The Last Day

It's here. The end of the final day in South Korea. As someone pointed out to me earlier, this blog should really be titled "Let's see how much we can cram into one day;" however, I'd used that for the last post. It seemed that those in charge of our schedule really wanted to make sure that we got as much bang for our bucks as we could! We started the morning with our final performance of the tour at International Lutheran Church. The chapel was not meant to fit many people, but the space itself was incredible. It gave our choir a very live sound, which was a great way to give our choir the motivation to keep singing even though it was 8:30 in the morning and we had an hours worth of music to get through.  The congregation was mostly white, and the service was all in English. In the life of THE church and in the life of this church it was both Pentecost and communion Sunday, so it was a really powerful service to be a part of. Those who were there to support us were appreciative and very responsive to the meaning of the music and the sound that we were producing.  The whole time felt like a true praise to God. We all left the church with spirits lifted and smiles all over.

After the service, we went to an art gallery in Insadong.  The exhibition halls were set up in nobleman's houses from the ancient villages in the area.  The gallery was interesting and full of things from paintings to photography to jewelry. We walked from there to lunch where most of us had a dish that SOUNDS like bip-n-bop. I know that's not what it's called, but that's what it sounds like. Its a mixture of rice, veggies, meat, and chili sauce which is the equivalent of a midwestern "hot dish" or southern "casserole." We spent a little time shopping after lunch before heading to another nobleman village at the top of a hill (I wish that I had counted how many places we had to walk UP to get to. My quads feel GREAT.)

The village was very pretty, but it was a little bit awkward because people still LIVE in the houses... we then went to ANOTHER village, that was more like a park. We took a picture in front of an entrance to one of the houses in our robes. Many Koreans there stopped to take pictures of us. The choir members were 90% sure that we were going to be singing in front of this building -Anyone who knows David Mennicke should not be surprised. We didn't though. There was another performance going on in close proximity and we refrained from making conflicting noise. There wasn't much to do in the village, but one of the cool attractions was a time capsule that Seoul buried in 1994 on the 600th anniversary of the cities existence. They will open it 400 years after the burial when  the city celebrates it's 1000th year. We stayed to watch a taekwando concert which was absolutely incredible. It was absolutely amazing to see what these teens and young adults were able to do with their bodies. They leaped, kicked, punched, and broke more boards than I was able to count.

After the show we went to the North Seoul Tower and Teddy Bear Museum. Half of us went through the museum which depicted the history of Korea using teddy bears! Then we went up onto the observation deck and looked out over the entire city and the Han river. The city was beautiful, and the weather was cloudy, yet clear over the buildings, so we had a great view of miles and miles of the city. After the tower, we went to our last Korean dinner. We ate "traditional style" on the floor and enjoyed the company of our tour guides and fellow choir members one more time.  We had barbecue and soup while we did the "Grand Quack" (which was Pastor Riemer for his woman's bathroom trip) and also our thank-yous for the Riemers and four Lara. We ended with singing E'en So and copious amounts of tears -for the seniors, for the end of the trip, for the blessing of the choir, for the love of God. It was a perfect end to an amazing trip.

Tomorrow we will fly home.  The majority of the choir will be leaving bright and early tomorrow morning, but I will be leaving separately with Sarah and Carrie so that we can go straight to Michigan/Virginia.  Thank you so much for your prayers and support! I will blog at least twice more -once on our homestay, and also a reflection once I've settled back in to the states, so please continue to stay updated, and also keep the graduated seniors, members of the choir who are moving on next year and will not be able to be in Christus, and also the returning members as well as directors and guides in your thoughts and prayers.

Let's See How Much We Can Cram Into One Day

Today has been really busy, and it seemed like every spare 15 minutes had something else going on in it.  We started the morning with a "tutorial" on how to use the Seoul metro system. We took the metro to the World Cup Stadium that is located in Seoul. The stadium is from the 2002 game. The Korea United team is the top Asian football (soccer) team, and they advanced to the semi-finals in 2006, where they made the top 16 and reached the highest position that the team had reached in 49 World Cups. We were able to see the field, locker rooms, and FIFA museum. We had to move through everything pretty quickly so that we could get on the bus, drive a block or two to get lunch, and get back on the bus to head to our last concert venue. We were very pressed for time, particularly because so many people ordered things that took a very long time to get and we were delayed at the mall longer than intended. Lucking, our bus driver is an absolute champ and he drove insanely fast so that we were only 15 minutes past when we were supposed to be there.

We sang at the Asia Pacific International School for their K-12 students. We did a shortened concert, and tried to stick to the more upbeat songs to keep their attention. Many of the younger students didn't pay attention no matter what we were singing. It was a good concert, but not our best. It was incredible hot and we were all sweating like there was no tomorrow. The school graciously fed us doughnuts, oranges, and juice, and also gave us gifts. They were very welcoming, and the opportunity was really special, even if it wasn't one that most appreciated our choir and even if it wasn't our best performance.

