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Busan eFM party, Soccer Game, Busan for Haiti Fundraiser

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On Friday afternoon, Master Jun and I were invited to eFM's one year anniversary party. I'm not sure why I went but didn't have anything else to do and thought it could be interesting. For the most part it was very political and boring, but there was an interesting traditional art display that I saw. Below is a video of it.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqsuziq3LCo

Friday night, after Taekwondo, I met SaeWoon for dinner. Hyeon was supposed to join us but he was busy. So the two of us had a really great time and we were talking a lot about travelling and I think I will be planning a trip for her through Europe in the summer.

Saturday, after an incredibly exciting time watching the Olympics (amazing short track events!), Andrew, Marie and I went to the season opener for Busan I'Park. The game was a lot of fun however Busan played really poorly. They were down 1-0 at the half, with a one-man advantage, but they just wouldn't push the ball forward. I would say they even had possession 75% of the game!

After the game I met Matt in Seomyeon and afte rboth deciding we wanted to eat the same thing (usually we talk about it for 30 minutes) and making 2 elevators without waiting...we somehow came the conclusion that it was somehow our night to shine or something, so we went and caught the movie, "The Fourth Kind" which was absolutely terrifying at the time. We then headed out to Kyeongsung-Dae and went to the 'Busan for Haiti' fundraiser which was a lot of fun. Met Becca from Meetups, and a few other new people which was a lot of fun. The music at the event was so-so, and it was way too smoky for my liking, but it was for a good cause and I hope they were able to get a lot of money for the event.


Andrew cheering for I'Park



Up Pompeii

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A large crowd gathered around a sixty-foot bonfire on a waterlogged beach, tents on the ground nearby, kites in the air, Korea's famous health and safety culture. What could possibly go wrong?

'보름' ('Boreum') is the term given to the fifteenth day of each lunar month, and yesterday was '정월 대보름' ('First Month - Jeongweol - Daeboreum') - one of two most important of all the fifteenth days (the other being 'Chuseok'), because it was fifteen days after the Lunar New Year. Traditionally, it is a day to cast out evil spirits, assuring a healthy and prosperous year ahead, and for some reason, this involves eating a particular breakfast of special rice, vegetables, tofu, walnuts, and alcohol. I had a little of each except the alcohol, which was oddly absent. Korean Mother then went up a mountain to a temple to help cast out the evil spirits, another tradition on this day.

A further tradition comes in the evening of 'Jeongweol Daeboreum', and it's known as '달집태우기' ('Daljibdaeugi'), which approximately translates as 'the burning of the moon house'. This involves building a large bonfire which, if successfully burnt all the way through indicates a good harvest in the autumn. However, if it should be extinguished part of the way through, this means a poor harvest. You can read into this that the bonfire builders have a vested interest in making sure that the design ensures not just a mere fire, but preferably an inferno. Bamboo is placed inside, which makes a particular cracking or popping sound when burnt which was also believed to drive out or scare off all the bad spirits from the village. While the fire burns, people can pray to the moon for the casting out of the spirits.

We arrived with friends to Dadaepo Beach's Jeongweol Daeboreum Festival to find a crowd of around two-thousand or more already gathered. It had been a spur of the moment to go, and as such, nobody was very clear on the itinerary. The sun was setting and the event was already in full swing. Drums beat, Korean singing blared out over a public address system, a large number of kites were flying in the air, along with a couple of powered paragliders who probably weren't part of the festivities but had a grandstand view of the barely organised chaos that was about to unfold.




Sensibly, the bonfire - or three bonfires actually as it transpired, one large and two smaller - had been placed fairly far out on the beach, but this meant negotiating various heavily waterlogged areas to get closer to it. An area of potential quicksand had been roped off, and wooden pallets had been put down in some places acting as makeshift bridges. We were prevented by bodies of water and people crowding the drier bottlenecks from getting much closer. Our view was slightly obscured by a number of tents but it wasn't a bad compromise, and it also proved to be safer. There seemed to be a stage inset into the largest planned bonfire but it was difficult to see from where we were.



