Jeju Island + Random Thoughts

The last 6 summers I have gone back to Canada to do Canadian things. For certain obvious reasons, that streak has ended. However, things are never all good or all bad. There are positives to almost everything. I won’t be spending as much money, I am getting paid for the summer (need to do 2 weeks of summer school though), I have ample amount of time for gaming, and I have some time to explore Korea.

People say that Jeju is like America’s Hawaii. People go there for honeymoons, there is surfing, seafood, famous Korean dramas are shot there, and basically anything you see or eat is famous. See that beach? Famous Jeju beach! Delicious prawns? Famous Jeju prawns! (Hey! Hey! I love prawns!) See all that grass? Famous Jeju grass! Perfect sand beaches? Famous Jeju sand!

Everyone says you have to go to Jeju. Fine. I’ll go. I need to go somewhere and it seems unlikely I will be able to leave Korea until next summer (What happens next summer Bert? Oh, just wait). I somehow made a friend who wanted to go to Jeju after work on Friday and come back late Sunday night. Do you want to know the best way to travel in Korea? Travel with a Korean person. It’s like having a cheat code. I went to restaurants and had food I would have never ordered or even knew existed because I’m a big, English speaking dope of a man. Another pro tip is renting a car. I’ve never driven a car outside of North America which is kinda wild if you think about it. I didn’t have an international driver’s license until last August and it expires soon so I needed to make it count. Since the summer is a high tourist season and getting around the island is a bit tough without a car, the island is filled with rental cars. At the hotel we stayed at, it was like looking at an Enterprise car lot. (Big shout out to Enterprise. It was 11 years ago that I woke up each day to work from 7:30-6, wash cars in a suit, forced to talk to strangers as I drove them around Ottawa and really made me seriously consider leaving Canada if this is what being an adult entailed) 

I don’t want to tell you each thing I did because I don’t want to be some big show off but here are some pictures of Jeju that I have stolen from the internet for your viewing pleasure.

Overall, Jeju is a great stop. Outstanding food, solid hiking, waterfalls, surfing, the best mandarins you will ever have in your life, plenty of horses for your riding pleasure, lots of Korean people, somewhat affordable, lots of dragonflies, and general laid-back vibe. The negatives would be far too many speed bumps (traffic accidents must be almost zero on Jeju), a lot of traffic camera enforcement zones which really made other drivers want to speed when the speeding zone ended, far too many white rental cars, and a general lack of good breakfast but breakfast is lacking in Korea in general. Should you go to Jeju? I’m not the boss of you so you should do whatever you want. Do I regret going? No. Will I go again? No because I won’t get to be a Spartan ranking 100 in Halo if I’m exploring Korea all the time.

Random Thoughts

It’s been raining like the Great Galveston Storm lately in Korea.

I’ve been gaming super hard. If you have an Xbox, add me johnlanger

I’m not going to brag about how many books I’ve read so far this year because nobody cares. (33)

I don’t partake in many experiments about food or my general health. That has changed. I am currently on month 3 of a very ambitious experiment. Will write about it in 9 months (that’s how long it takes to create a baby!)

Pogos are big in Korea. In America they are called corn dogs. Non stop learning going on over here.

You can’t just buy a baguette or garlic bread in Korea. Everything is filled with something else. Buy a pastry? Filled with olives. Buy a pretzel? Filled with cream. 

Everything is filled with some random food that makes it taste way worse. I would like to formally state my displeasure about this particular culinary Korean experience.

Everyone thinks they are better looking, smarter, and benevolent than they actually are.

I only have three weeks off this summer and while I realize most people don’t get 3 weeks, I’m unsatisfied.

Netflix is overrated.

I’ve been drinking a lot of water and lemon recently.

Movie theaters in Korea are releasing old movies so I went to see the first John Wick on Saturday. Great flick. Also, you can bring in your own food to cinemas here but you can’t bring in soup. Not even famous Jeju soup.

You know what’s boring? Baseball.

I went to Changdeokgung Palace in Seoul last week. Because of what’s happening and because it was raining, I went on a tour with just me, my friend from work and the guide. The guide said that normally there are about 100 people taking the tour. I can only imagine my way was more enjoyable.

The guide noted that a famous king had eradicated corruption. The next sentence she mentioned that the king later died from someone poisoning his food. So I asked, “So he didn’t really get rid of corruption did he?” She stopped enjoying the small group size at that point.

