Daegaya Experience Festival April 30, 2016

About 3 months after we arrived in Korea, we had the opportunity to attend the Daegaya Experience Festival.  Daegaya (42-562 A.D.) was a nation that inhabited the Gyeongsangnam-do province of Korea around the 4th Century.  We learned all about the history of this dynasty, touring a museum as well as tombs of the leaders of the old empire.

The Dennis family, ruling in the Daegaya Dynasty

a short skit performed throughout the day…if only we could have understood anything they were saying

traditional tea ceremony in the Daegaya culture

The people of this area created the Gayageum (a twelve-stringed traditional Korean harp) and played a large role in establishing the culture of music. This lady played very well, and I really enjoyed the unique melodies.

homes in 4th century Korea

Joseph hanging out with a Daegaya warrior

In the afternoon, we watched a performance about the history of this area.  We could not understand the words, but the meaning was clear.  The warriors were answering a call to arms to defend their region although Daegaya fell to the armies of the Silla Dynasty under General Kim Isabu in 562 AD.

       

 

Touring the tomb, we saw relics and even bones of those who were buried here.  In some of the tombs, there was evidence of more than one body.  We learned that when a leader died, one of the servants would volunteer to be killed as well so that he could care for the ruler in the afterlife.  Some of these servants were between 12 and 17 years old!

  

        

On a lighter note … Because it was an all-day festival, we had to find a place to eat lunch.  There were many, many food vendors set up.  We were very new to Korea and had not yet learned much about the language or types of food.  We decided we would just have to “go for it,” trying to find something that looked and smelled somewhat appealing.  We chose a tent where lots of people were eating and knew that the busiest places must be the best.  After looking over the entirely-written-in-Hangul (Korean) menu, Mary decided to use her translator app to try to at least figure out something that we might recognize.  Here was one of our options:

I don’t remember what we actually ordered, but I’m pretty sure I don’t really want to know!

 

I know, I know…. April 23, 2016

I have done a really poor job of keeping everyone updated on what’s been going on in Korea…what it’s like to live here…what adventures we’re having.  Several friends and family are anxious to hear about our trip to China, but I think I should go back a little and catch everyone up in chronological order.

Soon after we arrived in Korea, we were invited to participate in a program called Korean American Friendship Circle, sponsored by the 19th Expeditionary Sustainment Command located here in Area IV, Daegu.  This program provides an opportunity for an American family, together with a Korean family, to sponsor 6-8 university students  in order to share a variety of American and Korean cultural experiences.  We met together every other week for about 3-4 months and really enjoyed our time.

Our kick-off events included a nice Friday dinner at the Evergreen Club on Camp Walker, followed by a Saturday afternoon of food and games.  We taught our group a little bit about American football while they taught us how Koreans choose teams.

Our other American culture events included a taco bar/family game night, a trip to the bowling alley, complete with American pizza, and a night of line-dancing with hamburgers, hotdogs, and s’mores.  We had a blast!

Bo Ram, Mina, and Hyeong Seob enjoying pizza

  Cotton-Eyed Joe

  Chicken Dance

 Cha Cha Slide

The students planned Korean events for us as well, including a trip to E-World, an amusement park located here in Daegu, and a trip to the Samsung Lions baseball game.  At the baseball game, we learned that every player on the team has his own song/chant, and there is always entertainment…dancers, cheerleaders, mascots.  Everyone also brings his own snacks and drinks to the game.  We had a great time, and I think the students enjoyed their traditional American baseball snack bags filled with a bottle of root beer, sunflower seeds, bubble gum, Cracker Jacks, and peanuts.  We tried their ice milk with beans and fruit dessert, but I think I’ll just stick with soft serve in a baseball cap.

All in all, we had a wonderful time getting to know these students as well as our Korean family.  In fact, one of our students spent the last nine months at the University of Nebraska and will be back in Korea next month.  We are looking forward to having her for dinner to hear all about her year abroad.

We signed up to do another iteration of Korean American Friendship Circle and met our new group a few weeks ago.  We are planning to go to a Lantern Festival with them next week, and then we are hosting a Fiesta! on May 6.  Looking forward to new friendships with them as well.  I am so thankful for the opportunity to participate in this program.  It has been a blessing to make connections with students and other Korean families as we share our lives together.  Hopefully, we have made a difference in their lives as well.