Bukchon Village, combining the area located between Gyeongbok and Changdeok Palaces against the Bukhan Mountain, has been known by this name for an eternity. There are around 920 Korean-style houses along every side-street of the village, making it the only place we can see large groups of Korean-style houses gathered so densely.

On a fine spring day, WLE students Henry (Swiss), Hulda (US), Ly (US) visited Bukchon Village during the Hi Seoul Festival season. This event was organized within the school playground for the experience of culture, allowing people to watch and enjoy the simple wisdom and lifestyles of our ancestors at a place stained with thick traces of time gone by.

Getting ready for the time travel	Making Korean traditional tea-cookies	Ly (US) having prisoner experience in an old style Jail

In the Village, we could see various common villages, noble villages, market places, and even a police bureau reproduced exactly as they might have been in ancient times.

We bought some traditional foods, drinks & souvenirs in there and we were able to change money into the old currency at the entrance of the playground for trading in the Joseon Dynasty era.

Students also partook in the 'Amusement Cultures of the Joseon Dynasty' exhibit, which was located on a small, simplified stage within the summerhouse.

Hulda (US)& Ly (US) making folk pottery	People full of folk experiences & foods

By walking among the tiled roofs between the old stonewalls, and along the curved side streets of Bukchon Village, we could really feel the 600 year history of Seoul.

On a fine afternoon, WLE students Hulda (US), Henri (Swiss), Lina (US), Ly (US), Mindy (Malaysia) watched the Comic Martial Arts Performance, JUMP. Some of the students were worried that their Korean language level wasn't good enough to understand the Korean play, but the apprehensions proved unnecessary as 'JUMP' is Non-Verbal performance which blends martial arts with a compelling and hilarious narrative. This funny and spectacular Martial Arts performance is one of the most popular tourist items in Seoul, as the dynamic show fuses the ancient Korean Martial arts of 'Taekwondo' with 'TaeKyun' with other Asian martial arts.

In this performance, fantasy and fighting come together as acrobatics and martial arts combine in a dazzling and jaw dropping performance usually seen only on movie screens. According to the introduction, with three years of extensive training in acting and mime, plus with more than 1,500 performances under their belts, the champion gymnasts and martial artists in the show have honed their skills to perfection. The show also won the 'Comedy Award' at Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2006, 'Grand Prize for Drama & Musical' by the Korean National Assembly and featured in 'The Royal Variety Performance' shown on BBC TV in December 2006.

The story;
Set in an average Korean home, JUMP is centered around a typical, but dramatically agile, Korean family - from the authoritarian grandfather, drunken uncle and Tae Kwon Do-chopping mother to the awkward girlfriend's suitor. Each member is a martial arts expert, possessing championship level Tae Kwon Do, Tae Kyun and gymnastic skills. They enjoy nothing more than challenging each other to martial arts showdowns, displaying their awe-inspiring expertise.

The plot thickens when two burglars break into the family home in the middle of the night - one a sleek, mean villain, the other a plump, bumbling idiot - complete with rather scary hair! When the family discovers the intruders, a mighty battle ensues. What follows is an incredible display of acrobatic and martial arts skills, with a healthy dose of slapstick humor.

Ly (US), Hulda (US) smiling in their seats before the crowds arrive	The performance starts with comical martial art dance	Ly (US) singled out as an audience player

Although it was weekday afternoon play, all seats were full which showed how popular this performance really is! Living up to its fame, all agreed that the show was great and everybody’s eyes were glued to the stage from beginning to end. One of our students Ly (US) was singled out as an audience player, she showed fantastic martial arts with them!

Hulda (US), Lina (US), Mindy (Malaysia) bought brochures	Hulda (US) with a leading actor after the show	Everybody with a big banner of JUMP

After the performance, everybody bought the broachers to get autographs of leading actors and had good time with them. Lina (US) said, “It was more than I expected, the show was awesome, made me laugh cheerfully all through the show!!”

In this activity, WLE students Andrew (US), Benjamin (US), Jeff (US), Lana (Kazakhstan), Mindy (Malaysia), Brendan (US), Eric (US), & Amy (US) gathered at folk houses village for the Poongmulnori workshop.

Previous to the workshop, everybody was changed their clothes into the Hanbok (Korean costume). It was exciting for the students, as it was the first time many of them had worn the traditional clothing, and they were keen to share their impressions.

Jeff (US) said, "It's didn't look easy putting to put it on but it was very comfortable and the color is beautiful!!"

Ben (US), Mindy (Malaysia), Andrew (US) dressed in their Hanbok	Eric (US) said, " Being in Real Korean culture is so exiting!!"	Students learning up on their history of Poongmulnori

When the teacher came to the floor, we bowed politely and sat in a circle.

First of all, we learned about 'Poongmul', 'Samul' and 'nori'. 'Poongmul' means 'instruments of Korean folk music', "Samul" means 'four things' and nori means, 'playing'.

The Samul (four percussive instruments) of Poongmulnori; JangGoo (double-headed drum), KwaengGhari (Big gong), Bhuk (Drum), and Jing (small gong) resemble the sound in nature. The JangGoo is the most widely used percussion instrument in most kinds of Koran traditional music. Whereas the Bhuk is used to accompany vocal music such a P'ansori (a traditional Korean narrative song). The JangGoo is usually classified as an accompanying instrument because of its flexible nature and its agility with complex rhythm.

