Culture Night!

November 23^rd the International Student Union held their biggest event of the year: Culture Night. It has a popular reputation at Handong, especially amongst the international students. Even as exchange students we were told about it during our orientation week. What is Culture Night you ask? It is a night to celebrate the cultures represented at this school with singing, dancing, food, and fellowship.

All of the international communities get together fairly early in the semester to begin planning this event under the leadership of the president and other members of the International Student Union.

The event begins with each community serving samples of food from their country to the crowds that show up early enough to get a portion. As you can imagine, figuring out how to cook for hundreds of people can be a challenge.

After the food is gone the main event of the evening begins; meaning, a series of performances from cultures represented here on campus. These performances include dancing, singing, story-telling, and other creative ways to represent and demonstrate the beautiful culture the students from their respective communities come from. When the performances finish, there is a fashion show to exhibit the traditional costumes from all over the world.

This is a skeletal description, so now I’ll flesh it out a bit by talking about my experience with Culture Night.  

Over a month ago we were all asked to start getting together with our countrymen to begin the planning process of what we wanted to perform. That’s when the series of meetings began. Each community would send a leader or representative to the meetings where logistics and guidelines for the event were set out with the help of the international student union, then we would hold another meeting to confer that information to our individual communities so that we could plan our section of the program accordingly.

Once we figured out what we wanted to do, our task was to start practicing! As Americans, we had a difficult task coming up with a traditional dance specific to our country. We decided to do a combination of several popular dances taken from the past century of our history. We also ended up including a short skit based off a popular American movie near the end, but I’ll elaborate upon that later.

Only three out of the seven of us had ever danced before so it was a really interesting and sometimes crazy process trying to choreograph it. But with the help of YouTube, talented members of our group, and a lot of time we figured out a routine. As often as we could we gathered to practice the dance routine and polish it up. I have never danced before in my life so it was traumatizing, exciting, stressful and foreign all at once to me.

While we practiced our dance routine we were also trying to decide on what to cook. After much going back and forth we landed on the all American… pie! Apple and pumpkin. Making pie for a few hundred people or so was a daunting task, but with the combined ingenuity of many minds we were able to calculate how much of the ingredients we would need.

The final two weeks before the actual event were busy. We all had to figure out final logistics, practice as much as possible, make our few props, coordinate with the other communities, and so on.

The Thursday before the big night was when we started the baking process. I spent a couple hours that afternoon peeling and slicing up around 75 apples. The next day, Friday, we had to start actually putting everything together. Almost everyone from the American community helped with the baking, including the wonderful faculty couple who let us use their kitchen and a few other awesome helpers.

With our combined forces we got those miniature pies baked and stored—waiting for the coming day when they would all be eaten.

Saturday dawned and found all the internationals dragging themselves at 10 a.m. to the auditorium for a semi-rehearsal. After that I spent the rest of the afternoon doing some final practices with my group, getting homework done, and preparing myself for the evening.

At around 3 p.m. we gathered again to help set up the food serving area and take care of last minute details. Every detail had to fall into place—lighting, music tracks, our introduction video, entering and exiting, prop storage, etc.

By 5 o’clock we were ready to receive all of campus to taste our food! For the next hour or so we served pies and interacted with the other internationals, the Koreans, and some guests who came from off campus. It was a lot of fun and our pies went pretty fast despite the massive quantity we had made.

America!

I got to try a few small things from the other countries’ tables, but I was mostly serving. At last the time for performances came and everyone settled into the auditorium. We started with some traditional Korean drumming, as well as a traditional Korean dance. A message was given on the theme of the night—Passion of the Nations. The idea behind Culture Night was finding unity amongst the diversity of God’s beautiful world, so we heard some good words upon that subject from our faculty adviser.

As each culture performed I was really impressed by what everyone came up with. There was dancing, singing, and more dancing. Everyone put so much work into their performances! I won’t describe each performance in detail because it would be a lot to try and describe, but I will give a list of the cultures who performed:

South Korea (Hayang)

China

Indonesia

Mekong (Laos, Thailand, Cambodia)

South Asia (Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal)

Australia

Nepal

Russia

Mongolia

Myanmar

India

Madagascar

America

Africa

To try and give you at least a brief picture of the variety of beautiful things I got to see and experience, I made a little video blog if you so desire to view it. Sadly, I was not able to video every single one, but at least this can give you an overview. I also wish I could have taken more pictures of everyone else's performances!

By the time it came to our performance, I was honestly getting nervous. Everyone else did such a wonderful job, and here I was—the American who had never danced before, much less in front of a crowd! But as we gathered back stage and said a prayer, I decided to have a good time of it. And you know what, I did. Somehow the moves came to me along with a smile on my face. I had so much fun listening to the crowd laugh at our cheesy, random routine.

We went from doing the Charleston to swing dance, from swing to the twist, from the twist to some disco set to the BG’s “Stayin’ Alive,” then on to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.” Then we got some 90’ boy band in with the guys of our group doing N’Sync’s “Bye Bye Bye.” This was followed by a modern dance called the jerk based off a popular song by Audio Push. Next, we surprised the audience with a few seconds based off the movie “Titanic.” The boys even made a cardboard ship!

