them get painted. I wanted to see Daegu take of the conservative mantel that it is shrouded in for a chance to be free and unusual and unique in Korea for accepting the fair. So many mislaid expectations really.

What I got was reality and reality I should have been prepared for. When we arriaved early to get done up we discovered that being foriengn we really stood out in the crowd of upper class Daegu denzians. Somehow this party was full of the kinds of Koreans who attend black and white balls, and galas, and openings. This was immeditaly the opposite of the crowd I had anticpated. I thought with hope that perhaps as the evening wore on it might change. Then, since we were early, the Korean camera crews decided to fixate on both myself and the Jamican. She had the shorter end of the stick as she actually ended up being interviewed by one of the news outlets. I new better than to let that happen, but only barely. There were so many bright lights and all those bright lights were following us around. It was annoying. It was very Korean.

I won't get started about Korean media circuses here, because that is a conversation for an entirely different day.

As it was we finally managed to escape into the cool empty darkness of the ballroom. And that is what it felt like, empty darkness. Mind you it was somewhat crowded with the jet set Korean crowd, but those same jet setters stood aloof. This was not a group of people that let their hair or anything else hang loose. The artists entered the hall shortly after that, a smallish troupe of beautiful people with wonderful ideas and talent. As soon as they walked in and began to congregate the news crew swept over them isolating them. Watching this from the sidlines created a feeling of unease. I do love being in Korea, but this was not the best representation of Korea. Here is where the underlying unbalance of the culture stands out. Koreans staring lost at foriegners as if aliens have just touched down and invaded the planet. It's distracting. It's embaracing. And it is what it is, it is Korea.

The night could only be saved by the interjection of some alcohol and the hope for something magic. Fortunately, these things were coming.

12:53 AM - 18 Comments - 17 Kudos - Add Comment