After the school, we drove to a park that we were supposed to have lots of time at; however, we only ended up with 20 minutes to be there. There was a lot of things to do at this riverside area, but because of the time restraints, many of us just sat around and enjoyed the sun and the scenery. We went to dinner following our park time and were able to partake in a 10 course Korean dinner. The food was really delicious, but they brought course after course after course after course!! The amount was very overwhelming.  Lara said that the waitresses were very impressed with how much we ate... It sounded like many Americans who come through there leave a lot of food, so they were pleased that we enjoyed it.

After dinner, we went to a show called "Nanta." For anyone who has seen blue-man group, it's a very similar concept. There was a review that said "Nanta is a cross between Jacki Chan and the Marx brothers. I prefer to think that it's a cross between Iron Chef and Blue Man Group. Nanta is a stomp show where a group of actors/actresses use kitchen skills, utensils, and cookery to make percussive sounds.  The talent of the members was overwhelming, they not only had to act out the story line and character relations, but they had to dance, chop and insane rates, cook some, and keep rhythm. The show was phenomenal, and was something that everyone in the choir really enjoyed being at.

The area that the Nanta stage is in is has a great downtown life. The streets are littered with shops, restaurants, bars, and clubs.  We were given 20 minutes or so to look around and see if we wanted to stay later and catch a cab back to the hotel.  There were bands performing in a park, and Korean teens and young adults socializing, dancing, and enjoying the nightlife everywhere. I have not seen that many people all at once in a very long time. A handful of people chose to stay and experience a new dimension to Korean life. I chose to come back because I knew that if I stayed I would get really behind on blogging.

Tomorrow is a "free day," so we all have reign over where we want to be and what we want to do in Seoul. The city is similar to Manhattan. There is so much to do. We currently have a pretty big exploring day planned... one last chance to learn as much as we can about the city and area before we head back to the states!

"They blessed us. That was a real blessing"

Yesterday was the best day of the trip so far -there was not anything about it that was bad, or even "mediocre." To start off the morning, we participated in Taekwando lessons. I think that the only way to explain this is to use pictures.

Amber -READY TO GO!

Trying to do one of the warm up jumps.

Class starting

Todd fell down, he got the dumb quack.

Benta rocking the front kick

Our masters. They were pretty much awesome.

I'm a little bit proud of this picture, not going to lie.

Yeah, Natalie!!!

Alex posing with his board.

Resa and Sam doing some partner work.

Dr. Mennicke and the certificates.

The whole gang.

Kayla was really good at all of it!

After taekwando we went to lunch at a buffet where you could pick out your own ingredients for a soup that was made on a burner at your own table. After lunch we took a drive to a mountain where we could look out over Seoul. Following this we went to Insadong, which has a beautiful river running through it. I believe that Pastor Riemer said that the river used to be the sewage, but now the city has turned it into an absolutely breathtaking centerpiece for the area.  There are many colorful statues in the water, plant life, stepping stone paths, pieces of artwork, waterfalls, and lanterns adorning the river. The city is a large, and well known, shopping district. Many of us went off to explore the street vendors and souvenirs, bringing back more than we know how to fit in our luggage!


After shopping we went to the World Vision Korea center. Upon our arrival, there were snacks of fruit and cookies waiting for our consumption. Then we all changed into little bedroom slippers and went upstairs to warm up.   The two children's choirs came up. The first showed us their warm-up process, and the second performed 4 selections for us.  The group is made up of primarily 8-13 year old children and they sounded like absolute angels. They had a rich sound that resonated throughout the room. Their second piece involved traditional Korean fan dancing. The girls who performed the dance were in the older age range for the group and were absolutely stunning. They wore traditional costumes and had fans that were decorated with hot pink flowers and feathers.  Against the plain background of the room, the girls really stood out and shone in a way that our choir is not capable of doing! The director walked off for the fourth piece, which was a well known "do-wop" sorta piece that involved adorable choreography. We did NOT want to get up and sing when they finished! We would have preferred to continue listening to their gorgeous sound.

We got up and sang three of our best pieces, and then finished with "E'en so, Lord Jesus Quickly Come." Here's when the heartbreak started. This piece is our signature song, as well as a blessing on the audience and on the choir. We chose to hold hands when we performed yesterday, and a few of the children in the front row did as well. The children were captivated by our music and I couldn't help but NOT watch Dr. Dave (oops.) and watch the faces of the smiling children instead. I really felt like "Lord, Listen to your Children Praying" and "E'en So..." really blessed these kids. I truly felt God working in us and through us during this performance. One of the things that makes World Vision Choirs so powerful is their background.  The organization was started in Korea during the Korean War, and many members of the choir were orphans, or "vulnerable" children.  The mission of the choir is "to give a voice to the voiceless."

The concert ended with their blessing to us. I'm getting goosebumps thinking about it now. The children came up to the stage and held their hands out to us and sang an English blessing to us. The conviction on their faces was astonishing. It was as if they really meant it and weren't just "trained" to sing it. They truly gave us the richest and fullest blessing that we've received on this trip. At least half of our choir was in tears by the time they finished. It was beautiful, breathtaking, astounding, incredible... I can't find powerful enough words to adequately express how much they touched me, and the rest of the choir.

