Children's day and the gun club

Wednesday was a national holiday - Children's Day! Can you believe such a thing exists? When I was a kid I remember asking my parents why there wasn't a kids' day. There's a mother's day and father's day, after all. 'Every day is kids' day,' was the standard reply from them. Well here the kids really do deserve a day off. They work really hard and go to way too much school. It ain't bad that the teachers get a nice midweek holiday as well.

I went out with my friend Taylor to Seoul to meet a Korean friend, Tae Eun. We drank soju and ate pig intestines and had a nice lively time. I learned a Korean term that is awesome. I actually first heard it last weekend at Pine Tree Club when Taylor was sitting next to Tae Eun at a bench table at a bar. Evidently Taylor's legs were spread too wide apart as to interfere with Tae Eun's comfort. 'Juk bul nham! Juk bul nham!' Tae Eun started yelling, then miming explained that it's when you sit with your legs too far apart. 'Like on metro train - juk bul nham!'

On Wednesday I was up early. I skyped with the folks in the morning, then headed out too see whether it was possible to rent a bike from one of the Goyang shared bike stands. I wanted to ride to Lake Park in Ilsan and Taylor wanted to join me, but doesn't have a bike. Bad luck - the user interface is all in Korean. So I rode alone and met him and a few friends who got their by bus in Lake Park. We had some beers in the park, then went out for Indian, then decided to hit the shooting range.

Yes, there is a shooting range in Ilsan. I asked the boys whether or not I could get a picture shooting there. My Irish friend Jude said, 'Well, it's quite serious when you get there so I don't know.' He was right. You walk into this joint that looks like a dentist office, but with a massive airbrushed picture of D'Angelo packing heat on the wall. You look through menus to choose your gun. I think I went with a Beretta. Then you're led into a room where they put a bullet proof vest on you, then to the range where the gun is supported by a bicycle chain so you can's ice yourself. You've got a Korean guy next to you who loads the gun and hands it to you, then grabs it from you immediately when your last shell is spent.

It was fun and kind of scary shooting. It turns out I'm a decent shot though. I got all ten shots on the target and one through the bullseye. I think I'd do better if I went again because I was quite nervous and shaky. Anyhow, here's the one picture I got, with the D'Angelo gun poster outside the joint. Till next time: