Anyway, after school last night all the collective staff went out to the El Toro bar for beer and to watch the World Cup game. Across from the bar in a large empty lot they had set up a Big Screen T.V. in front of which were crowded at least a hundred Koreans, possibly more. The crowd also included watchers from the nearby bars and restaurants who were pressed against the window so as not to miss the game.

At the bar we were just across the way from the screen, and the crowd, the place was fairly packed from the overspill of people there to catch the soccer match. I believe Korea was playing Portugal and Portugal was favored to win. We were only there a few seconds when the crowd suddenly exploded with sound, and I was informed by the American teacher I was standing next to that Poland had just scored against America. It was not necessarily that Korea wanted us to loose, it was just very important the US team not win if Korea lost (if both team lost they would both advance, or something like that was explained to me).

As the game progressed there was allot of screaming and throwing of streamers and the downtown was really alive. When Korea finally did score a goal there was a shockwave of sound that was just deafening, it was like the whole country was screaming wildly. You could not mistake that this was a good thing. Well amid the pouring of beer and the drinking of glasses and the screaming, at some point I wound up more then a little drunk, and I didn't realize this until another defining roar passed through the crowd about twenty minutes later. Korea had one. The noise, however, did not ease off this time, it just kept going. There were allot of expatriates out that night and we were all screaming wildly and shouting the Korean soccer fan cry, which I can't really remember at the moment, but it sounded like that old cheerleader "let's go" cheer, for those of you who might have been in marching band. Anyway, this started the drinking in earnest. After a bit El Torro started to get boring and somehow we ended up at the Gypsy Rock which was packed with people. you couldn't move and you couldn't fall down from inebriation because everyone was packed in so tightly.

After that a small group of us finally managed to break free, the place was stifling, and decided to go try to find a video-bong. The video-bong is supposedly a sort of private movie screening room, however we could not find one that would admit the group of seven, so we ended up buying a few bottles of Soju (Korean Vodka) and headed out to find a Nori-bong, which is roughly equivalent to a karaoke bar except it's just your little party in it's own room with a video screen and lots of music to choose from.

We hung out there for I don't know how long than wandered back onto the streets which were still teaming with Koreans cheering the win. They were especially excited about the three of us ex-pats and kept running up to us, grabbing us, jumping with us, generally cavorting and getting us to cheer Korea's victory, while occasionally shouting US #1, which I thought was pretty funny. After a bit it started to get lighter, and I realized the sun was coming up. Micha, one of the teachers with us, had a phone interview in less than an hour for an Americorps job he would like to get, so we found a cab, and had it take us to the Donga department store from where we walked, not in a straight line, home. I think I got in around 6:00 a.m. but I'm not really sure.

Anyway, I thought I would relate, as it seems a bit odd to me that, even though I lived very close to Chicago during the later part of it's basketball winning streak, I had never participated in the general celebrations that accompanied it. It was, in a word, crazy.

Well, at the moment I've come out to forage, and am checking my very lonely e-mail (nothing but amazing offers today) and will try to figure out which direction to get on if I want to take a bus somewhere. I'm thinking of just getting on and seeing where I end up. Hopefully I will make it back. If you don't here from me in five days, avenge my death.