Pumba Festival

Date: 5/28/2011

This past weekend, Sarah and I went to Eumsang, South Korea to participate in the Pumba Festival.  Pumbas are traditional Korean beggars. They are at basically every festival in Korea.  Traditionally, they begged for food or money, but now I believe it is more for entertainment.  They do things like singing, dancing, cutting candy, and comedy.

We went with the company Adventure Korea.  It was part of a weekend package trip: Pumba Festival, Sea Rafting and Paintballing. My camera died on  the first event (Sad face!) but I will be posting more pictures after I steal the pictures from Sarah's Facebook.  (hehe!)

First, we put on some Pumba Clothes.  The festival is also a photography contest and we were models for the photographers!  Dressed up foreigners were a huge attraction.

Our clothes--fun hats!

Pose, before the make-up!

Before make-up

After make-up.  I haven't seen myself yet.

Now I have seen myself.  Oh--wow...what did they do to my face?!?!  I particularly like the snot....

 They just used regular make-up and facepaint--so we all inwardly groaned at how much our skin was going hate us, but that didn't stop Sarah and I from enjoying ourselves!

Sarah's turn!

A friend we made on the trip.  Love the uni-brow.

We had lunch and this girl was sitting at the table.  She was precious!

The girls wanted a photo with the foreigners.

After getting all dressed up, we went to go pound some rice cake.  This is a traditional beggar thing.

Think of your class 2-6, Sarah!  Swing AWAY!!

 As you can see, the photographers were having a hay day!

All the photographers for the "group shot"

She was trying to go to lunch and the photographers wouldn't let her pass.  "You ...very pretty!  Take pict--cha!  Smile!  Pose--su!  Pose-su!  Again! Again! Again!!!!"  

Craziness!

We weren't the only models.  These guys were painted in gold and were "statues."  They did a really good job. 

More pictures to come!

Happy Birthday Dad!

Date: April 27th, 2011

Hey Dad!  Happy Birthday!

Love, Maggie and Seohyung Grade 2 Class 6!

PS:  Just a little funny:
When I asked my students to record this, I explained that it was my dad birthday.  I wrote his birth year on the board.  Mr Kim looked at the date and went, "Really?!!" I double checked to make sure that, yes, I did have the correct date on the board.  I did.  Then my students (who are infinitely better at math than I will ever be) started in with some "Chinja?!"  (Korean Translation: Really?!)  One of my lovely students went, "He...!...started early!!!"  "He too young!"

So, there you go, Dad!  A very young birthday to you!

Happy Birthday Little Brother

Date: April 28, 2011

Just a little something for Charlie!

생일 축하!!

<3 Maggie and Seohyung Grade 2 Class 6!

Guitar Club

Date: April

As mentioned, I started a whole slew of activities this month.  My Mondays and Tuesdays are a little crazy: During lunch I have Taekwon-do, during the extra period after school I'm in the guitar club, I get a little time for dinner and then I'm off to yoga in the evenings.

I really enjoy guitar club.  I was a little fearful for it the first couple of times because basically, I"m learning an instrument in a foreign language.  I have a strong music background, but I don't really have any direction because the teacher can't really communicate anything to me.  Except, when she writes things on the board--notes and keys and such.  That I understand.

It is fun to learn because Koreans go all "Sound of Music" when talking about music.  The notes are not C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C--but Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La (ra), Te (shi), Do.  (Some of the notes don't have the exact same name, but I figure it out.  It's not that different).   I did learn this naming system at school (and via Maria) but I do not look at Third Space in the treble clef and think: Oh, Do, of course.  I think 'C.' So I am slowly normalizing myself in Solfege land.

It is also interesting because I am in a class with a bunch of my students.

my fellow classmates.

Song No. 1!
I play top row.  It was not very exciting....

During break one of the students entertained me with Mario songs. He had quiet the collection

My teacher.

The only thing I can understand in when she "teaches."
Oh, did I forget to mention that she doesn't write "Sol" on the board.  No...she writes 살
It's a good thing I learned how to read...

 Excerpts from the "Classics Piano Book" :

 They need an English lesson:

And I thought my name was bad....

Date: 3/11/2011

This post came about because I ran into a guy this weekend who introduced himself as "Hi.  My name is Laef.  But my Korean Name is Joe."  I had never heard of a foreigner having a Korean name.  Korean students take English names...but I had never heard of the opposite.

It turns out that I don't have the worst English name in Korea.

As you might now, my name in Korean means Catfish.  I actually spend five minutes every 1st day of class explaining to my students that I am not "the Fish teacher."  I run up and down the aisles in my class yelling, "Bulgogi Sasenim!"  (Fish teacher, fish teacher!)  It gets a lot of giggles and we then spend a few minutes listening and repeating: "M-AH-ggie."  (not M-eh-ggie)

Well, I met a man this weekend who has a worse name.  His name is Laef.  (Like the 80's child star singer superstar).  His name doesn't have a Korean translation--the sad? funny? part of his name is how Koreans try to pronounce his name.   They turn the "F" into "P" and then the "L" to an "R".

[giving you a second to figure it out...]

Yep, that's right.  He is "Rape Teacher."

I would pick another name too....