Shinchon

I’ve moved into a hasook in Shinchon.

1) A hasook is a block of apartments (medium sized rooms) where the landlord cooks you breakfast and dinner all inclusive. Still can’t quite face kimchi at 7:30am yet, though.

2) Sinchon is unreal. It sorta encompasses the Shinchon, Hongik and Hondae Districts. There’s hundreds of cafes, bars, restaurants, pubs, as well as independent & second hand clothes stores, coffee houses (mainly Hongik/Hondae), clubs, band venues, you understand by now. A really convivial, carnivale-esque vibration. I was out the other night and there’s people everywhere. A couple were playing badminton in the city centre. It’s a great district and I will post some photos and even a short virtual wander through in a week or so.

My place is about 150 metres away from the nucleus of Shinchon. Which is perfect, because even though you can see everything just down the road, up here feels like a little quiet block.

I just got back from the local milk bar. I bought another icecream and sat nearby to a couple of locals – the milk bar owner having a break and perhaps his mother. They’re just sitting watching people pass. They invited me to sit in between them, which I did, and I started reading aloud the Korean signs around us… Only she insisted reading them before I get a chance to finish. How am I supposed to learn the language like that!

We sat back and watched people pass, it was a balmy but not uncomfortable evening.

Tonight I’m heading out to City Hall at 4am to watch Korea crush France. Right after we have beaten Brazil(!?) Weird, huh? Me and sport. Even bought a t-shirt for the night. But between Australia going mad with soccer, Korea fucking insane with it, and watching the last game when Korea beat Tago and finding myself yelling at the top of my voice as Korea won each goal – I think I’ve been swept up in the soccer tidal wave with everyone else.

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