Yeah, I'm back in Korea again, have been back for two weeks now, working on an interesting new project. Its a bit like deja vu yet different too. Last time we stayed in Youido, known for it's lack of foreigners, next to the Yuksam Building, the 63 Building, the tallest in Korea. No one in the building spoke a word of English although it was a brand spanking new very modern and nice apartment block. This time we're staying in the Somerset Palace, just about at the entrance to Insadong and near most of the Seoul palaces in the downtown area, the cultural hub of Seoul. It's difficult to decide whether we're in a hotel or apartment, technically a serviced apartment with all the hotel-like bells an whistles, breakfast (too nice), very efficient English speaking staff, daily cleaning service, etc.

I was back in Korea a few times for about a weekend each time and found it nearly home-like, familiar, etc but still knew that I would have to steel myself a bit to adapt again but this time around it's nearly been a bit of an anti-climax. There's a lot of English at the client as well, we get greeted every morning at the door with a perfect 'Good morning' after a half an hour  shuttle bus ride. The level of English spoken by the client is impressive, I know the local consulting team well as this is the third project we have worked on, we also have some Korean guys on the project who worked in English countries for a number of years and speak English like any other Englishman (ok, some with that typical American speech defect!!). It's disconcertingly easy in a way, waiting or something to jump out and bite, perhaps it's that bimbimpap stuff.

We had a huge project launch event on Friday evening, presentation in a boardroom running through the project structures, then moving on to the main event, the only English on the Korean agenda slide 'Ice Breaking'. That had to be a hint of what was to follow in a very nice Korean style Hof or beer drinking place. When Korean people decide to get drunk they do so at great pace, like most things Korean, bali bali, quick quick. I saw a bottle of whiskey disappear in record time mixed with copious amounts of beer, called bombs. The whole event was an easy flow of people moving around chatting, being introduced, having a drink, lost of 'cheers', 'kampai', whatever else, talking with senior management, etc. Unfortunately I left before they headed for a noreabang, Korean karaoke, didn't know they were going otherwise I would have stayed. Korean people at work are a very serious looking bunch, dead set on advancing the cause of the company, tapping away at their keyboards all day. When they go through the doors of a noreabang something weird happens, as if the electronic emissions from all the electronic karaoke equipment triggers a metamorphosis of astounding proportions. Shy, reserved, quiet little guys morph into Elvis replicas, singing, screaming and hopping around as if they have been doing it all their lives. When they walk out the door the opposite happens again. This has to be observed once in a lifetime at least, always great fun.

So, yeah, I'm back, and it's interesting.