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Published: February 21st 2010
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Hanok Village and Jeonju Cultural Center
Today was the most incredible day! They took us to a traditional village and a cultural center. I've seen and done so many cool things now. First we made a picture frame with a type of paper that Jeonju is famous for. Well, really we made the frame out of cardboard but covered it with beautiful paper. It was very funny because we all looked like 3rd graders trying to do crafts. One guy, Dave from London, talked about how nervous he was because he was terrible at crafts.
"My art teacher came up to me on the last day of primary school and told me I was the worst artist he'd ever met in 30 years of teaching," he said. Well, we all thought he was doing ok for a while, but out of all the students the paper master guy came over to him to inspect it and he discovered that he used the wrong bit of paper to cover the back of the frame and made pull it apart and start all over again! He didn't have to, but they still made him, lol. Poor guy. Later in the day
we learned how to make a traditional Korean knot, and we made little rope dolls with them. Dave did very well. We think maybe he found his craft calling. Perhaps he's always been "crafty" or "artsy" but never found his medium. He was pleased.
Our Class leaders gave us a Sweet Potatoe to eat after we did the first craft, and it was very good. They also took us through a few little outside parks that had some monuments, and then down through a traditional Korean Market. First it was mostly food, but then there were all sorts of things! Lots of different blankets and pillows. My apartment is going to be soo colorful, lol
We got some free time so my friend, Annie, and I wandered around the city, went into an art store (I found a million things I wanted to buy), accidentily trespassed for a milisecond, and then climbed a huge hill to see the city from the top. We felt kind of bad on the way up because we were getting so tired, but then looked back and a Korean girl behind us was struggling a lot. We didn't feel so much like lazy
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This was used to hold royal umbilical chords...yep, you read it right. It said they were kept in these until Japan came and took it. Lol, why on earth would anyone want that? Americans, lol.
Then we went to the Cultural center and participated in a mock Korean wedding...and guess who got picked to volunteer to be the Mother of the Bride? Yes, me and yes, I said
picked to volunteer. Nobody raised their hands so they pointed to me and I just felt bad and got up. I went back and got dressed into a traditional Hanbok (dress). Then they called me back outside into the main room. Now I should mention that an old Korean man, all dressed up in traditional clothes would enthusiastically say the insrtuctions and then a sweet Korean girl would translate what he said. He didn't always wait for her to translate before he started expecting you to do whatever it was that he wanted, and she didn't always translate what he mumbled at you. Anyway they called me back to get a wooden duck and take it back to the brides changing room They didn't tell me to come back out though, so I stayed in there until they yelled for me to come back.
Then they said I should call the bride, to which I hesitantly said, "Bride?" The room erupted with giggles.
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A Muddy Korean courtyard thing. I haven't seen a whole lot of grass here. Did I mention this was in front of like 30 people, lol. Then they said, "Call her by her name." Oh yes, that would make sense now wouldn't it. What a dunce I am. Then they made the groom kiss the bride on the cheek...but the video guy missed it so they had to do it again....but then the camera guy missed it so they had to do it AGAIN! And of course the entire room giggled each time, but not me. A mother can't act like a 3rd grader you know.
We learned how to play a tradinal Korean drum after that! Which was really cool, as rhythmically challenged as I may be. I've decide I'm going to get one now. My neighbors will just have to adjust. My friend Gavin said he wanted one too, and that if we both had them, even if we were on opposite sides of the city we could send messages to each other. I thought about saying, "We could just call," but wheres the fun in that. Poor Busan. I heard him play, and he has no more skill than me. That city is about to have some annoying waygooks (foreigners
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Seafood at the market. It actually didn't smell badly at all, because it was so fresh. in Korean) disgracing their traditioanl music.
We then watched a dance performance(with what looked like socks hanging off the arms) a drum performance, and a vocal performance. All of which were just wonderful.
So we jam packed an entire year of culture in one day! 😊 And I'm so thankful for that.
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Jess
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i LOVE your picture frame! and the pics you took are amazing! miss u!