your one stop culture shock
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
New Beginnings
Had my first rehearsal with my new sketch show 'Busan Night Live' last night. It was short but it went well. I'm having a little bit of a hard time coming to the ground floor of something new. I'm used to people knowing my level of experience with comedy back in Austin. And at this rehearsal I tried to make a rewrite suggestion, and the guy told me "so you see, in a comedy sketch you have to.." It took all my strength to listen to his deal. I never handed it my resume so I guess this is what I get. Anyways, I hope the show will be a good experience. Some of the sketches are funny, some, not so funny, but we'll see. I'm also trying to put together a theatre seminar for the rest of my Korean teachers at my Hagwon. This is stressing me out more than it should I think. I've asked for advice from some peeps, but I think I should just let my instincts take over. Hopefully it goes well. Megan thinks I shouldn't worry about it, or put too much thought into it. As per usual, she's probably right. I'm broke and that sucks. I gotta borrow money from the gf, which is annoying for me. I can't wait to get paid on the 10th. Here's to hoping I can squeeze in some roundball this weekend.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Kurt Rambis had a hook shot too.
Today was a great day to be alive if you are me. And hopefully it was great if you are you, hmmm? I made my trek to Myeongnyun-dong to play some basketball. It is a beautiful set of outdoor courts underneath the subway line that took us to Beomosa Temple last week. And it's been really hard to find any courts in this city that have a hard surface rather than the usually hard packed dirt/gravel on one corner of the soccer field. That's an ankle or knee injury waiting to happen. But this place is the jam. I played there for a bit last week and was really feeling it.
There are many Korean street basketball rules that I am trying to wrap my head around.
1. Koreans call all fouls.
2. Koreans only play zone defense. 2-3 zone in a 5 on 5 game.
3. Koreans love to play full court. Americans would rather play badminton.
4. Koreans love badminton. Really. And are bad ass at it.
5. Koreans call the NBA 3 second lane violation. Started calling it on me after I started playing down low. Hey, someone had to go down there.
That stuff is going to take some getting used to. Especially the zone defense. I don't think i've ever played zone defense in a pickup game before. But I think it says something about the mentality over here. Team first always. There is a japanese proverb that suits Koreans well too. "The nail that sticks out, must be hammered in." There's no showboating on these courts. Lots of passes. Guys working for each other. Shooting when they're open. And they play defense as a team. Back home, guys like to be challenged by guarding a guy, and even if he is absolutely dogging them, they refuse to switch men, to prove that they got what it takes. Koreans couldn't care less. All team all the time.
The ridiculous thing is, for some reason, I think it might be the food, or possibly the weather, my hook shot, is on fire over here. Now I have practiced my hook for some time. And back home, I would make like 2 out of 10 in a game, if I even shot that many. I went 5 for 6 today. Really impressing the ballers over here. Each one I would drain, albeit some off the glass, I would hear a chorus of "wooooo." This is blowing my mind. I can't believe its falling for me like it is. I think I must have broken through some sort of skills wall, because the roundball gods are definitely shining down on me. Ill keep you updated.
Next to the court there is this cool montage on the wall of what seems to be Korean history. And then on the sidewalk in front of it what appears to be a list of names. Maybe dead soldiers... I have no clue, but I thought some of the pictures were really interesting. The years are in the bottom corner of them. If you can read Korean.. please translate. I guess I need to get on that.
After a couple of full court runs I chatted it up with a baller there who I dug his game and his vibe. Just a couple of years younger than me and his english was good. He told me that these courts were the most famous in Busan. I think he meant popular, but I like that. "The most famous courts in Busan." The Rucker park of the Far East. I'm definitely going to hit up this spot on the regular.
Then I was off to the jimjilbong. And not just a jimjilbong. But the mother of all jimjilbongs in Busan. Hurshimchung in Oncheonjang. By the way, A jimjilbong is a Korean bathhouse or spa if you will. Basically everyone hanging out naked, feeling sweet, and being pampered.
It was awesome. Insanely relaxing. You can stay as long as you want. They've got a champagne bath. Yeah. That's right. I bathed in champagne. For seven dollars. Amazing. I'm gonna be hitting that up frequently. There are others probably closer to me but this one if for real.
Then I ran into this wizard master while waiting for the subway to take me home. One great thing about being over here is that Korean culture is on the whole way down with foreigners. I've been offered tons of free food and people say hello to me on the street everywhere I go, because I'm American. Not like the rest of the world for sure. I think we've got lots of good Korean war karma piled up here, unfortunately American sailors are doing terrible shit all the time, from what I hear, and there is a movement in Seoul to get rid of all foreigners because of the military over here. But thats another story altogether. So I moved my backpack out of the way for this guy to sit on the bench beside me, obviously right? He couldn't stop thanking me and patting me on the back. I had to get a picture. For some reason though, he reminds me of my dad. Like a Korean version of my dad. You decide.
There are many Korean street basketball rules that I am trying to wrap my head around.
1. Koreans call all fouls.
2. Koreans only play zone defense. 2-3 zone in a 5 on 5 game.
3. Koreans love to play full court. Americans would rather play badminton.
4. Koreans love badminton. Really. And are bad ass at it.
5. Koreans call the NBA 3 second lane violation. Started calling it on me after I started playing down low. Hey, someone had to go down there.
That stuff is going to take some getting used to. Especially the zone defense. I don't think i've ever played zone defense in a pickup game before. But I think it says something about the mentality over here. Team first always. There is a japanese proverb that suits Koreans well too. "The nail that sticks out, must be hammered in." There's no showboating on these courts. Lots of passes. Guys working for each other. Shooting when they're open. And they play defense as a team. Back home, guys like to be challenged by guarding a guy, and even if he is absolutely dogging them, they refuse to switch men, to prove that they got what it takes. Koreans couldn't care less. All team all the time.
