18 THURSDAY

MARCH 20, 2008 COMMUNITY

Friends with benefits, you say?

By Stephanie Morris
Expats engage in an infinite
variety of relationships here.
They are as different as the per-
sonalities that make them up,
as fluid as the change that has
become a part of our everyday
lives. Whether born out of con-
venience or genuine compatibil-
Expat living is a page dedicated ity, they’re all here. Living,
breathing, hungry and horny.
to the issues that affect foreigners'
We don’t shut it off once we
daily lives. It is your page, make the move. If anything, it
where you can share stories about gets worse.
your life in Korea. Send story Types of relationships found
ideas to Matthew Lamers in Korea, but not restricted to
at mattlamers@heraldm.com the following:
The Long-Distance-with-
Someone-Back-Home Relation-
ship: Travel can be an essential
part of life experience, and those
SeoulSteves.com’s experiences are invaluable
when it comes to relationships
Top Events for this week — and one’s contributions to
them. It all seems so doable,
Until Sunday, Italian Chef de Cuisine Roberto Mancini will be preparing that is, until that plane hits the
special dishes at the Hyatt Regency Incheon’s Restaurant 8. For more tarmac of Incheon International
information call (32) 745-1234. Airport, and all that logic you so
carefully steeled yourself with
somehow seems lost in transla-
tion. Your new life, however
temporary you tell yourself it is,
consumes you, and your “other
life” seems even farther away
than it actually is ... and that’s
pretty far. Can it work?
Absolutely. Does it often? I
guess that depends on who you
are. Cheers to you my friend,
and wishing you all the very
best.
The I-Got-Drunk-and-Made-
out-with/Slept-with-my-Friend-
in-Korea Relationship: It’s
freakin’ hilarious when it’s not
you and sometimes even when
it is. Still, if/when it happens,
there’s really nothing to be done
except grin and bear it. Time
has a habit of ushering the awk-
wardness (if any) away and
sooner or later things will re-
turn to some semblance of nor-
mal. That is assuming both par-
ties involved A) are mature
enough to appropriately deal
with the situation, B) are not
psycho and C) have the same
feelings, i.e. it was a one-time
thing, lets move on. If this is the
unfortunate case, it will either
get a little messier then origi-
nally planned or you might find
yourself in another type of rela-
tionship found here, otherwise
known as ...
The Friends-with-Benefits-
except-who-are-we-kidding-I-
don’t-do-this-with-any-of-my-
other-friends Relationship: You
can call it what you want but
there are precious few who can
honestly say that the separation
of emotion from the “other stuff”
comes naturally and whose pla-
tonic relationships can go places
they were or were not meant to
ever go.
The emotions that so often go
along with this kind of thing
can be magnified here in Korea
for the same reasons a lot of
stuff here is. Perhaps it’s the
sense of isolation that comes
from living in a foreign land;
perhaps it’s the devil-may-care
attitude that often goes hand-
in-hand with traveling.
Whatever drives us to make
these decisions can also blind
us to the reality of the situation,
and who knows, maybe that’s
fine with you. If so, Godspeed,
and truth be told, I’m a bit en-
vious of those for whom that
sort of thing does the trick. The
rest of us however, will have to
face it at some point or another.
It either ends, or you may find
yourself in ...
The Are-we-really-in-a-rela-
tionship-in-Korea-ok-I-guess-
we-are Relationship: A) Some
people say the initial stages of a
relationship are the most excit-
ing. You’re still getting to know
each other while both being on
your best behavior, the attrac-
tion that initially gripped the
two of you is starting to grow
stronger. There’s still so much
to talk about and learn about,
and the sex, once past the awk-
ward, getting-to-now-you stage,
is passionate and plentiful. You
feel like no matter what the fu-
ture holds, the here and now is
really what matters because
the here and now seem pretty
great. B) This can also be the
quintessential feeling associat-
ed with teaching overseas, with
travel in general actually.
Combine A and B and you’ve got
yourself something that, no
matter the outcome, will be one
helluva ride. Don’t listen to any-
one who tells you otherwise, liv-
ing in the moment is what life
over here is about so much of
the time, and you never know
what can happen if you give it
half a chance.
There are so many more, not
the least of which is the one
yours truly is currently dealing
with. A continuation will be or-
der, but that is another column
for another time.
Stephanie can be reached
through her blog, stephanieinsu-
won.blogspot.com — Ed.

