Pieces of Korea in the Lou

So one of my fears about returning back to the States is that I won't really have a chance to use the Korean skills I've acquired this past year and will promptly forget Every.Single.Thing. After all the blood, sweat, and tears it's taken me to get the level I am now, that would be the worst thing imaginable.

Also while I'm excited to be much, much geographically closer to friends and family, I'm pretty sure I'm going to go through some major withdrawal missing this country I've called home and come to love these past two years. So, this evening I decided to do a little investigating to see if I could still find little pieces of Korea in the middle of the Midwest.

And my search wasn't fruitless! I found....

• St. Louis Korean-English Organization: This was a major shocker. This is a not-for-profit group that sponsors meet-ups, has English and Korean tutoring, and more. Um, sign me up yesterday. Oh, and interesting that they're looking for a marketing director.... ^^
• Noraebangs: These are the infamous Korean private karaoke rooms where Mark and I have spent many, many evenings. And it so happens that there are TWO in West County. Oh, and they serve soju... It may be a haul, but I have a feeling that the road trip will be necessary at some point.
• Patbingsu: Patbingsu is an amazing mixture of shaved ice, fruit, and red beans that makes me so happy in the summer. And amazingly enough, there is a Korean bakery in Chesterfield that serves it! Step aside Ted Drewes...

These little gems were found in about 10 minutes flat, so there must be even more that I'm not aware of... Next on the hunt, a hairstylist who knows how to cut (and maybe color) Asian hair... and possibly can even maintain my magic straight perm without charging me everything in my bank account plus my first born child...