That's it. Nothing else from the day matters.

Korean Ducks Aren't the Same as American Ducks... and more!

Sorry for the lack of pictures. Here are some shots of the past few days!!



Kelsey sitting on the top of a mountain!!

Excited to have made it all the way to the top!

 This is from a war memorial statue at the Korean War Air and Watercraft park that we went to.

Our HOMESTAY FAMILIES!!!

The choir singing at a military church at the DMZ!

Today has been a very full day. We left the hotel at 8:15 this morning to drive to Incheon to do a clinic with the famous director Hak Won Yoon. He directs the Incheon city chorale. To say the least, this choir was absolutely incredible; they are one of the top choirs in the world. In fact, they are so good that they can actually make a living off of the salary that they receive from singing with the group! Singing with them was incredibly intimidating because of the multitude of talent that exudes from the members of the group; however, we sang a few pieces for them and sang one with them as well! Hak Won Yoon took the opportunity to conduct us a little bit with a Korean rendition that we are doing of Psalm 23.  It is really interesting to have the opportunity to see the way that different conductors direct choirs. We have not done this piece with 4 or 5 different people, and each had a very different style.  When we were working today, I really felt like we were being shaped and molded. One of my favorite pieces of scripture is Jeremiah 18:4-6 which says "and the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter; so he made it again into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to make. Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying:  “O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter?” says theLord. “Look, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel!" I was reminded of this passage as Dr. Yoon did different and really beautiful things with our choir. He molded us as a potter would a lump of clay. He fixed some of our blemishes and made us radiant - Just as God does each and every day.

After the clinic, many of us went out into the town and got food at very American chains (McDonald's/KFC.) From there, we traveled to a Korean Folk Village. This village was very similar to places in the States such as Williamsburg, Jamestown, and other historical places that show reenactments of the customs from the time period. There were people throughout the village making fans, pottery, spinning silk, cooking, and of course selling these wares.  There was a village with many live animals and replicas showing what the inside of the village would have looked like from the time period (forgive me for not remembering when that time period WAS.) There was also a series of shows in the middle of the afternoon consisting of things from b-boy dancing to tightrope walking to a traditional wedding. It was absolutely fascinating! (The B-boy break-dancing show was my favorite!)

After the folk village we went to a modern art museum that mostly documented the works of Nam June Paik and John Cage who were both very similar in style in that they played with motion and sound to create their pieces of art. The museum was very interesting to some, and a little cooky to others.Some of the art seemed odd and pointless, others intricate and captivating. After the museum, we went to a Presbyterian mega church. I mentioned this yesterday in my blog... except that I said it has a congregation of 1,000 people. That's not true. It's 10,000. The choir itself must have had 500 people in it.  The service was very interesting and it was a very special opportunity for us to be able to worship with a new and different culture. We were given headsets with an English translator giving a summary of what was being said. Mine was unfortunately almost entirely static and when I would turn it up enough so that I could understand the words, the static would be hurting my ears and audible to those sitting around me. I eventually gave up and just soaked in the Korean language and worship style. Those who listened said that the content of the sermon was very loosely connected and difficult to understand and the translator was very hard to follow! We had a late dinner following the hour and a half long service and are now getting ready to hunker down for the night and rest our bodies for tae kwan do in the morning! Some people are really excited for it... some are... not. 


Please continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers during the last few days of our trip!

42 Minutes, and counting...

I'm currently paying for internet in our hotel's internet cafe, so not only will I try to type as quickly as I can, but I will also need to make this a brief post. I apologize for that since I have two days to catch up on...

I will start with what I can remember of yesterday. It seems like the days here are crazy long and we do so much all the time. Yesterday morning was our beach morning, unfortunately it started off very cloudy and overcast, so not everyone chose to go to the beach and even fewer chose to get IN the icy water! Regardless of going to the beach or otherwise, it was really nice to have the opportunity to have a late start. We had lunch at a rest area amd then we went to a Korean War memorial area. There were statues commemorating the soldiers as well as tanks, planes, a museum, a ship, and a submarine. There was also a museum at the top of a hill (I now know why Koreans are so skinny - they have to climb up an insane number of stairs all the time.) The museum was very nice and had a lot of interactive sorts of exhibits. The only downfall was that it was completely and totally in Korean.  After that we drove for a while, and then went to meet our host families!! I can not speak on behalf of everyone (although I do think that it was a mutual consensus...) I had a blast with my host family. Natalie and I stayed with the Ahn family. We sang, listened to the son, Guy, play amazing piano music, played a traditional Korean game, talked, and had a delicious homemade Korean meal.  It was a much more pleasant experience than we thought it would be. Providing I have time and internet capabilities, I would really like to expound upon this more, as it is something completely different from any American experience!

