I’m now back in New York and already miss Korea. Didn’t know how good I had it…
The last night I was there, I went out with a few friends to Hongdae. I wanted to see the “other” nightlife area of Korea besides Itaewon. Differences? Lots more Koreans, a lot more places to dance, but also a lot of empty or near-empty clubs (or maybe we just picked unpopular places). We went to Sensation (cool bar, cool DJ, no cover) and one other place that I forgot the name of.
Even though we weren’t in packed places, we still had a good time. Hookah and drinks at Sensation while watching my friends dance to trippy hip hop/techno. More techno at the other place; I liked it.
Street carts line the blocks up and down in the wee hours of the morning. After dancing we ate at a kabob cart but it’s more like a gyro. Good eats.
After being back in New York I can truly appreciate how nice Korea is. I am seriously considering teaching English there now.
What I miss about Korea:
- The cleanliness of their streets and subways
- Cheap food and cost of living
- My extremely nice relatives who took care of me and gave me $$
- The great friends I made during my short stay there (most of them are English teachers from Canada or the US)
- Inexpensive nights out and cheap cabs
- Looking at cute girls with their cute outfits, dressed to the nines
- Flavorful fruits and vegetables (getting back to NY, none of the produce I’ve eaten was as tasty as in Korea… probably cuz we use massive amounts of hormones to grow such big veggies)
- Having a guaranteed, easy job with my uncle
- Cheap subway fares
What I missed about New York:
- Authentic NY pizza (though when I recently had a slice, I was wondering if it was always this greasy)
- Vietnamese and Malaysian food, and take-out Chinese
- Cleavage baring! No one did it in Korea; just bare legs up to the crotch
- Seeing people of all different colors and sizes
Yeah I think Korea wins for now.
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Tags: food, hongdae, nightlife, pros and cons
Jenno,
I too just got back from Korea. I went to learn my mother’s native tongue and am now fluent (to a certain degree). Do you ever think about going back? Why do you choose to stay in NY?
Hey Daniel. Sorry for responding so late. I choose to stay in NY because I’ve grown up here and it’s hard to imagine living anywhere else, though I predict I won’t live here forever.
But a year is a long time to commit to anything — especially living in a foreign place and dealing with a different culture / language. Though I guess it won’t be as hard for me because I know some Korean and am Korean myself…
J:
Very nice site. I will be returning to Korea for a visit in May 2010…..first time since my family and I left in 1979. Live in the DC area now, and am somwhat curious what my visit will be like since I can speaky hardly a word of Korean and all of my close relatives are in the States now. I am as Americanized as you can get. Would be interested in knowing about your experience.