I recently set up some goals for myself and one is to update the blog every MWF so that I don’t get behind. Of course, this is like someone telling you at the gym in January that they will be there everyday for the rest of the year, but hopefully I will make this a habit and have more frequent (and slightly shorter) updates.
The last few days have been eventful. Lee, one of my co-workers, has a sister who works security at a concert venue in eastern Seoul (the venue is the old Olympic swimming pool stadium). Lee got several of us free passes to see BMK. I had no idea who BMK was, but was excited for an opportunity to go to a Korean concert.
Our free passes were for general admission only, so we got there about an hour and a half early. When we got in, the place was already filling up quickly, we were lucky to get decent seats. As the number of attendees grew, so did my excitement. Apparently BMK was a pretty big deal.
Finally, the lights dimmed and the crowd began to cheer. A hefty Korean woman (BMK) came out on stage and began to belt out a cover of Frank Sinatra’s “Fly Me to the Moon.” I hadn’t known what to expect, but this certainly was not it. I was not aware that Sinatra was such a big deal in Korea.
BMK has a remarkable voice, I would compare it to that of Adele. She sang every note with great passion. She went on to sing a few Korean songs. They would put the words up on a screen and everyone would sing along. I had a huge urge to participate, but I didn’t know the tunes and I couldn’t read the words (which were in hangul) off the screen quickly enough. Fortunately, I got a chance to participate when BMK moved on to a series of scat songs where she would scat out a quick phrase (such as bop bop dubidy bop) and then motion for the audience to repeat it. I enthusiastically joined in, much to the amusement of my co-workers.
Half-way through her performance, BMK took a break. During the intermission, a rap group named Dynamic Duo went on stage to perform a few songs. One of the rappers was sporting a flat-billed Atlanta Braves hat, just another piece of evidence that the world is quickly shrinking.
Another event to celebrate was, of course, the 4th of July. There is another American intern working at Kotra (a Korean American from Texas named Christie) who knew a few other Americans up on the Northern side of Seoul in one of the more lively areas, Shinchon. Christie and I headed to Shinchon Monday after work and met up with her friends. We went to a restaurant that served cheesburgers, and I happily downed a cheesburger, some fries, and some beer in celebration of Independence Day. It was my first 4th without fireworks, but I still was able to enjoy myself and celebrate being an American.
That’s all for now. I’m very disappointed to say that my camera was out of batteries, so I have no pictures of the concert. However, I do have some pictures of the Temple Stay which I will be releasing, hopefully when I get off work today.
No comments:
Post a Comment