Scavenger Hunting
October 21, 2007
This weekend my friends and I participated in a scavenger hunt hosted by the local Canadian bar, Rocky Mountain Tavern in Itaewon. My friends were some of the main organizers and put together a really fun list for us to accomplish.
Caring, Melanie, Mode, MinJu and I were team Black Hawk and had about 4 hours to complete the most ridiculous set of tasks, and document them all on camera. Actually, some were pretty tame, like take a picture with a GI, but some were so funny we could barely accomplish them because we were laughing so hard. Plus, it was a great way to see the city in one afternoon! We traipsed all over Seoul taking pictures, drinking too much beer, and laughing a lot. It was cold, but sunny so it was a great day to wander. Included on the list: the view from Namsan Tower (heighest point in Seoul), drinking soju with police officers, human pyramids in parks, strawpedos in club BTW, Konglish signs, the largest crab in Seoul, three metro lines in one metro stop, performing 'I'm a Little Teapot' on a bus, taking a picture with a Groove guy, playing catch on the metro, DRIVING the metro!, swimming in the Han river, trying on Hanbok, sitting in kimchi pots.. Ridiculous stuff.
We arrived at RMT 2 (Rocky Mountain Tavern 2 is in Hongdae) around 7:30pm and turned in the memory card and waited anxiously for the tally. Ooo, I forgot to mention it was also a costume competition. We didn't dress up, but all happened to be wearing black (hence the name Black Hawk) .. Pimps and Hoes won, but my personal favorite was the T-Bird group from Grease. They however did not finish the hunt .. all signs point to they got too drunk and passed out in a park somewhere. The BEST news is that we got THIRD PLACE!!!! Wahoo, go team Black Hawk! We won free beer, which was much better than 2nd prize -- Jagermeister t-shirts. It turned into a really fun after party, that was only slightly marred by a particularly stupid girl throwing Luke's West Point ring in a crowded bar -- Caring found it after we all searched for 30 minutes. Luke bought a bottle of champagne and told Caring if she weren't Canadian he would marry her!
The next day, after a late lunch with Luke, Erin and I went shopping in Hongdae, one of my favorite areas. It's about 40 minutes away by metro (like 20 by taxi if there was no traffic..). It's very funky/trendy with lots of young and emerging designers. I got lots of plaid things and some jewelry made from legos! We had a great time just wandering around and enjoying the atmosphere. We noticed a large protest with students -- we didn't have a clue what it was for since we can't read Korean, but it was still interesting to watch them block traffic as the marched through the streets chanting.
We decided around 6pm to head to Apgujeong to continue shopping, which is very close to where we live. When we got back to the metro stop we noticed all the turnstiles were closed. We stood there for a while listening to the announcements in Korean, pretending we were magically going to understand what was going on. A nice lady eventually came over and told us the metro was closed and that we were going to have to take a bus wherever we wanted to go. As we went to the stairs to leave, scores of police officers were running down. Erin and I quickly left that station and tried to read the bus schedules -- all in Korean, and no one willing to help. We couldn't help but feel uneasy, especially after noticing the large protest. We decided to walk about 30 minutes south to another metro line to get home (we weren't in the mood to shop anymore..). When we got to the next metro stop all but two of the turnstiles were closed, and there were signs posted over those. While trying to decide what to do a lady told us the sign meant that certain areas of the metro were closed, and then showed us a map and pointed to the closed areas. We were totally in the dark about what was going on with the closures, and were weary of traveling on the metro, but decided to go ahead. Obviously we are safely home!
This whole ordeal gave way to the discussion -- What happens if there is a real emergency in Korea? While I do not think there was a bomb on the metro, or that it was anything even remotely serious, it was enough to remind us that large scale emergencies are entirely possible. I feel very safe here, but this situation on the metro reminded us that we live in an unstable world and that Americans especially are targets. Should there be a real emergency that would require Americans to evacuate, Erin and I realized we would be lost in the chaos. I do not feel as if I am living in any danger whatsoever, but I am aware of the fact that not only is North Korea incredibly close, but that Americans abroad are targets for countless other groups that have us pegged as the enemy.