At 6.30pm the fires were lit. They mainly comprised of carefully arranged vegetation and bamboo which were clearly designed to burn quickly. Kites were still flying in the air, and the many streamers containing the flags of all nations still linked the bonfires to each other and the ground further away. The fire quickly took hold, and an uncomfortable wave of heat hit me even though I was stood some distance away. The streamers broke away with their national flags burning, most falling to the ground, but two seemed to fly into the crowd to the front and the right of the bonfire, causing people to move away quickly. The air was filled with the cracking sound, and a large cloud of ash and burning embers shot up into the sky... and then began to fall on the assembled onlookers with increasing ferocity.



People on the other side of the pool that had stopped our progress began to run left and right, hampered from an easy escape by the water. There was screaming. "Move Away! Move Away!" shouted the announcer. A lot of the people in our area started walking away quickly towards the shore, our friends among them. Foolishly, I remained steadfast where I was, up to my ankles in water by this time, my increasingly cold feet fortunately protected by my boots. The ash rained down on us as if we were witnessing the last day of Pompeii - the video I took hints at it but hardly does it justice. I had to stop filming when a burning ember landed on my shoulder. Remarkably, none of the tents caught fire. A solitary fire truck was parked further up the beach, but between the crowd and the waterlogged sand I couldn't imagine what they could have done.

Two elderly women near who'd bravely stood their position then turned in my direction and started bowing in prayer towards the full moon behind me. The crowd had thinned out considerably when the fireworks began a few minutes later, and perhaps even that was just as well - they exploded low overhead and smoking remnants could be seen f on the people below. Ten minutes after that it was all over, aside from the burning remains of the fires, and we were heading back.




Now that we know no-one was injured, it's easy to look back and laugh at the absurdity of it all, except that a year or two ago a number of people died at a similar event on a mountain in Busan, and after what I saw, I can understand why.

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Source: Busan Mike

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Busanmike.blogspot.com
 
Twitter:  @BusanMike
YouTube: /BusanMikeVideo
Flickr:  /busanmike
 

The Day After the Night Before

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Afternoons after excessive evenings, nights, and mornings in Daegu have proven themselves to consistently be the most delicious and exquisite wastes of time.












Destination: Wild Women's Performing Arts Festival 2010

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While the name may conjure up an image of debauchery and drunkenness, the event was surprisingly subdued. The event raised funds for the Korean Women's Associations United, an umbrella organization supporting 27 well-deserving organizations. Off to Club Monghwan in Sinchon we go - supposedly closing soon, but reopening in Hongdae some time in the future.



Pay the 15,000 won to get in, then prepare for the onslaught of people - three floors wall-to-wall full of people made it difficult to get around. There was plenty to see - a silent auction, along with brochures and items for sale from various organizations took up much of the ground floor.



The downstairs venue was dominated by musical acts - this one being Orgeltanz.



Head upstairs for a more laidback scene, brought to you by spoken word artist Chloe Lee. Take off your shoes, find a seat, get comfy, and enjoy the show - don't forget about the performance art being made in the background.

To say the room was full was an understatement - not a lot of room for getting close up with the flash, and not much light for non-flash pictures.



Heading back downstairs we find Carlite Ecton - another excellent band wowing the oversized crowd.



Presenting three-fifths of the quintet Oriental Lucy. The two instruments not pictured were a violinist and acoustic guitarist - a nicer, more mellow sound to chill out with.



One highlight of the evening: modern / African dancing (May Tribal Fusion). The dancing duo featured an active style that used the entire floor open to them - including an area with a broken tile.



The solo dance was primarily an African-inspired dance - if I joined a few dances like these, I'd have burned off the drinks I had that night.



Time for the audience participation part - after grabbing a few people from the audience, she taught the volunteers a few moves while the music played in the background.



Next up in the basement was 3rd Line Butterfly - another excellent band with a sexy dancer / singer / keep-the-crowd-watching-person. I'll admit to not knowing the music scene as well as, say, traveling or the sights of Korea - but quite a few fans seemed to be out to watch these guys.



