COMMUNITY18 FRIDAY DECEMBER 11, 2009

Expat Living is a section dedicated to the dailyliving of expatriates.It is printed on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday.To share stories about your life abroad, s end storiesor story ideas to Matthew Lamers atmattlamers@heraldm.com Submissions may be edited for length or clarity.

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By Rob Ouwehand

What ’s not t o like about socialdan cing? It’s good exercise, it ’sfun, it’s satisfying to learn a newmove and it’s a non-threateningway to meet people who are gen-erally active and adventurous,as long as one has the courage toask a person for a dance andeven that gets easier every time.

At the same time, dancingswing, salsa, meringue or cha-cha with a partner is a chance tochat and make a new friend. Inthis writ er’s experience, askinga stran ger to dance is much eas-ier than approaching a stran gerin a bar and dancing togetherhas far fewer expectations orsuspicions attached to it thanbuying someone a drink: itmight be one of the best waysout there t o meet new people.

When Sara Rose first came toKorea, there was a large foreigndance community that used tomeet regularly to do Latindances like salsa, meringue andcha-cha. Not many Koreans  joined in, but times were stillgood. When she came back afterfour years away, a lot of thePuerto Rican soldiers who firstled the Latin dance groups had

been transferred away and theforeign dance community wasnot doing as well as the sudden-ly booming Korean Latin-dancenetwork.

Now, there were a lot of placesto go dancing, but expat s didn’talways know how to find them.To remedy this, Sara started awebsite called KISS: KoreaInternational Salsa Social, atwww.korealatinandsalsa.com,where people can join, get direc-tions in English, connect andarran ge nights out at t he differ-ent Latin dance clubs in Korea.

One of the joys of joining adancing community is the con-stant learning: even beginnerscan have a good time askingpeople to bear with them asthey learn the steps. After ask-ing a few people to dance, thatnervous reservation disap-pears and Sara assures methat in a single night, open-minded (read: don’t be a wall-flower) novices can learnenough of an unfamiliar step toenjoy their time. Later, afterlearning the dances better, theopportunity to pass on the fa-vor and spend a few songsteaching another novice, cre-ates a nice give and take wheredancers are almost always ei-ther teaching or learning anew dance move.

Most dancers are generousabout teaching people a t urn ortwo: everybody rememberswhen they were the new oneand t he satisfaction of learninga new turn, twist or trick ishuge and cumulative, so thateach night of dancing is morefun than the last.

If even learning from part-ners sounds intimidating, theKorean International SalsaSocial site includes informationon when and where beginnerclasses, workshops, lessons andprivate sessions are available,for prices that vary according tothe level and size of the group,but are quite reasonable anyway you slice them. Even better,many of the tutors and teachersgiving lessons are amongKorea’s top competitive Lat indancers, so the quality of in-struction is top shelf.

It’s actually sur prising howmuch Latin dance there is inKorea if one knows where tolook: between Facebook and thewebsite, there are about 400group members now and just inSeoul there are 10 differentclubs where people regularlymeet, as well as places inBusan, Daegu and other citiesacross the country.

The dancing community wel-comes anyone, both Koreansand expats a nd it’s a tightgroup: that is, familiar facesshow up from one club to thenext, from one weekend to thenext, so that friendships areeasy to form and maintain and

it gets easier asking for a dancefrom a person you know.

Even better, the fact thateverybody knows each other alittle helps the atmosphere inthe Latin dance clubs to remainquite positive: the kind of drunken groping that makessome kinds of clubs unappeal-ing is extremely rare in danceswith precise steps like salsa,tango and so forth, even moreso when people know the otherdancers and remember theirfaces. Rather, the Latin danceclubs welcome all ages andthough drinks might be con-sumed, nobody wants to getdrunk enough to accidentallystep on somebody’s toes, so thekinds of scenes that occur at al-cohol-centered clubs whendrunk egos clash also rarelyhappen in the Latin DanceClubs.

If Latin dancing sounds funto you, this is a good time to acton the interest: the KoreaInter nat ional Salsa Social’syear-end party is coming upthis Saturday, Dec. 12 at TheHive in Itaewon: th ere’s moreinformat ion at the website and,of course, newcomers are wel-come to join up, meet some peo-ple, get some exercise and learna few new steps, all at the sametime.

