An Avengers Themed Weekend

Avengers - assemble!

So it's no secret that we're pretty big comic book and super hero fans around here. We could NOT pass up the opportunity to visit an Avengers exhibit at the nearby Korean War Memorial.

They gave us some snazzy arm bands, complete with mini computer screens, that we used throughout the exhibit. 

And then the fun movie prop show began with some of Hawkeye's gear:

And a station to test your grip strength compared to Captain America's...this was my result:

Rob's result:

and Michael's:  :)

Either way, poor Rob was so close to the shield, and yet so far...

They had sections for each Avenger, including a computerized version of the Hulk...who happened to scare Michael at just the right time.

There were even some bad guys, such as this Chitauri on ice.

There was, of course, an Iron Man.

And a bunch of interactive screens and virtual reality simulations.

Someone was so excited about his new shirt, he just had to put it on right then.  :)

The next day, we decided to take a stroll down by the Han River. We saw some locals along the way:

Then we "walked' across the Banpo Bridge underpass, where there are some pretty extensive bike and walking lanes.

On the other end, we found the Floating Islands. These were the buildings featured in Avengers: Age of Ultron as Dr. Helen Cho's bio lab in Seoul, Korea. In reality, they house some restaurants, exhibit space, and banquet/convention halls.

We strolled around and took some pictures:

Then we headed back over to the Banpo Bridge area to take in the view of N Seoul Tower and watch the famous Rainbow Fountain show.

Here's just a portion for your entertainment:

May "Korea Ye!" Articles

Here is a monthly round-up of my articles for Korea Ye!, just in case you missed them:

Tokyo Tower and Zojoji Temple

Porchetta Restaurant

Help other military families overseas...

As you know if you've been reading my blog, I have also been a writer for Korea Ye! while here. It's a website with peer written articles dedicated to helping US military and their families navigate their way in Korea. It offers PCS tips, restaurant reviews, directions to attractions, reviews of preschools...you name it and someone has either written a story or they need to!

When we first found out we were moving to South Korea, the joy of finally knowing where we were going was quickly replaced by a sense of panic. WHERE were we going? What was it like? How on Earth were we going to tell family!? I quickly scoured the internet for anything I could find on Korea and thankfully stumbled upon Korea Ye. It became "home" for me, where I'd go to find out about area customs, places to go, how to handle aspects of the move. The articles on Korea Ye, and my eventual part in writing for the site, have made our stay in Seoul soooo much easier. We owe a great deal to the site for our successful experience while here.

Heather and Joelle, the owners of the Overseas Yes family of websites, would love, Love, LOVE to be able to help more families across the globe, in places such as Bahrain, mainland Japan, Guam, and Europe. To do that though, they need some support and assistance.



They have started a 30-day Kickstarter campaign to raise the necessary funds to build the websites, get writers and staff on board, and start helping families in new areas of the world.


Here's what I'm asking...can you please join me in making a donation to help other military families? If you've enjoyed reading about our adventures, have lived overseas before, and/or will possibly be heading to an overseas location in the future, please make a donation to help others and maybe even yourself. Even just $5 will help the network reach its first $5,000 goal and get Bahrain Naam up and running. Please click this link and help pay it forward:

Overseas Yes Kick Starter

Want to see what these sites can offer? The Overseas Yes network currently has four sites serving US military personnel and their families in OCONUS locations:

Korea Ye

Germany Ja

Okinawa Hai

Turkey Tamam

Samulnori - my attempt at Korean drumming!

I saw this ad pop up in my e-mail one day in February and said, "Oooh, me! Me, me, me!"

[Special Class for Foreign Residents] SAMULNORI(사물놀이)

The Korean traditional percussion quartet called “Samulnori(사물놀이)".

●Period: From March 19 to May 14(Every Thursday), 3pm ~ 5pm (120min)

-Orientation : March 19, 3pm at 국립민속박물관

-Class (8 Weeks): March 26 ~ May 14, 3pm~5pm at Seoul Global Cultural Center

*Performing Day: May 20(Wed), 2pm at 국립민속박물관 (National Folk Museum of Korea)

●Fee: FREE for foreign residents only

So I quickly signed up, convinced my friend Vilija to join me, and we've spent the last few months in Myeongdong on Thursday afternoons, sometimes with Michael tagging (and dancing) along, learning to play the janggu and buk. We started with an orientation at the National Folk Museum, located on the grounds north of Gyeongbokgung Palace.

The attendees were first treated to a samulnori performance and lecture. The performer pictured below, Mr. Oh, was to be one of our teachers.

Here's a quick clip of a portion of their performance:

We were then quickly given instruments, handed two sticks, and were walked through the beginner steps of reading the notation. I found this great link which shares more info: Samulnori 101

Right hand stick = / = "dak"

Left hand mallet = O = "kung"

Both played at the same time = ø = "deong"

picture courtesy of the Seoul Global Cultural Center

Each week we practiced at the Seoul Global Cultural Center in Myeongdong, where we learned a few more patterns and got quite the aerobic workout. Here is one drum I used during the class. The leather bindings are actually used to tighten the right side drum head and have to be released after you are done playing.

Here's my chicken scratch version of the songs we were performing. The Xs above the janggu notation were the buk's part (think of it like the bass drum of the group). The rhythms are all grouped in 3/4 time patterns (similar to a waltz) but are often much more intricate.

After a lot of practice and many attempts at memorization, the day of the performance arrived. 

We headed back to the National Folk Museum and the hosts played this short video of our practices and interviews (yup, that's me talking in one clip, followed by Vilija). My only wish is that they had not covered up our drumming with the extra video music, but you can get the general idea.

We wore traditional costumes for the performance, with red, yellow, and blue accents. Red symbolizes fire, blue is for wood, and yellow is for earth. The white we wore is for metal and there can be black accents, for water. The sashes all get tied with large bows in the back.  :)

There was a bit of a media frenzy as we practiced here - lots of flashes and camera clicking added to our drumming - since we're all foreigners trying a bit of traditional Korean culture. 

Here are links to two reports I know of:

http://www.segye.com/content/html/2015/05/20/20150520003518.html?OutUrl=naver

http://news1.kr/photos/view/?1368537

picture courtesy of the Seoul Global Cultural Center

There is a video clip of our performance, but I am not received it from the SGCC yet. As soon as I do, I will update this page with it.

picture courtesy of the Seoul Global Cultural Center

We all received this nice set of certificates for completing the course, one in Korean and one in English.

Interested in learning more about samulnori? 

I found this great site that I'll be referencing in the future, since I'm bringing back a janggu!

http://wayguksamulnori.wikifoundry.com