This morning we had to meet and load at 6:45am so we did not have much time with our host families once we woke up.  We got on the bus and had about a two and a half hour drive up to the DMZ! The area that we were in has restricted civilian access and we were only allowed there on governmental permission! We sang for Korean soliders at a church on the military base. Not only were they glad to get out of work (many of them were in basic training -Korean men are required to serve in the military for a few years. Many do this when they are university age) but they also seemed to really appreciate our performance (especially the two pretty soloists that came to the front!!) Singing for the soldiers was really inspiring, and touched not only those hearing the music, but also the choir members singing at the service.  From there, we drove the the infiltration tunnels. We were able to go down into one that has been reconstructed, and went as close as 300 meters away fom the border of North Korea. We were all required to wear hardhats because of the low rocky ceilings, some of us (Eric, Austin, Alan...) had more difficulty than others with not hitting their heads!! At the bottom of the tunnel there were several displays, and a copious amount of signs instructing us to go no further. Many of us realized how real the turmoil in North and South Korea was and still is when we went down. I equated it with going to see Williamsburg, Gettysburg, and the countless war battlefields that my family has vacationed to over the years. Going to the places, and being IN the history makes it real -being in the infiltration tunnel made the danger a little more real. When we came out, there were soldiers standing around, and while we were all glad to have the experience of being in the tunnels, I think we were all also ready to go to the next thing. After the tunnel, we had a long bus ride to Luther University where we had dinner and a full concert.  The concert went really well, and it was obvious that our music was a blessing to those who were able to hear it. There were a few mishaps in the performances throught the day - stools buckling, korean pianos, pitch pipes breaking, incorrect passage readings... the works. All in all, it has been a marvelous day.

Tomorrow, we have a clinic with a very famous director whose name I will include tomorrow when I have something telling me how to spell it. After the clinic we go to a Korean Folk Village, and to a church service at a church with over 1,000 members. Starting tomorrow night, we will be in the same hotel for the duration of our time in Korea. There are not words to describe how much we are looking forward to not having to pick up everything and move every night or two!

Yesterday, We Climbed a Mountain.

Well... I didn't think I would be able to blog for a few days until I heard Eric explaining how the cables work. It only took me 30 seconds to get it running this morning after two hours of struggling last night.

While it feels like we didn't do very much yesterday... we're exhausted from the things that we DID do. For starters, we had a 4 hour bus ride to a mountain. While we were on the bus, Pastor Riemer did a mini church service for us on the bus. We stopped at a rest area for lunch where many of us were able to try some new Korean foods, snacks, and candies. After the remainder of the trip we ended at a National Park with several different options. First, we took a cable car to the top of a mountain where some of us continued to climb up a slippery slope to the very peak. One could purchase an engraved medal for getting to the highest point! The trip up to the top was exhilarating.. the trip back down was a little frightening. After successfully climbing down, riding the cable car back down, and appreciating being back where there's lots of Oxygen, we had the choice of hiking to a waterfall or taking a walk around some of the temples.

I heard that the temples were beautiful and a lot of fun; however I chose to take the 2 mile trail to the waterfalls. The scenery was absolutely breath taking, and the group making the trek really enjoyed spending time together. Some ran, some power walked, and some meandered through the woods until we had been going for about 45 minutes. We could have gone further to see some of the bigger falls... but if we did, we would have missed our dinner reservation. The smaller falls were nice, but some of the stone didn't seem natural. There is an old Korean folktale about the large pools at the bottom of these falls. They say that heavenly maidens used to come and take baths in the pools. Long story short - a nice, but very poor man, saved the life of a reindeer. The reindeer told him that if he took the winged costume from one of the maidens, she would be his wife, but on the condition that he could not show the costume to her until after they'd had four children. Well, she begged him to see it, and he showed it to her... but they only had THREE children, so she put it on, grabbed the children and flew back to heaven.  The reindeer came back and told the man that now they just drop a bucket down to get water to bathe in heaven. The man found the bucket, hopped in side and was brought up to heaven where he was reunited with his family!

After dinner, we drove another hour to the beach hotel where a few went out to the ocean, but many stayed inside and crashed after such a strenuous day. Many of us were hoping to spend this morning at the beach, but it's very chilly and overcast. Tonight, we are at our one home stay for the trip. It seems like many of us are a little apprehensive, but also excited.  Tomorrow we have to get up very early and will spend the day at the DMZ, and also have two performances. It's going to be a long day with minimal blog opportunities, but stay tuned!!!

Tombs, Lakes, and Trees... Oh my!!

Today was a momentous day in that it was our first day in Korea without having a concert. Needless to say, we were all EXHAUSTED by the time that we'd finished being out and about all day (so I hope you won't mind if I keep this relatively short, and catch up on the finer details later!) We drove an hour away from our hotel, and visited some interesting Historical sites in Gyeongju. We first stopped at a burial mounds site.  The Korean royalty used to be buried in tombs inside large dirt mounds -the bigger the mound, the bigger the person was to society. The mounds and scenery there were beautiful, although it would have been really nice if it had been just a bit sunnier. After there, the bus drove us a grand total of 4 blocks until we got to our lunch destination.  I may have mentioned this before, but I would like to reiterate that our choir is pretty sick of Korean food. Many of us were once again not very excited about the 12 or so side dishes plus two or three main dishes that had already filled the table by the time that we got there. I believe I heard at least 10 people from the choir say "I just want a cheeseburger" at some point during the day.

