Beginnings of Hongdae

Hongdae is the name for a dense area of shops, bars, and dance clubs outside of Hongik Univeristy, ("Hongdae" can be translated as "Hongik University"). Say the name to any cabdriver, student, or expat and they know exactly what you are talking about.

I'll have to post an update later with more pictures from the area at night, when it turns from quiet dinner district into a thoroughfare filled with fashionably dressed young Korean couples looking for a drink. The best picture I have so far is below, you can tell that a lot of the clubs and events here are given an American name. Almost all of the music in the larger bars sounds likes it comes from American artists, but Korea has its own big pop and hip-hop scene, hopefully I'll have more to talk about concerning it later on.

(edit: I added a few more pictures of the nightlife in Hongdae, the amount of neon makes up for the lack of streetlights)Living in the dormitories at Yonsei University has its upsides and its irritations. Rent for this month is cheap, but every students has to adhere to a curfew that is conservative by any American standard. Come midnight, every door to the building is locked, and the night watchmen just watch you passively when you plead at the door. At 5:30 am the doors are unlocked, the result being a lot of exhausted Americans stumble in early in the morning rather than cut short their night. My first night in Hongdae I ended up sleeping on a bench outside of my building, bitten by mosquitoes and cursing the administration.

The streets of Hongdae have plenty of foreigners, many of them Americans here to teach English. After meeting with a few former teachers on the street, we were introduced to one of the expat bars. Called the "Rocky Mountain Tavern," I saw more white faces there than I have in the rest of Korea combined. While the mood was familiar, I found myself uncomfortable being around a large group of Americans after getting used to Korea. Most of the people we met described the bar as a regular hangout, but I guess if I was alone in the country without a program I might be more inclined to keep myself isolated from native Koreans.

I haven't had enough experience with Americans here yet, so I want to hold off until later to give my opinion. From what I have seen so far, the average American I see here is quite different from people of the same age group that I know back home.