The pictures describe it better than I could. Everyone had a good laugh as Celine Dion’s voice rang out passionately across the auditorium with our guys standing on the long board. I am still not sure what inspired them to include it, but everyone enjoyed it so I guess it worked!

We concluded our 6 minute dance with the Harlem Shake, another modern trend in American culture right now. I hadn’t actually practiced that part, so I winged it. I am so glad that I can say I ended up having a blast performing. We may have been silly, but that was alright. I did not mind. It is not easy for me to overcome insecurity and pride in order to do something like that, but I am glad that I did.

After the last performance from the African community we watched the fashion show, and then our International Student Union president got up on stage to give a few heartfelt words. A lot of division has been occurring on campus this semester as a new university president has been elected. This occasion has met with a lot of protests for many complicated reasons. But even in something small like Culture Night, we were all able to experience unity in a meaningful way. So many people worked hard and so many beautiful relationships were showcased throughout this event that it really was a light for Handong. At least, this was my perception. I was really touched.

We ended with singing the Handong logo song, then a huge group picture of all the students—both international and Korean.

The goal of Culture Night was to bring glory to God and celebrate His diverse world in light of the fact that it is also a united world through Him. I think it achieved that purpose. As pictures, laughter, and conversation followed the end of the event my heart filled to bursting. I was surrounded by so many beautiful people, with beautiful stories, who came together in a beautiful way to make it a memorable evening. I am so glad I spent the time and energy on this event. It meant a lot to me, and reminded me of how blessed I have been this semester. It was refreshing, and so many good memories were made.

Thanks for reading to a long, rambling blog entry! I cannot express very well why I enjoyed this event so much, but I bet that if you had been there you would have felt the same. :-)

Blessings!

Picture Tour

I will have at least one big blog post coming sometime after the big campus event this Saturday. Until then, I thought I would give you guys a picture tour of some aspects of my daily life here. I know that I always like to be able to envision what my friends are doing when they are in a totally new place, so hopefully it will be somewhat interesting to you to see some of the things I see daily.

Welcome to Handong! This stone sits as the bottom of the hill that leads you up to Handong.

This is the familiar walk toward my resident hall, International House. It's the red/brown brick building on the right.

My beloved I House! A welcoming home

This is where I do most of my homework. Not the tidiest desk, but it works well for me

This is where I go to church and chapel every week

This is the lake where I go to find peace and quiet

This is a path I walk to and from class every week

This is a path I walk just for fun. Interesting buildings, nice scenery

This is the library where most students will spend a lot of time. Also a classroom building

One of the first and biggest buildings on campus and where the majority of my classes are held

This is the one big, open grassy field on campus. And you aren't really supposed to walk on it, so I just gaze at it longingly every day. That big building is the cafeteria/student union building

This is a high view of the cafeteria and the sports fields right in front of it. There is a running track, basketball court and soccer field all in one

Inside the cafeteria where I eat almost every day

 These are some of the things I eat at said cafeteria, though these are just a few options

Seaweed soup, kimchii curry rice

Egg, sauce, and fried shrimp on rice

Tteokbokki. Spicy stuff!

This is only served at night, after dinner. They give you a burner, noodles and then you cook it yourself. Delicious

So now maybe you have a clearer picture in your heads as to what the everyday things look like for me. If I did a really thorough job you would be overloaded with pictures, so I will be kind and leave it at this for now. I have to say, I really love this campus and think it is beautiful. I am managing just fine on the cafeteria food, though it can be a bit repetitive and sometimes I just want a home-cooked meal. But I am content and in no real hurry to leave. 

As always, thank you for reading!

Festival Week

Two weeks ago was festival week here at Handong, so we got a few days off school! After Tuesday the 5^th I had no more classes until the following Monday.  The school festival involves several events and activities held school-wide as well as booths selling various food and a few performances from campus clubs. But for the most part the students go home and get some rest. I stayed here on campus enjoying the relaxation as well as the beautiful Autumn weather.

Thursday of break I ended up going on a beautiful, though cold, bike ride with friends as the sun set. We ran into a dead snake in the middle of the path and were followed for a while by some friendly farm dogs. 

We finished off the day with a warm supper and a movie night. A simple day, but I really enjoyed it.

Friday of break was the day of the sports competition! Four different dormitories on campus got together that morning to compete. Our dorm, known as International House or Carmichael College, really stuck out amongst all the Korean dorm teams.

Anyone who knows me well will know how much I dislike playing sports as a general rule. Few things make me feel as uncomfortable or out of my depth as playing sports. But I decided to expand my horizons and try something new, going against all my insecurities and being adventurous.

The event started out with capture the flag. We lost, but we gave it our best! Then came the girls’ dodge ball game. I had not played that game since middle school, but those Koreans were well practiced and very intense. After two rounds of the game Carmichael College lost and conceded victory to the other team. I can’t say I will be playing dodge ball again anytime soon, but it was good to be made a little uncomfortable. That in itself was a personal victory for me.

