It's My Life!: dancing

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Hanbok Day & Chuseok

Chuseok is like the Korean traditional holiday, celebrated in September. We had a Hanbok Day at School. The kids were so cute in their traditional garb and I got to wear one too!

Nicole, one of the other foreign teachers, with Ian from Teddy Bear Class

Teddy Bear Class

Me with Puppy Class

Me in full hanbok attire!

So for the short weekend holiday, I decided to stick around the city. Didn't let it go to waste however.... no I visited the local Korean Folk Village. It's almost like an amusement park the way it is set up, and there is actually a very run-down attempt of a modern amusement park with lots of county-fair style rides and game rooms and such. Even as commercial as it seems, it still offers an interesting look into the historical, traditional Korean life.

I had quite a bit of fun with this.....

As you can see :)

a "tight rope dancer" was his label...

Some sort of bean being roasted/smoked. I tasted one....and it tasted like a roasted/smoked bean. Luckily it was free to taste....

View of some of the traditional Korean houses

I find it interesting how the temples and palaces use this colorful design for the underpart of the roof.

These strange creatures sat in the ran-down amusement park. Not sure exactly why...you could put money in them and they rode .000000001 miles per hour and took you about 10 feet. Amusing for the kiddies, but also a bit creepy!

Traditional Korean version of see-saw

Here, you can see one of many traditional farming techniques

A "bridge" connecting various part of the village....these are the things that make Korea look like a third-world country.

Chuseok dancing to honor the gods for the harvest

Monday, May 12, 2008

Lighting of the Lanterns Festival

So one Monday evening, a couple foreigners and I decided we would head to this “Lantern Festival,” a beginning to “HiSeoul” festival and to a celebration leading up to Buddah’s birthday. It was an evening full of surprises, as most of my mini adventures around Seoul are turning out.

The evening started out very solemn. There were people with lanterns everywhere and lots of women in traditional Korean dress. Several groups sang and several people, well MEN, spoke and prayed. Then everyone started a parade of sorts around the plaza (at City Hall). I joined because I figured – why the heck not? A man playing a percussion instrument of sorts lead a chant as we processed, chanting along the way. After the parade, people were trying to give us all these lanterns – I guess so they didn’t have to carry them? I got two of them, one large and one small (and yes Leenie-Beenie, they are yours assuming I can get them to you somehow).

Then the unexpected blindsided me. This techno-like-get-happy-and-dance music came on and we were lead in a series of dances that resemble the Macarena and Electric Slide combined. I was completely dumb-founded, as were the other foreigners I was with, especially since most of the evening had been so solemn and prayerful. We decided to go with it and had a blast making fun of ourselves. We were some of the only foreigners and were noted as such by the main announcer at a point (not sure what he said but people turned and laughed). I felt like a celebrity at points because I can’t tell you how many times I had my picture taken throughout that night – at least 200-300 by various reporters, spectators, and the like.

And so ends the entry to one of my first Korean cultural experiences. Enjoy the pictures and video!