 If you know of an expat com-munity that deserves to be fea-tured in this column, e-mail ro-boseyo@gmail .com; you can read more of Rob’s writin gs at http:/ / roboseyo.blogspot.com — Ed.

KISS your wayto better health

Orpheus AllisonSunchang, North Jeolla Province

— Your columns h ave been in-teresting in providing a focalpoint for those of us new to theKorean Maelstr om. Yes, there doseem to be a disproportionatenumber of articles on Englishteachers. I am one of that group.However, I have appreciatedyour efforts to provide a sound-ing board for those teachers whoare trying to meet th e insatiabledemand that Korean Society hasplaced on a foreign language. Iwould be more interested in find-ing stories about teachers whocome from non-traditional back-grounds. I worked in Broadcasttelevision in the U.S. for 18 yearsbefore I began teaching. I use avariety of techniques and skillsthat are not part of traditionalteaching courses. Most notably Iam u sing Shakespear e’s Romeoand Juliet and other plays asteaching tools. Many of myKorean colleagues remark on thefact that the language is old andthat it is beyond the capability of my students. I did this withChinese students and it nettedtime for me in a graduate pro-gram in En gland.

I suspect that par t of the issueis the expectations of schools,parents, and society not easilydefined yet demanding a scien-tific approach that can be mea-

sured. Schizoid demographicsare certainly not new but the in-terpretat ion is. I would appreci-ate more insight int o the peoplebehind the titles or the head-lines. And I would like to knowmore about what has broughtthe foreign population to Korea.Not all of us are motivated bymoney. I have to be honest, thepay here in Korea is better t hanwhat I received in China. But Iwas also freer in China to takeon small short term jobs thatopened opportunities for laterwork without affecting my visa.This allowed me to return honorto my patron in many ways be-yond the classroom.

It would be nice to learn of programs that we can bring intoour classrooms. I know tha t th eU.S. military does do someclassroom work on a voluntarybasis. But what about compa-nies that have a vested interestin our students a major issue isthat my students do not see aconnection between their schoolwork and the future. It wouldalso be really nice if there couldbe a regular calendar of whenschools and districts do testingand it also would help if wecould compare programs offeredby the expat teachers.

Keep doing the great job youare doing. You are h elping tobuild a better future.

By Eoghan Ryan

The passing of a close friendrecently drew into focus thewrenching hurt that a majorchange in life can cause. As aperson who generally seeks outand t hrives on chan ge (I’ve livedin five countries in five years),I’ve valued all t hings new, andoften to the detriment of the oldand the neglect of loved ones.New countries, cities, jobs,friends, lovers, all fire the rest-less mind and revamp the list-less soul; at least they have forthis oft-bored Ir ishman.

All moves have, by degree,been by choice. With eachchange there have been ele-ments of excitement, trepida-tion and melancholy. But thismost severe of losses has doneseveral things to change theway I view my lifestyle andthose I share it with.

With the gr ief for t he loss of my

friend has come melancholy andnostalgia for losses of a differentkind. My moves and adventuresmay have upgra ded my life expe-rience, the size of my pool of friends, or at least my bank of stories to be told at the bar on aFriday night. But, I have alsoseen significant downgrades,losses which were grieved.

Some losses are abrupt butmost are more gradual. Fromlover with a future, to boyfriend,to acquaintance, to chapter inthe h istory book; from daily con-tact to occasional Facebook com-ment; from ever present to wor-thy of a visit some time. The fre-quent buzzing of the phone, tothe point of annoyance, fallsaway t o stoic silence. The hollowecho of those names containedwithin can ring loud sometimes.In swells and troughs thesetransitions from times of plentyto famine and back, rise and fall.

With noteworthy exceptions,

the relationships that replacethe lifelong ones left at homedrift away, downgraded by dis-tance, indifference, choice and,well, life.