I’m not sure if I will write a post about this because it’s a huge downer but suicide is a big part of the culture here. It’s in their shows, movies and politics. I’m not sure what the solution is but I certainly need to sit my students down and tell them not to kill themselves. What a strange topic to have to cover. Oh, just so you know kids, don’t kill yourself. Not good.

On a lighter note, baby goats are the goat. 

Thanks for checking in on your favourite Bert. Try and enjoy your summer and will write again soon.

If you are looking for some banger songs, check these out:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CdcqGjQvb4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2bCryLl4pA

“What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness.”    John Steinbeck 

The Future of Partying

People love getting wild. Young and old, humans like to let loose, have a few drinks and get after it. This whole virus/lockdown has essentially stopped the good times. This cannot last. Unless a nuclear war happens, I don’t think anything can stop people from partying. So, what’s the future of partying?

My guess is that house parties will be making a comeback. House parties are legit. The pregame can certainly be the high point of a night. Additionally, houses are where the after party usually takes place. All that is happening is we are cutting out the middle man; always cut out the middle man.

Some of my fondest high school memories come from having people over while my mom was gone for the weekend. Staying up late, being in charge of the playlist, random people showing up, the unknow of what will happen next all within the safety of your own home. Especially if you live with some privacy or out in the country so people can’t shame you for having people over, the future is house parties with lots of hand sanitizer, temperature checks and no sharing of the house funnel. 

My second guess is the future of partying might be another high school staple: bush parties. Being outside seems to limit the risk so why not build a fire, set up a tent and start raging. This takes a bit more planning but the payoff is greater. A return to bush parties and camping would be welcomed on my end. There are many positives in not going to a traditional bar. If you stopped to think about it, there are many downsides:

Standing in line

Inadequate DJ

Terrible drinks

Expensive cover
Bouncers

Too many dudes

Too loud

Too crowed

Negative bathroom scent

Random flights

Disco balls

Unfortunately, no longer true Leo.

Also, we are interacting with humans who you probably don’t have that much in common with. However, if you have yourself a small group of friends and they tell their small group of friends, everyone at this party will be loosely connected which gives you a strong starting off point. Also, the drinking games would be in full force which are mostly frowned upon in regular bar settings.

The more I think about this, clubs and bars being temporarily closed might not be a terrible thing. Yes, it’s bad for people who work in that industry. However, there are just too many clubs and bars that are not exceptional; this should narrow the field to the establishments worth saving.

I’m not saying that you should throw your own underground rave tonight but the future of partying is something worse considering. My personal opinion is that this virus is staying in our lives for the foreseeable future. I think in 10 years people will still be dying from this virus but we will learn to live with it and some type of social distancing and mask wearing will become more prevalent in cultures all over the world.

A quick internet search shows that a lot of DJ’s are having online concerts or performances. I haven’t taken part in that mostly because it sounds pretty tame but it’s good that people are being creative and trying to make the best of it. Zoom drinks and Houseparty app are also modern alternatives.

Another potential solution I've read about is before entering an outdoor music festival, people would have to show a negative Covid test to be allowed to enter. While this wouldn’t 100% keep infections to zero, it has potential to allow people to get back to some type of normal during the summer months.

I just read this from The Guardian: "The police also report that "corona speakeasies" have been springing up in the city, where owners of closed bars have taped up the windows and locked the doors, only allowing in guests who have registered or who deliver a specific knock on the door." I feel like the sexiness of going to a speakeasy in 2020 is eliminated with a side effect being potentially killing your stepmother who lives in the attic.

It also seems like many places in Europe are having secret raves or beach parties. When researching parting during quarantine, almost all of the articles were from Europe. Partying is more engrained into their cultures I suppose and a virus that could kill their grandparents sure won’t stop them from posting up and sending out the vibe. Places in England are focusing on areas with patios to have disposable menus, hand sanitizer, different entrance and exits as well as all orders going through an app which might be the future of going out in North America in 2021 and beyond.

I was just speaking to a friend in Shanghai and he said that it is back to partying like it was 2019. Bars and clubs are open; bartenders pouring shots into customers’ mouths; dancing and overall tomfoolery. The only new wrinkle is everyone is wearing a mask when you line up, having your temperature taken before you enter and leaving your phone number when you enter. Proceed to get wild. Sign me up.

I feel bad for people who have just turned 19 or are in their prime partying years. Memories are being stolen from them and while there are more serious concerns about what is happening, it’s still an experience that they are currently being robbed of. Luckily for me, my going out days are on the decline and I haven’t had anything to drink in a month and barely noticed. I hope that we can all find a way to be together and enjoy ourselves soon in whatever context is safest for everyone.

”We’re going streaking!”