After lunch, we went to the Wolseong Fortress (which we at least walked across the street to.) This is really the site of the fortress with a few foundation stones still remaining, and a beautiful forest.  We climbed up to where he fortress stood, and then down and around a koy pond. We crossed the street again, a little further down, and came to the Donggung and Wolji palaces.  These buildings have been replicated on a smaller scale and stand overlooking a beautiful duck lake. The buildings themselves looked very similar to the Korean architecture from other sites that we have visited, but there were artifacts and models of the original structures inside of them.  The buildings did not take long to view, but there was a beautiful path that led around the lake so that we could enjoy the scenery and wildlife that was playing in the water and in the shadows of tree branches.

Following this, we drove another 4 blocks or so to get to a Korean History museum. The museum had many buildings, including an exhibit of Chinese treasures, and many gold ornaments that decorated royalty in their burial garments.  There were statues and pillars, and lots of children running around yelling "Hello, America!" I believe the word that we've chosen to describe how we feel about this is "exotic." Not quite celebrity status, but just a little more than special.

After the museum, we headed back to Taegu, where we spent time at a huge outdoor shopping district. This time was mostly spent enjoying a non-Korean meal, and time away from our large group. The evening, and whole day really, were very relaxing and well needed. Tomorrow we are going to hit a Forest park of some sort and then travel to our BEACH HOTEL!!!! However, most of the day will be spent on the bus traveling from one place to another.

Alex Heatland was Dumb Quack recipient today for "being attacked by a tree." Well... really, he ran into a tree and dramatically fell to the ground a la Disney Princess. Bravo, Alex. Bravo.




Many of us are starting to miss home and the people that we left back in the States. For all of the families and friends who are reading: We all miss you terribly, and while we are having a blast in Korea, we are looking forward to returning in a little over a week... Begin preparations for many all American meals. Much love.

Humbled.

I had not planned on posting again today... but, the material for the content of this post was too good to pass up.
First off, I neglected to mention that Amber got the Dumb Quack today for thinking that we were singing with the same choir last night as we sang with the night before, even though we were two hours away.

What I really wanted to get at was our concert tonight.  We were all a little unhappy with the circumstances for the concert because we are all tired, we've had concerts every night so far, and the concert itself was really late and was going to run pretty long; however, the love and appreciation that we were shown from the audience was absolutely overwhelming.  They were enthusiastic and grateful for our music.  One man in the front row yelled "Amen!" every time after we would finish a song! When we left for a brief water break, the applause was astounding, and even more so at the end.  As we progressed through the concert, we went on to bigger and better "crowd pleasers," which was smart because the energy from the audience continued to build, and support us as we sang.  At the end of our concert, we sang "Lord, Listen to Your Children Praying," which has been a consistent favorite, and we also did "Psalm 23" which was sung in Korean.  This Psalm is one of the most well-known Korean tunes, and from the stage, you could see the people in the audience mouthing the words and closing their eyes to soak in our sound.  This was incredibly encouraging since the choir is still a little nervous about the quality of their Korean.  At the conclusion of the set, we exited to tumultuous applause and then we were called back for an encore.  One of the two encore selections that we did was "Spring of Hometown," which is a song that embodies remembering peaceful times of old. What's unique, and special about the selection is that North and South Koreans alike know the song and take meaning from the song even though there is turmoil between the countries.  Brittany Pitts sang the solo and completely blew the audience away.  There was nothing more inspiring and humbling than seeing the faces of the Korean audience light up over familiar songs, and nothing more rewarding than the hospitality and thankfulness that they lavished on us.  This audience set the bar high, but I think that there's a renewed sense of excitement and joy in our performance, which will hopefully translate into the concert series that will resume next week!!

A picture of the WHOLE group at the mountainside grotto from this morning!

Lanterns, Lanterns Everywhere!

At last, DOWN TIME. We have about another half an hour before we get on the bus to head to our next concert venue. This morning we went sight-seeing in some of Buddha's shrines.  We went to his temple and to a grotto this morning.  Buddhism is the second largest religion in South Korea, with Christianity being first.  According to Pastor Riemer, Buddhists are not very devout. Buddha's symbol is a fish, and every morning before traditional worship (waaaay back when) the monks would ring a large gong next to a fish statue (and three other instruments in order to call people to worship.  The temple itself was massive, consisting of many sections and shrines for the different aspects of Buddha.  The foundation is the original, but many of the wooden buildings were replicas of the originals because many fires destroyed the others. We saw statue after statue of Buddha, occasionally people entered the temples to pray to the statues.  There was also a stone garden where people can go to make towers of stones and make a wish on them.

