Fall Highlight: The Boys Take a Fieldtrip

On the day of Dahin's family performance of 'Annie' (see previous post) the boys had a school fieldtrip to Yongsan Family Park and the National Children's Museum. The two classes of 7 year-olds (Korean age) went together in two big tour buses.  I went with them on their trip, and we planned to join Jack and Dahin in the late afternoon at Sejong Cultural Center.  Above, the boys sit with one of their classmates as they wait for the lineup and procession to the bus.  Below, the boys ride the bus.  I was so happy to do this fieldtrip.  At their previous preschool, all the field trips were not parent-accompanied because, I guess, they had extra staff to go on the fieldtrips.  This was the first frieldtrip I've ever taken with the boys at school, so it was quite a special occasion.  I did learn, however, that teacher is way cooler than mommy.  They kept running to the teacher for help opening containers, zipping jackets, etc.  I was like, "Hey, Mommy's here; let me do it."  My requests for importance were met with mixed reviews, including a 'who do you think you are?" look.  Hmmm.  Well, the teacher is great and the boys love her.  Thanks to her, their switch to their new school this semester has been a great success.

We found a great picnic spot under a bunch of willow trees at the park.  The kids, below, were fascinated with the beautiful koi that are plentiful in the park's pond.

For safety and to help someone get a child back to the right place in case s/he lost her way, the kids wore tags that listed the name of the school, the school's address and phone number, as well as the teacher's cell phone numbers.  I was glad the tags did not include the kids' names, which is never a good idea.

We played a whole bunch of games, such as popping the balloons of the other class (those with the most balloons left won) and tug-of-war.  The moms had their chance at tug-of-war.  Ronan took these photos of me as I competed with the other moms from the boys' class.

 The boys and their classmates did a great job and squashed the competing team, which was the other 7 year-old class.  Once they were finished, they did some victory jumping and cheering.  It was too cute.

The National Children's Museum is adjacent to the National Museum.  It is absolutely wonderul.  There are so many hands-on activities, videos, and great exhibits I would love to go again, many times.

The museum's outdoor playground was a welcome change.  The kids got their 'wild' out on the playground before boarding the bus. We had other plans, though, so took the subway to meet apa instead of riding the bus back to their school.  The boys, especially Oliver, were really bumbed not to take the bus back to the school.  They tried to convince me to take the bus back to school and then take the subway to apa, but that would take twice as long and I vetoed that brilliant idea.  They were a bit sleepy on the ride on the subway, and Oliver ended up sleeping.  I had to carry him out while Ronan was such a big boy and, despite being tired, too,  helped carry my bag so that carrying Oliver would be easier.

Fall Highlight: Dahin and 'Annie'

The kids sing "It's a Hard Knock Life"  (translated as "Dirty Life" in Korean) in Korean.  Below, they sing "Tomorrow" in Korean.

Dahin's 'da munwha' (multicultural) teacher called Jack one day and encouraged him to let Dahin audition for a special 'multicultural kid' training camp in preparation for auditions for the musical Annie.  'Da munwha' programs are prevalent now, and in Dahin's school the da munwha program includes Korean as a second language classes as well as general education about other cultures in which moms or dads of 'multicultural kids' as well other teachers come in and instruct the kids.  I did one class last year on 'American culture' (whatever that is). The flyer said something like "Multicultural kids can be musical stars in Korea, too."  Well, I have to explain that 'multicultural' now appears to be the new pc term for 'foreign' in Korea.  And, any kids for whom either one or both parents is not Korean is labeled 'multicultural.'  The good thing for us is that there are loads of government programs dedicated to 'multicultural families,' which means that being 'multicultural' has its perks.   We decided it would be a great chance for Dahin to get some training as well as a confidence boost.  There was really no audition for the kids to do a 2-week training camp, they just wanted to make sure the kids could sing and would be able to participate without too much trouble. Still, I was wary as the whole things seemed a setup for an EBS program.  The training and auditions would all be filmed for an EBS documentary.  I think, in many ways, my suspitions were founded, but I still do think, as well, that this was a truly good opportunity for Dahin no matter what. 

I was only able to make it to one day of work: the final performance day.  Jack took Dahin to the Sejong Cultural Center in downtown Seoul everyday for two weeks.  Rehearsals went from 5 pm to 8 pm daily, and, after dinner with some musical friends and their moms, Jack and Dahin usually returned home around 10:30 pm.  It was incredibly gruelling, but I was very proud of how hard Dahin tried.  Jack said she changed from a kid who was terrified to sing by herself in front of others let alone sing out to a kid who could do it very well.  The teachers were very patient.  The kids worked with the director, a dance coach, a vocal coach, and an acting coach.  At least two of the people involved in teaching are well-known musical actors here in Korea.  The final day included a performance for the families.