All Americans abroad are encouraged to register with their local embassy. I have never done it before, but being in Korea is kind of different from studying in Switzerland or sunbathing in Greece. Erin and I went to the US embassy webpage this evening and registered, and familiarized ourselves with the evacuation plan. It is beyond creepy that someone has already imagined the worst possible situation. I do not think I will ever have to use it, but at the same time, I've never really needed my seatbelt, but I wear it anyway. If you need me during an emergency, you can find me at the Ice Skating Rink. (Seriously.)
Is it ironic that when I am abroad I am the most patriotic? I crave traveling - the cultures, the adventures, the opportunities -- but I am an American to the core. I embrace the new cultures, I adapt and change to be respectful and to truly experience the new culture, but I am so glad to be an American. Being surrounded by the military here amplifies my pride in America ten fold. I see and hear about the sacrifices they make on a daily basis. There are protests about the American military in South Korea sometimes, and it really saddens me because I know that the standard of living and booming economy of South Korea is in no small part due to our presence here. One of the most striking pieces of evidence I have seen that South Korea is light years ahead of it's northern counterpart is this picture:
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/news/2006/10/061011-d-6570c-001.jpg
It's easy to make fun of America and even I do it at times. I am embarrassed when Americans get blindingly drunk and stumble around Itaewon. (The British, Australians, Kiwis, Irish and Canadians are guilty of it too, but it's just so much easier to label a white person here as American...) I get upset when I see Americans walking around beautiful temples in jean shorts and tank tops (fanny pack optional) and I hate some of our government's policies and decisions. The second anyone else criticizes them though, I leap to their defense, or at the very least try to promote understanding. It's almost like I can make fun of my brothers all day long, but if anyone were to even hint at making fun of them, I would be at their throats. A homesick American soldier in Iraq wrote, "In moments where a tear falls from sadness, I find it transformed into a tear of pride. Being here reminds me of what a great nation we live in, whether we remember it all the time or not. ... Freedom and liberty, life, happiness, equality, the beauty of every landscape from the cities to the rural lands and deserts, and most of all a hope for a better tomorrow." (http://missick.blogs.com/warblog/2004/08/reflections_on__1.html)
Caring, Melanie, Mode, MinJu and I were team Black Hawk and had about 4 hours to complete the most ridiculous set of tasks, and document them all on camera. Actually, some were pretty tame, like take a picture with a GI, but some were so funny we could barely accomplish them because we were laughing so hard. Plus, it was a great way to see the city in one afternoon! We traipsed all over Seoul taking pictures, drinking too much beer, and laughing a lot. It was cold, but sunny so it was a great day to wander. Included on the list: the view from Namsan Tower (heighest point in Seoul), drinking soju with police officers, human pyramids in parks, strawpedos in club BTW, Konglish signs, the largest crab in Seoul, three metro lines in one metro stop, performing 'I'm a Little Teapot' on a bus, taking a picture with a Groove guy, playing catch on the metro, DRIVING the metro!, swimming in the Han river, trying on Hanbok, sitting in kimchi pots.. Ridiculous stuff.
We arrived at RMT 2 (Rocky Mountain Tavern 2 is in Hongdae) around 7:30pm and turned in the memory card and waited anxiously for the tally. Ooo, I forgot to mention it was also a costume competition. We didn't dress up, but all happened to be wearing black (hence the name Black Hawk) .. Pimps and Hoes won, but my personal favorite was the T-Bird group from Grease. They however did not finish the hunt .. all signs point to they got too drunk and passed out in a park somewhere. The BEST news is that we got THIRD PLACE!!!! Wahoo, go team Black Hawk! We won free beer, which was much better than 2nd prize -- Jagermeister t-shirts. It turned into a really fun after party, that was only slightly marred by a particularly stupid girl throwing Luke's West Point ring in a crowded bar -- Caring found it after we all searched for 30 minutes. Luke bought a bottle of champagne and told Caring if she weren't Canadian he would marry her!
