by Susie Mowers

Created on: December 03, 2008   Last Updated: December 15, 2008

Sometimes real-life experiences are bigger than our bodies. At a loss for words to describe a lust for life, lyrics do what words alone sometimes cannot: they catapult the listener into the moment and punctuate "that" feeling, the one so often felt and so seldom described accurately. What follows, here, is a lyrical chronicle of an expat's experience abroad, in South Korea. It's all here, from language barriers to loneliness, quarter-life crises to Carpe Diem All of it, with one thing in common: Lust for life through some of the best lyrics of our time.

1. Can't Stop - Red Hot Chili Peppers
If you can actually decipher what Anthony Kiedis is saying, you end up hearing some pretty meaningful lyrics:
"Choose not a life of imitation / Distant cousin to the reservation." Think about that, and you'll have the reason the majority of foreigners are currently residing in South Korea. We're all in search of something a little more unique, a little more beautiful, a little crazier. Whatever reservations we had, we left 'em at home. "This world we love / the trains we hop / to be part of the wave / can't stop ...." But travelling does quickly morph into an addiction that is unstoppable, or at least not easily satisfied. You end up with an incessant desire to see more, do more, try more - because the chance may never come again...
2. Tripping Billies - Dave Matthews Band
The chance may never come again. So, "Eat drink and be merry / for tomorrow we die." Carpe Diem, etc.. "So why would you care / to get out of this place?" I can see how some people never leave Korea - it's a laid back lifestyle, an extension of university disguised as the start of a professional career. What's not to love? But to every thing there is a season, and I think for a lot of people, a stint in Korea is best short-lived. "Life is short, but sweet for certain ",and a prolonged stay in beloved SoKo is guaranteed to sweetly but significantly shorten any life span.
3. Inaudible Melodies - Jack Johnson
"Life goes by so fast that if you don't stop to look around, you might miss it." - Ferris Bueller
"So slow down, everyone you're movin' too fast ... "
One of the things Korea teaches you is to take time to appreciate the little things. Like maple syrup, a Canadian delicacy you'd travel hours to reach, savoring each drop when you finally get there. Korea also teaches you to slow down & pay careful attention to detail, especially with the language. Most Korean/English words end in a vowel - E-Mart is "E-Marta",

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