The ridiculous thing is, for some reason, I think it might be the food, or possibly the weather, my hook shot, is on fire over here. Now I have practiced my hook for some time. And back home, I would make like 2 out of 10 in a game, if I even shot that many. I went 5 for 6 today. Really impressing the ballers over here. Each one I would drain, albeit some off the glass, I would hear a chorus of "wooooo." This is blowing my mind. I can't believe its falling for me like it is. I think I must have broken through some sort of skills wall, because the roundball gods are definitely shining down on me. Ill keep you updated.
Next to the court there is this cool montage on the wall of what seems to be Korean history. And then on the sidewalk in front of it what appears to be a list of names. Maybe dead soldiers... I have no clue, but I thought some of the pictures were really interesting. The years are in the bottom corner of them. If you can read Korean.. please translate. I guess I need to get on that.
After a couple of full court runs I chatted it up with a baller there who I dug his game and his vibe. Just a couple of years younger than me and his english was good. He told me that these courts were the most famous in Busan. I think he meant popular, but I like that. "The most famous courts in Busan." The Rucker park of the Far East. I'm definitely going to hit up this spot on the regular.
Then I was off to the jimjilbong. And not just a jimjilbong. But the mother of all jimjilbongs in Busan. Hurshimchung in Oncheonjang. By the way, A jimjilbong is a Korean bathhouse or spa if you will. Basically everyone hanging out naked, feeling sweet, and being pampered.
It was awesome. Insanely relaxing. You can stay as long as you want. They've got a champagne bath. Yeah. That's right. I bathed in champagne. For seven dollars. Amazing. I'm gonna be hitting that up frequently. There are others probably closer to me but this one if for real.
Then I ran into this wizard master while waiting for the subway to take me home. One great thing about being over here is that Korean culture is on the whole way down with foreigners. I've been offered tons of free food and people say hello to me on the street everywhere I go, because I'm American. Not like the rest of the world for sure. I think we've got lots of good Korean war karma piled up here, unfortunately American sailors are doing terrible shit all the time, from what I hear, and there is a movement in Seoul to get rid of all foreigners because of the military over here. But thats another story altogether. So I moved my backpack out of the way for this guy to sit on the bench beside me, obviously right? He couldn't stop thanking me and patting me on the back. I had to get a picture. For some reason though, he reminds me of my dad. Like a Korean version of my dad. You decide.
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Chicken and Hof
In Korea they are crazy about fried chicken and beer. Ludacris would be proud. So much, in fact, that it is awkward and almost rude to not order beer with your chicken. Actually, almost everyplace where you can buy this delicious chicken advertises it somewhere on their sign or building. "Chicken and beer" They also call it "Chicken and Hof" Or is it "Hof and Beer." I'm not sure which one. I"m not sure what "Hof" means. I thought he was on Baywatch. Megan and I went to one of these fine establishments in the Kyungsung University area. This place was delicious. We watched some Korean playoff baseball at the same time, which pretty much destroys the MLB for entertainment value. But mostly, we people watched. In Kyungsung, there are all these tiny alley streets bustling with young college students shopping and clubhopping and whatnot. It is very entertaining watching all of their drunk styles. And also observing how people dress over here. Super sharp. Americans are some lazy ass dressers. All the young dudes here rock this extreme business casual style. While the ladies here are always in high heels it seems, but not really in the uncomfortable to look at way you will see girls on sixth street are back in Austin. I saw a lot of this working a pedicab. It gets old really fast. 
Friday, September 24, 2010
I can see my house from here...
I like going to the top of high rise buildings and checking out the views of Busan. Beautiful. I'll keep you posted with more aerial jackmoves. However this is not a video of that. This is a view from the subway heading to Beomosa temple. But these videos take forever to upload so I'm not going to do it again. Bon Appetit!
Laser Beams
My good friend from my high school days and college days lives in Seoul. He came to visit us our first week here. His name is Jeff Lazar. He is a freedom fighter, a documentary filmmaker, and an amateur wrestler. He speaks amazing Korean as he has lived here for 4 years and has few Westerner friends. He sits on the floor comfortably and holds his chopsticks like a champ. He ordered our first good Korean meal for us. For which we were extremely grateful. Hmmm... Donkasu!
Jeff has been working on a highly controversial documentary since he has been here. It is about the mandatory military service required by all young males in the country. The young people here have a very hard time. They go to school from 8a.m. to 9p.m. Then after all their schooling they have to go to the military for two years. I feel extremely lucky to have been born where I was and not have to worry about this much responsibility as a youngin. Not surprisingly, South Korea has the highest suicide rate for young people in the world. They like to jump off buildings. His project is about guys in Seoul who have been imprisoned for not going to the military. And when they get out of prison, they have to go back in... to the military. I hope he finishes this project soon. We love you laser!
Welcome to Busan
Well, this is the first installment of Soco to Soko, my travel blog. I hope you enjoy hearing about my life over here. I will try not to bore you. This is a picture of the Busan 1 line. This old man for no apparent reason opened his umbrella on the subway. We weren't the only ones giving him strange looks. But this old wizard was cool as a cucumber.
Now, they do have this thing over here, I guess you could call it an acute fear of the sun, where old ladies sport oversized visors, forearm sleeves (see Allen Iverson), and gloves to protect themselves from the Vitamin D. But this? What is this man afraid of? Florescent Lighting? Good luck? Is he out of his mind? Or... Is he a genius, a wizard with powers that we will never fully understand? You decide, America!
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