Sounds of Korea

“I am certain that after the dust of centuries has passed over our cities, we, too, will be remembered not for victories or defeats in battle or in politics, but for our contribution to the human spirit.”-President John F. Kennedy

One of the biggest ways societies and cultures contribute to the human spirit is through artwork. In order to help make this contribution accessible to everyone, FREE performing arts productions are offered at the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage every day, no ticket required. Here you can see “performing artists and groups from all 50 states and an Artist-in-Residence program featuring artists performing several evenings in a month”(www.kennedy-center.org/). Be sure to arrive early, as seats fill quickly. If you arrive late, or do not reside in the D.C. area, don’t fret! All of the performances are recorded live and are viewable in the Millennium Stage’s archives.

I was fortunate enough to grab a seat at one of these top-notch performances last night. Sounds of Korea — a Korean Traditional Performance Group — consists of a dance troupe, an instrumental chamber ensemble and a percussion ensemble, and is part of the New York-based Korean Performing Arts Center (KPAC). They performed 6 musical pieces that were not only amazing musical productions, but were also visually stunning and beautiful:

Samul-nori is a traditional percussion genre performed with 4 different instruments.

Pan-sori is a genre of Korean Traditional Storytelling Music performed by a vocalist and a drummer. This particular story is about soldiers. The piece was introduced to the audience as “Korean opera”. I soon realized that opera in Korea is absolutely nothing like opera in Europe! I was expecting a delicate aria, and was instead greeted with beautiful and heartening battle cries.

Buchae-chum is a Fan Dance, and is probably the most recognizable piece in the performance. With pink dresses and feather adorned fans…it is no surprise that this is my 9 year old daughter’s favorite performance of the night.

A more soothing, peaceful song was needed after the excitement of going to war and coming home to pretty girls with feathers. The Daegeum Solo, which is performed with a Transverse Bamboo Flute, provided tranquility and serenity. The tone of the flute has an almost eerie quality.

Ip-chum is an Improvisational Folk Dance, performed here by three women. It may not have been as exciting as the Buchae-chum, but it was just as enchantingly beautiful.

And the pièce de résistance: Samgo-moo, a Three Drums Dance. These 4 women each played 3 drums while spinning, jumping, and swooshing more gracefully than I could ever hope to walk!

This is such a talented band of individuals! If you ever have the opportunity to see Sounds of Korea, please take advantage of it!

This was a wonderful and fun way to introduce myself and my family to a form of music that we otherwise may not have explored.

To see live recordings of this and other daily performances, please visit the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage. You can also see full resolution versions of my images on my facebook.

The Millennium Stage was created and underwritten by James A. Johnson and Maxine Isaacs to make the performing arts accessible to everyone in fulfillment of the Kennedy Center’s mission to its community and the nation.

Kayaking the Potomac

Anyone who knows me also knows that I really do not like being in water. The truth is, in fact, that I am down-right afraid of water. So this was a huge step for me.

My husband and I were invited to go kayaking on the Potomac River with some friends, and I decided to take the opportunity to conquer my fear.

Being surrounded by supportive people really helped calm my nerves, as did having my husband in the kayak with me.

My husband taught me how to paddle the boat and I began to sincerely enjoy myself — I even smiled!

The views from the river were absolutely stunning!

I survived my first excursion onto a large body of water, and I had fun along the way!

If you would like to see more photos from my kayaking adventure, please visit my facebook page.

Old Town Alexandria

My husband and I were granted a date night by the mighty gods of marriage! Where did we go for our first “grown up” excursion? The  jewel of a picturesque little town in the middle of a big city: Old Town Alexandria.

Not only is it lovely to look at, but it sounds great too… Street music abounds. You can hear everything from an elderly man playing “Edelweiss” on glasses, to a youth string quartet, to a one man blues band.

A walk along the waterfront will bring you face to face with Boats! Boats! Boats! — there are tons of them. You can catch a ride (and a meal) on the ornate ferry boats, or just wander the piers pretending that the beautiful yacht across the way is your pride and joy.

No small town is complete without it’s quirks. This one’s is unusual fire lanes. Please, do not park your car in the river. 😉

Locals are friendly, but beware of tourists: everyone — including my husband — is a shutterbug and a food critic. The food from Mai Thai was delicious, by the way!

Many of the shops close early — which is a saving grace for your wallet. But that doesn’t mean your night has to come to an early close too. You can still wander the pier with other night owls and enjoy Alexandria’s beautiful night-time views (and make a mental note that the next outing will be to the ferris wheel across the river).

Flag Day

We had just received the list of possible locations our family would be posted to for two years. We were handed the list and immediately thought two things. First, “Are these really countries?”, and second, “How the heck do you say that?” We had no idea where any of them were (minus one: Mexico)! For two weeks, we researched, we anticipated, we questioned, we stressed… It felt like these two weeks took two months to pass.

Finally the day came.

It was Flag Day! The day we officially learn which of those un-pronounceable countries our family would be assigned to.

Not only did we dress for the occasion, but the family was so excited that the kids actually got along with each other for longer than 10 minutes!

Flag Day is a fun “ceremony” with friends and family, applause, and laughter abounding. Names are called one-by-one, and the flag of that person’s post country is displayed on a large screen as the entire room cheers in encouragement and excitement for that person’s new adventure in life. This was the flag displayed when my husband’s name was called.

It is the flag of Turkmenistan. A country the size of California that is situated just north of Iran. It was part of the former Soviet Union, and won it’s independence in 1991. It is home to the Karakum Desert and two mountain ranges — the Kopet Dag Range and the Great Balkhan Range, and is bordered by the Caspian Sea.

