Hi, Dong-suk. How are you these days? I'm a bit busy since school started.
  By the way, have you ever been to a party before? I am not talking about birthday parties or formal parties. Last night I tagged along with my friend who was invited to a terrific party.
 At first a fancy party like the one in Titanic came to mind. The glitter of chandeliers, a sextet orchestra, a well-curved ice sculpture and pink champagne.... And a woman wearing a silk violet dress with pearl earrings is dancing with a spiffy gentle man in a ballroom.  Suddenly I got worried, 'What should I wear? What should I say when I meet new people?'
  But the real party was that night, young people in blue jeans or casual wear gathered in front of a club located in downtown. The party started with a party planner's welcome. People mixed, danced and watched a Hip hop performance. It was incredible to be enjoying Hip hop with over 800 people.
  Before I came to the party, I thought partying was upper-class culture. But lots of people are partying all the time. My mind has turned, I'm interested in parties. So I plan to join a social party group and go out with others next week.
  You know, Koreans tend to be shy to strangers, we seldom say hello to them. Particular activities such as  masquerading and team-play games give us a chance to be intimate with other people. For example, at one Halloween Party everyone made up their faces, wore disguises and took part in games.
  I had a chance to have a conversation with the party planner, Hwang Sun-hwa. She said, "There's an increasing demand for the parties. The party industry will be more prosperous as marketing strategy improves. Many party maniac societies and agencies are already formed, and party planner has became a popular job. There are lots of magazines, too." I think the reasons for this new party culture is the acceptance of strange cultures, the public's desire to enjoy novel cultures and a lack of places to enjoy one's leisure.
  Now I'm a total party animal. Why don't you join me? If you need some information, visit these web sites:www.partyline.com or www.partizen.com. Let's party! Bye.

Kim Hyun-ah , Kim Hyo-shin  kimyang@dongguk.edu

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