Throwback Thursday: My first speed dating experience in Korea.

So I've been in Korea for a year and 7 months, which is simultaneously surreal, terrifying, and wonderful. I worried quite a lot when I first came here that Asia would be the dating wasteland and romance graveyard that Europe was for me, but fortunately, that hasn't been the case. I've had plenty of dates, one short relationship, and an otherwise active social life here--in a year and a half I've had a much better time on that front than I did in 6 years in the UK.

Pictured: An actual nightclub in England. I wish I was joking about that...

But anyway...a little over a year ago, I wrote about my first speed dating experience here on my old blog and it was amusing enough that I thought I'd repost it here. I may do a future blog about my current and recent experiences but in the meantime...

It's from here, but read after the jump...

May 2013

So I’m at some internationally themed speed dating/party event, standing around, noshing on the inevitable chicken and beer and scoping out other people’s fashion when…

Random White Guy: Hey!! You’re a foreigner! That’s weird!!

Me: Um…you’re a foreigner too.

RWG: Yeah, but you’re not white!!

Me: Uh…yeah…and…?

RWG: Don’t you just HATE it here?

Me: Uh…no? Why would I…?

RWG: Well, doesn’t the racism REALLY bother you?

Me: Uh…well…I haven’t experienced anything too blatant, I just…

RWG: OH COME ON!!! I have ONE black friend and SHE says that all the Koreans she knows treat her bad because she’s black.

Me: Well, I’ve definitely met some folks who don’t seem to like foreigners but…

RWG: So you mean nobody’s walked up and touched your hair, or told you you’re ugly, or asked you strange questions, or acted like they didn’t wanna be around you, or not wanted to hire you or anything like that?

Me: Yeah…but that all happened with white people in the USA too.

(Long pause…)

RWG:  Well, I’m Canadian.

And THAT, friends, neighbors, and internet stalkers, says more about the state of foreigner race relations in Korea than anything I could make up ever could.