Jen Watches Friends Perform

So I've been here just about 4 months, and I finally feel like I have my feet under me. I know people, I have a 'network', so to speak, I know how to get around to almost anywhere by subway, bus, taxi, or train, I can read (sound-out) Korean words, for the most part, and I actually feel comfortable here. So I guess it takes me about 3 months to make a place my own. In Barcelona, I didn't make it quite that long, so I never got to this point. But it's definitely good to know.

Saturday was one of my most favorite days in Busan so far. A group of us attended a spoken word poetry/prose reading at a charming little place in Kyungsun called Cafe Radio. It seems that many expats are poets or artists or performers of some sort - I guess it comes with the territory - because we all like to bet the center of attention. I thought I might read something I'd written, but nothing really felt right, so I went just as a spectator; however Marcus and Sarah both did some of their original work. There were maybe 15 performers in total, some reciting their own poetry, some reading poetry written by others, some doing dramatic recitations (which were my favorite), and one girl even performed a song she'd written. It was fantastic. My friends are ridiculously talented, what can I say?

The atmosphere was cozy, part wine bar, part coffee house, and the artist/writer crowd was a nice reprieve from bar scene - although to be honest most of the group did migrate all to Headquarter Bar down the street afterward - but still. We felt like we had earned it. And the best part was all of the new, smart, interesting people we got to meet. It was a really great time, a fun night in a place that's finally starting to feel like home.

This is a monthly event, and I'm really looking forward to February. Perhaps by then I'll have the gumption to get up there myself and contribute to the goodness. I kind of feel like I owe it to my community. And to myself.