Settling into Korea, Reunited with relatives and fantastic cultural opportunities!
It is already Sunday night in Seoul, Korea. Actually I am staying in a suburb of Seoul, called Jeong-Ja Dong, in Bundang district of Sungnam City. I have done a lot the past few days and boy has it been busy and a bit exhausting. I was not feeling well even before I left the States but thanks to some quick and efficient doctor’s office visits, I feel better.
The weather is beautiful in Korea right now and not too hot yet.
I am glad it is not too hot yet and not quite Monsoon season yet!
First order of business was meeting my dear, sweet Uncle Sil, who is my dad’s younger brother. We also met with his daughter Yumin and enjoyed catching up and learning about the latest family news.
The last two days were super busy...doctor’s appointments, getting over jet lag and taking classes on cooking and drumming.
On Saturday the 19th, I took the subway to Insadong area and found my Temple Food Cooking Class about Buddhist pickling traditions. It was interesting to meet the Nun who is also a master chef of Temple Foods and fun to hear her perspective and teach us with lots of humor and wit. Her name is Ji Gyun Nun.
The class was about pickling with soy sauce and spicy chili paste, Kochujang using root vegetables called Gajuk and GomChi. What a wonderful opportunity for me to learn more about country’s cooking tradition and something that I was not quite familiar with. Now I will be able to share with all of the students in my classes about Korean Temple Food!
After my cooking class, I rushed to meet a drum teacher and a wonderful performer, Teacher Noh Su Hwan, who I found through the internet before I came to Korea. His educational center is called Synmiong Nanum, Spreading Cheer Together, and housed in a small performance theater space called Space Maruchae. What an honor to meet and connect with him and his drumming group! Wow....he sat me down and asked that I start drumming so he could review my drumming skills and teach me more! Actually he taught me a WHOLE lot...it turns out my posture was not quite right when drumming, hence the hip and back pain, etc. He was humble but very focused on teaching correctly and emphasized hitting the drum correctly with good posture and technique rather than hitting hard, louder, and faster. After a mini lesson with him, I watched the 4 female drummers from one group perform various Jangdan, rhythms, dance and sing. I realized how much more work and practice I need to accomplish to keep becoming a better, more experienced and skilled Janggu player. This was a very productive day for sure!!!
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