Bopping to the DMZ

I passed a radio in the supply room at school today. It was in Korean, but I recognized the rhythm. It was "She Bop" by Cyndi Lauper. Korean techno-style. I couldn't understand the words since it was all in Korean. One can only wonder how "She Bop" translates into Korean. These are the moments that shock me into remembering that I'm in another country. Perhaps another world. I returned to my classroom humming the Lauper hit. If they can do this, I wonder what the disco crowd could do with "Total Eclipse of the Heart." Something funky, I'm sure.

Seoul now has 104 Starbucks. Up from 97 two weeks ago. Up from 57 last year when we arrived.

Kristie and I went to North Korean last Saturday, sort of. We traveled to the DMZ, the two-mile stretch that separates the two countries. On the west border is the Joint Security Area, a small plot of land for both sides to meet and negotiate. Here, both sides post armed soldiers to "keep the peace." We had to sign a waiver acknowledging our understanding that it is a hostile military area, and that we could be involved in a incident that could lead to injury or even death. We also quickly signed it because we wanted our picture with the guard. What fools... One of the houses has the dividing line through the middle, so Kristie and I went to that side. Not much different.

It was a strange experience, visiting the intersection of two opposing countries. Kristie tried to egg on the two sets of guards to fight, but it didn't work.

See all the DMZ pictures at http://www.flickr.com/photos/34261721@N00/sets/1156630/