Traditional Korean Music

Scenes from the Museum of Korean Traditional Music

Today I was able to sneak away in the morning to go to church. Our group boarded a bus and I was pointed in the direction of the subway, a little scarey. It was easy for me to get to my subway stop as the subway system is similar to the one in Japan.

I was given directions that said, find the animal hospital and a jewelry store and walk down the alley inbetween. Easy enough until I emerged from the subway station and I was in the Times Square area of Seoul. Every sign was in Korean. I felt like I was on the Amazing Race trying to find the yellow flag. And I was soon to learn that everyone in Korea does NOT speak English!

Eventually I found the church and enjoyed a wonderful service with many young people who are invited to the service to help them with their English studies. It was a very nontraditional service but I was warmly received. They wanted me to stay and teach English at the language school. I had a great meal and was given a ride to where I was to meet up with our group.

We went to a wonderful performance of Traditional Korean music. It was spectacular. The music is unique to Korea and involves many very interesting types of instruments. The costumes were very vivid and stunning. The final piece was a fan dance. Unfortunately we could not take pictures.

We dined out and I had an exceptional meal. The vegetarians always sit at our own table and we feel like the outcasts. There is often some confusion about what to serve us. In the end it usually works out. We capped off the evening with a walk through a bustling street market.