I'm so blogging this . .

Not sure if anyone is reading this anymore, but I will keep rambling all the same. So spontaneous trip to Gwangju, one of the larger cities in Korea. A couple expats and myself trying to find only the foreigner shop where they sell the prized possession of SOUR CREAM and perhaps a block of large and imported yellow cheese. All the meanwhile keeping are eye out for the secretive and infamous TATTOO shop. As we were doing our rounds, I saw it from across the street- the scrolling letters in neon red - T - A- T - T- O- O. Before I could blink we were climbing the three flights to a tiny studio that indeed was perhaps strange but true to its sign. My companion had been searching for such a shop for awhile for for those of you who do not know, tattoos are quite taboo in Korea. They are to such an extent unaccepted that you will see a plethora of television actors with strange bandages applied to their arms and legs in order to cover their "atrocities". No matter, she wanted a tattoo. So we climbed the ambiguous staircase passed the "twice fried" chicken house up the stairs to a small studio that promised tattoo service. The entrance was enshrouded in bamboo and  it was clear to us that we should remove our shoes before entering. (Yes. You must remove your shoes before entering a tattoo shop in Korea.)

     The walls were accessorized with various amazing and exquisite tattoo artistry. These images were so much more that tattoos, they were Art. The assistant made a call to the 'on call'tattoo artist, meanwhile helping us with the technical aspects of the tattoo: how big, what color; we used the Internet to complete the task. With out us realizing much time had passed a young Korean women appeared in the door way "I'm sorry I'm late" she said in perfect English. 

   This girl, hardly nineteen was going to imprint my companion forever and with out too much time passing she inquired " Do you know Amercian Idol?" "Why of course," we replied. "I was on it- season seven Chicago." she said as a matter of factly. "What? you were?" I surprisingly asked. " Yes " she said, " I made it through second audition." "What did you perform?" I inquired. She responded "Maria Carey and Alicia Keys." She lit a cigarette and held it so that the filter bent over in a way I had never seen a cigarette go flacid before. She flicked her ashes carelessly into a paper dixie cup.  Post cigarette, my companion reclined over a modest table and was being inked away. 

    Mariah Carey was playing in the background. Mid tattoo the girl who told us her name was 'So Young' (so serious) paused to answer her cellphone only to keep tattooing mid conversation! My friend pleaded causally "uhh maybe, no cellphone?" So Young seemed to not hear her words. Within less than an hour it was finished, done flawlessly with the skill of a veteran. Her tattoo: the Chinese character "Energy". The symbolism in this was almost overwhelming.