Korean Folk Village (2/22/09)

Today we went to the folk Village about an hour away. We left about 30 minutes late and got a lecture about people already doing things improper of a teacher. First at the village we got a tour by an older Korean guy that explained a lot. He showed us everything and explaining that the Hangul characters were positions of the tongue and the sun in relationship to a person standing and the horizon. This is where I was told that my name in Korean meant, “Are you sleeping?”

I don’t know what we had for lunch. I know I had some rice lava balls (rice in seaweed sheets in balls) and a potato pancake (amazing). The other things were a seafood and chive pancake, meat and rice soup (pretty sure it was DOG) and red bean porridge.

Angel and I tried the seesaw game and it was had but really fun. I tried again with a guy named Tony and we got it the first try. You jump as the person on the other side lands so you go up and then you just go back and forth. Then came the performances. First was the Farmer’s music and dance. A 68-year-old man, two of his sons, and a band of drums and cymbals wore great headdresses that were part of their choreography. This was my favorite part of the day. Then there was a seesaw and tight rope performance but after 5 minutes they were the same. On the way out I put my wishes on the pile of rocks so when it burns my dreams will go to the heavens (Korean tradition, also used to give notes to the family that has passed before them).

I was so tired by the time I got back to the dorms I ate dinner (rice and apples) and decided to take a nap that lasted till 7:30am (I slept 12 hours).