Heading back upstairs one last time, we had Jyung-Ah, a self-described Korean-Texan performing one of the 'Vagina Monologues'. It wasn't overly shocking - and not exactly unexpected. Considering the crowd of (mostly) women, the multiple cheers of support when she forgot parts of the monologue weren't overly surprising either.



Downstairs one last time to hear a bit of Vidulgi Oo-yoo ('pigeon milk' in English - thanks to Milk Milk Lemonade for an excellent write-up about the band). The crowd stayed - perhaps shifting from one room to the other, or to the ground floor for another drink, but most didn't leave.

Compared to last year's show, the better venue helped bring in a larger crowd, to say the least. If the fire marshal were here, however, they'd have shut the place down. The goal of putting some 'wild women' on a large stage to perform succeeded - best of all, the event didn't put the social agenda above the music. If you wanted to get involved with the social rights / activists those opportunities were easy to find and almost as easy to approach. If you simply wanted to come and enjoy the music that was just as easy to do. Neither was waved in the face of the other, although it was just as easy to miss one because of the other. Next time, I hope the venue can handle the crowd that's bound to be there.

Ratings (out of 5 taeguks):
Ease to arrive:

Foreigner-friendly:

Convenience facilities:

Worth the visit:


Creative Commons License © Chris Backe - 2010

This post was originally published on my blog, Chris in South Korea. If you are reading this on another website and there is no linkback or credit given, you are reading an UNAUTHORIZED FEED.
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The Grand Narrative in The Washington Post

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( Source: RaySoda )

While the background will be very familiar to regular readers, I confess I was still intrigued when Washington Post reporter Blaine Harden emailed me about this last month:

With pressures high, South Korean women put off marriage and childbirth

SEOUL — In a full-page newspaper advertisement headlined “I Am a Bad Woman,” Hwang Myoung-eun (황명은) explained the trauma of being a working mom in South Korea.

“I may be a good employee, but to my family I am a failure,” wrote Hwang, a marketing executive and mother of a 6-year-old son. “In their eyes, I am a bad daughter-in-law, bad wife and bad mother.”

The highly unusual ad gave voice to the resentment and repressed anger that are common to working women across South Korea…

With thanks to Blaine Harden for asking for my input, see here for the full report, and further details are included in this similar report from the JoongAng Daily last week also.

New readers further interested in any of the issues mentioned in either, please see: #2 here for more on Korea’s extremely low score in the UNDP’s “Gender Empowerment Measure” on which I based my email statement “….despite Korean women having good health and excellent education, they still have a much greater chance of becoming a politician or even a middle manager or computer programmer in countries like Kyrgyzstan, the Dominican Republic, Botswana or Nicaragua” that Blaine Harden quoted, and here for a recent survey on the discrimination expectant mothers face in Korean workplaces, which mentions that nearly 25% of them either got fired or were forced to quit once their pregnancies were revealed. For all others, please see the list of links I provided when I was involved in a report on a very similar topic for TIME Magazine last year, and another in a more recent post on childcare and socialization.

Unfortunately, judging by the handful of news articles available on the internet, then this story seemed to get little attention in the Korean-language media, although as I type this the Washington Post article itself has prompted a couple more. But see here for the original text of the advertisements, and here, here and here for some of the original reports from October and November last year, and I’d be very grateful to hear from anybody who saw her television interviews!

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Filed under: Child Raising in Korea, Korean Children and Teenagers, Korean Demographics, Korean Economy, Korean Families, Korean Feminism, Sexual Discrimination, TGN in the Media Tagged: Hwang Myoung-eun, 황명은
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Jeongwol Daeboreum...or Full Moon Madness

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I heard about Jeongwol Daeboreum last week. And by heard about it I mean this:Female Kiwi: Hey, I heard there is going to be some sort of festival down on the beach with a bonfire on Sunday. You down?
Me: HELL YES! Fire+Beach=Amazing happiness.

