Somehow a circle and music makes everything better...

This past weekend, Seoul Navigators met Korean high school students who will be participating in select activities with them throughout the program. As we transitioned from one icebreaker to the next, the nerves that usually accompany a first meeting went flying out the window. Students openly exchanged fun facts about themselves and weren't reluctant to gently push their neighbor out the way during an excited game of, "The Wind Blows if..." 

Shortly after, the group carried their high energy into a lively performance of Nanta in the heart of Seoul's eccletic art district, Hongdae (홍대). Nanta is a non-verbal contemporary musical performance that integrates rhythms from Samulnori, a traditional form of Korean drumming. After the performance, the students were invited to Seoul's broadway district, Daehakro (대학로), to learn how to play some of the same rhythms that they experienced during the show. What first seemed like an impossible task became increasingly feasible as the group gave way to the natural beat of the drums and collective rhythm of the room. After successfully completing the final song of the Nanta performance, the students were treated to a celebratory chat-and-chew with two of the performers. 

The students ended the weekend with their newly made Korean friends at the SM Town Artium in Gangnam's Starfield COEX Mall. After viewing a hollogram concert of Red Velvet, students toured the SM Town Museum, purchased coveted albums, and shopped at one of the largest and most popular malls in Korea. The evening concluded with boiling bowls of Samgyetang at another favorite family restaurant of BTS. Warm stomachs and smiles all around.