Gayageum concert

Continuing on with posts that I SHOULD have written a long time ago (like before we left Korea)…..

My intermediate gayageum class culminated in an end of semester concert where we were to play some traditional music for family and friends at the Center for Korean Traditional Performing Arts in Seocho-dong. A few weeks prior to our concert I was elected to give a speech during the concert about what I learned from the class and the gayageum. Being pregnant at the time did not make it easy to give that speech (even if the auditorium wasn’t full). I wish I could say that I looked all elegant and poised in the traditional Korean dress as I addressed the audience…but alas, I just looked nervous and sweaty. I ended up having to wear my glasses too….I woke up that morning and realized that I had lost one of my contacts. So not only did I look round and sweaty but also nerdy on top of it all. Oh well. It was a good experience anyway.

Proof that I was at the podium:

From the concert:

Here’s me with my friend, Summer. It was great to have her come to the concert to support me!

It was such a fun experience to learn a traditional instrument like the gayageum. On my parent’s trip to Seoul, my dad bought me one so that I could bring it back to the States and continue to learn it and practice it.

UPDATE: Upon returning to the US, I practiced it many times and even performed it for a couple of my friends. But then I got too big to be able to sit comfortably on the ground so I stopped for awhile. Now I have to pick it up again and practice before I forget everything!