JW Marriott Seoul (02-6282-6735) and Marriott Executive Apartments

(02-2090-8050) in Seoul are celebrating the Spring Strawberry Festival
with special dessert and smoothie recipes. The event at Executive
Apartments runs through this weekend, but the JW Marriott will feature
the special menu through the end of the month. WHITE DANCER — Taken in Seoul during an annual festi-
val, the dancer, wearing a hanbok, moves slowly and grace-
Thursday fully across the stage. David Smeaton/ davidsmeaton.com

Make your reservation for Margarita night at On the

Border in Shinchon. The event has been exploding in
popularity and runs from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. For more in-
formation and to make reservations call 324-0682.

Friday

Today is the registration deadline for beginner computer class-

es in the Seoul City Hall area. E-mail anne@korea4ex-
pats.com for more information.

Zelen in Itaewon is hosting a wine party featuring its trademark

Bulgarian cuisine. Price is 38,000 won ($40) and it runs from 8 p.m.
to 12 p.m. Food service finishes at 10 p.m. Call 749-0600 for infor-
mation.

SeoulTennis.com is organizing a tennis tournament

to kick off the tennis season. The tournament starts
today. Price is 38,000 won at the door. The event
takes place from 8 p.m. to 12 p.m. Food will be served
till 10 p.m. Call 749-0600 for more information or see
seoultennis.com or e-mail info@seoultennis.com

Saturday

International Guides Korea is putting together a rock

climbing trip to Maisan today. The group will meet at the
front gate of Chungnam University in Daejon at 7 a.m.
Visit iguidekorea.com for more information.

The Royal Asiatic Society is sponsoring a trip to Sobaek Mountain to

visit the major temples in the area. E-mail raskb@kornet.net, visit
raskb.com or call 763-9483 for more information.

The Hyatt Regency Incheon is hosting a Biondi Santi Wine Maker’s

Dinner tonight, featuring the food of visiting chef Roberto Mancini. For
more information call (032) 745-1234.

Sunday

The Royal Asiatic Society is planning a hike around the Jusan reservoir
and Juwang Mountain National Park. The area was featured in the in-
ternationally acclaimed Korean movie “Spring, Summer Fall Winter ...
and Spring.” E-mail raskb@kornet.net, visit raskb.com or call 763-9483
for more information.

To have your events listed on Seoul Steves Events List or to see more
events go to www.seoulsteves.com — Ed.

What The Book’s

English bestsellers
Fiction Bestsellers Nonfiction Bestsellers
1. The Kite Runner (Last week 1. Brother One Cell: An Amer-
No. 2) ican Coming of Age in
Khaled Hosseini South Korea’s Prisons (3)
Trade paper $15.00 Cullen Thomas
Trade paper $15.00
2. A Thousand Splendid Suns
(3) 2. Eat, Pray, Love (1)
Khaled Hosseini Elizabeth Gilbert
Hard cover $25.95 Trade paper $15.00

