On my way back to the subway I bumped into another old friend from Anyang, Jeff Barg. Jeff had only recently returned to Korea from a trip back home to the U.S.A.
On the train I started talking to these two random foreigners. (you can talk to strangers here) I asked them where they lived and they both said Guri. Small world. I asked them if they knew Matt Peacock and my good friend from Moonblues, Mr. Cha. They did.
In 2008, a group of ex-pats living in Guri used to go to Moonblues every Wednesday for an open mic night. On the stage with the Beatles from Yellow Submarine painted on the back wall, there were all the instruments and sound equipment set up to put together a pretty good bar band. A few times I even got up and joined the band on bass.
Mr. Cha was nice enough to drive me to the airport when I left Korea in 2008. I had spent my last night at Moonblues where the band, and the whole bar, filled with friends, sent me off with a touching rendition of happy birthday.
I added one of the foreigners I met on the subway on Facebook and we made plans to hang out in Guri while I'm back. I really hope I get to go back to Moonblues so I can see my friend, Mr. Cha.
I got off the train at Samgakji station to transfer to line 4. Waiting for the subway I bumped into two more friends from Happidus in Anyang. Nic couldn't remember my name, but I was in no position to get upset with him for it. He was with Gabriel, a friend from California who used to live in Anyang, but is now in Bundang.
The three of us got off at Beomgye station. When we got to Happidus it was about 11:30. The game would still not start for another four hours.
Terry and crew were already at Happidus. We sat and talked for a while until I decided to go home and drop off my 1300 dollar camera, tripod, and microphone that I had been carrying around with me all day in the hot and humid weather, amidst the hundreds of foreigners who had gathered in HBC.
On the way back to my current residence I bumped into another friend, Hannas. Unlike most of my friends here, Hannas is not an English teacher. He used to run his own import/export business. Hannas is from Finland and to thank his country for giving the world Teemu Selanne, I had given him my Winnipeg Jets' hat before I left Korea in 2012.
After returning to Happidus, the crew decided to go out for some Dak Galbi, a very tasty Korean dish you can't get back in Winnipeg. (For more information on Dak Galbi check back here later this week.)
We finished our late dinner around 2:30 am. With about an hour before the game started we decided to stop in at the local CV convenience store to have a beer outside on the sidewalk. In Korea you are allowed to drink a beer walking down the street. In HBC there were probably hundreds of foreigners doing exactly that. Another good thing about Korea is that they sell beer everywhere and a person is allowed to buy them one at a time.
As I nursed my beer sitting at a table outside the store, my good friend Finbar Brady was walking down the sidewalk. He was with a friend and they were both dressed up in some pretty suave looking suits. I've never seen him look so classy.
Finbar is a big Liverpool FC fan and he had a lot to say about their decline, as well as praise the tactical proficiency of former manager Rafa Benitez, to Terry, who mentioned his favourite team, Arsenal, every chance he got.
After I finished my beer and before we went upstairs, I spotted a random Korean on the street, wearing a Bayern Munich jersey. I gave him the thumbs up, and shouted out, "Go Bayern Munich!". He gave me the thumbs up right back.
I then shouted out "Bastian Schweinsteiger", and he smiled and turned around to reveal that he was wearing a Schweinsteiger jersey. Of course I had to get a picture with him so Terry took a few snaps with his camera. The Korean gave Terry his camera phone to take some pictures. We shook hands and he went off with his friends to presumably watch the game.
There were about fifteen of us at Happidus when the game kicked off at 3:45, roughly sixteen hours after I had left the apartment I was staying in.
It was a very exciting game. When Robben scored in the 89th minute I let out a huge cheer. I cheered so much that my voice went hoarse, and would remain so all day the next day.
When it comes to sports I just get carried away. My happiest moment was watching Bastian Schweinsteiger hoist the trophy over his head. It was well deserved.
Congratulations to Bayern Munich and Bastian Schweinsteiger!!!
It had been a night full of redemption.
When I got back to the apartment after six in the morning on Sunday, it was already bright outside. I had the place to myself as Janice and Tom had opted to stay out all night in Seoul.
What a day it had been.
cheers
rymr
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