The next day, after a late lunch with Luke, Erin and I went shopping in Hongdae, one of my favorite areas. It's about 40 minutes away by metro (like 20 by taxi if there was no traffic..). It's very funky/trendy with lots of young and emerging designers. I got lots of plaid things and some jewelry made from legos! We had a great time just wandering around and enjoying the atmosphere. We noticed a large protest with students -- we didn't have a clue what it was for since we can't read Korean, but it was still interesting to watch them block traffic as the marched through the streets chanting.
We decided around 6pm to head to Apgujeong to continue shopping, which is very close to where we live. When we got back to the metro stop we noticed all the turnstiles were closed. We stood there for a while listening to the announcements in Korean, pretending we were magically going to understand what was going on. A nice lady eventually came over and told us the metro was closed and that we were going to have to take a bus wherever we wanted to go. As we went to the stairs to leave, scores of police officers were running down. Erin and I quickly left that station and tried to read the bus schedules -- all in Korean, and no one willing to help. We couldn't help but feel uneasy, especially after noticing the large protest. We decided to walk about 30 minutes south to another metro line to get home (we weren't in the mood to shop anymore..). When we got to the next metro stop all but two of the turnstiles were closed, and there were signs posted over those. While trying to decide what to do a lady told us the sign meant that certain areas of the metro were closed, and then showed us a map and pointed to the closed areas. We were totally in the dark about what was going on with the closures, and were weary of traveling on the metro, but decided to go ahead. Obviously we are safely home!
This whole ordeal gave way to the discussion -- What happens if there is a real emergency in Korea? While I do not think there was a bomb on the metro, or that it was anything even remotely serious, it was enough to remind us that large scale emergencies are entirely possible. I feel very safe here, but this situation on the metro reminded us that we live in an unstable world and that Americans especially are targets. Should there be a real emergency that would require Americans to evacuate, Erin and I realized we would be lost in the chaos. I do not feel as if I am living in any danger whatsoever, but I am aware of the fact that not only is North Korea incredibly close, but that Americans abroad are targets for countless other groups that have us pegged as the enemy.
All Americans abroad are encouraged to register with their local embassy. I have never done it before, but being in Korea is kind of different from studying in Switzerland or sunbathing in Greece. Erin and I went to the US embassy webpage this evening and registered, and familiarized ourselves with the evacuation plan. It is beyond creepy that someone has already imagined the worst possible situation. I do not think I will ever have to use it, but at the same time, I've never really needed my seatbelt, but I wear it anyway. If you need me during an emergency, you can find me at the Ice Skating Rink. (Seriously.)
Is it ironic that when I am abroad I am the most patriotic? I crave traveling - the cultures, the adventures, the opportunities -- but I am an American to the core. I embrace the new cultures, I adapt and change to be respectful and to truly experience the new culture, but I am so glad to be an American. Being surrounded by the military here amplifies my pride in America ten fold. I see and hear about the sacrifices they make on a daily basis. There are protests about the American military in South Korea sometimes, and it really saddens me because I know that the standard of living and booming economy of South Korea is in no small part due to our presence here. One of the most striking pieces of evidence I have seen that South Korea is light years ahead of it's northern counterpart is this picture:
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/news/2006/10/061011-d-6570c-001.jpg
It's easy to make fun of America and even I do it at times. I am embarrassed when Americans get blindingly drunk and stumble around Itaewon. (The British, Australians, Kiwis, Irish and Canadians are guilty of it too, but it's just so much easier to label a white person here as American...) I get upset when I see Americans walking around beautiful temples in jean shorts and tank tops (fanny pack optional) and I hate some of our government's policies and decisions. The second anyone else criticizes them though, I leap to their defense, or at the very least try to promote understanding. It's almost like I can make fun of my brothers all day long, but if anyone were to even hint at making fun of them, I would be at their throats. A homesick American soldier in Iraq wrote, "In moments where a tear falls from sadness, I find it transformed into a tear of pride. Being here reminds me of what a great nation we live in, whether we remember it all the time or not. ... Freedom and liberty, life, happiness, equality, the beauty of every landscape from the cities to the rural lands and deserts, and most of all a hope for a better tomorrow." (http://missick.blogs.com/warblog/2004/08/reflections_on__1.html)
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