The Korean noraebang, literally "singing room," is the equivalent of what we Westerns popularly call karaoke. The difference is that you are in a small room with just your friends, so you can have more fun and not have to worry so much about making a fool out of yourself in front of strangers. It's more like having a karaoke machine in you house and singing at a party.
I avoided going to the noraebang for the first few months I was here- despite MiHee's request to do so nearly every time we went out- because I don't- as anyone who know me can testify- have the best voice. But, one particularly difficult day, I made a desperate attempt to get my friends to stay out a little bit longer by suggesting that we go to one. The result? A good time was had by all and noraebangs have since become a part of a typical weekend for me.
What's so interesting to me about going to the noraebang is that Koreans use it as a way to get rid of stress. One night when MiHee was particularly upset set all but demanded that we go the noraebang. Last night, my coworker was feeling depressed because she is fighting with her husband, and my director suggested I take her to the noraebang. We did, and when we were leaving, she thanked me for inviting her out and she seemed to have a genuine smile.
I don't know what it is- if it's the therapeutic power of music, being able to yell as loud as you want without anyone caring, or simply hanging out and being a bit silly with friends- probably a combination of all these,- but the noraebang certainly seems to have a positive effect on people. It's certainly a more positive outlet than many other alternatives. It seems like such a silly thing, but I highly recommend one anytime you're looking to have a good time!
Showing posts with label noraebang. Show all posts
Showing posts with label noraebang. Show all posts
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Monday, November 12, 2007
Peaks and Valleys
This was a crazy week for me! It started out typical enough, but by Wednesday, I was a big mess. I had a really rough day at work. The school I work for is poorly run. Most of the time I don't let it bother me, but at times it can be down right maddening! Though my director is a nice woman, she has no business skills. Frankly, I'm sometimes amazed that she's kept the place in business as long as she has. Now that I'm making some friends with other English teachers in my area, I'm always surprised to hear about organized their schools are and how helpful their directors can be. Well, the details aren't really important, but suffice it to say that on Wednesday, I left my morning class feeling incredibly frustrated with my job. As I walked home, I really felt like crying.
As often happens when something triggers a feeling like that, other things that I had been feeling a bit confused about started welling up in my mind too. I started thinking about what I was doing with my life and what the next step is. Something that worries me more and more as I get older is that I want a career where I can travel and I want a family. Now I know that lots of women have careers and a family and they make it work and I know I could do it to. But, to be travelling all the time? I don't know if it's possible to have a good family life if I'm traipsing all over the globe. I spend many, many hours of my life stressing out about this and trying to figure out a good solution. I don't feel that I could give up either one- career or family.
I went back to work in the afternoon, not feeling any better about things. My first few classes were rough, but by the time I went home in the evening, I was feeling a little better. I had gotten my mind off all the stress and was ready to sit down and veg in front of the TV for a while. I should have know it was a bad choice for the evening, but I had been wanting to watch CNN's Planet in Peril. Mid way through, that all too familiar, unwelcome feeling of depression was coursing through my veins for the first time in a very long time. For the first time in my life, I felt so disgusted with humanity, and lost all hope for a bright future for our planet that I thought my decision had been made for me. There was no way that I could bring children into this world! Of course, this was depression thinking for me and not the way I really feel, but it's what I thought at the moment.
Thursday morning, I was wishing I didn't have to work and really looking forward to meeting up with my friends for our weekly pub quiz. I got through the day and was on my way out, when my friend Mi Hee called and told me that her father, who had been in the hospital for a week or so, was terminal and probably wouldn't live through the weekend. I think you can imagine how this effected me. I felt so sad, I almost didn't want to go out anymore, but I thought it might do me some good to be around some friends. Though I was worried if I got a few drinks in my system I might end up crying like a damn fool. Luckily, this didn't happen. Rather, after the quiz, a few of us went to a noraebang which is like Korean karaoke, but in your own private room. It's very popular over here and most people are surprised to hear that I've been here for nearly 4 months and haven't been to one yet. So, it was time. And it was a good time! After pouring my heart out into all the great sing-a-longs like "Don't Stop Believing" and "Total Eclipse of the Heart," I was feeling pretty good. When we finally got kicked out, I stayed out talking on a street corner with a guy named Jason who I had just met that night. We had the kind of talk you can only have with a stranger after a night of drinking and singing karaoke. We both poured out hearts out about our problems, consoled each other, and then agreed not to exchange numbers. It was the platonic equivalent of a one night stand, without the awkward walk of shame, though, it was nearly 5:30am by the time I dragged myself into bed.
Yes, I was hung over the next morning. But, luckily, I only had two classes at night that Friday. So, I had the whole day to recoup. I drank lots of water and coffee and watched Shark Week episodes on my computer. (Sharks are awesome!) What I didn't do was pack my bag for my trip over the weekend. I also didn't take a nap, though I really wanted to, because I knew I had to get to bed early. I had to be out of my house by 6:30 the next morning. Needless to say, I didn't get to bed early, and I was late getting out of my house, but I made it on time to meet Erin and go to Seoul to catch our bus to Seoraksan National Park. We were going hiking for the weekend.
The bus ride was long and there was plenty of time to sleep. I felt rested by the time we got there and ready to take on the mountains. And what mountains they were! You've got to check out my pictures for this one. These mountains are rugged and steep and absolutely stunning! We didn't quite make it for the height of the fall colors, but there were still a lot of beautiful trees. It was so great to be back out in nature again, breathing in the cool mountain air with the familiar fragrance of fallen leaves. The hike out to the waterfall was casual and we had plenty of time to take it all in. Though, the waterfall itself was a little disappointing, the views all around more than made up for it!