Being in these shrines made me wonder what people who are not Christian think when they see depictions of Jesus on the cross. It's such a vast distance: a picture of our Lord suffering on the cross in order to save us from our sin, and then depictions of a semi-obese man sitting in a serene position -sometimes with pictures of hands and eyes surrounding him. Just a thought. For me, the temples and shrines were purely a historic part of Korean history, and I have such a hard time imagining people praying to him and believing that he will really make a difference in their lives. 

After seeing the temples we drove up a mountain and climbed up to another shrine with a very large statue inside of it.  The mountain was incredible, and while the grotto was cool... I really preferred the scenery! One of the other interesting things is that the country is covered in lanterns for his birthday. There are multi-colored lanterns strung from every pole and tree with symbols and pictures of Buddha on them. The grotto and temple had a particularly large number of them, casting rainbows of color all over the ground.  Most were just traditional polyester lanterns and others are in the shape of the national flower -the lotus blossom.

Time to get on the bus and head to concert #3!!!

Choirs Tooth in USA. Anchovies. Fish Eyes... and more!

   WHAT A DAY.

We spent today in Andong, South Korea, which was a two hour bus ride from the hotel that we were staying at last night and tonight as well.  After making the drive, we stopped at a “good restaurant” (that’s the only thing that any of the signs said in English) where we were served rice, a variety of side dishes, and grilled mackerel.   Personally, this was the first time that I’ve ever had fish, so I chalked one new food up on the list.  Also, one of the sides had anchovies in it, so there was another for at least five of the people sitting at our table.  The worst part wasn’t the taste, the smell, or the fact that they were little fish… but that they had eyes. YUCK. Speaking of which, at least four people out of the group managed to choke down one of the eyes of the mackerel itself… I can’t talk about that. Much too disgusting.

 

Andrew Griffon trying an anchovy –what a champ!

After we finished off lunch with a delicious (and much needed) cup of coffee , we got  back on the bus and drove just a few miles to  the Hahoe Village in Andong, unfortunately it was raining, so instead we made a pit-stop into a museum that exhibited masks from all around the world! Although it was not planned for, it was exciting and very enjoyable.  About an hour after going to the museum, the rain let up and we decided to go to the Hahoe Village, even though we might have to walk in the rain.  This is a village that was, and still is occupied by a historical clan.  There are many buildings, gardens, shops, and all sorts of history hidden in the narrow archways and surrounding cliffs. Our tour was brief, but the culture that we saw was great. My favorite part was the Goddess Samsin -Inhabited Tree.  People come and write a wish on a piece of paper, tie it to the tree or to the ropes around the tree and then on January 15th of every year, the wishes are burned with the idea that this will cause them to come true!! It was really cool to see a piece of Korean history in action.

On the outskirts of this village is a 69 meter high cliff, directly across from the rive bank of where the pathway runs. We did not have time to climb to the top of the cliff; however, our tour guide asked us to sing on the banks of the river, anyone who knows Dr. Mennicke knows that even though we were not warmed up, we did.  The others touring were enthusiastic about our performance, and it was really fun to sing outside on a beautiful beach-like area.

After the tour, we headed over the the Andong Art and Culture Center where we practiced 4 songs with the FABULOUS Andong city chorale. After negotiating a large concert hall stage, we had dinner (less exotic) and prepared for the concert.  The Chorale began with a beautiful requiem, and then we followed with a pretty good sized chunk of our concert set list.  The audience was very responsive and occasionally a little over enthusiastic.  When Dr. Mennicke was explaining a little about the Ginastera -Lamentations of Jeremiah, he said "ANGER!" and 

it apparently sounded like "ENCORE!" and so the audience started clapping. it must have seemed very bizarre when he then said "and suffering." (or maybe he said sadness... I'm not sure now.) The chorale then sang several pieces in traditional costumes which were very charming.  After we combined and brought the house down with American spirituals and traditional Korean pieces, we had a delightful reception where we could mingle and get to know our new friends some more!

These are a few pictures of the friends that we made with the chorale! The language barrier was tough, but not impossible to overcome!

The reception was wonderful - lots of good food, toasts, friends, speeches by the mayor, and Dr. Mennicke, and lots of smiles.  We enjoyed spending time together and engaging in a traditional celebration with Korean and English toasts with rice wine (something not commonly found in the states).

Also, I should offer an explanation.  I vote that the person in charge of the event tonight should get the Dumb Quack tomorrow (the dumb quack is a tradition that the choir has of... celebrating... the best "mistakes" of the day.  We vote on who;s was best/worst/funniest and then the dumb quack recipient gets a special trinket that they have to wear all day. The first one was Dr. Mennicke for a wardrobe malfunction.)  Anyways, the signs on all of the rooms that we were able to use for changing and such were labeled "Choirs Tooth in USA." I suppose over the phone from an English man to a Korean one, "Christus" and "choirs tooth" sound an awful lot alike.  From now on, and forever more, we shall the the Choirs Tooth Chorus from Concordia St. Paul.

