Transience and K-Pop

Well it has been a week of goodbyes in Korea. Most schools finish up their semesters in February, so now is the time many teachers are leaving (as well as new ones coming in). This weekend alone I said goodbye to 4 friends. A constant flux of friends is inherent in the lifestyle I live, but it doesn't  make it any easier. I end up meeting these amazing and interesting people right as they are about to leave. I had the same experience senior year, where I wish I had more time to spend with the awesome people I was meeting at the end of my time at William and Mary. At least there is no shortage of goodbye dinners and celebrations to attend.

With the worldwide popularity of Gangnam style, I thought I might as well do a post on some of the more interesting (read- absurd) Korean music I have been hearing over here. Most teachers learn about Koren pop culture through their students, but as mine average around 3 years old, I mostly hear about Pororo and Friends.

You don't even want to hear the theme song.

I have managed, however, to pick up on a few songs via coffee shops. My current favorite is this gem. Why the world needs a sexual song about ice cream accompanied by Psy awkwardly eating an ice cream cone is lost on me.

I actually have really been liking Lee Hi, especially her song "1,2,3,4". She has a pretty soulful sound, which is much more pleasing than the standard-high-pitched-girly-noise-making most songs are full of. Plus, she is like 16 years old, which is crazy for how talented she is.

But hands down, my favorite crazy Korean music story comes from my pilates class. We listen to a wide range of music in class: plinky-plonky yoga stuff, the Bangles, 90s love ballads, etc. However, for the past two weeks we have been doing a crunch track to this house/electronica song. The idea is that you crunch to the beat of the song, and when the music breaks, you hold your crunch. So, the first time we do this I'm focusing pretty intensely on the workout when the beat pauses (aka hold the crunch), and the song goes "Why Don't We Just F***", resume beat/crunches. My mind goes "WHAT?!?!" as I look around the room. No one else has any kind of reaction at all. I guess between the crunches and the English no one really realized how ridiculously inaprops the song is, but I was left speechless. I related to story to my Korean coworkers the next day, which they found both inappropriate and hilarious.

xo Julie