New Semester - Early Spring 2013

New Semester. Spring Semester. I was walking towards the gate of my campus when I caught a glimpse of the stretched banner hung over the gate. 

The banner congratulates and welcomes all incoming freshmen of 2013 to our campus' HUFS'

Just out of my curiosity and out of fun, I took a picture of it just before crossing the intersection when the traffic lights turned green. Should have taken a closer look, though.

Anyway: Spring 2013: I'm now at my 2nd semester.

Bismillahirrohmanirrohim. 

판소리: Pansori = 색다르고 멋진 공연 (part 3)

This pansori show was nothing like the ones I saw before. This one was unusually daring to explore itself into the edge.  As the performers--who are the students of Korean Music Department, Hanyang University--shown up on the stage, we could feel that it's gonna be good. It was!
Still,  the audience did not have the slightest idea of what to see next. That's the best part.

The pansori-strict rules of uttering words and sentences in Korea were of course present to their core. But, the jazzy pansori, the blues pansori, the hard-hitting slow-rock pansori, and of course Pop Pansori, too....were all mixed up and sewn nicely to portray the 4 different stories from 4 different sorikun 소리꾼 or performers of Pansori. Each of the performer had his/her own uniqueness.

Each of them brought about different story to tell with different props and different ways of expressing feelings through dances, pansori chanting, ranting, rapping, and all other music genres imaginable.
Moreover.... the screen that highlighted the background story of each scene could not have been better! it somewhat delved itself into the realm of new perspective of what Pansori should be.
This WAS something that most young (Korean) people should see so that they could see the hidden treasures that they should cherish in the midst of seemingly never-ending burgeoning prowess of K-Pop into the minds of these young people lately.

Kudos are to the young students of Hanyang Univ. Music Department for bringing up something new to Pansori.
We are--as foreigners--studying and living in Korea, sure. Today, we felt like having the privilege to taste the newly twisted Pansori songs and sounds as we had today at Eunpyeon Art and Cultural Center.
We could not have been invited as well....should our university, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, not inform us. We are lucky and thankful to be studying here since there are lots of cultural activities and experience to explore.

--just like what we normally do, taking pictures is a must-do list in our agenda.^^

Mr. Obama just visited HUFS

Ok...the fuzz was coming and buzzing around my campus since last week. I thought it was just a hoax as to why Mr. President Obama has chosen our campus to visit instead of SNU or any other big campuses around Korea. I heard that since HUFS is a small campus in size, the security measures are easy to navigate. Ok. that is maybe true. But, I am sure that there must be more reasons than just that! So, I am sure that the decision must've been due also to the fact that HUFS symbolizes the strength of Korea in its vigorous effort to nurture and reach the world by learning other cultures. And...in the very essence of that, HUFS stands out as the first and representative campus and academic institution where lots of languages and its related matters are being taught right here. So, I guess...Mr. Obama's visit to HUFS does indeed show the fact how important this campus is. It has become a kind of pride in itself for HUFS. Why Not.^^
Ok, this morning, I was walking about the campus..and sure...I could not come into the Minerva complex where the special lecture by Mr. Obama was held. The security was tight. Even, our campus has been declared "Holiday" thanks to Mr Obama's visit. ^^
Good.  (in both senses)
Anyhow...since I could not listen to his speech live....I got my TV on and....^^ watched him speak live through TV.




^^ It was so ironically funny..since I live just 200 meters away from the Minerva complex...but....could not see and feel directly.^^
But, that did not dampen my spirit of trying to have and listen to what he was talking about.







Ok, here are what I grasped:
1. Kakao Talk.^^ (I wonder if Mr. President ever uses this cool stuff. Suppose he has one, that'll be cool, eh?^^)
2. Hallyu^^ (a sincere recognition from Mr. President)
3. HUFS^^ (a special recognition in itself...simply by his visit to the campus)
4. Young Generation of Korea being the country's future
5. Korea's economic progress in the aftermath of the war (a recognition)
6. His hope of inter-Korea relation (referring to that of both present day Germany)
7. and of course.....nuclear power for peace.
8. ok...I also got some notes on Osama, Iran North Korea: for sure!
9. US-South Korea ties to be strengthened.
 10. " Come to Korea and see how the country progresses..."




(another shot of what I took from TV this morning: simply out of my curiosity and as a token of remembrance as well as a historical proof of his visit for years to come)^^

Ok, Monday, March 26, 2012 has been marked as one of the important history of our university, HUFS.
Come to HUFS, and Meet the World.
I guess..it pretty much sums up the idea in itself. It does.

Taking the family out in Winter

Actually, I should have put this entry earlier but since I did not write anything about it yet,  I might as well put it now. So, the pictures tell about the time when were taking a stroll along the university in one Winter morning.

 

I guess it was Saturday.  All of us were dressed up or wrapped up(?) in Winter clothes that we could think of so as we did not feel the shivering cold weather.  Luckily, it was  a bright sunny Saturday morning.

To capture the moment before going straight into the subway, we were passing by the main building of our campus. Oh....we live in a house right behind the campus so every time we go out somewhere, we have no other choices but to pass the whole campus right into its entrance before heading towards the Metro station. 

My kids become so accustomed to playing and passing by the campus yard be it in a broad daylight or night.