Postmarked: April, 2009:Western Folklife Center programs coordinator Tamara Kubacki is traveling in South Korea. She'll be sending back postcards as she journeys through the country, meeting people and experiencing the culture.
First Day: Here I am with my friend Aimee, who is living in South Korea to learn Hanji, or traditional papermaking. She took me to Bukchon, a historic district in Seoul. The Hanok, or style of house found in Bukchon, have not been altered or destroyed, and maintain their architectural history.
From there, we visited Aimee's dyeing teacher, who let me dye two scarves using turmeric. It's a long process, with many steps. Mostly, I dunked the scarves in various baths: rinse, dye, rinse, set in an alum mordant, rinse, dye, rinse, set in an alum mordant, rinse, and, if desired, set in an iron mordant then hang to dry.
Finally, we walked around Seoul and took in the city life. We ate bi bim bop for dinner, and chatted to some middle-school aged girls who were practicing their English.
Saturday is the celebration of Buddha's birthday (which I'll miss--Happy Birthday, Buddha!), so there are preparations being made throughout the city. We passed a temple that looked very much like a car dealership until I noticed all the monks coming in and out. The celebration on Saturday will have a lantern parade, hints of the beauty of thousands of lanterns are evident hanging throughout the streets and in front of temples.
Tomorrow we'll visit Namsan Tower to take in a bird's-eye view of Seoul.
Last Day: Today is my last day in South Korea. I've had plenty of delicious, Korean food, such as bi bim bap and kong guk su. I've visited some tourist attractions like Namsan Tower, which overlooks the city of Seoul, and I've done a good bit of shopping. The best part of the trip has been meeting Aimee's teachers. She is studying traditional paper making or hanji. We went to her weaving lesson, which lasted about five hours, though Aimee tells me they usually run seven hours or more. It's a good thing they fed us! 
On Thursday we went past the city limits to Gapyeong, where we visited a paper mill. Everything is still done by hand--even the buildings. I tried my hand at making hanji in a huge vat. You have to swing the screen forward and back then left and right while dipping it into the pulpy water. It's a lot harder than it looks. They will definitely have to recycle the paper sheets I made. Hanji is made from the inside of the bark of the mulberry tree. 
Friday we spent shopping and eating. The celebrations for Buddha's birthday have started, so we visited a couple temples, including one that had an exhibition on using natural dyes. Before I fly out today, we're going to try to have a meal at the temple in Aimee's neighborhood. It's been an exciting trip, full of interesting sights, generous people, tasty food and a good visit with an old friend.
-Tamara Kubacki
