I Saw a Mask Dance in Andong...

...is the title of the tenth lesson of my 6th Grade English textbook and also the title of the first lesson that I ever taught in Korea. In order to commemorate (not really) my first year of teaching English we decided to hop on a bus and head 90 minutes north to the lovely city of Andong. Andong is known for being the self-proclaimed "Korean Cultural Capital" and for having been visited by Queen Elizabeth II after she requested to see the most Korean part of Korea, but I was mostly interested in the slightly freaky masks and this:

Photo credit

Jjimdalk (찜닭), is one of my favorite Korean dishes and there just so happens to be an entire alley dedicated to serving it in Andong, (where it also is said to have originated). I'm no expert food critic and rather than pretending to be, I'm going to keep this next bit straight to the point: 

Andong Jjimdalk (안동찜닭):

A Simple Critique From a Simple Man

Andong Jjimdalk is good. It has noodles. It has onions. It has potatoes and carrots. I think I remember pieces of cabbage. The gravy is possibly derived from a soy sauce base. It's steamed in a giant cauldron. It's a little spicy. It's delicious. You should probably order a side of rice too. It pairs well with all drinks. We had water this time but sometimes we order cider and sometimes we even order beer. I'll challenge anyone to find a more perfect dish and therefore I'm giving this jjimdalk, along with all other jjimdalk variations a perfect 9/9 score, (I've already explained my theory about 1-9 being the perfect ranking system in an earlier post but I'll gladly explain it again. I'm opposed to the idea of "10" being a perfect score. I like 9 because that allows for a one number (5) to represent the absolute middle while the other numbers more accurately reflect the upper and lower echelons...in my opinion anyway...).

After another successful food review, I'll move on to the real reason for our visit to Andong: the International Mask Dance Festival.

There are several small stages within the festival grounds with performances taking place throughout the day, and one main mask dancing arena where a longer performance goes on at specified times. We caught a matinee version of "Enyul Maskdance (은율탈줌)," which has also been designated as "Important Intangible Cultural Property No. 61."

The performance consisted of 6 Acts, though sometimes it was difficult for me to determine when one act ended and another begun. Anyway, I'll do my best to chronicle the show in it's entirety.

Act 1: Lion Dance

A man and his lion take the stage. The face of the man is actually more unsettling than that of the lion who has proceeded to jump around in circles. The lion also has six legs instead of four so now I'm not quite sure if this is even a lion anymore. Perhaps it's a large, white, fuzzy insect...After reading my program, I learn that it is indeed a lion with six legs and he and his keeper are chasing the evil spirits from the stage.

Act 2: Sangjwa Dance

Sangjwa is a young Buddhist monk who comes to salute in all directions, this according to my program.

Act 3: Palmokjung Dance

A group of fun loving monks take the stage and begin dancing wildly. None of them appear to have hands...or maybe they all have wings...I'm not sure, but they sure do love to jump.

After consulting the program I've learned that the 8 monks have been corrupted by Buddhism and that is why they dance so wildly...still no information about their really long shirtsleeves...

Act 4: Yangban Dance

Straight from my program this time--A monkey appears to imply that aristocrats are worse than monkeys. I don't remember seeing a monkey or anything that resembled a monkey so I'll begrudgingly move on to the next act.

Act 5: Noseung Dance

A monk, who is probably drunk...or poisoned...or just ill...crawls to the center of the stage. After dancing for a brief time, he sits and begins to chant. My program confirms the monk's inebriation, apparently he's been drinking chrysanthemum liquor and now he is indeed chanting Buddhist scripture.

Act 6: Yeonggam Dance

This was the longest act of them all and it was also the easiest one to understand. Apparently this young woman...

...is in love with this man...

...who is married to the old lady standing on his right.

After some dancing, the younger woman confronts the older woman and eventually kills her with repeated blows to the shoulders...

At first the husband is pretty angry but he seems to get over it quickly. I won't ruin the ending...mainly because I stopped taking pictures for some reason...but a shaman comes to sort everything out. After some really cool dances, the shaman helps the spirit of the dead woman and all living parties appear to go on living happily ever after.

Getting to Andong from Daegu is simple. Just head over to Bukbu Intercity Bus Terminal, (북부정류장) or Dongdaegu Express Bus Terminal, (동대구 고속버스터미널). Buses leave every 40-60 minutes and only cost around 8,000 won. Once you arrive in Andong, stay at the bus terminal and hop on the number 46 bus towards Hanhoe Village, (하회마을). That's where most of the goings-on are going on.

