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.
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