The first REAL day of Fall

You know that feeling of the air biting you as the wind whips your hair into a mess. The first REAL day of Fall. Not the scientific start of Fall in September, but that first time you realize that Fall is here, and Summer is behind you. That was yesterday, and it was glorious! The first time you have to wear a warm jacket because it is actually cold (the other times were for mere comfort, but you would have been fine without). The first time you wake up to a chilly room and realize you might want to close your windows now. The first time the wind picks up and blows the clouds across the sky. In Korea, all buildings have a lobby with double doors that open to the rest of the world. Since I've been here, these doors have always been open, even in the rain. Yesterday, for the first time, the doors closed. Fall has announced its arrival. Every year, I forget how much I love the Fall... until it happens!

Scenes on the Street

It's time for another montage of pictures you'll only find in Korea!

This is a case, yes a CASE, of Spam sold at Walmart during Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving). Chuseok is a time of gift-giving (instead of Christmas). I don't know what the fascination with Spam and this country is, but it's strange... Note that the light blue can is "Mild" Spam...???



Yes, people actually buy the Spam casses en masse... those 7 blue cases are Spam containers ready to be loaded onto a bus... Someone's family is super-lucky!





Another bit of merchandise from Walmart. Now, if it seems like Walmart is the only place that sells such strange things, don't be fooled. They're just the ones that don't care if I take pictures!







Every Sunday, the restaurant on the first floor of my building receives a shipment of vegetables. Now, in North America, would the FDA approve of veggies being stored on the street sidewalk?




What would you do with the cabbage on the street? What else but make kimchi ... on the street! Needless to say, I haven't eaten at this restaurant. I can't get over the street-grime!

Performing Arts in Seoul

The past month has been one of performances! I attended the Seoul Drum Festival in the beginning of October... loved it so much the first night that I had to go back the second! Then, I attended a performance in the Seoul Performing Arts Festival.... that was strange... billed as "A transvestite Alice in Wonderland meets a dwarf Little Prince." Who wouldn't be curious about that free performance? Below are video clips of both.


The Seoul Drum Festival ran from October 7-9. The setting was one of the many palaces in Seoul (a lesser-visited one), and it made for a very picturesque evening.



This first video is of a group from Belgium, New Dimension. They remind me of STOMP! in their use of non-conventional percussion instruments. For example, they use kneepads and chairs to create rhythm here.


If the video won't play in the blog, click New Dimension to access it!

The second video is also of New Dimension, this time using garbage cans!

Click New Dimension 2 if you can't see it on here!

This third video is of the Korea Percussion Orchestra doing Mozart. They are incredible.

Click Mozart if you can't see the video.

If you liked that, you'll like their version of Carmen, too!

Click Carmen if you can't see the video.

Finally, there was a Korean contemporary percussion group named Jamstick. Watch how they fly across the stage and are still able to play the flight of the bumblebee!

Click Jamstick if you can't see the video.


Now, onto the Seoul Performing Arts Festival. I found online a free performance of Alice. The following quotation directly from the website sums up my feeling on the performance: The result is that the audience is attracted into a world of integrated convergence by crossing the world of nonsense where lingual explanation is impossible. ( And, yes, lingual explanation was impossible!) For those of you who have seen or heard of "Les Petites Societies" you may understand the complete lack of understanding behind the art!

This first video is of the dwarf Little Prince (this is how it was billed) singing "Alice." At the end of the video, you can see the gigantic Alice, who was a person lifted up on a forklift with blue and white fabric draped down. Really... what?!!!!

Click dwarf Little Prince if you can't see the video.

Now, the dwarf Little Prince went into another song, during which two people dressed in black started to repel down the side of the building, which was partially cloaked with a white sheet. All of a sudden, they began to "dance" to the song.... again... what?!!

Click Repellers if you can't see the video.

I was thoroughly confused throughout the entire performance, as were the people around me! Nevertheless, it gives me a great memory of Seoul!