A Craziest Place on Subway Line Number One
Every Korean man should fulfill military duty somehow, and somewhere. For me, it was an interpreting police officer, in Bosan. Bosan, a region in Dongducheon city, is located almost at the end of subway line number one. The first exit of the station is directly opened to an about 500-meter-long street named "Dongducheon Special Tourism Zone for Foreigners". Anyone who gets there for the first time, I think, will be surprised and say, "I never thought there would be such a place like here in Korea!"
When I arrived there for the first time, it seemed like a dead village. Although it was only 3 in the afternoon, all I could see were old buildings whose doors are closed and locked, some stray dogs, and a few American soldiers who must have come out of the nearby U.S. army base. Naturally, the place was very quiet, except for some occasional barks of the dogs and noises from the subway passing right above my head. I started to doubt what the other police officer told me, "You'll get so busy from now on."
That night, when I came out there again for my first patrol work, I almost freaked out. It was a totally different place from what I saw earlier. I couldn't even pull myself together due to all kinds of loud club music from everywhere. Yes. Those old buildings were all clubs primarily for the American soldiers. The whole street was full of Americans, Filipinos and Filipinas, Nigerians, and some Koreans who were drinking, cheering, singing and dancing. There was an endless stream of neon signs which made me dizzy. Also, I could smell various odors mixed together, from cigarettes, alcohol, sweat and vomit.
After patrolling the street, I also had to patrol inside the clubs. The American MPs who were patrolling with me took me to a club named "Rhino", and told me that club is the most crowded one on the street. The club was really packed with people who were dancing with a cup of alcohol in their hands. The music was so loud that I felt like someone was pounding my heart instead of a drum. Also, through a flickering light, I could see a smoke all over the place, but it did not smell like it was from cigarette. It was stuffy, soupy, and definately unpleasant. I asked, or shouted, one of the MPs, "Hey, what's this weird smell?" That is when I learned how marijuana smells like. He told me "You'll get used to it." I could not believe him.
Even in that crazy place, however, there was something that cheered me up. During the first break time, the MPs took me to a small sandwich shop, named 'Dog House'. It was run by an old Korean lady, and on her recommendation, I ordered a cheese bacon sandwich. It was totally different from the bacon sandwiches I had had before. Between a pair of breads, there were a handful of bacon, a fried egg, and cheese, all fried with butter. In addition, the ketchup and some pieces of onion kept the sandwich from going too greasy. The whole ingredients perfectly harmonized with each other, and it was so delicious. After that, every time I had to go on duty, I thought, "At least I can have that bacon sandwich." I actually had it almost every day. If I go Bosan again, it is definitely for that bacon sandwich.
Moses Choi
1. What did you like best about this essay? Be as specific as possible. “When I arrived there for the first time, it seemed like a dead village” he used simile so I could imagine the scene vividly.
ReplyDelete2. Did the writer describe the place clearly? List any parts that were not clear to you.
He describe it clearly in general. But In third paragraph I was little confused why he was freaked out. It would be much clear if expressions for freaking out were used. For example simile would be good measure in that he used it in second paragraph that the essay could be paralled.
3. Did the writer appeal to the different senses? List two sensory details that you especially liked.
He used various senses: sight / smell / hearing / taste. What I especially liked is as below
1) I could see a smoke all over the place, but it did not smell like it was from cigarette. It was stuffy, soupy, and definately unpleasant. I asked, or shouted, one of the MPs, "Hey, what's this weird smell?" That is when I learned how marijuana smells like. He told me "You'll get used to it." I could not believe him.
2) The music was so loud that I felt like someone was pounding my heart instead of a drum.
I think he expressed well what he smelled first in his life. And he used simile to describe the noisy.
4. How would you describe the mood or the atmosphere of this place?
The place has different mood based on the time. At daytime he felt the place seemed a dead village where there were no human or sound except dogs’ sparking or subway. But the mood changed at night. There were so many foreigners drunk, dancing, and singing. In overall I would describe its mood as desolate at daytime and decadent at night.
5. Why do you think the writer chose to write about this place?
I think he chose it because he thought totally different feelings at same place. And as many Korean male think, experiences at military are always especial for them even though it is not a big deal. This fact also might work to him.
6. How could the writer improve this essay when he or she revises? Make only one suggestion.
It could be better if some adverbs are included for expressing ‘marijuana’ smell. This is so dramatic for him because he smelled it first time. More emphasis seems needed at this part.
Changyu Kang
1.
ReplyDeleteAs he said in his essay, I didn't know that those kinds of place exist in Korea. And I also didn't know that Korean police officers have to patrol inside the club. And then the Marijuana, I didn't even imagine that thing in an open place like the club Rhino. Specific details like these made me interested while reading.
2.
I know that I need to talk about describing the place here, but I've understood completely and thoroughly about the place. So, I would like to write another thing that made me unclear; MPs. Honestly, I had to find what it means. What about writing the full words just for the first time using them? Military Police.
3.
Yes. He used senses of sight, sound, taste and smell for describing the place.
"Naturally, the place was very quiet, except for some occasional barks of the dogs and noises from the subway passing right above my head." I liked it because the sharp and loud noise of the two made the atmosphere more quiet.
"The ketchup and some pieces of onion kept the sandwich from going too greasy." I feel hungry now after reading this part. I want that bacon sandwich.
4.
Different from the daytime, at night the atmosphere of this place turns into the party place. People enjoy crazy entertainment and their instinctive pleasure in there. The mood is for me, very strange and quite scary.
5.
There are not many places like that in Korea and he must have experienced those things for the first time there. The first experiences last long in our mind, so maybe he cannot forget about the place.
6.
After reading the whole essay, I'm still curious about the smell of Marijuana. The writer tried to express the smell through the sentence "It was stuffy, soupy, and definately unpleasant." But I think he could do more in this part. Using simile to convey the smell to readers can be effective. I would like to recommend something that smells like Marijuana but I cannot find anything as I don't know how it is like.
201203589 Choi, Won-joon