Last month for the first timein five years I considered mov-ing back to Ireland. The uncon-ditional support of friends andfamily after my friend’s deathwas a sight to behold, the verybest of people at the very worstof times. But yet I choose not tolive among them. So, back to myexpat life I have come and de-spite that traveler’s instinct tocut and run, here I am going tostay. There are only so manytimes you can leave good peoplebehind and start again.

A friend I contacted recentlyfollowing the breakup of hermarriage commented that shewas thankful for the message asit seemed some people thoughtthat heartbreak was contagious.

Heartbreak is not contagious

but it does allow for a claritythat adds to your appreciation of the relationships that remain.Be they back h ome, or in one’snew home, those tha t don’t driftaway and are not downgradedshould be valued.

Any temptation to feel bitter-ness towar ds those who’ve fadedaway is negated by an under-standing that they have lives tolive, priorities to manage, aspi-rations to pursue. Equally, byleaving, by moving on, I’ve gen-erally been th e catalyst for an ydowngrading of relationships,so the responsibility lies onlywith me.

So, for now this expat is notleaving. I’m sta ying here.Instinct tells me that upgradingthe appr eciation for what I’vegot is the way forward.

The author can be reached at ryan.eoghan@gmail.com — Ed.

Seoul Players kicked of thewinter season in Novemberwith a new comedy entitled“Black Comedy” at Roofers inItaewon.

Featuring a multi-nationalcast from the United States,Canada, England and NewZealand, the production fea-tures a clever script and physi-cal comedy which can be en- joyed by all au diences, includingthose whose first language may

not be English.“Black Comedy” is a farce by

English playwright PeterSchaffer and the last three per-formances are tonight at 9 p.m.and tomorrow night at 6 p.m.and 9 p.m.

The storyline follows a youngcouple who decide to host a par-ty with borrowed furniture, onlyto experience a blackout asguests arrive.

Finding their way around in

the “dark” — while being com-pletely visible to the audience —oddball characters show upthroughout the evening to jointhem in bumping into furnitureand each other.

Seoul Players has beenaround since 2001 and has al-ways provided theatre inEnglish-language for the expatand Korean audiences. SeoulPlayers remains a not-for-profitorganization that puts on shows

for the benefit of the communityand love of the theater.

Tickets are 15,000 won, andSeoul Players recommends re-serving in advance via e-mail atblackcomed yseoul@yahoo.com.

From Itaewon Station (Exit3), walk straight and turn rightafter Dunkin Donuts. Roofers islocated on the second floor, a 1-2minute walk up the hill on theright, across from King Club.

(johnredmond@heraldm.com)

PHOTO CHALLENGE —weekly winner (top) — It’sorange season on Jeju-do.The fruits are plentiful in themarkets as orchard farmerson the island are busy har-vesting gamgyul duringNovember and December.

Katharine Rusk

PHOTO CHALLENGE —monthly winner (left) —Anguk Subway Station,Seoul is photographed inthe morning Seoul. Thetheme this month was “pointand shoot.” Aaron Brown

Here and now is way forward

Seoul Players present Black Comedy

RE: Death,racism, kimchi

N ow,there were a lot of places to go

dancing,but expats didn’t always

know how to find them. To remedy

this,Sara started a website called

KISS: K orea International Salsa

Social, at www.korealatinand-

salsa.com, where people can join,get

directions in English, connect and

arrange nights out at the different

Latin dance clubs in Korea.

I suspect that

part of the

issue is the

expectations

of schools,

parents,and

society not

easily defined

yet demand-

ing a scientif-

ic approach

that can be

measured.

Schizoid de-

m ographics

are certainly

not new but

the interpre-

tation is.I

would appre-

ciate more in-

sight into the

people be-

hind the titles

or the head-

lines.

The PhotoChallenge

The Photo Challenge issponsored by HyosungCamera (English: 010-7203-9599) and Babo Shirts( w w w . b a b o s h i r t s . c o m ) .Winners of the week ly compe-tition receive a 50,000 wonstore credit at HyosungCamera and a Babo Shirt. Totake part in the competition,simply upload your photo atw w w . f l i c k r . c o m / g r o u p s /  seoulphotoclub — Ed.

LETTER TO EDITOR