KwaengGhari, resembling lightening, is a leading instrument making the highest pitch of percussive sound. It is made of metal, but is sometimes mixed with gold or silver. It is played with a stick with a flat woodenhead.

The Buhk is widely known and is a very popular percussion instrument, the barrel drum is made of cow skin. The Bhuk is usually placed on the ground when performed. However, in some case, the Buhk is hung from the shoulder with the skin facing outwards on both sides.

According to the teacher, the authentic identity of Poongmulnori must be understood in the context of Korea as a traditionally agricultural society. When farming season arrived, farmers needed inexhaustible energy and strength for the strenuous work. Spiritual uplifting was absolutely necessary for them, which will strengthen unity and increase efficiency of work on the fields. Recently, Poongmul has evolved to become part of national holiday celebrations and rituals.

Naturally, Poongmul-Nori was performed regularly in many parts of Korea to revitalize fatigued souls. On the Full Moon's Day (Korean Thanksgiving Day) in particular, the entire country celebrated the good harvest and expressed gratitude to their ancestors with exuberant music and dance as well as various rituals, namely Poongmul-Nori.

It is believed that Poongmul must have been a part of the celebration, in the tradition of Poongmulnori; every performer is a dancer, and a musician

Learning Basic beats of JangGoo	Andrew (US) learning Buhk (Drum)	Everybody enjoy Poongmulnori and Dancing

We learned a few simple beats of JangGoo named “Whimori”. Out teacher showed us a few examples with his Jing (small gong), it took a while for everyone to get the hang of it, but after repeating several times, we finally could make splendid harmony together. It was full of fun having speedy beats from different percussions, students were getting immersed in their harmony. And the teacher suggested that we danced with the music. 2 volunteers- Mindy (Malaysia), Eric (US)- were singled out and entertained everyone with their Dancing!

When Poongmulnori class finished, everybody felt as if we just had a festival.

Beautiful lana (Kazakhstan) in her Hanbok	Group picture with the Poongmulnori teacher	Sightseeing folk houses village after the class

One of the most fascinating things about Seoul is that there are many museums of all sizes, with some very interesting collections. As well as the National Museums, there is a Kimchi museum and Rice cake museum, Traditional tea museum, Agriculture museum, Newspaper museum, Science museum, Movie museum, History museum, War museum, Fun museum, & the Interesting Museum…

Today we decided to discover as many museums as possible, and the first was the police museum. Located about 10 minutes away from the school by bus, It is hard to believe that we study so close to such an important site for Korean history; ‘The Korean National Police Heritage Museum’.

The Korean National Police Heritage Museum	The Police Uniform in Joseon Dynasty

On the 5th floor of the museum, the police uniforms from Joseon Dynasty till present were displayed in periodical order. There was such a big difference from the police uniforms between Josun Dynasty and modern times. We all agreed that the Uniform in Joseon Dynasty is more fashionable but is inconvenient for the job.

The 3rd and 4th floor is place for public to understand how the police system operates. Each department in police headquarter was introduced with the details of what they do.

On the 2nd floor is the place where we spent most of our time competing with the hundreds of kindergarten kids. There were so many interesting things, for example; getting finger printed, shooting simulation, traffic control simulation, jail experience, lie detector, answering 911 phone calls etc… However, our little competitors were too strong for us to compete with. We decide to come back when they are not there.

Fortunately, there isn’t much competition on the 1st floor to try the police uniforms on. Of course, the little kids can not try on adult’s uniforms, ? We took a lot of pictures with the uniforms on and we were happy to have of gotten something after all the competition on the 2nd floor!

It was very interesting to see the changes and the brief history of Korean Police and thanks to our little rivals…they made our visit to the Police Station unforgettable even though we may have to return to try out all the attractions.

Shooting simulation	The new Korean Police	The police on duty!

Name: Amy Mecozzi Country of Residence: US Citizenship: US Profession: Medicine Education Background: BA, MD, MBA Brief Work History: Associate Consultant, Bain & Co, 1998-2000; Sr. Product Manager, Convio, 2000-2002; Emergency Medicine Resident, Advocate Christ Hospital; 2007-present Language Spoken: English, Spanish Hobbies: Cooking, traveling, cross-country skiing, sewing

Why did you decide to study Korean Language?
In order to communicate better with my boyfriend’s (Korean-American) parents.

How are you finding your studies in Korea?
Great!

How do you like Seoul?
Great!

What do you find most interesting in Seoul?
Jjimjilbang (Korean Sauna)!! It was one of my favorites!!

How has your experience in Korea changed you, if it has?
The food, the shopping, tourist places, the traffic…the other students in the program!

How has your experience in Korea changed you, if it has?
Yes, it was eye opening to learn about a different culture. There were many things I really loved about Korea and Koreans and I hope I can take some of these habits and practices back with me to the US - especially cooking and sharing the wonderful Korean cuisine as well as the passion and warmth of the Koreans I met.

Tell us a few memorable experiences in Seoul/ Korea.
The visit to the traditional Korean Village was quite memorable and fun - learning to drum and making handicraft paper boxes. Just one of the great days in Seoul.

What is the thing you like best about Seoul/Korea?
The food!

Will you come to Seoul again?
Yes…I hope that I will come often and continue my Korean language studies each time I visit.

What advice/tips would you give to others who plan to come and study in Korea?
Bring a towel with you and start a stairmaster workout before you get here, because there are stairs everywhere!