Random side note: "Fiddler On the Roof" has been echoing over and over again in my head (the High School is performing it this semester as their Spring Musical and I, as vocal director, have been unable to get any of the tunes out of my head - this morning as I jumped out of the shower, listening to the soundtrack on my iPhone, I was caught by surprise at the tears I shed upon hearing the song "Far From the Home I Love", in which the daughter Hodel tells her father Tevye that she must Anatevka and join her fiance Perchek in Serbia.....very heart wrenching....very intense...very moving...) - its been a fun week and I reflect fondly back now on the memories of this past weekend....
Friday evening, I ended up going to City Hall with the High School youth group where we went ice skating!!! It was SOOO much fun (despite the cold!), and I was amazed that I only ended up falling once (er...twice...er....shoot....I think it was three times....yup....definitely three times....FAIL)! There were a ton of people out and about on the ice and I loved that one could enjoy such a fabulous winter activity right in the center of downtown Seoul! Here's a photo of me putting on my skates:
Here's another few shots of me and some of the other teachers that helped out with the event, as well as a variety of other skaters that were enjoying the evening, too!
Later, I headed back with the youth group to help chaperone their lock-in for the evening where we indulged in all kinds of junk food, played a variety of games and sports, watched a movie, and simply enjoyed each other's company before finally heading to bed.
We woke up Saturday morning (slowly, but surely!) and quickly readied ourselves for a delicious pancake breakfast! It was so wonderful to have the chance to connect with so many of these kids from outside a school classroom setting. It was cool to just see them "be" - to see how they interact with one another....to see how they play, how they have fun, how they socialize! It was just a different side of them that was very humbling to witness and to experience! I was so grateful for the chance to hang with them and in return, get to know them a bit better in a social setting!
Saturday mid-morning and early afternoon consisted of lounging, lunching, and laughing (primarily with the boyfriend) and by 4pm that day, I readied myself to head down to Seoul Arts Center with several other teacher friends to hear a concert of the Vienna Boys Choir! We all made sure to leave enough time to grab dinner before the concert and once the show started, we were all captivated by the amazingness of these 25 little boys (ages 10-14) that seemed to so flawlessly make beautiful music! They sang an hour and a half program (all from memory of course), and aside from their ability to create such beautiful sounds, their focus, stage presence, and ability to so confidently perform astounded both me and my other teacher friends. I decided then and there that I have a new life goal (among the many I already have and intend to keep!): one day I hope to solo with the Vienna Boys choir! No...I don't mean magically become a boy, audition for the group, and hope I make it so I can sing a solo with them kind of solo singing....I mean to be asked as a professional musician...as a professional singer...to sing some sort of arrangement of any variety of beloved vocal/choral literature, and solo with the Vienna Boys Choir as they accompany with their angelic, flawless sounds! Perhaps its a far-off hope....perhaps their may never be such a chance...but the hope is strong and the idea is a wonderful one....I can only imagine what it might be like....:-)
I've been regularly attending a Lutheran Congregation here in Seoul for the last several months since I've arrived, and recently, I've taken on a few "duties and responsibilities" during the worship services at "International Lutheran Church" in Itaewon, headed by Minnetonka, MN native, Pastor Steve! Last Sunday, Pr. Steve asked me to do the readings from Isaiah and 1st Corinthians....it was fun to finally feel like I was a part of the commnunity by having a way to participate! Pr. Steve says he wants me to sing sometime soon as my next contribution in the coming weeks....hopefully we can make it happen :-)
Sunday afternoon was filled with excitement and flurry as I looked forward to my first rehearsal with the Camarata Music Company - a community choir founded by a fellow Luther grad, Ryan Goessl, who's lived here in Seoul the last several years. After a somewhat lengthy commute in the fresh-falling snow (that had a habit of sticking to my face...brr!), the 4-hour rehearsal resulted in the meeting of new people from all over Seoul and thoroughly practicing Mozart's Requiem (to be performed by the choir this May!). It was an interesting experience and although I'm unsure of how time will play into my participation in the group, it was fun to get out and meet some new folks!
Speaking of musical experiences, this weekend offered up yet another chance to listen to some great vocalizing! Last night (Friday night), the High School Sophomore student council sponsored a Music Festival in the hopes of raising money for charity! The event was outstanding and although it was unfortunate the publicity had not reached as many folks as hoped for, those of us there were BLOWN away! The first group was an all-male 5 person group that sang a variety of well known opera tunes, as well as a few other mainstream hits. The voices of these young men (probably all my age or a bit older from the looks of it) where breathtaking - I honestly had my mouth to the floor the whole time - I'd SO wished I'd known to advertise something like this among my students (especially my middle school BOYS!) so that they could SEE how cool it is to sing....how BEAUTIFUL it is to sing....
The next act was a professional beat-boxer! This dude was outa SIGHT! I couldn't believe some of the sounds he was able to create! He honestly sounded like he could have held up his own club, performed all the music at it, and only been in need of a lighting man to create cool effects on the dance floor...ha! Hopefully I'll get a chance to post a video I took of him later....he was fabulous!
The final act I unfortunately had to miss, but I heard only good things! Regardless, it was an amazing show and I was so glad that the folks who WERE there and DID get to see it seemed to have such a great time! :-)
As I'm looking forward to Saturday night and the rest of this weekend's events, I leave you with one more story:
After meeting up with a few friends for some conversation and fun last night in Itaewon, I spoke to a friend of a friend who was talking up the idea of eyelash extensions. This girl herself had had them done and mentioned that you can get lash extensions done in a variety of places here in Korea because of the Koreans' obsession with big eyes, big lashes, and beauty overall. I was intrigued by the conversation and knowing full well that there was a place nearby my apartment that offered this service, I went ahead and tried it for myself this afternoon to see if it really was a beauty technique that is as cool as it sounds! After about an hour (and the equivilant of $40 USD later...), I walked out with seemingly long, gorgeous lashes, feeling nothing but lightness from the tops of my lids! Who knew something so crazy in the world of beauty could be so satisfying..haha!
Blessings to each of you, oh faithful bloggers, and hope your weekends are filled with relaxation and fun, regardless of Boy Choirs, Beatboxers, or Lash Extensions...;-)
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