Over and out.   

Official Culture Shock.

     Tonight, the choir had its first concert of the tour series in Gyeongju, South Korea. We sang pieces on our own, as well as along side the Church choir from our performance venue, and the local Chorale, who we also combined with at the end.

     The evening started with a combined rehearsal once we got off of the bullet train and then continued on with dinner and with the performance.  This was really our first interaction with Koreans and with communication difficulties.  In the combined songs that we sang, one was in English, and one was in Korea -both proving to be quite tough for each respective group.  Singing Korean with Koreans was intimidating.  Many of us felt unprepared, and were then unable to ask for help because of the language barrier.  Listening very closely to how they spoke helped when it came time to perform, but whether or not we could do it flying solo is up in the air.  Our tour guide for the trip, Laura (Lara?) Lee gave us a brief lesson on how to say "Hello!" "Nice to meet you!" and "thank you!" but only a few brave souls actually put it into practice.  At the end, things were a little easier with the communicating, because many of the other singers began to speak a little bit of English with us.

     We mostly enjoyed a Korean dinner before the concert; however, being tired made many of us not feel hungry and made the food not seem appetizing.  Once we struggled through using chopsticks and trying new food (Quail eggs, for one) and prayed, we performed in a 2 and a half hour long church service.  Here's where the title come in. Personally, I was experiencing culture trauma.

     I have never been out of the country before, so I hadn't really thought about how I would feel when I couldn't understand anything.  Previously in the trip, we've had translators, and many of the signs and written notifications have English printed as well.  In this service though, it was awkward and a little frustrating to know the hymn, but not the words, or know that we were praying and yet not know what we're praying for.  The congregation would laugh, and we would just sit there and smile, occasionally exchanging glances with one another.

    We took the stage and started out strong, with only a few very minor slip-ups.  The next group to perform was the Chorale. They were, in one word, phenomenal.  The group was lively, and had a full sound that was balanced and really delightful.  The third was the church choir, which produced the most massive sound that I've ever had the pleasure of hearing.  We performed our second set and after two potential dumb-quack nomination opportunities, we sat down to wait until it was time to combine.  What really moved me was when the chorale sang their second set,  because 3/5 pieces that they sang were in English.  I found myself completely inspired and really touched by this group singing in my language. I felt like they could pull off broken English in the very well-known songs that they did, but we might just embarrass ourselves with the little Korean that we've covered.  I found myself wondering if they knew what "Lord I want to be more Christian in my heart" was saying, or if they were just singing the words.  Christus may be familiar with psalm 23, but when we sing Korean, we are completely and 100% focused on the words.

   I really felt what the choir was singing, and I was totally humbled by their talent and by their passion.  While this may not be accurate, I felt like they had learned the English pieces for our sake... because they knew that we were coming and that we are from the states.  They're hosting US, and we sang in just about every language OTHER than Korean (minus the combined piece.)  After this, I realized something that I'd been overlooking in regards to this trip, and that is: There are some things that remain constant, no matter where you are.  Many of us had this strange idea that we would be going to a historic Asia, and forgetting that they are modernized as well.  Not everything is different from home. Two of the most important similarities are the unfailing love of Jesus Christ and a love for music.  The two are things that are unrelated to any one, singular culture.  Getting back on the stage to sing the combined pieces in each language took on a new meaning for me after that.  We were one. We (as a whole) were, are, and continue to be God's people, and together we were sharing something that we love and glorifying God through a talent that he's blessed us with.  Now that we have one performance under our belts, we are ready to (first, sleep) and then take Korea by storm!

Some of the group at the palace we visited this morning.

More of the architecture of the palace, and a glimpse of the beautiful mountains that surround the palace.

Faster than a speeding bullet...more powerful than a locomotive... It's the bullet train!!

The choir is currently zooming through South Korea at 300mph on a bullet train. The train has lulled many choir members to sleep, so we're obviously taking this opportunity to catch up on must needed rest.

Our hotel last night was very interesting, and a little tricky to figure out at first!! The biggest problem seemed to be in turning on the lights!! The technology here is really fascinating - you have to put your room key in a slot and LEAVE IT there in order to be able to turn on the other lights, there's a thermostat for the hot water, and the room security system has a screen so that you can see who is outside of your room!!

We were like a new choir this morning after we slept well, showered, and had a big breakfast!! Its amazing what the essentials to life can do to a person! Jet lag was not an issue since we could sleep as soon as we got back. The morning started out splendidly and we took a brief driving tour of parts of Seoul on our way to our first official stop in Korea!

