After we learned about the calligraphy, we had the opportunity to give it a try for ourselves. I got some help from one of the calligraphy assistants because I didn't really know what to do. Calligraphy is one of those things that's simple to do but extremely difficult to do well. Anyone can pick up the brush and make sometime, but it takes skill and practice to create the calligraphy admired by others. Let's just say that I fall under more of that 'simple and unique' category of calligraphy. I have a limited drawing repertoire with an even more limited knowledge of Korean words, so I didn't really know what to draw. Then we found out that we had to be practicing something really good because we were going to draw it onto a fan soon. I decided that the only thing to do was to draw a cat. Then write the word cat (고양이). Then make the word cat look like a cat. I think miraculously it turned out pretty cute:
The calligraphy artist drew all of our names for us, and I think he has a little bit more practice than I do:
After calligraphy, we went to lunch. Next, I went to the Seoul Grand Children's Park (or something like that). It is a huge park with a small amusement park, zoo, and other normal park amenities. I didn't go to the amusement park because it's for younger children. The zoo was closing when I was there, so I didn't get the opportunity to see all of the animals. I'm kind of glad I didn't, though. The enclosures for the animals are way too small. I didn't think any of the animals looked happy. The seals were even calling out to each other, and their songs sounded so sad. One of them was even swimming around at the glass barrier, staring at us with dark eyes. Seeing the condition of the zoo here made me appreciate having such a nice zoo in Columbus. I think that the standards in this Korean zoo really need to be addressed. It was difficult to see the animals in such tiny spaces.
The rest of the park was cute, and I did enjoy seeing the different plants and statues they had in place. The green house had a distinct 'atrium from Jurassic Park' feel, except without the dinosaurs:((
Tuesday, after another routine day of class, I went to see the Korean War Memorial. Unlike the US memorials in Washington DC, Seoul only has one war memorial for all of their war history. It also paid tribute to not only Korean soldiers, but all other nations who had soldiers die in defense of South Korea. Also present were a large assortment of military airplanes, both foreign and domestic. Most of them were from the USA, but quite a few were Korean, and then there were some from other nations as well. I'm not sure if it was just a special display, or a permanent exhibition. The memorial also features a huge museum of war history and artifacts.
In the basement of the museum was a special Avengers SHIELD adventure. I spent a while debating whether or not to go inside, but I ended up going for it. I'm really glad that I did because the technology inside was very advanced, and the displays were quite interesting. We were given smart watches that would show video messages (in Korean), then give us quizzes (in Korean). I miraculously managed to score 100% on the quizzes, and NO this doesn't mean I'm suddenly fluent in Korean--many of the words were the same as in English, just written with Hangul (Konglish as we call it). The coolest part of the museum was at the end when we got to wear Oculus Rift goggles that let us be in the middle of a big fight scene from the Avengers (presumably related to the smart watch quizzes and video messages, but I'll never be certain). The museum was much better than I expected, mainly because it was highly interactive and had well-planned and executed details.
After all of the museum fun, I met Carina and Daria at the You Are Here cafe, which is run by a famous(ish) couple with their own YouTube channel about living in Korea (they're not Korean). I recorded a video message that might end up on their YouTube channel because hey, why not? I also conducted a relatively awkward social experiment. One of the guys who runs the cafe (a young Korean guy) was talking to us about a language focus club at the cafe where people can come and speak in different languages on different days. I asked him if I could take a picture with him, and immediately he was very worried that his hair looked bad and really didn't want to be in a picture. I later had to explain to Daria and Carina that it was just the perfect opportunity to see if Korean people do tend to be as concerned about appearance as I've heard. Everywhere I go, there are shiny reflective surfaces. Even on the subways, girls are doing makeup or fixing their hair via the reflective windows. In many bathrooms, there are separate spaces for girls to adjust their appearance (even in subway station bathrooms!!). I wasn't surprised by this guy's reaction when I asked about the picture, but it was definitely very humorous and an interesting experiment.
After the cafe, I went to Taekwondo class with two other girls, Joy and Jasmine. We all worked really hard, which would be fine, except then the master there wanted to take our picture together. He could have done it before we got all sweaty :O
Wednesday was yet another normal day of class, followed by the samulnori class (traditional drumming). I am very proud to announce that I finally learned how to say samulnori without accidentally calling is 'salmonella' instead. We started out playing the drums standing up, with a bit of choreography mixed in with the playing. Then, we took a short break where the instructor let us try on her performance hat. It it very heavy, and has a long white string that you have to swing around when you wear. I had trouble getting the hat to stay on, but luckily with a little bit of help we made it work. After the break, we learned some of the traditional songs and dancing. I struggled with this activity because while I can read Hangul, I cannot necessarily read and sing (or just sing at all for that matter), much less read, sing, and dance all at the same time. It didn't matter too much because we all just had a lot of fun. We went through the best five parts of a traditional show. First we danced around in a circle and sang, then we played follow the leader around the room and sang (this represented something to do with drying out the crops after harvest, then wrapping them up, and unwrapping them later). Next came more singing, and we made a tunnel that we took turns going through. Then came the two games. The first was where you and your partner were 'fighting' by hitting together your hands or fingers or feet to the beat of the song. After that, we played a rock, paper, scissors game where the loser lines up behind the winner and makes a chain until their are only two teams left to fight. Whichever teams wins then is the ultimate winner of the game. The samulnori was so much fun, but it was also very tiring!
After the samulnori, I went with Mengxin (one girl from the cat cafe) to a dog cafe. I'm not a big fan of dogs, but I figure it's good to experience the culture in Seoul while I'm here. When we got to the cafe, we were greeted with many barks and sniffs, but after that the dogs all left us alone. I did manage to sit with one for a few minutes, but dogs are much less cuddly than cats. They spent the entire time running around, barking, and leaving 똥 everywhere. We all agree that the cat cafe was much better.
That night, I went back to Taekwondo class with Jasmine. That night, we attended class with the Korean children. It had a different atmosphere than I was expecting: very relaxed, jovial, and fun-filled. The kids were training, but they had plenty of time for horseplay in between activities. We did the basic kicking and motions for a while, then did some target kicking. I talked to one of my classmates from the language program, and he has a theory that the Taekwondo is more fun and less strict because of all of the pressure the kids are put on with school and extra night school. I think it makes sense because one more high-focus activity would probably be too much. All of the kids seemed to be having fun, but they also seemed interested in learning the Taekwondo.
Thursday after class was time for the regular Taekwondo class. That morning, I woke up so sore that I was wondering how I was going to get out of bed. Thankfully, I managed to make it through the day, and also through the Taekwondo class before I started feeling too sore to walk anymore. This class was our last class, and we had a small test. I thought it was pretty fun because it was just basic punching and kicking. Then we practiced for the demonstration we will be doing at our graduation next Friday. It's not too complicated, so I think it should be alright.
After practice, I wanted to go to the Seoul Animation Center and Cartoon Museum. Carina and Daria wanted to come along, as did Sang and Andrew. We got to the center at 5:55, only to find out that it closed at 6:00, so I ran around and took a bunch of pictures in the few minutes remaining. It seems like it would be a nice place, so I might try to come back again when it's actually open.
After practice, I wanted to go to the Seoul Animation Center and Cartoon Museum. Carina and Daria wanted to come along, as did Sang and Andrew. We got to the center at 5:55, only to find out that it closed at 6:00, so I ran around and took a bunch of pictures in the few minutes remaining. It seems like it would be a nice place, so I might try to come back again when it's actually open.
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