We can’t wait to start the next leg of our adventure in Turkmenistan!

A Day at the Zoo

What do kids love more than video games? Animals!

The Smithsonian National Zoo located in Washington D.C. is one of the best zoo’s in the U.S. There is something for everyone to love! Small children will have a field-day with the livestock at Kids’ Farm. Amazonia (my favorite exhibit) has aquariums and an open-air jungle where animals roam free. And the Giant Pandas are the stars of the show.

See more cute fuzziness on my facebook page.

 

first metro ride

This was the first time either I or my kids rode a metro of any kind! It was very much less exciting than my kids hoped, but that was just fine with me.

With every train that came into the station, the kids jumped up and said, “Is this one ours?” When “ours” finally arrived they refused to sit. Yes, there was room for the kids to sit, but they insisted on standing because “it’s cool”.

Now let’s hope their fascination with public transportation stays around for a little bit because riding the metro is a hundred times cheaper than paying for parking 😉

Squirrels of DC

Cutest locals ever… click any thumbnail to view full size.

Popcorn!

What is this clicking contraption? Let me come closer to see if it has food.

Seeing double.

Just chillin’.

Camouflage

You can’t see me!

Food?

om nom nom

 

D.C. Style Birthday

We arrived in the D.C. area just in time for my son’s birthday. So, naturally, we had to celebrate!

We started off with some tasty pizza from Aria Pizzeria.

Don’t forget the ice cream!

Just beware of evil big sisters who will steal it from you!

After desert, you’ll want to dance off that big meal.

Or take a walk around the monuments, if shakin’ your booty ain’t your style.

Don’t forget to say “hello” to the locals.

And, most importantly, just have fun!

From Start to Beginning

“The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step”…

In our case, the journey began with 2 adults, 2 children, 1 dog and 1 cat all stuffed into my little car for a cross-country drive. It took three days to cross nine states, and somehow we all managed to stay sane. The drive started out with everyone excited to begin our trip.

Utah, of course, was lovely with it’s rock formations.

Wyoming has rolling hills, majestic mesas, snow capped mountains in the distance, and blue skies that seem to go on forever.

It’s really no wonder why the original cowboys fell in love with the scenery of the Wild West.

I never realized just how much of the United States was devoted to agriculture until I drove through Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio, and realized they all looked the exact same — Lots and Lots of farmland!

Pennsylvania provided a change of scenery with its quaint towns sprinkled through the Appalachian Mountains,

and its pink-hued sunsets.

Of course a long distance trip provides some logistical challenges… like how to sleep in a bed full of bed hogs,

always being prepared to pay tolls,

and combating the on-the-road-grumpiness that inevitably sets in.

Luckily, Middle America is full of quirks that help keep the drive interesting….

There is a random Lincoln head statue in the middle of Wyoming’s forest.

Nebraska is a veritable gold mine when it comes to sight seeing from the road: there is a T-Rex ready to make a meal out of unsuspecting vehicles, a crazy looking church in the middle of no where, a bridge with a Pegasus leaping off of it, and a silhouette of a coyote greeting the moon (or in this case the bright blue sky).

Of course, there are also those little oddities you come across when you least expect them… like a bright yellow classic roadster filling up at the local gas station, what appeared to be a giant hippo covered in a blue tarp being hauled down the highway, and a truck stop with an eh-hem interesting name.

There were two great things about this drive. The first was spending an unusually long time in a confined space with my family (and having not a single yelling match!), and the second was arriving at our destination.

Home, sweet, home… for now.

Where am I now?

My journey starts in a little place called Salt Lake City, Utah in the U. S. of A. I don’t technically come from SLC, but I’ve been here for a few years now, and it has become what my husband and I term “home base”.

Having said that, I have to admit that when we first moved here I absolutely despised it! I grew up in the nice warm desert where it’s summer practically all year round.

I loved my desert. I still do. I hated snow. I still dislike it.

It snows a LOT in northern Utah…

 

So, I suppose that it is no surprise that my love affair with SLC came about gradually. I had to (1) learn to dress warmly in the winter, and (2) discover the city. What I found was the thing that I love most about Salt Lake: Diversity. Not just in the population, but in everything.

Some days I love the hustle and bustle of the city. Other days I just want some peace and quite. I get the best of both worlds here: you can go from city to nature in 20 minutes flat. Beautiful inner-city parks and mountain trails alike abound in the region.

What woman doesn’t love shopping?? SLC boasts not only countless high-end stores, but also some of the coolest thrift shops ever! It’s no wonder two of my worst “addictions” started here: scarves and boots.

There is art everywhere. This was a huge factor in my girly crush on the city. I love wandering around the Salt Lake and seeing random pianos painted with bright murals sitting on street corners waiting for passers by to plunk out “chopsticks”; and giant mobiles gently spinning in the breeze; and yes, I even love seeing the graffiti!

Utah has one of the youngest populations in the country. So there are a lot of family oriented activities in Salt Lake. With farmer’s markets, street fairs, and little league of every sport you can think of, your kids will never be bored in this city.

Anyone who knows me also knows that I love to eat. And there is no shortage of good food in SLC! You can get just about anything your little heart desires from Sonoran Mexican, to yummy sushi, to beautiful chocolate truffles — my favorite!

But let’s be honest. It’s not the things that make somewhere a home. It’s the people. And the people of Salt Lake have truly given me reason to call it home. So “Thank You” to all my friends that have become family along the way. You are an amazing bunch!