The day of the audition, I had a seminar out of town, so Jack went with Dahin and the boys by himself.  I felt bad about not being there and worse about not being able to give Dahin pep talks in person rather than through the cell phone.  On the day of the audition, the 'multicultural kids' auditioned along with 'regular Korean kids'--so you can see where my concerns come from.  The assumption here is that the regular Korean kids would naturally be better than the multicultural kids.  The truth of the matter is that no matter who you are you have the ability to be just as good as the next person. Still, a lot of the Korean kids there competing for a spot were already competing in dance and music, and their moms brought various costumes (such as top hats, bow ties, and canes) for their kids to change into when they did their choreographed dance routine. A lot of the 'multicultural' kids have not had access or their parents refuse to expose them to that whole cram school culture and training that is a norm for Korean kids.  Most of these moms and their kids were from wealthy neighborhoods and had been actively training their kids for this or similar opportunities.  Dahin, on the other hand, had informally rehearsed a dance she learned from a music video of one of her favorite girl groups and showed up at the audition wearing a tshirt and sweats.  Jack said that Dahin did fine in the singing audition, but for the dance part she just gave up and did not do it.  We both think she got intimidated by those kids with their professional stage moms. Well, the short version is that we never got a call, which means she didn't get it. When I met Dahin (Jack and the kids had driven down to Gurye--see fall travels post on Gurye--to meet me), I told her I was very proud of her for doing it and so glad she learned alot.  However, I told her that next time she should do every component of an audition.  She says she wants to be a musical actor, and if that is the case she needs to suck it up and finish the audition, even if she thinks the other kids are better.  The director might have a different opinion. I mean, when we did the KBS show, we had no idea we would win.  We had just decided before our final performance and official taping to have fun with it and not worry about winning.  The idea is to do your best, no matter what and also to remember to have fun.  At the same time, I told her not to feel bad since this was her first audition and other opportunities will come.  She cried and said there would be no other opportunities, but I told her that is not true and that she'll never know what is around the corner.  The point is to keep trying. 

Dahin is now a member of the Rainbow Chorus. The Rainbow Chorus is a chorus made up of kids fitting the definition of 'multicultural' I wrote above.  The chorus is managed by the Seoul Multicultural Center.  She practices several times a week now and the chorus kids  have shows at least twice a week.  At a show today (Sunday--the day I am writing the post, although scheduling it to appear on Monday), celebrities like Rain and 2 AM will be there.  The Rainbow Chorus has appeared in commercials and it gets a lot of media attention.  Most important things are: she's learning about stage presence, practice discipline, and vocal techniques as well as having a great time.  Below are some stills from Annie.

The lights and cameras are all from Educational Broadcasting System.  The director stands in the foreground.

Above, me and some of the moms.  Jack had been there everyday and these moms seemed to be the most down to earth. He and Dahin ate dinner with them and their kids regularly.  The mom next to me is from the Philippines and the mom on the far right is Japanese.  Below, Dahin is dressed, makeup-ed, and ready to go.

Above, the teachers take a bow and talk about how proud they are of the kids.  Below, Dahin poses with the dance instructor.

Above, two of the instructors (the one on the right is a very famous musical actor here--she played Miss Hannigan in this demonstration performance) insisted on taking a photo with Dahin and her brothers who they thought were just too cute.  Ronan is doing his 'shy face.' Below, Dahin and two of the boys who participated; the one in the middle Dahin especially liked. ; - ) They all seemed like nice kids.

Fall Highlight: Hilary Knits Something Besides a Hat or Scarf (or Washcloth)

While admittedly I have very little time to knit, I literally drool over the designs in the catalogues my mom sends me and fantasize about making a fair isle sweater dress and raglan sweaters for the kids.  Alas, my skills just are not there yet.  Nor is my time.  But then I remember meeting a medical doctor at our knitting circle in Oakland who made sweaters, etc. for her family on a regular basis, and if she has time to knit, I do too.  

