Cultural Diversity

Three months has now passed and I have finally settled myself into Korean lifestyle, so what better opportunity to go out and make life a little more interesting. 

Any of you who have known me for the last few years would know that I love latin music and I've been salsa dancing for the last five years (on and off), but nevertheless, dancing every opportunity I can get.  I have discovered that you find some of the best things by ditching the Lonely Planet book and simply taking a walk.  I did just such a thing about three and a half weeks ago.  To my amazement I actually found a dance studio in my neighbourhood!  So, naturally, I walked the five flights of stairs to get to it.  Yes, it's Korea, but as soon as I walked in the place, I felt right at home.  As luck would have it, they had two pre-professional dancers tearing up the floor.  I immediatly signed up for Latin ballroom.  Good sales tactic on their part!  I guess I was feeling a little overconfident in my dance skills because I signed up for the intermediate classes.  I figured I was paying good money, why not skip the first level altogether. I mean other than the fact I've never taken Samba, Cha Cha or Rhumba before and the classes are entirely in Korean, how hard can it be? 

Now, I've actually found a Salsa club in the foreigners district of Itaewon, Seoul called Club Caliente.  It's the one place where I find myself in Korea, speaking Spanish to a Brazilian soccer team and I can dance with a Korean belly dancer.  It's cultural diversity at its finest!  The crowd is full of American G.I.'s, English teachers, and entrepeneurs from all walks of life, all over the world...Costa Rica, Brazil, Nicaragua, Argentina and even Nigeria.