On night we all went out to the famous KTV to sing karaoke! Here in Taiwan it is a popular thing to do with your friends. However, whatever your thoughts are of karaoke in the States (a smoky and dimly lit bar) . . . throw them out the window because it certainly is not the same.
We went on a Monday night and there were so many of us who wanted to go that we actually went in two separate groups. One group left at 5pm and the other (the group I left with) left at 7pm. Of course we all went there by scooters (we look like a scooter squad everywhere we go), which is always fun. For starters, instead of going to some smoky bar where you hear someone singing some tone illiterate version of "I will survive," a group of girls singing "Girls Just Want to Have Fun," or some descent attempt of "New York, New York". . . you enter this immaculate lobby, as if you were checking into a 5-star hotel like the Hilton or the Ritz Carlton.
Upon escaping the humid hot air and stepping into the refreshing chill of central A/C, a few of our Taiwanese friends walked up to the front desk (equivalent to the Check-In) and ordered our room for sixteen (which eventually increased into the twenties). We were given our room number and off to the elevator we went. The number turned four in the elevator and the doors opened with a pre-recorded voice saying, “fourth floor.” Stepping out of the elevator, right before our eyes was an all you can eat buffet. Rice, noodles, cornballs, cabbage, ginger chicken, and pork lomein were just some of the options. There were also cookies, shaved ice, fruit, pig blood cake, red bean cake, pastries, and other sweets to choose from. To the side there was a selection of teas (black tea, green tea, oolong tea, hot or cold), sodas, and juices to help wash down the unlimited amount of food you could try to consume. But before we could begin to stuff our faces . . .
. . . We had to see our room first!
After walking down the marble hallways, we came to our door. The door swung open and our karaoke pad was in plain site. It was a rather large room with dark leather couches (one side raised up by 2 feet with a high-top, the other side at normal level), a private bathroom, big surround sound speakers, a jukebox with song selections, and a big screen with a projector to display the song selections and their coordinating music videos. It was just as if we were given our very own VIP room.
Of course, after we located our room, it was time to go pile our plates with all the food I mentioned earlier. Also, drink the different teas that were provided. The fact that we had a full six hours was irrelevant . . . eat now and slow down later, haha.
To no surprise as some of us returned to our room, a list of songs has already been selected and people were already singing popular tunes. That being said, our six hours of eating, sipping on tea (which later was replaced with some Taiwan beer), laughing, and dancing began. We would have spurts of popular American songs followed by spurts of popular Taiwanese songs. Needless to say, no matter what the song was, we all shared the same feeling of enjoyment and fun (even when we couldn’t understand certain songs). With all that time, we basically sang every popular karaoke song known to man. Just to name a few, we sang a wide range of songs: “Everyone was Kung Fu Fighting,” “Hey Jude,” “I Will Survive,” “Bye Bye Bye,” “I Believe I Can Fly,” “I Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You,” “Circle of Life,” “A Whole New World,” and many many others!
As the night turned into the next day (early AM), the tables got more filled with empty plates and cups, our voices began to crack, and people began to sway in and out of consciousness on the comfy leather couches. At the end of our last song, we left our VIP singing pad to go pay the bill . . . it was NT$280 per person ($10 American dollars)! To Taiwanese standard this is more expensive than usual, but wow I don’t think you can go to a 2-hour movie for that price anymore (that doesn’t even include the popcorn and large Coke).
Anyways, through this experience I understood that music has a powerful way of moving people, of getting them to think, of getting them to dance, etc. In other words, it doesn’t matter what language the song is in (or how on key the singer(s) was/were), music and popular songs get people to feel something, whether it is a unique feeling, or a similar feeling. That night at KTV, was a night of great memories, laughter, and a night that further broke the ice and the barriers between two languages and two cultures, for we got to see the two blend together as we enjoyed each others company, had some fun, and shared similar feelings.
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