Our overnight accommodations were a little sub par compared to American standards, meaning that instead of beds, we had sleeping mats on the floor! This is pretty common in Korea. A lot of people don't even have beds and I've been told that if you want a bed in your hotel, you should make sure you ask for one. But, honestly, I was so tired that I didn't really care where I was sleeping. That night, even though we were bother really tired, Erin and I stayed up talking for a while. It was nice to open up a little with someone. I'm glad that I'm making some good friends here.
The next day we were off for another easy hike to another little waterfall and more amazing views. It was a good start to a long day. After, they fed us lunch and we had to head back to Seoul. A long, grueling bus ride which started out with a long B movie. I was so glad to finally get off that bus!
It was so great to get home and sleep well in a good warm bed. My stress from last week is washed away and I'm feeling very content right now. Spending a weekend outside in a beautiful park was the very best cure for the blues. I feel refreshed and ready to take on the week.!
As often happens when something triggers a feeling like that, other things that I had been feeling a bit confused about started welling up in my mind too. I started thinking about what I was doing with my life and what the next step is. Something that worries me more and more as I get older is that I want a career where I can travel and I want a family. Now I know that lots of women have careers and a family and they make it work and I know I could do it to. But, to be travelling all the time? I don't know if it's possible to have a good family life if I'm traipsing all over the globe. I spend many, many hours of my life stressing out about this and trying to figure out a good solution. I don't feel that I could give up either one- career or family.
I went back to work in the afternoon, not feeling any better about things. My first few classes were rough, but by the time I went home in the evening, I was feeling a little better. I had gotten my mind off all the stress and was ready to sit down and veg in front of the TV for a while. I should have know it was a bad choice for the evening, but I had been wanting to watch CNN's Planet in Peril. Mid way through, that all too familiar, unwelcome feeling of depression was coursing through my veins for the first time in a very long time. For the first time in my life, I felt so disgusted with humanity, and lost all hope for a bright future for our planet that I thought my decision had been made for me. There was no way that I could bring children into this world! Of course, this was depression thinking for me and not the way I really feel, but it's what I thought at the moment.
Thursday morning, I was wishing I didn't have to work and really looking forward to meeting up with my friends for our weekly pub quiz. I got through the day and was on my way out, when my friend Mi Hee called and told me that her father, who had been in the hospital for a week or so, was terminal and probably wouldn't live through the weekend. I think you can imagine how this effected me. I felt so sad, I almost didn't want to go out anymore, but I thought it might do me some good to be around some friends. Though I was worried if I got a few drinks in my system I might end up crying like a damn fool. Luckily, this didn't happen. Rather, after the quiz, a few of us went to a noraebang which is like Korean karaoke, but in your own private room. It's very popular over here and most people are surprised to hear that I've been here for nearly 4 months and haven't been to one yet. So, it was time. And it was a good time! After pouring my heart out into all the great sing-a-longs like "Don't Stop Believing" and "Total Eclipse of the Heart," I was feeling pretty good. When we finally got kicked out, I stayed out talking on a street corner with a guy named Jason who I had just met that night. We had the kind of talk you can only have with a stranger after a night of drinking and singing karaoke. We both poured out hearts out about our problems, consoled each other, and then agreed not to exchange numbers. It was the platonic equivalent of a one night stand, without the awkward walk of shame, though, it was nearly 5:30am by the time I dragged myself into bed.
Yes, I was hung over the next morning. But, luckily, I only had two classes at night that Friday. So, I had the whole day to recoup. I drank lots of water and coffee and watched Shark Week episodes on my computer. (Sharks are awesome!) What I didn't do was pack my bag for my trip over the weekend. I also didn't take a nap, though I really wanted to, because I knew I had to get to bed early. I had to be out of my house by 6:30 the next morning. Needless to say, I didn't get to bed early, and I was late getting out of my house, but I made it on time to meet Erin and go to Seoul to catch our bus to Seoraksan National Park. We were going hiking for the weekend.
The bus ride was long and there was plenty of time to sleep. I felt rested by the time we got there and ready to take on the mountains. And what mountains they were! You've got to check out my pictures for this one. These mountains are rugged and steep and absolutely stunning! We didn't quite make it for the height of the fall colors, but there were still a lot of beautiful trees. It was so great to be back out in nature again, breathing in the cool mountain air with the familiar fragrance of fallen leaves. The hike out to the waterfall was casual and we had plenty of time to take it all in. Though, the waterfall itself was a little disappointing, the views all around more than made up for it!
Our overnight accommodations were a little sub par compared to American standards, meaning that instead of beds, we had sleeping mats on the floor! This is pretty common in Korea. A lot of people don't even have beds and I've been told that if you want a bed in your hotel, you should make sure you ask for one. But, honestly, I was so tired that I didn't really care where I was sleeping. That night, even though we were bother really tired, Erin and I stayed up talking for a while. It was nice to open up a little with someone. I'm glad that I'm making some good friends here.
Erin and I made friends with three nice girls from Ontario on the trip. They've only been here for about 2 months and it was also their first time on an Adventure Korea trip. We got along instantly and exchanged email addresses before we left, so maybe we can travel together again in the future.
The next day we were off for another easy hike to another little waterfall and more amazing views. It was a good start to a long day. After, they fed us lunch and we had to head back to Seoul. A long, grueling bus ride which started out with a long B movie. I was so glad to finally get off that bus!
It was so great to get home and sleep well in a good warm bed. My stress from last week is washed away and I'm feeling very content right now. Spending a weekend outside in a beautiful park was the very best cure for the blues. I feel refreshed and ready to take on the week.!
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