We visited the Gyeongbokgung palace today and were able to have our first taste of Korean culture with a Brief tour over the grounds. The palace was burnt in a Japanese invasion, rebuilt, and in use until the 1980s or so (I think, but don't quote me on that.) we learned about the mountains around the palace which were named for creatures like the tiger, dragon, and phoenix, as well as about the placement of dragons within the palace itself. The courtyard stones were arranged with crevices and with a slope so that when it rains, there is almost a waterfall effect as it flows down from the palace to the drains

Some of the choir members were approached and asked for pictures by the Koreans. Some others followed us around with video cameras... As we were being collected, Matt Ostlund yelled something like "come on Concordia we're moving!!" and a big group of school children all said "hello Concordia!" and waved at us!

After the tour we rode over to the Seoul train station where many exchanged currency, grabbed some lunch (mostly at McDonalds, Burger King, and KFC... Go figure) and spent some time exploring Korean shopping options!

Right now, we're about 30 minutes from our destination. Tonight we will be going to a church to rehearse, sing, and have dinner. More to come tonight, with more pictures!! The attached one is a view from the train.

Here, There, Everywhere. Running on no Sleep.

Hello friends and family!!!  It's 1:34 am, Wednesday May 16th in Seoul, South Korea.  We have arrived SAFELY!!! (And with all of our luggage.) The past day or two (or three?) have been very exciting.  We left at 3pm on Monday, had about 22 hours total from CSP departure to VaBien 2 Hotel Suites arrival, and now it's early Wednesday morning.  Although we were stuck on an airplane, that does not mean that we weren't already having a great time.  For some of us, the 12 hour flight to Tokyo was a very first flight, and others got to experience airplane meals, four of them, for the first time! The first airplane had individualized screens, so many of us were able to catch up on some of the recent movies that have come out, or we were able to watch some of the classics that we've loved forever!!

Our layover was in Tokyo, Japan, and while we were not able to really see much of the country, the airport gave us a little taste of the nature of Japan. Many of the students indulged in Japanese cuisine and treats from an airport cafe, as well as enjoyed buying souvenirs from one of the gift shops.  As we flew down, it was really cool to see that everything looked pretty similar to home! (Except they drive on the left side of the road!) We departed, and made it to South Korea where we went though immigration screening, luggage handling, bus boarding, schedule confirming, and many 45 second power naps.  Tomorrow will be a big day. We start buy taking a bus tour of Seoul tomorrow morning, then taking a bullet train to our first concert location!! The bus we are using would take about 7 hours to get there, but this train will take about 2 hours and 15 minutes.  As it is late, and I'm running on less than 8 hours of sleep out of the past two and a half days... I apologize for the brief (but positive!) blog.  Stay tuned for news of the excitement from the first day of really being out in South Korea!

I'm Still Not Sure That We're Really Going

     While the Concordia University Christus choir has been preparing for this trip since before the '11-'12 school year began... It's still not real. Yet.  There's this odd feeling of "the bags are packed, the music has been practiced, and we've indulged in one last American meal... for something that's still so far away."  For me, I always have this predicament when it comes to big (particularly life changing) events.  Until it's in the past, there's this feeling of intense anticipation where, even when the prep work is done, it seems incredible surreal.  Even though we are less than 12 hours from loading the bus to go to the MSP airport, I still can't wrap my mind around the fact that I'm going on a choir tour to the other side of the world.  After talking to some of the other choir members today, I've come to the understanding that I'm not the only one feeling like this.

     The picture above is a picture of the choir from our mini-tour around the midwest during Holy Week. Not everyone in the picture is going, and not everyone who is going is in the picture; however, this is a very accurate depiction of the camaraderie and joy that the members of this choir share with one another.  I am the one in the blue shirt in the top row with the awkward head angle (and without the beard...) My name is Crystal Vaughan and I am a freshman, and therefore this is my first year in the choir.  I am a vocal music education major from Chesapeake, Virginia.  I will be blogging throughout the trip on the things that we do and places that we visit. I will document the right turns, wrong turns, cracks, "quacks," and everything in between over our 15 day trip in South Korea.

     Starting with... TODAY! We had the awesome ability to have one last bonding day in America before we headed off to Asia. We went over details about packing and traveling, and went through the music that we had not touched since our tour during the first week in April.  We have an extensive set-list that is constantly rearranged and re-evaluated depending on the performance, so occasionally we have a piece that has been passed over once or twice that become a little rusty. Once Dr. Dave (Dr. David Mennicke - our fearless, genius, and occasionally intimidating when we screw up) deemed our sound worthy, we drove over to President Ries' (First year as University President, enjoyable speaker, terrific conversationalist, splendid babecue-er and host) house for "one last American meal."  It was awesome to be able to spend time with such wonderful, and encouraging people; Not only the President and his wonderful wife, but also our tour guides and very PATIENT Korean music instructor were there to join us as well! We had sliders and hot dogs, tossed around a football, rehears-... I mean performed our Korean pieces, and did some Korean trivia! The evening was a great send-off and really helped to ease some of the nerves and anxieties that the choir members were feeling about the preparation and anticipation for the next two weeks.

   So here we go... I'm going to be blogging as much as I can. Stay tuned, as Charles Muntz said in the Pixar movie "Up!" :  ADVENTURE IS OUT THERE!!