Dodge ball players

After that we watched the men play soccer, which our team also lost. But it was a good time of cheering for our friends, eating lunch, chatting, and basking in the sunlight. The last event was a relay race which involved both running and doing simple missions. Our team had some good runners, even though we didn't place first.

Relay Runners with our dorm flag

The day wrapped up at around three in the afternoon, leaving my dorm second to last place for the entire competition. It was a really fun day of fellowship and friendly competition. Carmichael College was certainly the loudest and most spirited team which should count for something, right?

One thing the day reminded me of was just how much I love my fellow International House residents. We’re from all around the world, from a huge diversity of backgrounds, beliefs, cultures—but we’re still like a family. A very heterogeneous family, but a welcoming one. I was proud to cheer on my friends all day!

After sports day wrapped up I went on another bike ride with friends which ended in my borrowed bike breaking, and having to walk it back. Slightly embarrassing, but as usual an enjoyable adventure even though it made me very cold. We finished the day with another movie and a good night of sleep.

The rest of festival week was spent relaxing, catching up on homework, eating, spending time with friends, and practicing for an upcoming event called Culture Night. This is an event that the international community here puts on, and it involves each culture community making food for everyone to sample and then putting on a performance that represents their nation. It should be a big event, and I will be busy with preparation for it most of this week. I will be reporting more on Culture Night after Saturday when it is over. I’m looking forward to seeing everyone’s hard work pay off!

Anyway. Festival week was a good break from school and a great time with friends. My time here is going by all too swiftly, and I am learning to make the most of every moment. Not easy, but a worthwhile endeavor.

As a bonus, enjoy some pictures of what our lovely campus looks like bedecked in autumnal glory. Beautiful colours here!

Thanks for reading!

Rice Cake!

Time for another field trip report! On the 2^nd all of the Internationals and any Koreans who felt like joining were invited to take part in an all-expense paid trip to the Rice Cake Museum here in Pohang. Although I was unsure about what kind of experience awaited me, I decided to join. Thus, that Saturday morning our group of both Koreans and international students piled onto a bus and headed to the museum.

As per the usual our shoes had to come off before entering the museum. It is still a strange feeling for me to wander around a building in socks. Once inside we were given a tour of the small museum and then listened to a lecture all about the making of rice cakes and the various kinds. They had wax replicas of the many kinds that we could look at. There was also explanations given on how to make them, though there were so many different ways that one method cannot really apply to every variation of rice cake.

If you are wondering what exactly I mean by rice cake, here is at least a brief description:

Little cakes often made out of glutinous rice flour, or just plain rice flour, usually created by a steaming process. They are made with a huge variety of other ingredients and can look very different depending on the type. They are eaten at most of the Korean holidays and can be either pretty sweet or more savory.

After listening to the explanations and looking at the models, it was time to experience making rice cakes for ourselves. By that point we were all pretty hungry because of looking at all the wax versions! Everyone got to put on some cute aprons (even the guys) and then we divided into two groups. My groups’ first activity was getting to pound the sticky rice dough.

It was fun getting to use such a big wooden hammer to pound away at the dough-like substance. It reminded me a bit of wood chopping. Next we took the freshly pulverized mass of dough and rolled it in small portions, mixing it into a yellow powder that tasted a little like cornmeal. We exercised as much creativity as we could as we formed different shapes out of it.

We completed this first version of rice cakes and moved onto the next one. We were able to get even more creative with these ones. Everyone was given a small mound of thicker rice dough. 

To start with we took a small portion of the dough out and rolled it into a ball, then flattened it. 

Once flat we put bean paste inside and then closed it up so that it formed a ball again. Taking different colours of paste with different flavors, we decorated the tops of the balls.

Then we flattened them with a stamp that had a pattern on it. It reminded me a bit of playing with Play Dough.

After finishing our lovely creations we all ate a boxed lunch. After that we went onto the roof to play some traditional Korean games and just hung out. After that we moved onto the next activities. It was time to try on Hanbok, the traditional Korean outfit.

I could definitely tell that the clothes were made for Asians, not Westerners, but it was fun to try it out and pretend for a few minutes that I am not a Westerner to my last drop of blood. Almost everyone got a chance to take a picture in the Hanbok and to demonstrate the traditional bow.

After this we got to do another craft which was decorating our own mugs with some permanent markers. Although I cannot wash my mug for fear of removing the designs, it was a fun activity. I love doodling on any surface.

We ran out of time during the mug decorating and had to make sure we made it onto the bus that took us back to school. We were sent away with two boxes of our own rice cakes that we made. Yum! Very tasty. I spent the rest of the day shopping with two friends then I returned in the evening to eat some of the rice cakes I had made.

It may sound boring, and the idea of a “Rice Cake Museum” may not excite a lot of people, but I actually had a great time. It was fun to learn more about Korean culture and experience a bit more firsthand. But the best part was experiencing it with the wonderful group who came.

Also, as a note, if you make rice cakes make sure to put them in the refrigerator. I was very dismayed to discover mine growing white beards. Tragic. Ah well, next time I will know better!