手紙: Updates

A view of some houses from Mt. Yudalsan in Mokpo

The troupe "Movement Dang Dang" performing one of their dance numbers

A charming view of a pavillion on Mt. Yudalsan. When I finally walked up and sat in there, though, the charm was lost on me when I was immediately attacked by mosquitos.

So, for those of you who don't know yet...I've extended my stay in Korea by two months. Originally, I was planning on leaving at the end of next month, but with various things arising and the fact that I'm still in the thick of doing my research - I'll have to leave a bit later than planned. But two months is nothing compared to three years, which was the amount of time I extended my stay the first time around, after finishing a year of language training at Yonsei University's KLI. No, there are too many things pulling me back at this point - the giant unwritten document, teaching, projects, and of course, my friends and my family.

This past weekend I went to the southern port city of Mokpo to check out the 2009 MadangKuk Top Festival. MadangKuk (also written as madangguk) is hard to describe...I would say that it is a type of "people's theater" drama-play that can include elements of Korean masked dance, somewhat idiosyncratic choreographed dance numbers, singing and speaking. In the 1970s and 1980s, madangguk was a powerful expressive form to launch political critiques and discuss social issues. Judging from the several madangguk plays that I've seen throughout the year, I'd have to say that in general, they are less politically charged than in the past. They do still retain a high degree of social awareness, however, highlighting issues like environmental consciousness, supporting Korean farmers and their crops, and the problems facing multicultural families in the more rural areas of Korea.

Here are some pics from the weekend...