3. The Friday Night Knitting

Club (4)
Kate Jacobs
Trade paper $14.00
3. Three Cups of Tea: One
Man’s Mission to Promote
Peace (2)
Greg Mortenson
Trade paper $15.00
An ode to punk-infected rock
4. Water for Elephants (5) A solid night of live music in Seoul: ing for her. I would have liked them to up to a variety of effect pedals and two
Sara Gruen 4. The Secret (5) punk-infected rock, Burning Hepburn Richard Doherty feel each other a bit more as they amps, which were all put to good use.
Trade paper $13.95 Rhonda Byrne
Hard cover $23.95
and men in long black skirts. on Live Music played — at times they looked more in- Playing a mini piano with one hand
5. The Spiderwick Chronicles First on the bill at Skunk Hell in dividual than band-like. and grasping a microphone with the
(6) 5. The God Delusion (6) Hongdae were a local three-piece, ration of the set. Judging from the Up next were my most anticipated other, the vocalist, whose face was
Holly Black Richard Dawkins Propeller 21. They kick-started the crowd’s reaction, everyone was drawn act of the night, Burning Hepburn. The hidden by her hair for most of the set,
Boxed Set $49.99 Trade paper $15.95 night with an energetic performance of in together, creating an unforgettable band officially consists of four members, had a beautiful voice and good vocal
solid pop-punk tunes. atmosphere. Definitely a band to keep but when they play in session they add range.
6. What Is the What: The Auto- 6. The Reluctant Communist They certainly knew their genre well an eye out for on the live circuit. an extra two to cover keyboards and They played solidly through their set,
biography of Valentino (N/R) and rarely strayed, which happened to Third up were punk-rockers, The horns. The band dressed in a range of but unfortunately couldn’t seem to
Achak Deng (7) Charles Robert Jenkins be their downfall for me. Lacking vari- Strikers. They stormed onto stage play- punk styles, bringing back memories of work the thinning crowd following
Dave Eggers $24.95 ety more than anything else, if they mix ing a set with a healthy dose of punk-in- bands I liked as a child, and hinted at Burning Hepburn.
Trade paper $15.95 it up a bit, they could develop into a fected rock. their influences. Skunk Label’s All Sound All Here
7. A New Earth: Awakening strong young band, appealing to those The solid bass rhythm and diverse Mixing punk, rock and ska — and night was a fun night and a great show-
7. Duma Key (2) to Your Life’s Purpose who like their rock more catchy and ac- range of riffs from the guitar were playing at various tempos — they kept case for a variety of genres on Seoul’s
Stephen King (4)
Hard cover $28.00
cessible. complimented to perfection by strong my interest throughout their entire live scene. Watching a show in Skunk
Eckhart Tolle
Trade paper $14.00
Downhell, the second band of the vocals. They youthfully bounced set. Hell has a sense of community as the
8. The Other Boleyn Girl (N/R) night, took to the stage with the male around the stage and ensured every- They played off each other’s energy, crowd and the bands mingle through-
Philippa Gregory 8. Into the Wild (7) members dressed in long black skirts one at least nodded along to them. A while sounding very together through- out the night.
Trade paper $16.00 Jon Krakauer and the lone female in something a lit- surprisingly strong performance — out. The addition of a trumpet on some If you’re looking for a good night of
Trade paper $13.95 tle, well — shorter. considering they only formed a couple tracks, and bringing the keyboard to punk action, you would do worse than
9. The Road (8) They sounded as good as they looked: years ago. the front on others, added a welcome going to a Skunk Label show.
Cormac McCarthy 9. Guns, Germs and Steel (8) Guitarists battled it out with dueling Opening the second half of the night variety to their sound. To get to Skunk Hell take a right
Trade paper $14.95 Jared Diamond solos and solid riffs. The vocalist sang were Swimming Fish. They had that Burning Hepburn are a band with from Sangsu Station Line 6, exit and
Trade paper $16.95 with a true metal passion and was hit- distinct Korean punk style and were plenty of live experience under their follow the road down. The venue is up
10. No Country for Old Men ting all the right notes. The bass player the most Korean sounding band of the belt — and it showed. Their set was the hill, opposite 7-Eleven.
(10) 10. The World is Flat (10) was fairly inanimate (but looked devil- night. The cute female vocalist had a possibly the best of the night.
Cormac McCarthy Thomas L. Friedman ishly hot) as she strummed away. big voice for such a small girl and had a Filling in for another band, finish-
Intl paperback ed. $7.99 Trade paper $16.00
It was a mix that simply just worked, strong presence on the stage. The rest ing up the night, were four-piece Richard can be reached through his
What The Book ships anywhere in Korea. See its website at www.whatthebook.com and drew me to their world for the du- of the band laid down a solid pop back- Skrew Attack. The guitar was hooked blog, dorty.reptaro.net — Ed.