A Day of Birthday Fun in Apgujeong

I usually try to refrain on my blog from writing the typical "so today I did this and went here and it was fun" kind of posts, but yesterday was my first and perhaps only birthday celebrated in Korea, so I figure I'll probably want to remember the day. So, if you're reading, you're going to have to bear with me on this one.

First, a little bit about birthdays in Korea. While things are changing a bit for the younger generations of Koreans, in general Korean culture is much less individualistic than US culture, and this is reflected in the varying ways that the two countries treat birthdays. Generally, birthdays in Korea are not celebrated by throwing big parties, as in the US and some other western countries. It is far more common to celebrate with an intimate gathering of family and friends for dinner and cake (much more my speed..). In talking with my Korean friends, my impression is that birthdays are no less important in Korea than the States, but that they are to be celebrated with and by those people who truly care about you most-- rather than serving as an excuse to gather together everyone you know in celebration of your existence.

This cultural difference is also reflected in the way that age is determined in each country. In Korea, age is determined based on the year that you were born, rather than on your actual date of birth. For example, I was born September 19th, 1987-- meaning that according to the Western measurement of age, I turned 22 years old yesterday. But, in Korea, I, along with everyone else born during 1987, actually became 23 years old on January 1, 2009. Confused? In Korea, the first year that you are alive counts as year number 1; so, from September 19th-December 31st 1987 I was considered to be 1 year old, but starting at the beginning of 1988 I was considered to be two years old. In 1989, I was three, in 1990, four, and so on and so forth...

It actually took me a while to figure all of this out-- mainly because I kept getting a little bit of a different answer from different people I asked about the issue. In fact, I am still a little confused, because I think that the lunar calendar plays into all of this in some way, but I am not exactly sure how. But either way, age in Korea is determined by birth year (emphasis on the collective) rather than by day of birth (emphasis on the individual) which is kind of cool... apart from the fact that it makes me feel old every time I tell someone my age. :)

It also made turning 22 a little anticlimactic, since I've been telling everyone I am 23 since I got here. Then again, on the other hand, perhaps it eased my transition into the age where birthdays simply mean you are becoming an older and older adult. Either way, though, this particular birthday turned out to be quite a fun day spending time with sweet friends.

I spent most of the day yesterday in Apgujeong-dong (dong can be translated as neighborhood)-- a district of Seoul that is the "Beverly Hills" of South Korea. In fact, the main road, lined with designer shops and trendy cafes, is even referred to as Rodeo Drive. According to one online source I came across, it is the 10th most expensive shopping street in the world. Apgujeong in general is a very stylish and upscale area. Most Korean celebrities and a large number of successful business owners live, eat and shop there, and, according to my Korean friends, it is a place that people here either love or hate.

As a non-native and a visitor, I, of course, loved it. In the morning, I met a friend at the cinema in Apgujeong-- hands down the nicest theater I have ever been to-- to see (read "sob my way through") My Sister's Keeper. It was the first movie I have gone to see since being in Korea and I really enjoyed it. I learned while in Jordan last summer that when feeling homesick, going to see a Hollywood movie helps me to feel a little more at home, and, since I figured I'd be missing my family and friends on my birthday especially, I decided it would be a good way to treat myself. And in keeping with this theme, after the movie, my friend and I met up with some other girls for a birthday lunch at Outback. I know I probably should have chosen a more chic or trendy place given where we were, but it was the first American food that I had had since being here and I was extremely happy with my choice. (Funny side note: Outback is one of my favorite restaurants so before I left for Korea, I went for a special "last meal" there with my family, making a big to-do about how I wouldn't get to eat there for a whole year. My sister even stole a couple coasters and slipped them into my bag as a souvenir. Then, I get here and what do I find out? Not only do they have Outbacks throughout Korea, but there is even an Outback within walking distance from my apartment! Ah well...)

After we were all done eating, my friends surprised me with a very pretty and very yummy organic blueberry birthday cake! The icing was especially good-- light and whipped and not too sweet. I'm expressing my happiness Korean style below... :)


After lunch, we spent some time walking the streets, checking out a few of the boutiques and admiring (or, very occasionally, cringing at) the trendy outfits of passers by. I was hoping for a celebrity sighting but no such luck. And even though most places were more expensive than I was willing to spend, I definitely enjoyed the window shopping.

While walking, we stopped into a cosmetics store, and I ended up getting my makeup done. I hadn't planned on it, but I was looking to buy foundation and the girl, trying to make a sale, offered to do it for me. It was the first time I had ever had my make-up professionally done, and even though it wasn't for a special occasion, it did look really good and ended up being a lot of fun. I kind of felt like a little girl having a dress up party :) The sales girl was very sweet and cute and helpful, and, unfortunately, her sales tactics totally worked on me-- I ended up spending nearly $200 there (a forgivable birthday splurge?).

Later on, we went to noraebang, a very popular Korean pastime that I have been avoiding since arriving here. Noraebang translates literally to "singing room," and it is essentially karaoke in private rooms. I'm not quite sure why I felt so anxious about it-- I guess singing in front of people in any type of karaoke situation is just not my cup of tea. And it certainly didn't help that the noraebang that we chose had walls lined with pictures of all the celebrities-- mostly singers-- who frequented the place, adding to the intimidation factor. But once I gave in, I actually ended up having a blast! At noraebang, people don't expect much out of you and everyone is comfortable singing, no matter their ability level. I've always felt that with karaoke you either have to be funny or a good singer for people not to hate you, but with Korean people in noraebang it is not like that-- you just sing and enjoy one another. My favorite part of the experience was attempting to belt out a duet of "When You Believe" by Mariah Carey and Whitney Huston-- trying to achieve that kind of power and range led to some pretty hilarious, and sometimes painful, screeching. (Another side note: for those of you who plan to come visit me, I am dragging you to do this; it is a necessary part of the Korean experience.)

After nearly 2 hours of noraebang, we needed something to help give us our voices back, so we stopped in at a sweet little coffee shop for tea and lattes. When we finally parted ways, I was extremely tired but very happy. I could have easily called it a night then, but at the last minute decided to meet a couple friends for drinks who had been too busy to join earlier in the day. It ended up being a good choice, and was the perfect low key and relaxing end to a fun day of indulgence in goofy, girly silliness...

And, to top it off after all of that, today (Sunday) some of my church friends surprised me with yet another delicious cake and a free lunch. It was really sweet and super thoughtful of them... made me feel special :)

So, even though my first Korean birthday may not have been celebrated with anything that marks it as especially "Korean," it was the perfect blend of normalcy (movies and Outback) and novelty (Apgujeong shops and noraebang) to leave me feeling completely content at the end of the day. Now, I am left with a ton of leftover cake in the fridge and a lot of sweet Korean birthday memories... really couldn't have hoped for better!