I thought I had made plans with Bike Boy and his bazillion friends to meet at Mulgeum station...only when I got there it turned out they were going to a DIFFERENT festival in Changwon. Changwon is cool but I really love the beach....nothing was going to tear me away from the beach. Hooligan and I were supposed to meet up with the Partial Asian and String Bean but they decided to get lost on his motorcycle instead. However, as soon as we got to the beach we happily ran into Tea and Crumpet (guess what country she is from) and her cousin! It was a merry reunion as she is absolutely fabulous and possibly as book mad as myself. Anyways, they had a kite and buried the spool in the sand since the wind was quite enough to keep it aloft without any help. If we had gotten paid every time someone else played with the kite, we'd be rich! It was super cute though.  The boy standing with the blue jacket kept trying to work up his courage to touch it. We told him it was okay (in Korean) and his grams encouraged him but it took him a grand effort to do it. He was quite thrilled once he finally worked up the nerve to stand closer to the foreigners.

Also, festivals in Korea always involve copious amounts of alcohol. You feel guilty for drinking on a Sunday afternoon until you see parents with two year old kids tucked under their arm with kettles full of makoli (rice wine type stuff).When I got Thai food a couple of days ago I picked up a "Dynamic Busan" publication (Korea spends millions of dollars on the worst advertising people ever) there was an article on Jeongwol Daeboreum which as far as I could gather is a celebration of the first full moon of the lunar new year. Wishes are made and tossed into the fire. Enough of the technical stuff: what it actually boiled down to was a whole lot of fantastic meandering on the beach, hopelessly trying to find friends and running into other expats you didn't realize were there in the first place. Kids and adults flew kites, threw sticks, drank and ate to abandon, waiting for the sun to set.




I mainly people watched until the fire got lit...at which point I was a happy little pyro, snapping away pictures, putting out minor spark fires in my hair and generally having a good time.
 The moon rising over the hill!
 
 Dancers in traditional hanbok. SO COOL. I wish I could have gotten better pictures but I was standing a bit far away and there is only so much my amazing little point and shoot can do.
 


So the Thai restaurant we went to afterward was NOT equipped or ready to handle the influx of people coming in from the festival. We waited ages for our food...and then it wasn't all brought out at once. String bean got his dish 20 minutes before the other 5 of us and I got my dish 10 minutes after everyone else. I occupied my time by drawing a monster on my menu which we named the Cragon...half demented cat, half demented dragon. The hooligan requested that he be renamed the Cragon so there you have it. From now on, the Hooligan is the Cragon. String bean also thought of a wonderful name but I can't remember it so he shall remain the String Bean for the time being.
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http://aaaalexsadventuresinasia.blogspot.com/

Poll results for February 2010

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How many teaching contracts have you legitimately completed?

It hasn't happened yet (0%) -- 26 (21%)
It's pretty rare (1%-24%) -- 1 (0%)
It's happened (25%-49%) -- 4 (3%)
More often than not (50%-74%) -- 7 (5%)
Most of them (75%-99%) -- 20 (16%)
Every one - hell, high water, or bad apartment (100%) -- 65 (52%)

123 votes - not scientifically based, only counts votes by people who visit this blog, yadda yadda yadda.

I must say I'm somewhat surprised by the number of people claiming they've completed every contract - but more power and respect to you :)

Creative Commons License © Chris Backe - 2010

This post was originally published on my blog, Chris in South Korea. If you are reading this on another website and there is no linkback or credit given, you are reading an UNAUTHORIZED FEED.

Canadian Men’s Olympic Hockey Team Wins Gold!

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I’m really not a hockey guy and this was a hard game to find and watch but, Woo-Hoo!

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We got rid of our TV during the move and have yet to buy a new one.  I got up around 5:40AM to hunt around online to find the game.  CTV didn’t seem to be streaming it outside of Canada and I finally found something at justin.tv.  From there, I found a link with audio, with a picture smaller than the palm of my hand.  Anyway, Woo-Hoo!

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LATER: Oh, I also enjoyed Kim Yuna’s skating and the women’s hockey triumphs as well.  I can’t really say why the men’s final game drew me so strongly.  Perhaps because it is near the end of the Olympics.


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March 2010 events

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Plenty of festivals and fun stuff happening this month - will be updated as new fun stuff comes in!

March 1-28: 'From Monet to Picasso' - Masterpieces from the Philadelphia Museum of Art at the Hangaram Art Museum (Seoul Arts Center). Check out this post for directions and a review.