An opportunity to do something different arrived with a package from a former student at UC Berkeley.  Two things my students there knew: I like tea and I like knitting (or the idea of it).  This was an incredibly thoughtful gift, but it sat in the envelope in which it was mailed for months before I took it out this fall determined to make something of it.  She had sent 4 50 gram hanks of Nero Big Bebe yarn.  This is Japanese hand-dyed  and hand-spun yarn, so I wanted to make sure I made something good with it.  At first I thought of making a little bag, since I saw on someone's knitting blog that they had used this same yarn to make a little handbag.  But, considering how hard I am on my bags, I thought I would ruin it right away. Also, 200 grams of the Big Bebe is not a lot of yarn.  Then, I thought I'd do a scarf, but still that problem of not enough yarn.  Jack's mom helped me brainstorm a bit, and she suggested a hat for the kids, but I was like (with my 'inside my head voice"), "no way--this is luxury yarn--not making something that will get lost on a playground somewhere."  My outside voice said, "Oh, yes--there's an idea."

So, I sent a message to my dear friend and professional knitter Zoe.  Her knitting skills are way beyond my league, but considering that I first learned to knit from her (before forgetting and relearning it from my dad and Dahin collectively) I thought I could play the student card and ask for some advice. She wrote back, "Why don't you make a shrug?" Not only did she provide the suggested needle size for the yarn, she sent me a very easy pattern idea that I used to make a garment in one day.   I've learned that figuring out the correct gauge is especially crucial in making a garmet.  I did a gauge swatch, despite the fact that Zoe was right on with her gauge directions.  Some people knit more tightly or loosely than assumed by a pattern, so always good to check gauge to see if maybe you need to adjust the measurements.  I came out around 2 1/2 stitches per inch, but it was really close enough and  the yarn changes in texture and thickness, so not easy to measure an exact gauge.  This is what she wrote:

I believe that Noro Big Bebe yarn is 2 stitches to the inch. Measure around the top of your arm - maybe it's 12 inches or... then cast on 2 x the number of inches you measured - i.e., 2 x 12 - cast on 24 stitches. Then knit about 20 inches in length (or whatever the length is from your upper arm to upper arm going behind your neck. bind off. fold the piece in half and sew about 2 inches on either end so that you make two arm holes at the sides. if you have yarn left, you can pick up stitches around the middle opening and work a collar.

She suggested looking at shrug patterns on the web for inspiration, and I found this beautiful pattern that I plan to make after the holidays so that I can use it this coming summer:

http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=62184.0

But, I stuck with the shrug pattern that Zoe suggested because it is so basic and did not require things like raglan increases (which freak me out), and I wanted to try this simple pattern to see what I would get.  I ended up not having enough yard to work a collar, but I think it is fine in its basic form.  The end result is a garment that basically wraps around your upper arms and stretches across your upper back. A fun accessory to wear on occasion!

The biggest issue is, when and where to wear it?  I think it might look great in the spring with a tank top and jeans.  This accessory is so bright, that it definitely will stand out in black, brown, grey, and white Korea (people here just do not wear bright clothes on average, with the exception of the 'Namdaemun ajuma" type with their gold imprint and sparkly clothes). 

Fall Highlights: Chuseok

Wow--I know it's been a couple of months since the Chuseok holiday here in Korea, but, since I'm playing catchup, I thought I'd share some photos.  This is the first installment of 'fall highlights.'  Since I've already posted 'fall travels' (and this was pre-Tashi, people, so don't worry.  Tashi, we've discovered, gets car sick, so we're grounded for the time being), posting fall highlights sounded like a great idea.  So much has happened over the past couple of months that I just can't resist reminiscing.  First stop, of course, is Chuseok.  At the top is a photo of Dahin and me from our second KBS round--love this photo of us, which is why I am posting.  While the other post labeled "Chuseok" (see the posting from September) showed the kids and friends in hanbok, this is more like 'behind-the-scenes;' aka what really happened on Chuseok besides dressing in pretty clothes.  As it is storming ice outside at the moment--complete with thunder and lightening--it's nice to think about the perfect early fall day we spent in the country the day after Chuseok (on actual Chuseok day it was rainy and cool so we spent it indoors at halmoni's house).

Every major holiday, like the New Year and Chuseok (as well as his birthday), we visit Jack's father's grave in Pocheon (about an hour outside of Seoul).  Halmoni provided us with two plants we were to leave at the family site--one for Jack's father and the other to share amongst the other family members (we placed it between a couple of graves).  Jack's father passed away when Jack was just finishing highschool, so I've never met him and the kids have never met him.  They know about their hareobeoji from photos and stories, though.  Above, Oliver carries one of the plants to the grave site. Dahin had decided to stay at her grandmother's house and she and her cousin Haenni went to see a movie.

