MT Time

I experienced a very Korean tradition. It's called "MT," or "Membership Training." Every department, I believe, at every university has an MT at least once a semester. For the spring semester at the traditional music department, the professors go with the students as 'chaperones.' The 'training' is really just a chance to party and get to know those in your department better. I didn't really know this before going, but discovered, very soon, that it's not training in the English-implication sense of the word. Instead of thinking of it as a waste of time, I actually think it was a great idea and I was glad I went. I spent a lot of time talking with my colleagues and graduate students, and got to be around the undergraduates in an informal context. Above, my T.A., Ji-young, starts the party.

I didn't spend the night, although everyone else did. I thought spending the night there would be too disruptive to the kids right now, so I stayed the day and returned to Seoul on a bus that night. Eulwangni is in Incheon, a little island off the coast near Seoul where the International Airport is located. There are beaches everywhere and many, many seafood restaurants. Above, the kayageum professor Yi Ji-young and I spend some time together before braving the cold on the beach where the students were playing games.

While it wasn't freezing, it was in the 50s. Despite this, students took off their shoes and played games right by, and in, the ocean.

Me, on Eulwangni Beach.

I guess, for one of the games, if you lost you got dumped in the ocean. Brrrr. It happened about 3 times during the time I watched the students play games that included a version of tag and a wierd many-legged race type of game. The student who got dumped above, didn't seem to mind. She asked the guys to only get her pants wet since she brought an extra pair of pants but not an extra sweater.

Students and Professor Yi pose for the camera below. It was a lot of fun and the first time I got to see a beach since leaving the Bay Area. The smell of the salt air and sound of the ocean was very, very nice.

Three-legged race? Ha! I'm not sure what the rules were here, but it seemed the point was to join as many legs together as possible and try and go faster than the other team.

After the beach games, students divided themselves into three teams to make three different types of food: kimbap, bokeum bap, and shabu shabu (again, excuse the sloppy romanization, but don't have time to think too much about it). After resting in the room for a while, I went to the room where the students were gathered and they grabbed me and had me try all the different foods they prepared. It was fun, but a little difficult to get away. Meanwhile, the other profs and grad students were waiting for me so we could go get dinner separately...

We had roasted clams, oysters, and other types of shell fish (hermit crab, maybe?). We had a little raspberry wine with dinner. It was very good. We kept debating if and when we should return to check on the students. The Chair thought we should just let them be for a while, since the students might not like us hanging around too much. So, we took our time at dinner.

When we returned, Yi Ji-young and I decided to see what the students were during. They were playing a trivia game about Seoul National University. Two people sat up front and, if they answered correctly more times than the opponent they go to sit while the loser had to stand in front of everyone and sing. Well, lo and behold, the students (well, actually, my T.A.) called Yi Ji-young and I up to the front to play the game, too.

I actually got two of the three right, which meant that Yi had to get up and sing.

When I had returned to my seat in the back and through all was well and done, my T.A. called me to the front, anyway, to sing a song. Despite my initial embarrassment, it was fun.

Now I can say that I definitely know what 'membership training' is. I plan to go again next spring.