K-pop and Noraebang

In the past year and a half I've complained about Korea a lot. Pushy old women, homicidal taxi drivers, people peeing and spitting all over the sidewalks, pervasive vanity and materialism, and an over abundance of multi-colored neon lights are just a few of the things that have irritated me. But more on that later. For now I want to remember the good stuff. Whatever its faults, I've had fun here, learned about myself and the world, and grown up a good deal. Coming here was one of the best choices I ever made, or at least one I'm happy with, so to remember this temporary country of mine well and part on a high note, I present Korea's greatest hits.

I'll start with music, in honor of my little url up there. I have had some great musical experiences in Korea thanks to K-pop and noraebang.

Bring on the distaste from true musicians and musical connossieurs. I do not contend that either K-pop or noraebang has done anything for music, but both are so much fun I can't help loving them.

K-pop is the abbreviation for Korean pop music. It's arguably even more contrived, cutesy, advertising-driven and looks-focused than its international counterparts. The outfits are over the top, the singers are constantly featured on reality television and almost every band member has admittedly had some sort of plastic surgery. Groups record lengthy jingles for new cellphones and release them as hit singles. (Take BigBang and 2ne1's Lollipop, advertising the Lollipop cell phone, for example.) Despite the overt commercialism, K-pop comes out with some very catchy tunes, some ridiculous costumes (that one inspired my Halloween costume last year), and music videos with soap-opera dramatic storylines. Sometimes they even pull out a monkey playing guitar. From the week I arrived in Korea, I have loved it. At first I pretended I listened to it because knowing the latest happenings of Rain and Lee Hyo Ri would get me in good with my students. It's true, there's nothing a 14-year-old middle school student loves better than sharing an oggle of CN Blue with her teacher, but the student bonding thing was all pretext. My love of catchy K-pop tunes is pure -- and why shouldn't it be?

Now there are those among the vast 외국인 ("waygookin," Korean for foreigner) community who would debate K-pop's position among Korea's best, but no one would challenge the supreme awesomeness of noraebang. Noraebang divides into two Korean words, 노래 or norae meaning "song" and 방 or bang meaning "room." Traditional noraebang-ing happens around 3 a.m. as the conclusion to a night out. Along with 5-10 of your friends, you go to one of the plentiful noraebangs and rent out a room by the hour for about $20. (My favorite is called My Sweet Show and has glowing floors, velvet couches, crystal chandeliers, swirling colored lights and plentiful teddy bears.) From there you search out songs in a huge book and punch in the corresponding numbers, then belt them out with no one but your closest friends to witness whatever crimes you may commit against tone, key or pitch. I never truly appreciated Journey, Madonna, or Total Eclipse of the Heart or even The Killers until I met noraebang. I fear that a night out in the States, or any other country for that matter, may never compare.