Last Sunday, my good friend took me to see the Korean Folk Village, outside of Seoul. The relatively large village is a replica of what Korean life would have looked like a couple hundred years ago.
The authenticity of the houses, the thatched roofs, the layout, and the art is amazing!
We even were able to experiment with a traditional bow and arrow!
I had a lot of fun, and was once more struck by how beautiful Korean Culture is. Having only one and a half weeks left in Korea, I am both sad and happy. Happy to have experienced an amazing semester, and happy to return to my family for Christmas; and sad to leave this beautiful country and amazing people. However I will take lots of inspiration for more paintings with me!
Here are some photos of Sunday
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Not sure what the writing says, since it's not the modern Hangul Alphabet, but I think these statues were
set up to ward off evil spirits. |
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| Mill stone that was used by harnessing an Ox, and having him walk in circles. |
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| Farm house |
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| There were several workers in the process of thatching the roof. |
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| This house would have belonged to a wealthy middle class family. |
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| Storage room |
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| A glimpse into the courtyard of the nobleman's house. |
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| Instead of handcuffs, they used these. I wasn't sure whether to smile or be serious, as it is pretty dire to be locked into a cell... |
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| Shooting bow and arrow!^^ I've always wanted to be an archer...in an Elvish army...hehe...can't wait for the Hobbit's release this Friday!! |
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| Making brass spoons. |
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| Storage pots for fermented food. |
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Afternoon sun, it was glorious!
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As it is my final few days in Korea, I'm planning to go to a few more sites, and revisit some of my favorite places. This past Monday a couple friends and I visited a Cat Cafe just off of campus. There are serval of these cafes in Seoul, and entrance is free, although you are required to buy an extremely overpriced drink. However it was worth it! The cafe was extremely quite, as there were animals present, and more than 15 cats lounged on pillows and chairs. They were friendly, and somewhat lazy. And it was one of the most relaxing things I've done all semester to simply sit and be in the presence of animals. I'm not sure what it is about them, but they have a way of making time slow, and helping you appreciate the simple things in life.
Here are some photos taken with my iPod, so excuse the poor quality...
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| Although cats are generally clean animals anyway, I had expected the cafe to be a lot messier! I was surprised to find it non-smelling, and very pleasant! |
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| Not sure if these cats have the most exciting or boring life. Depends on your perspective. |
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| I didn't realize cats sleep sooooo much!^^ We stayed there 2 hours, and most cats were pretty sleepy! |
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| Except for this one! He like me!^^ <3 |
I plan on visiting a dog cafe tomorrow!