Have I mentioned it is impossible to get a decent photo of Ronan lately?  Well, the above is about as good as it gets.  He spent the rest of the time dodging the camera, so this was it for the grave visit.  Below, Oliver and I at hareobeoji's grave which is to our left (on the photo's right).

A bonus of visiting Jack's father is that we get to go to the country.  Always, a part of the visit is a trip to the local hotsprings for a dip in the great water.  Jack and Ronan went into the men's bath and I took Oliver (with a little initial protest) into the women's side.  This is probably one of the last times I'll be able to do the bathhouse thing with Oliver since the cut off age here in Korea is 8 (or 7 American age) for little boys going with their mommies to the women's side.  At the hotsprings there, they have this huge naengtang (cold bath) that is basically like a swimming pool lined with rocks and complete with a waterfall.  Oliver had a blast racing me and practicing swimming.  After our bath and a good lunch, we headed to Sanjeong Lake. Here is a bit about the lake from the Korea tourism site:

"Sanjeong Lake is located in Yeongbuk-myeon, Pocheon-si, Gyeonggi-do. To the far end of the lake is Mt.Myeongseongsan which casts the shadows of its high peaks on the lake. The beauty of the region is enhanced by two nearby waterfalls, the Deungryong and Biseon Waterfalls, and Jainsa Temple. Taking a walk along the lake's promenade is an opportunity not to be missed. There are a variety of other facilities such as the boating area, bungalows, and playgrounds. Designated as a national tourist site in March, 1922, Sanjeong Lake welcomes more than 700,000 visitors a year."

I remembered going there with Mama on her visit to Korea, but it has changed A LOT.  Mama, do you remember how quiet and peaceful it was?  Now, the atmosphere is like a carnival, typical of most Korean tourist sites.  Loud music blasting, carnival rides, lots of junkfood, etc.  The  paddle boats were there years ago, but that is about the only thing that has remained almost the same (the boats have greatly expanded in number and selection--with motorized boats being an option for those who want to spent a bit more on their lake experience).  We couldn't resist renting a paddle boat and the kids were really excited.  But these paddle boats are no joke.  Talk about work.  Luckily, Ronan was super into paddling.  I helped him out, but he did a lot of the work while Jack steered.

Our captain gets his energy out while paddling the boat.  He loved it, but we had to draw the line on steering alone after a few near collisions (lots of people out on the lake).

After our visit to Sanjeong Lake, we headed to the Idong Waterfall Beef Barbecue restaurant.   Thanks to Jack's research--he does all the research and planning for our road trips and does a fantastic job--our itinerary was just right, not rushed, and smooth-going.  He found this place online and I would really like to visit again the next time we are out in the area.  The website is here, and I totally recommend it for those taking a day away from Seoul to explore the Gyeonggi region countryside: http://www.pokpokalbi.com/   Literally, there was this huge waterfall across the street from the restaurant.  The restaurant is also built on a raised foundation and sits right over a rushing river.  It was fun to eat beef barbecue (at a great price, I might add) and both listen to the rushing waters and watch the waterfall.

After the meal, we enjoyed some coffee and tea on the terrace while the boys watched the waterfall.  A  must for Chuseok is viewing the full moon, which is called 보름달/'boreum dal' . Traditionally, the sun’s presence was considered routine, but the full moon that came once a month, brightening the dark night, was considered a special and meaningful event. Therefore, festivities took place on the day of the largest full moon, August 15th of the lunar calendar, which is Chuseok.  The date for Chuseok changes every year because we now follow the solar calendar.  When you look up at the full moon on Chuseok, you make a wish for something you need or want (like good grades, serenity, success).   This shot is from the day after Chuseok, but on Chuseok day, despite the rain, there was a brilliant orange-colored moon in the sky. Oliver, who wished out loud, wished for a puppy.  Guess who got his wish.

Lost Teeth

This fall has been the season of lost teeth.  Ronan started the season off with a bang during the Chuseok holiday week.  The first tooth out was quite a dramatic experience and involved a week or two of 'my tooth is loose but don't touch it 'cause it hurts' until we discovered it was barely hanging on and Jack took some thread and plucked that sucker.  Ronan has since lost a second tooth on the bottom, and this one he took out himself.  Dahin has lost two molars, and Oliver lost his first tooth last week when I returned from LA.  It basically fell out since he'd been working on it quite a bit.  The kids have been cashing in with the tooth fairy, or 'i (pronounced 'ee') gongju'  in Korean (my creation; literally, tooth princess).