March 3-14: 'Riverdance' - yes, the Irish tap dancing sensation is still alive and well. Expect the locals to be wowed by the precise nature of the dance, and to be wowed yourself by the sound. 50,000 - 150,000 won, at Sejong Center for the Performing Arts. For details, call (02) 541-6253 or visit Sejong Center's English-language page on the event.

March 3-6: ROBOTIS - No, that's not a techno band - it's supposedly Seoul's biggest event for Robot Technology. COEX mall, Halls A & B. Here's some more information about the geekiest event of the year.

March 6 – BUKCHON MUSEUM TOUR AND KITE-MAKING (Michael Spavor)
On this day tour, we will visit a number of the museums/palaces in the Bukchon area. This tour is open to both families and adults. After lunch, we will visit a traditional home (hanok) and learn from a living national treasure how to make our own traditional Korean kites. Fee includes cost of kite-making workshop. (W35,000 for RAS members).

March 6 - A Night of Shakespeare, presented by Actors Without Borders and Seoul Players. See scenes and speeches from 12 of the Bard's plays - some famous, some not. The show will be in English, but parts will also be performed in French and Korean. Admission: 10,000 won, Roofers in Itaewon, show starts at 8pm but GET THERE AT 7pm when the house opens to get a good seat. For more information, check out their Facebook page.

March 6 - KOTESOL conference in Daegu - the main speaker will be speaking on "Mutuality and Motivation in EFL: Non-Violent Comminucation in the Classroom. Goes from 3 - 5:30pm. Plenty more at the korea4expats page about the event, or at kotesol.org.

March 7: KTX EXPRESS TRAIN TOUR TO BUSAN
This trip takes us to Yongdusan, then the famously dynamic Jagalchi Fish Market, Taejondae, UN Memorial Cemetery, the city museum and the bay of Haeundae, one of the most famous beaches of Korea. (W136,000 for RAS members)

March 12 - March 19: International Drawing Exhibition - sponsored by the Seoul Arts Center. Hangaram Art Museum, Seoul Arts Center, Seoul.

March 13: A Night of Shakespeare, presented by Actors Without Borders and Seoul Players. See scenes and speeches from 12 of the Bard's plays - some famous, some not. The show will be in English, but parts will also be performed in French and Korean. Admission: 10,000 won, Roofers in Itaewon, show starts at 8pm but GET THERE AT 7pm when the house opens to get a good seat. For more information, check out their Facebook page.


March 14: KOREAN WOMEN’S LIVES MUSEUM
Following on International Women’s Day, we will look into aspects of women’s lives in Korea through a visit to the Woman Life Museum where the daily accessories and tools used by previous generations of Korean women are on display. We will also participate in some of the learning experiences offered at the museum. We will also visit the home of Queen Min, or the Last Empress as she has come to be known. Cost includes admissions fees and experience workshop. (W54,000 for RAS members)

March 14: Happy White Day! Boys, be sure to get some candy, chocolate, or other extra special gift for the girl that gave you something during Valentine's Day.

March 16-28: "Forever Tango" - featuring seven couples dancing the tango, twenty 'episodes' about love, and a live orchestra, this is probably the best event of the year to take a date. It's entirely by coincidence that it's just after White Day, I bet. 50,000 - 90,000 won for tickets; see this page on the Chungmu Art Hall website for more details, or call 02-2230-6624.

March 20: KILN TOUR IN ICHEON CITY
One of our best "practical" tours! This is a trip to ceramic kilns in the Icheon area to watch the masters create masterpieces from clay such as beautiful celadon pieces like you may have seen in museums. If time permits we will visit an onggi (kimchi jar) workshop on our way back. (W31,500 for RAS members)

March 20: St. Patrick's Day comes to town - don't knock it because they saved the festivities for the weekend. Cheonggyecheon will host a parade, several zones of activity, and an Irish rock band, there's enough to keep you busy all day courtesy of the Irish Association of Korea. No times are mentioned, so show up early. HT to Dan at Seoul Eats.

