4ever Discovering

Before arriving in Taiwan, all of my research about this country led to one thing and one thing only; this place LOVES karaoke.  I think it is just a popular Asian pastime, I mean who doesn’t love to get together with some friends, have a few drinks, and sing your heart out?  This sounds like my kind of Friday night, and boy was it ever!

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For one of our fellow Canadian teacher’s birthday, we all decided to hit up a karaoke bar and spend the night celebrating together.  How else are you supposed to spend your birthday in a foreign country, right?  We went to a karaoke bar called KTV (a very popular chain around here) and prepared our lungs for a night full of (cough, cough) singing.

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Now, when I think of a karaoke bar, I tend to think of Laurentian’s karaoke pub where you sign your name on a sheet of paper with your request for a song, patiently waiting for your turn to sing.  This is what I was expecting here in Taipei, but a lot more embarrassing.  It’s all fun and games when you sing in front of your friends at school, but to sing English songs in a foreign country where they take karaoke very seriously seemed a little more intimidating.  BUT NOT TO WORRY, FOLKS.  Karaoke in Asia is very private!  You don’t actually sing in a bar; you have a private room just for your group of friends where you can make fools of yourselves without anyone judging you.  The workers dress very formal, almost like they are attending a wedding in a suit and tie.  They even have food available and drinks to buy at your own discretion (it isn’t a real party without them).  The only suggestion I might propose to the karaoke company is to make their rooms soundproof.  I know we all think we sound good in the shower, but when you are buying drinks and trying to out-sing your friends, it doesn’t always sound the greatest (especially from down the hallway).  Let’s just say I don’t think we were the first Canadians to enter KTV, and we definitely won’t be the last. 

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If you are ever looking to try a karaoke bar in Taiwan, I have a few pointers for you:

1. If you are an English speaker, your song choices are very limited, so choose wisely (they tend to have an unusual amount of Justin Bieber songs).

2.  You pay by the hour, so make your time count!  Sing as much as you can; we had 3 hours which was a good amount of time before we damaged our lungs.

3. The chicken nuggets that are offered are NOT chicken nuggets.  I made the mistake of dipping mine in ketchup and bit into a cream-filled dessert.  Not chicken.

4. It’s better to buy in bulk.  There was a group of 7 of us, so we decided to buy a case of beer instead of individual drinks.  Drinks were a little pricey so spend wisely.  You can always sneak in your own drinks too, they don’t check your bags!  (Not like we tried of anything…)

5. It is an expensive night out so make it count!  By the time you pay for your room rental and drinks, the total is a little more than Laurentian Pub.  But hey, when in Rome!

 

I LOVE karaoke!  I will most definitely be coming back.  It is always a good time and there is always someone who makes a fool out of themselves (usually me).  If you’re lucky, you may even get the workers to wall twerk with you before you leave, but that just might be a Canadian thing.  I dare you to try.  After our experience at KTV, I don’t think any of us will be quitting our day jobs.  I know how our students feel when we try to sing in class now; I will make sure to use my singing as a way to get them to behave.  If they act out, they better be prepared for Miss Lehman’s song of choice!