One of the funniest experiences in South Korea so far!
It all began with an innocent invite to a music concert. Garry’s co-teacher, HaeSoon, really enjoys music and has taken us to Pohang Orchestra a few times in recent months which have been really good and free! So, when HaeSoon invited us to go to a concert a Postech University, the main university in Pohang, we agreed readily and also invited Corey and Paul along for the ride. It was on a Tuesday night and we were off school the following day for Children’s Day.
Well, what we did not realise was that it was an ‘ocharina’ concert. I have never been blssed by the sound of an ocharina before and, after tonight, am not sure I want to again. Its kind of like a slightly mor tuneful recorder but definitely not pleasant and incredibly humourous when played by fully grown adults, dressed in matching clothes along to keyboard demos of popular songs, including ‘Obladi Oblada’ by The Beatles.
It was pretty difficult hiding the laughter and my personal favourite as when three grown men came on to play ‘Hey Jude’ on a flute, clarinet and trumpet.
But the fun did not stop there. Oh no no, half way through the concert they instructor asked (in Korean of course) who had travelled the farthest to come tonight. People were shouting out Gyeongju, Busan etc but he kept asking. Now HaeSoon is friends with the ocharina players and quickly realized that he was referring to us waygooks as she had told him she was bringing some foreigners along. So, she instructed Garry to stand up and he got called out to the front to receive a present of a traditional Korean ocharina. He was a bit confused but it was such a kind gesture and again highlights the caring nature of Koreans.
After the concert had finished, we were invited out with the “band” for dinner and in Korea it is kind of rude to refuse so off we trooped to Edong, a newer area of Pohang which has lots of restaurants and some cool bars. The food was AMAZING! It was BBQ style food with lots of sam gyup sal but also beef and soup and lots of great stuff. We feasted like kings and were forced into drinking more soju than we liked but they were so happy to have some foreigners along on their night out that we could not refuse them anything!
Quick lesson in Korean drinking manners – when you are out with people that are not close friends or family, you must never top up your own drink. You must wait to be offered and in turn you must keep an eye out for other people and top up their glass if it’s empty. Also, if you are offered a shot of soju, especially from an elder, it is rude to refuse. You must hold the shot glass in two hands and let the person fill it. You must then drink all the soju in one go and return the offer to the offerer. This can all get a bit confusing, and does explain why Koreans end up way more drunk than they intend!
After dinner, we headed down to the beach to meet up a lot of the other teachers in Pohang for a beach party, involving fireworks, guitars, singing and lots of beer, which went on til the wee small hours.
Goodnight Korea! x x x x x x x x
For you viewing pleasure, here is a small clip of the wonder that was 'Hey Jude' - sorry about the brightness, they did not infact look like oompa loompas but it was rather bright in there!
It all began with an innocent invite to a music concert. Garry’s co-teacher, HaeSoon, really enjoys music and has taken us to Pohang Orchestra a few times in recent months which have been really good and free! So, when HaeSoon invited us to go to a concert a Postech University, the main university in Pohang, we agreed readily and also invited Corey and Paul along for the ride. It was on a Tuesday night and we were off school the following day for Children’s Day.
Well, what we did not realise was that it was an ‘ocharina’ concert. I have never been blssed by the sound of an ocharina before and, after tonight, am not sure I want to again. Its kind of like a slightly mor tuneful recorder but definitely not pleasant and incredibly humourous when played by fully grown adults, dressed in matching clothes along to keyboard demos of popular songs, including ‘Obladi Oblada’ by The Beatles.
It was pretty difficult hiding the laughter and my personal favourite as when three grown men came on to play ‘Hey Jude’ on a flute, clarinet and trumpet.
But the fun did not stop there. Oh no no, half way through the concert they instructor asked (in Korean of course) who had travelled the farthest to come tonight. People were shouting out Gyeongju, Busan etc but he kept asking. Now HaeSoon is friends with the ocharina players and quickly realized that he was referring to us waygooks as she had told him she was bringing some foreigners along. So, she instructed Garry to stand up and he got called out to the front to receive a present of a traditional Korean ocharina. He was a bit confused but it was such a kind gesture and again highlights the caring nature of Koreans.
After the concert had finished, we were invited out with the “band” for dinner and in Korea it is kind of rude to refuse so off we trooped to Edong, a newer area of Pohang which has lots of restaurants and some cool bars. The food was AMAZING! It was BBQ style food with lots of sam gyup sal but also beef and soup and lots of great stuff. We feasted like kings and were forced into drinking more soju than we liked but they were so happy to have some foreigners along on their night out that we could not refuse them anything!
Quick lesson in Korean drinking manners – when you are out with people that are not close friends or family, you must never top up your own drink. You must wait to be offered and in turn you must keep an eye out for other people and top up their glass if it’s empty. Also, if you are offered a shot of soju, especially from an elder, it is rude to refuse. You must hold the shot glass in two hands and let the person fill it. You must then drink all the soju in one go and return the offer to the offerer. This can all get a bit confusing, and does explain why Koreans end up way more drunk than they intend!
After dinner, we headed down to the beach to meet up a lot of the other teachers in Pohang for a beach party, involving fireworks, guitars, singing and lots of beer, which went on til the wee small hours.
Goodnight Korea! x x x x x x x x
For you viewing pleasure, here is a small clip of the wonder that was 'Hey Jude' - sorry about the brightness, they did not infact look like oompa loompas but it was rather bright in there!
Untitled from Monica Lindsay on Vimeo.
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