March 20: Jeff Beck, live in concert. Olympic Hall, Olympic Park. Call 02)563-0595 or e-mail [email protected] for tickets. The show starts at 7pm. Link

March 21: BUGAKSAN FORTRESS WALL HIKING TOUR IN SEOUL
Join the RAS for one of the most classic and historical views you will ever see—right at the heart of Seoul! Seoul was the capital city of Korea for more than 600 years and is unique in the way of being surrounded by 4 mountains, 4 big gates and 4 small gates. We climb up Bukaksan and walk along the ancient and restored fortress wall. (W20,000 for RAS members)

March 21 - 8am - The Seoul Marathon - start at Gwanghwamun and run, jog, walk, or crawl your way to the Jamsil Olympic Main Stadium. Get more information at the official website, or just look at the course map here. Expect some traffic delays along the way as roads are closed for the runners.

March 25 - 28: The Iksan Jewelry Expo, Spring style. Just because it's in Jeollabuk-do doesn't make it any less cool. The English-language page has some helpful information.

March 25 - 29: The Seoul Living Design Fair - expect lots of pretty things to see. The Pacific, Indian, and Atlantic Hall in COEX. The website is in English, but currently out of date.

March 26 - April 1: The Seoul Fashion Week - the twice-a-year show presenting fashions for the upcoming seasons. Expect runways and plenty of fashion for this upcoming fall and winter. SETEC Halls 1-3, seoulfashionweek.org

March 27: BUYEO AND GONGJU, ANCIENT CAPITALS OF THE BAEKJE KINGDOM TOUR A "Cultural tour" which will take us back for a survey of the Baekje Kingdom. Highlights include historic temples and a ferry ride down the White Horse River. (W53,000 for RAS members).

March 27: The Seoul KOTESOL Conference - or, The Complete Teacher. Six speakers and six workshops will create an all-day 'learn how to be a better teacher'. Starts at 10:30am, free for members who register before the conference, and 10,000 won for non-members. For more information, check out KOTESOL's official page about the conference.

March 27-28: Auditions for the Seoul Players first musical - The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Although the show isn't until May and June, auditions come early to find the best people for the roles. 5 men and 4 women are needed on stage, as well as plenty of people to help with behind-the-stage stuff as well. Experienced with props, lights, tech, etc., or just want to get into the local theater scene? E-mail [email protected] to get in contact. If interested in auditioning, prepare a short acapella song and look over the show's outline / synopsis. A more detailed character breakdown can also be found at korea4expats.com.

March 27 - 28: International Kite Flying Contest - it's a good excuse to head down to Dadaepo Beach in Busan, if only for the sights. For more information, call 051-888-3475.

March 27 - April 7: The Jinhae Cherry Blossom Festival (AKA the Jinhae Guhang Festival) - the annual cherry blossom festival that's been running since 1963 comes around yet again. The entire town gets involved, and walking down the streets and up the mountains are just two of the ways to see the sights. If interested in traveling with a group on April 3rd-4th, check out the Seoulite Meetup group. 55,000 won pays for your chartered bus ride down and a night's hotel stay. For more information about the trip, contact bredalund AT gmail DOT com. For more information about the festival, check out one official tourist webpage.

March 28: WALKING TOUR OF JOSEON DYNASTY SEOUL – Peter Bartholemew
9:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. walking through Seoul's past and examining the cultural and historical background of the Seoul palaces and Jeoson landmarks, as well as some rare and recently excavated royal treasures. (W20,000 for RAS members)

March 28: Rhythm and Booze art show. No, this isn't a contradiction in terms - the best foreigner bar in Bucheon is trying out an art gallery with a jazz performance in the evening. Sure, you could go to any art gallery around Insa-dong - why not check out one at a bar? For more information, take a look at the event's Facebook page.

March 31: Bob Dylan. Olympic Park. One legendary performer. Ticket price: through the roof - cheapest seats cost 66,000 won and go up to 198,000 won - but probably worth it. Call Interpark at 1544-1555 or visit ticket.interpark.com for details.

Creative Commons License © Chris Backe - 2010

Chris in South Korea does not receive any money or special favors for posting about any of the above events.

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