We took a day to travel to a local attraction known as the Korean Folk Village. It is akin to Williamsburg, Virginia where you can see the town in colonial times. Here you see what the villages looked like 300 years ago here in Korea and there are opportunities to make pottery and silk fabric by hand.
We arrived with HUNDREDS of small preschool-aged children in matching clothing and backpacks. So cute!
More Children
How they set up shop. Drop the backpacks on their blanket to save their spot and then they go hand in hand in 2's throughout the park. Our first stop was the bathroom. I went in the men's bathroom to find 20+ little Korean boys running around half-naked, laughing and peeing all over the place. So funny.
One of the first things we did was walk to see a Traditional Korean Wedding. Here is the groom in Blue. We of course had no idea what was going on but Charlotte wanted to know, so I made everything up... One day she may read this blog post. So Charlotte, I apologize now for making things up. Thanks for being curious.
Here is the bride. Here they both knelt across from one another and shared a cup of tea together.
Small water mill.
Charlotte and Hazel are "holding still" or "being serious" for the camera...
A beautiful small waterfall.
Next stop was lunch, pricey as expected for being in a park. Jari had a delicious Bulbogi/Vegetable rice dish. Good choice. Hazel climbed in her lap and pounded it.
I ordered a soup that had what seemed to be 1,000,000 noodles and then some leafy vegetable soup. Turns out it was served cold. Interesting. We also had some rice cubes with brown powder on them. I think it was cooked rice that was pounded to a jelly-like substance, chopped into squares, and then tossed in the brown stuff. Not sure what it was made of but moderately tasty. Charlotte and I shared these, Hazel and Jari voted no after trying one.
Hazel eating sticky rice with chopsticks. Easy when it is sticky :)
Hazel next to a statue. She had a lot of people admiring her. They love her fair skin and blue eyes.
We walked through a museum while in the park and found these. Mom (Grandma Nielson) loved to talk about the Chinese Zodiac. Korea's history does go back to China in that they broke away from China MANY years ago so maybe that is why they both honor these signs. The Highlights:
Tiger (Charlotte's Year)
Tiger people are seen as sensitive, given to deep thinking, capable of great sympathy. They can be extremely short-tempered, however. Other people have great respect for them, but sometimes tiger people come into conflict with older people or those in authority. They sometimes cannot make up their minds, which can result in a poor, hasty decision or a sound decision arrived at too late. They can be suspicious of others, but also courageous and powerful. Every 60 years comes the Year of the White Tiger - 2010 is one such year. Some consider the year of the White Tiger to be an unlucky year, while others maintain the opposite is true.
So Charlotte is our White Tiger. Strangely enough so many of these descriptors describe her very well.
Snake (Hazel's Year):
The snake is the most enigmatic, intuitive, introspective, refined, and collected of the Animals Signs. People born in the Year of the Snake are keen and cunning, quite intelligent and wise. They are great mediators and good at doing business.
I think time will tell us how much she fits this description.
The Year of the Goat/Sheep (Zachary's Year):
Also called the Year of the Ram or Year of the Sheep. People born in the year of the Goat are described as elegant, intelligent, dependable, calm individuals, who are very creative and typically accomplished artists. They can be shy, pessimistic, puzzled about life, and prefer to be alone. Most despise being the center of attention but enjoy being part of a group.
Year of the Ox (Jari's Year):
The Ox, which is also known as the Buffalo, sign symbolizes prosperity through fortitude and hard work. Those born under the influence of the Ox or(Water) Buffalo are seen as stable and persevering. The typical Ox is a tolerant person with strong character. Not many people could equal the resolution and fearlessness that the Ox exhibits when deciding to accomplish a task. Ox people work hard without complaints at work or at home. They know that they will succeed through hard work and sustained efforts, and do not believe in get-rich-quick schemes.
Year of the Pig (Fred's Year):
This last of the animal sign cycle is also called the Year of the Boar. The pig is often associated with fertility and virility. People born in the Year of the Pig are said to be chivalrous and gallant. They don't make many friends but they make them for life, and anyone having a Boar Year friend is fortunate for they are extremely loyal. They don't talk much but have a great thirst for knowledge. They study a great deal and are generally well informed.
In case you face childbearing, now you can know if you will have a boy or girl! Who needs an ultrasound?
Some examples.
This represents many moments throughout the day. Drama and tears.
Walking towards what we hoped would be a boat ride.
Charlotte was having fun exploring
Pushing ahead to the boat
The usual gathering of people around Zachary
Old fashioned swings.
Again, lots of kids so the swinging was short-lived
Beautiful platforms are scattered around the park. They are placed for people to remove their shoes and sit and relax. Sometimes they even lay on the hardwood floor to catch a quick nap.
Searching for the entrance. We left Jari with the adoring Zachary fans for a moment...
Success.
Not so much a place of rest with our girls. It is SO HARD to keep them quiet when they need to be!
A group of kids playing skip rope. In this part of the park, there were long ropes tied to each tree so the kids could play.
Fish under the bridge waiting for people to feed them
The barge in the middle of the river. No boat ride :(
The shows were great and the kids enjoyed the music and dancing greatly
Next was the rope walking. Note all the groups of children in matching shirts
And our girls, playing in the dirt.
Here is the rope walker giving some sort of speech prior to walking. He would ask a question and all the little kids would reply in unison "Yeh-ea!" It was really cute
He did a lot of bouncing and jumping. It was impressive. The object in his right hand is a large fan that he used to keep his balance.
We then walked up a small path to a Buddhist temple.
Beautiful stone steps. There is a cat at the top if you look close.
My attempt at a selfie with the large Nikon camera.
Here is the temple. It was a good opportunity to talk to Charlotte about the difference between our temple and the temples other people have
Charlotte using the wood hammer on the bell. Not sure if this was allowed but there were no signs saying not to do so which I took as permission to ring the bell.
Hazel, Jari, and Zachary coming along. Before leaving the girls went "exploring" in the forest and would hide behind each tree thinking I could not see them. Funny girls.
One last look before leaving which we did as we heard music and realized we were missing another show.
Equestrian Feats. It appeared to me that the horses were not treated super well but I could be wrong.
Here is one of the guys chasing after the horse he missed. This was of course part of the show but well received and got lots of laughs.
Charlotte and Hazel enjoying the show
Jari and Zachary standing back
We passed these on the way in and told the girls we would have to wait to get a picture, hoping it would be quick on the way out. Turns out every preschool had the same idea...
Overall it was a long but fun day. The girls enjoyed themselves. I think one day we may go back without the girls so we can try our hand at making a pot or weaving silk.
Many thanks to those in the Osan Military Branch for recommending this trip.
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