Day One

Day One: Opening Ceremonies, Korean Language and Aesthetics

	On our journey to the institute we passed this great gate. The streets in Seoul are wide and very well marked. Drivers follow the rules of the road and driving is very predictable. North American drivers would have little difficulty driving. We got to see the "heart of Seoul", the business section, huge vertical shopping centers and many typical storefront streets.
Opening Ceremonies at the Institute. Our ceremony is conducted in a formal lecture hall. We are seated in twos behind heavy wooden desks resembling teacher desks. We don't know each other very well on this first meeting. Our host's welcoming speech was simultaneously translated by Mrs. Kim.
	Korean Language Instruction, Mrs. Kim is not only our official translator, she patiently puts us through Korean language exercises, she advises us on Korean customs and etiquette, tells us the meaning and significance of things.
Introduction to Korean food. Each individual gets his/her own utensils, glass, napkin and small plate. All the food platters and drinks are shared. Discovered that although steel chopsticks appear elegant it is harder to pick up the food. We tried to follow Korean table manners, however, sometimes this was difficult..

	Dr Won-Kyung Cho, Korean Culture Class goho69@korea.com Mr. Cho's artistic education includes all the arts. He trained both in Korea and North American and has performed all over the world. During the week we used his lecture about Korean's notions about art to reflect on what we saw in real life. We learned that in art one strives to be fluid with "no beginning and no end" and repetition should be avoided, each new piece should be the discovery of something new. He used the phrase "feeling arts" to refer to the process of creating and appreciating art. In this picture Mr. Cho demonstrates the classic principles of art through movement. Mr. Cho would make an excellent workshop leader in schools.