Koreans In Summertime

Let me start off by saying, that last September October, I found that Koreans hated the sun. At the beach, they were wearing long sleeves and hats and carry umbrellas everywhere like it's raining.

Today was a different story, although also a different kind of Korean person.

We heard about the Hamilton Hotel pool that's on the roof and decided it was on our bucket list to go. We also heard the pool opens at 10 and closes at 8 on weekends and holidays. Then we heard what the weather was going to be like today. We decided to go.

Before going, on Wednesday Sara and I did a little research to see what we might want to expect. All the internet blogs and articles talked about males asserting their social dominance, how to talk to Korean girls, and other activities that happen at the pool.

Let it be known that all those things were true.

First we got there at 1020, and the line to get in was around the corner to the elevator. We waited a good 40 minutes just to get into the pool, and when we did, there was no where to sit really, except on the edge of the pool, which was fine. That's where we sat all day. We people watched the crap out of this situation. There is drinking, and bbqing (American style) and the craziest shenanigans you can possibly imagine.

As I'm thinking about how to explain this to you all, I'm finding it very difficult to put into words the things I saw today, so here are my attempts at the important things:

1. House music from noon on.
2. Men in speedos EVERYWHERE whether they should be wearing them or not.
3. Korean girls in high heals
4. People mingling.
5. Drunk (or not) Koreans dancing like they're in a club of house music, just wearing significantly less clothes (now before you get a raunchy picture in your head, just imagine someone standing there, bobbing their head and waving their hands in the air sometimes).
6. People packed from wall to wall.
7. The "social dominance via floaty toy" thing was real. The pool has one trampoline floaty toy that many people were often sitting in. Till other people came and dumped you out. Then it was a battle for which male (white or korean) could stay on or in the floaty toy. Eventually they let other people back on, but it was a constant game and that toy was more often than not, FULL of men, in very close proximity to one another, in speedos.
8. On that same note, I met a nice girl who borrowed my sunscreen in exchange for some wine that experienced the floaty toy thing. A kind old man in a speedo (Korean) decided to join the fun. She told me of the sights and feels of that experience and that she never wanted to experience it again. I stayed away from that bad boy (the toy, not the old man).
9. There was literally oil floating on top the pool because of the amount of lubrication these people were using to become tan. Men were literally oiling each other up non stop the whole time.
10. Being pale in Korea is cool. Today I learned that that really only applies to your face. Therefore, you look at these bodies of both males and females, skin dark as dark can be, face, whiter than a freaking ghost (granted this is a bit of an exaggeration, but I kid you not, their faces were white with make up...men and women...and their bodies super duper dark). That was almost the most shocking thing I saw all day.
11. The burger we ate for lunch was delicious!
12. Korean girls reapply their make up as soon as they get out of the water (if they ever even really get in).
13. I karate chopped a guys hand for trying to pull Sara into the pool. I hit him much harder than I thought and it still hurts right now, 5 hours later...but it worked!

Some things I learned for next time (and there will be a next time because now we KNOW what we need and what to expect and it'll make it all the better):
1. We will pay the extra money for a lounge chair, to have our own space.
2. We will bring our own alcohol (not allowed, but everyone did it).
3. We will bring more friends. We had quite a lot of fun with only 3 of us, but if we had more people to talk to, it would have been pretty cool.
4. We will get to the pool (to stand in line) at 930 so that we can get a chair, but a chair in an area we want.
5. We will bring some sort of pool toy, be it a beach ball (there were 3, they all went over the edge into the bustling streets of Itaewon, never to be seen again) or a frizbee, or a kickboard or SOMETHING.
6. We will go on a Saturday when it's perfectly okey dokey to be hung over the next morning (sorry mom, the truth hurts).

Here's the pictures that can hopefully provide you with a little insight as to what I witnessed today.

Oh Korean grammar. Hehe. 

The lounge chairs were all full, and people were sitting like us around the entire pool. 

The social dominance floaty toy. 

This guy was wasted, and was trying to dance on this thing...till he fell off with no one's help but his own. 

The first male to dominate the floaty toy. Also, take note of the Korean men wearing speedos lathering themselves up and just standing there. And they weren't even the worst. I wish I took a picture of these other two men...one wearing a pink, truly banana. hammok. I kid you not the things I saw...and his pal, wearing powder blue tiny shorts. Powder blue...when wet...with a light material. I'll leave the rest to your imagination but I don't even think your imagination can do it justice. 

These guys stood around for a looooong time before lying down for a loooooong time then leaving. Don't worry,  their space was quickly taken over. 

On another more awesome note, my family booked their flight to Korea today!!!! They'll be here in September (my mother still hasn't given me the specific dates and times yet) and we're gunna do so many awesome things! YAY YAY YAY!

Oh and I have to work tomorrow, Friday. We had a random Thursday off. Hence the reason for this adventure in the first place.

Over and out!