Seoul actually smells nice. I went out with a friend yesterday and I really like the city, though it does look a bit weird. A substantial part of it seems to be made from clusters of houses that are so much alike that there is something obsessive about it. It is like a wardrobe of a person with obsessive compulsive disorder, ten pieces of identical suits, twenty white shirts and seven red ties…
We had great food, Korean barbecue and cold noodles that I was a bit suspicious about, but they turned out to be delicious. And the barbecue was fantastic.
The language problem is another matter. So far it has been very difficult to have a conversation in English with the Korean people, though I’m aware that I have not met many of them yet and so cannot generalize. But even the staff in the hotel I’m staying in speaks English very badly. At the same time they CONSTANTLY smile at you. They try so hard at appearing nice that it gets artificial. Sometimes feel I’m staying with The Stepford Wives. Except that here the Wives are of both sexes.
Please, don’t get me wrong. I’m really impressed by the Koreans, I think they are smart, cultivated and beautiful. I just wish the hotel staff would relax and be more human. As it is, I feel like I’m an outsider in an alien world.
(Probably just the Blackberry withdrawal talking…)
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February 15th, 2008 at 4:19 pm
If you are still in Korea you guys should go visit the Haewoojae. It’s a house made in the shape of a toilet and it’s “a place of sanctuary where one can solve one’s worries.” Pretty freaky, but interesting. Here’s a link: http://www.wnbc.com/news/14377553/detail.html
February 15th, 2008 at 7:54 pm
Wow culture shock and a bit isolation. I think and one that visits the East gets some of this, just be friendly and warm and I’m sure they will understand. Also think about growing up in a country with such a fierce spirit of independence as Iceland that wide scale conformity like Koreas must be weird and a bit put offish. Again just be warm and kind and I think that things will feel a bit more at ease.
February 16th, 2008 at 5:50 pm
Just saw the concert tonight. I thought it was a bit short, but Bjork’s voice was powerful as usual. I was hoping she would sing Pagon Poetry, but no luck. You should try some of the Korean street food. I have a friend who runs a whole in the wall near Kyungboke Goong. You would take subway line 3 (orange) get off at Kyungboke Goong and take exit 3. Walk straight until you see a Katsu (fried port cutlet that is very much like schnitzel) place with a menue on the street. The place is very small, but has about 40 different items on the menue with pictures, none of which are scary for foreigners. The owner speaks a little English which would be helpful for you. If you mention that you work for Bjork, she might treat you as a special guest. Insa Dong is also near by which is also one of the tourist attractions in Seoul and she would tell you where to go. I hope you had a good stay in Korea and will come back. If you need a translator, I may be able to help. Enjoy!
February 16th, 2008 at 6:17 pm
Saw the concert. I’ve been a fan but a first concert. It was a bit shorter than what I was expecting, but her voice was powerful as usual. While you are here in Korea, you should try the street food if you get a chance. A friend of mine runs a hole in a wall near Kyungboke Goong. It’s called a Wow Don-Katsu. The place has about forty items with pictures which would be helpful for a foreigner. If you want to go, you would take subway line 3(Orange Line), get off at Kyungboke Goong stop, take exit 3 and walk straight until you see the menue with Katsu. Katsu is basically a schnitzel, except it is made with pork. Japan also has this when you go. I made the owner come to concert with me and skip her work at the place. I think she might get a kick out of having a Bjork’s entourage come into her place. It’s also near Insa Dong, which is another major tourist attraction. If you need a translator I may be able to help. Thanks for coming to Seoul. I have very much enjoyed the concert.
February 17th, 2008 at 5:13 pm
to be honest, i am let down by your preconceptions about korea. i went to see the concert, loved it and appreciated every aspect of it, yet, to be frank, on an emotional level, it’s a bit of disappointment that your brief evaluation of the country is based on superficial things. well, it’s ok because music is all that matters, but what makes it ‘whole’ at the end of the day, is human mind and all the icelandic musicians i’ve admired so far for their serious music always ruined it for me in the end with the contrasting light-hearted, esoteric, pretentious mysticism. I think the music could be better suited with humility and global tolerance. what did you expect seoul to smell like then? i cannot help but to sense some negative insinuations.
i think that’s what most icelanders lack in general, or people from so-called ‘developed’ countries. and obviously i’m not generalising this to ‘all’ of them. but from what i’ve witnessed so far, icelandic people are so addicted to confirming their being narcissistic, superior, cool and unique about themselves hence often become so narrow-minded and weirdly judgmental about people in the third-world countries. well this applies not only to iceland, but also countries like england, us, france, germany etc. why should anyone speak english in the first place anyways especially for the ones in the far east? and i’d also like to add to whoever replied the following: growing up in a country with such a fierce spirit of independence as Iceland that wide scale conformity like Koreas must be weird and a bit put offish- yes it is very uncool and like needy-puppy to be korean that iceland is like a sizzling hot water and korea is a warm beer. why can’t these people see through the superfice? why can’t you take the warm heart for granted? let’s face it, asia is over-populated and it’s inevitable that our lifestyle ends up looking cramped and restricted. and why is it always the way that most westerners come to our countries to financially exploit our resources whilst they do whatever they can to prevent us to have a gig in their sun-shining utopia?
i’ve been a life-long admirer of the current and the icelandic music scene (old and new), and i’m not gonna lie that i’ve been nourished by the freedom i could possibly imagine by being born here but at the same time i feel hurt because every time i see these musicians making really superficial remarks about us and their ever-so-biased attitudes. i regret that i even visited the country on my own countlessly but every time i felt a huge isolation. if an icelander had the same passion to korean music and culture, would have been treated differently.
i promise to myself, that today i will shut down the wall and never listen to icelandic music not to be hurt again, by the people who create music that’s so seductive and beyond good that almost convinces that there’s a world that’s as beautiful as it sounds, but i should realise it’s not something for me. at the end of the day, it’s not for me anyways. it’s meant for them. so i won’t even taste it again, no matter how pleasant it is, how real it sounds to my heart, how meaningful and moving it gets, cause it is not genuine at all. it’s good but the result is bad for me, so in a way it’d be as bad as doing drug. music is such a deception, and every time i feel betrayed to see the dark side of beauty.. especially if i get interested in anything beyond the work itself. i won’t be trapped again by the fantasy. though it might be bland and not too sweet and edgy to be from asia, it’s more human.