We had our December cultural activity at the Taekkyun Center near the famous Gangnam area of Seoul. Taekkyun is a uniquely Korean form of martial arts. It combines defense with grace and steadiness. It was also just recently added to the UNESCO list of cultural heritages (Nov 2011). There are "masters" of Taekkyun who uphold the purest form of Taekkyun to pass onto their apprentices. It reminded me of the mesorah in Jewish education that is the concept of "and he was taught by this rabbi who was taught by this rabbi, etc. all the way back to Egypt." Taekkyun often resembles a dance in its slow, planned movements, but it is not a light sport. It can be used as a form entertainment or self defense if necessary.
The upper class' teacher was getting married and we were invited to her wedding at the Myeongdong Cathedral! The Myeongdong Cathedral, called Myeongdong Songdang, is one of the most famous in Korea. The church was constructed under the instruction of French priest Eugene Cost in 1887. The Bishop of Korea, American Jean M. Blanc, had acquired the property in 1882. Korean's had not built on the property because of its proximity to a temple and thus intrinsic holy status. This obviously caused some friction, as one could imagine. However, after the conclusion of the Joseon Dynasty, the church became a community builder and was the center of the minjung political protests in the late 1970's. President Kim Dae-jung held a protest at the cathedral in order to demand the resignation of then current President Chung Hee.
Although traditional Korean weddings do take place nowadays, it is more common to find Western style weddings especially within the Korean Christian community. However even though the bride and groom wore western style clothes, the parents wore hanbok, the traditional Korean dress. Seeing Western culture and Korean culture combine at the wedding was humbling to see that you did not have to choose between either one or the other.
We were able to take photos with the bride before the ceremony in the wedding reception building as well as after the ceremony in the cathedral. There was a buffet afterwards with unbelievably delicious food. After the wedding, we headed out with a NSLIY alumni who was back in Seoul studying and went around Myeongdong.
Korean translation, 년[neon,nyawn]: year
Korean translation, 년[neon,nyawn]: year
To whoever is looking at this blog, know that while although one of the functions of this blog is to inform others of my time here, I also use this blog as a way to document what I am doing in Korea for myself. I do this so that come a year, two years, ten, twenty from now, I can look back and remember some of the the amazing people I met, the places I went and the meaningful experiences I had.
Why am I in Seoul, anyways?
Why am I in Seoul, anyways?
I'm studying language in Seoul for the year through the National Security Language Initiative for Youth operated by the U.S. State Department. While in Seoul, I attend a local Korean high school as a regular Korean student and have intensive language classes three times a week at an international institute in Seoul. My school is a digital media vocational school. Both in school and in many other settings, I am often the only American they have met and almost always the only Jew. As such, I have an important role, not only as an American or a Jew, but as The American and The Jew. Because of this, I have been prone to some alarming, but insightful questions. Like when it was drizzling outside, weather that does not necessarily warrant carrying an umbrella, but being asked by my host brother, "Do all Jews not use umbrellas?" I am constantly being put in new situations. I make mistakes sometimes. Like when I clearly asked for "not spicy," however later realized, tears in my eyes, that the woman's shocked expression when I ordered "meh-un tteokbokki" was not from my Korean ordering skills, but was because I had probably been the first foreigner to specifically ask for the spiciest food on the menu.
These year as the non-umbrella-carrying-spicy-food-eating-American-Jew living in Seoul has been exhausting and exhilarating, but a year of experiences I will bring with me for the rest of my life. .
