Say Kimchi!

   After a late night on Saturday, we got up early to accompany a group of our students who were performing at the Kimchi festival. For those who have never had Kimchi before, it is a traditional Korean side dish made of fermented vegetables, most commonly cabbage, radish, or green onions. Although I don't find it particularly appetizing, Koreans love it and it comes with EVERY meal. The festival occurs annually in Gwangju where visitors are able to try a multitude of varieties and take part in making Kimchi for themselves. 
   We didn't stay long at the Kimchi festival itself, but we did get to make a quick trip to the Gwangju folk museum, which was held on the same grounds, before watching our students perform. They performed a traditional piece with drums and gongs as well as a not so traditional piece that included yodeling and an accordion. Not quite sure why they chose to perform that number, but it was pretty darn cute to say the least.   
   Also going on next to the Kimchi festival was the Design Biennale to which our boss gave us tickets. It is a huge art exhibition featuring work from over 130 artists from 44 different countries. The theme this year was 'Design is design is not design'. Although it was a little pretentious (as is a lot of modern art), it was definitely interesting to see some contemporary art on an internationally renown scale.