Where To Go When You Get Homesick

     Itaewon-dong, Seoul.  It is a home away from home.  It takes about 30 minutes on a bus from bundang to Seoul.  From there, you can either transfer buses or take a taxi.  It is usaully about the same price, as long as you do not take the black taxis.  They will say for foreigners, english speaking driver and really rip you off.  Once in Itaewon, you feel right at home. 
    Itaewon-dong is an area filled with foreigners and the restaurants and shops really cater to them.  With the U.S. army base near by, it is a hub for americans and american restaurants.  They have a Burger King, Quiznos, and Taco Bell.  All of the menus and shops are in English.  They even have an english book store! 
     My first stop was Gecko's.  It is a bar/restaurant.  Kelly and I met up with all the teachers from school there.  It was a farewell party for Jennifer, the teacher that I am replacing.  From there, we went for my first korean barbeque.  It was amazing.  They have this mini grill built into the center of the table.  Above the grill is this odd exhaust pipe, that moves up and down.  The waiter brings out your meat on a plate and your responsible for cooking it.  After the meat is cooked (I had pork), you place it on a lettuce leaf, add rice, chili sauce, and sauted garlic.  Wrap it up and presto.  The best korean food I have had yet.  They also made me try soju (korean vodka), peer pressure (lol).  It actually wasn't quite bad.  Just don't let it hit your tongue!
     From there, we visited a small, whole in the wall country bar.  It was full of american soldiers and was a lot of fun.  Be warned, the in order to get there you need to walk up a hill (named by expats) as, "hooker hill."  The store fronts up the hill are filled with hookers in the doorway.  There is also another hill, dubbed "hobo alley."
     The main street has tons of street meat, bars, and clubs.  Minus the dirt and stench (it is really hot and humid here), it reminds everyone of home.  Here, do you not have to sign what food you want or worry about being the only white person in the room.  You can be yourself.  And when you say, "hello" you get a response back.