The Movie-Going Experience

One of my all time favorite things to do in this world is to see movies. I was apprehensive how this pastime and South Korea would work together. Well my friends, I am excited to say that it will work out just fine. I now know where the movie theater is and how the process works, and will hopefully be able to see some good movies while I am here. This is the Korean movie-going experience:

1. In Korea, you arrive early to buy your seats, not to save your seats...to buy them. The seats are all assigned seating, like in a live theater. So when you pay for your ticket, you look at the screen of available seats and pick the ones that will provide you with the most comfortable and enjoyable movie watching experience. No more arriving early, waiting in line, and running into the theater to save seats for you and your friends who are habitually late, with your coats, hats, arms, scarves, and purses.

2. After you have purchased your ticket with an assigned seat printed on it, feel free to have a leisurely dinner, a nice stroll, heck, get your hair did. You have all the time in the world before the movie starts, and seat with your name on it.

3. Once you meander back to the theater, have a seat in the lobby. Enjoy the salty smells of freshly popped popcorn and take in all the people watching greatness that a movie theater lobby can offer. No need to wonder when you will be allowed to enter your theater, there is a screen that will tell you when your theater is ready to be seated.

4. Once you are in the seat you hand picked, sit back and enjoy the 20 minutes worth of strange Korean commericals and jingles and ask yourself "What the hell was that?" after each one. If you're lucky, they may play the same commerical two times in a row, so that you can be just as confused as you were the first time. And when the movie finally starts, rejoice that you can finally understand what is going on, and most of the others around you are forced to read subtitles, while simulataneously trying to watch the action packed movie. It was an incredibly pleasant experience and I cannot wait to do it again.