Singing Room Sensation

Since living in Gwangju, I’ve noticed it’s easy to get into a redundant routine. We tend to eat the same food each week, go to the same bars each weekend, and partake in the same post-work activities each day. However, in an effort to break our routine of going downtown for a few beers the other weekend, we and our friends decided to head to a new area of town.

Our determination to part with the familiar brought us to Sangmu. Sangmu is home to Gwnagju’s city hall and May 18th Memorial Park. In the last few years, businesses have come into Sangmu, allowing a large number of new apartments and buildings to be built. This new influx of commerce and housing is making Sangmu the second downtown of Gwangju. Unable to decide on a bar at first, we opted for the money-saving and classier option of grabbing beers from the convenience store and hanging out on the stores provided benches and tables. Before you pass judgment on me, there is no ‘open container law’ in Korea and drinking in front of convenience stores is perfectly acceptable (and commonly practiced) behavior. After catching up on the week’s happenings outside Family Mart, our group meandered its way to a real establishment for a few more pints.

As the night wore on and the liquid courage grew stronger, we were feeling bold and rebellious. We decided to take our outing for drinks up a notch and take it to a Noraebang, aka a karaoke room. In Korea, karaoke houses are divided into private rooms which you ‘rent’ buy purchasing drinks or food or by paying a flat rate. Together, a group of eight of us locked ourselves away for three hours, I am still uncertain how we spent that much time there, and sang the likes of The Beatles, Rihanna, the Spice Girls, Chicago, and too many others to name. I was worried everyone would be shy and hesitant at first, but we all got really into it. Our not-so-angelic voices combined with the constant echoing of the microphone and Korean music videos made for a fantastically fun experience; one which didn’t end until 5 am! While my voice was sore the next morning, it was all worth it. Eric and I are already planning our next visit to the noraebang.