Tongyeong or: How I Spent My Second Chuseok in Korea

On the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, Koreans take three days to celebrate the Autumn harvest. Chuseok, as it's properly called, is a time when family members return to their hometowns in order to pay tribute to their ancestors. From what I gathered last year, children return to their parents' houses, meaning there's no debate about who is hosting the feast every year. My coteacher told me that almost all Korean families will spend some time at the home of their grandparents on their mother's side, as well as some time with their grandparents from their father's side. If there are no surviving grandparents the responsibility lies with the eldest sibling. Last year, we were lucky enough, (and forever grateful), to have been invited to spend our first Chuseok with our friend Yuri and her family. If you're wondering how that went, I went through the hassle of copying and pasting the link right here: Chuseok in Gwangju

Chuseok landed on a Thursday this year, meaning we'd have the day before, (Wednesday), and the day after, (Friday), off as well so if you're keeping score at home and are capable of the most basic form of basic math, that means we'd have a five day weekend.

Last spring, a friend of ours spent a few days visiting a small port town called Tongyeong. She raved about it and we've been investigating it ever since. The five day weekend provided us an excellent excuse to purchase a bus ticket, (about 12,000-13,000 won), and endure the 90 minute ride, (buses leave from Seobu Intercity Bus Terminal, 서부정류장, every 40-60 minutes), to the southern coast.

I've recently been studying some Korean history and I've taken a liking to the (very) late, great Admiral Yi Sun Shin, (이순신). Heralded as one of the greatest naval strategists to ever sail, Admiral Yi is best remembered for his stunning defeats of the Japanese Navy during the Imjin War of the late-1500s.

Of his four campaigns during 1592, the third, and most important battle was fought in the waters south of Tongyeong, near Hansan Island. Previously, naval battles were fought in straight lines or in circular, rolling attacks. At Hansando, Admiral Yi first employed his new Crane Wing Formation, where he stacked his heavy battleships in the center with his lighter ships flanking their sides, essentially in a "U" shaped formation. Two Turtle ships, or Geobukseon (거북선), anchored the flanks on each side.

The Turtle ship's were light and fast allowing them to attack enemy ships up close and out of the range of heavy artillery. It was common for the Japanese navy to approach enemy ships in order to board them and attack with foot soldiers. Yi's ships were topped with iron spikes, so trying to jump aboard from a taller ship almost certainly meant impalement. 

Each Turtle ship was equipped with eleven cannons on each side, including two in the stern and the bow, meaning that these ships could attack head on or while in retreat. There were numerous hatches and small holes along the sides from which arrows, guns and mortars were fired. The dragon figurehead at the front of each ship held up to four additional cannons and was used to confuse the enemy by emitting smokescreens.

Yi was wildly victorious at Hansando, destroying 66 of the 133 Japanese ships while retaining all 56 of his own and losing only 19 men in battle. While the victory at Hansando is most impressive it pales in comparison to the Battle of Myeongnyang. In October, 1597, Admiral Yi lured 333 Japanese ships into the Straight of Myeongnyang near Jindo Island on Korea's southwestern coast. By the battle's end, 31 Japanese ships were completely destroyed, 92 others had been rendered disabled, and approximately 8,000 Japanese soldiers had been lost. Two of Yi's men were killed. Three were wounded. And all 13 of his ships remained intact. You read that last part right. Thirteen of Yi's ships were responsible for the defeat of 333 Japanese vessels.

If this guy had played for the Cubs he'd almost certainly have a statue in front of Wrigley Field.

Coincidentally, I was just attacked by 6 third graders wielding plastic samurai swords. After a brief struggle, one Derek Teacher was able to successfully repel the little hooligans. I'll be erecting my own statue in the English classroom later this week.

Now that I've bored everyone with historical facts, here are some other highlights from the trip.

Dongpirang was a poor neighborhood and slated for redevelopment when a bunch of resident artists protested by painting murals all along the alleyways. The artwork saved the hillside community and is now one of the most visited attractions in the city though I have to imagine property value has since increased dramatically.

There are numerous islands to explore south of the mainland and the ferry terminal located near the harbor services many of said islands several times a day. Bijindo came highly recommended by a few of our friends and coworkers. During the off season, only three ferries sail for Bijindo daily: one at 7:05, one at 11:00, and one at 2:00. We wanted to make the most of our time so we were off with the sunrise.

There are technically two roads on the entire island but really this road just forks and then circles through the village.

We took a quick but grueling hike, (as none of us were prepared to climb straight up for 3 km.)...

...and then we spent some time in the sun...

...before calling it a day...or a morning rather.

By mid-day, fatigue had started to set it, (evidenced below), so we ferried back to the mainland for some afternoon naps.

And finally, a special thanks to our pals Jeff and Alyssa for being great company throughout the weekend.