May-9-2012 KSNE Vol.13, No.18

Page 16 2012년 5월 9일 수요일 한인회보English Section

Tradition Today and Tomorrow Shake Hands in Clay Ceramics Festivals in Korea

The Icheon Ceramics Festival and the Yeoju Ceramics Festival are held around the same time in spring but their programs and themes are not quite the same

A master craftsman demonstrates how to shape pottery by hand with artistic touches (photo courtesy of Icheon City)

The two cities of Icheon and Yeoju in the province of Gyeonggi-do are famous for pottery Both are excellent locations for the production of ceramics as they abound in kaolin (aka porcelain clay) clean water and pine wood suitable for firing kilns However this doesnrsquot mean that these two cities produce the same types of ceramics Icheon is considered the modern mecca of Korean pottery It has long been a home to masters who add artistry to their creations Yeoju is the center of functional ceramic products used in our daily lives It produces over 40 percent of the ceramic products for everyday purposes in South Korea

These two cities lure throngs of tourists who are eager to get their hands dirty with clay during the popular ceramics festivals every spring

The Icheon Ceramics Festival (wwwceramicorkr)

This spring marks the 27th Icheon Ceramics Festival which takes place in and around Seolbong Park in Icheon from April 28 to May 20 This 23-day festival with the theme ldquoCeramics Sharing and Relaxationrdquo features hands-on activities for inner healing and relaxation and is joined by more than 150 pottery studios You can spend a full day as a potter create your own artwork and even stage a performance using your imagina-tion in which you express with gestures the struggle of perseverance that firewood and ceramics go through in a kiln

Making their own pottery children shape exciting memories (photo courtesy of Icheon City)

In addition to these activities are special exhibitions such as an exhibition about tea and ceramics exhibitions by korearsquos master potters an exhibition of more than 5000 mak-geolli cups an exhibition of popular pieces that are recommended by designers and an exhibition of pieces that have been popular among collectors over the past year As Icheon is a town of artistic ceramics simply browsing these exhibits is an uncommon joy and an opportunity to discover how beautiful Korean ceramics truly are

If you want to relish the beautiful scenery of the city as well as its culture donrsquot miss the Dolle Dolle Ceramic Trip a tour that connects the site of the festival with the other attractions of Icheon In Potters Teaching Me you will learn techniques of experts the

pottery

The festival charges KRW 5000 (approx USD 5) per person part of which is reim-bursed in the form of gift certificates that you can use during the festival

The Yeoju Ceramics Festival (wwwyeojuceramiccom)

The 24th Yeoju Ceramics Festival takes place around Silleuksa a temple with a his-tory of over 1000 years in Yeoju The festival runs for 23 days from April 21 to May 13 Here tradition meets modernity with displays of new products that bring beauty into our lives and number of hands-on activities Exhibitions are another major draw including the Yeoju Namhangang Ceramics Exhibition led by young potters in Yeoju the Judo (Drinking Etiquette)

Exhibition where drinking vessels and other liquor vessels are displayed and sold and a relay of special exhibitions that feature the works of 100 potters from across the coun-try who produce pottery for everyday purposes These exhibitions are especially good opportunities for visitors to relish the artwork of Onggijang (a master potter of onggi a type of traditional Korean earthenware pottery) Sagijang (a master potter of sagi a type of traditional Korean porcelain) and master potters from Yeoju

You can also purchase ready-made products on site (photo courtesy of Icheon City)

There are even shopping malls where artistic and practical ceramics produced in Yeoju are sold at deep discounts Visitors can also carve out unforgettable memories through fun activities such as throwing baseballs or bowling balls at ceramic targets making shapes of fish and other animals with clay and painting gypsum models of popular cartoon characters like Pororo (Source Korea Magazine)

The New England Korean NewsEnglish Version English Editor Eugenia Kim

뉴잉글랜드한인회 대한민국 알리미청소년 자원봉사단의 후원자가 되어 주세요

KSNE Volunteer programs to promote Korea

KSNE 한국 알리미 청소년 자원봉사단 서포터스가 되어 주세요~~~대한민국을 홍보하는 우리의 청소년들이 여러분의 도움을 기다리고 있습니다여러분들의 작은 정성이 우리 청소년들에게 큰 힘이 될것입니다

기부금 보내실 주소 13 Campbell Street Woburn MA 01801Payable to KSNE (메모란에 청소년기부 라고 적어 주시기 바랍니다)

여러분들의 기부금 전액은 청소년봉사활동 운영 경비와 장학금으로 사용됩니다

대한민국 알리미 청소년 자원봉사단원들이 지역 공립 도서관에 대한민국의 도서를 기증하는 활동은 물론 현재 우리 봉사단은 한국 전래동화를 영어로 재 집필하고 있습니다 이들이 집필한 한국의 전래동화를 미국 아이들에게 소개하여 대한민국의우수한 문화를 널리 홍보하고자 하오니 뜻 있는 한인 사회 모든분들의 적극적인후원을 부탁드립니다

2012년 5월 9일 수요일 Page 17 한인회보 English Section

Ask Ducky (askduckygmailcom)

ASK DUCKY

The New England Korean NewsEnglish Version English Editor Eugenia Kim

Dear Ducky My best friend recently told me that they are having family issues He said that his parents are fighting at night when him and his sister are behind doors She weeps but as the eldest he must stay strong As a boy whorsquos mom left him when he was young you would think that I know how to deal with this trauma However I donrsquot I never know what to tell him and when he runs to me for help what am I supposed to say I know that he is much stronger than me but on the outside I look like the strong friend As I grow close to six feet and lift weights I look tougher but on the inside I know hersquos the better man What can I tell him Equal Times

Dear Equal Times Tell him exactly what you wrote in your question howev-er donrsquot add the fact that you are much weaker than him If you would like to tell him that you are getting through it and so can he He already knows that he needs to look after his sister but he wants to hear the advice of some-one he looks up to When this is the case you need to tell him what he wants to hear as well as the truth With an equal mix of both hope for his recovery and that of his parentsrsquo too Good luckDucky

Dear DuckyFinals are just around the corner but because of my SAT prep I havenrsquot been able to study for all six finals that I have this year I really should have taken AP courses be-cause they donrsquot have finals but I even have to study for my Art final Since when do art classes have art finals I do not know but they do now so I have to make time to study for that and my next SAT As a junior I am extremely stressed out with all my work but I am glad that itrsquos over I donrsquot want my summer to come because that means I have a few months until I have to start applying for col-leges also To take off some of the work I didnrsquot take any of the four or five AP courses I wanted to take but now in the end it is more work not to take them What can I do to alleviate the stress of finalsSincerely Stressed Tests

Dear Stressed Tests Most students do not take that many AP courses and even if they donrsquot have a final they usually have an end-of-year project that takes up just as much work so know that many of the your peers are going through the same pressures However to alleviate this stress is another is-sue Are there any liquids such as tea that calms your nerves For some itrsquos warm milk and for others itrsquos just a quart of water Whatever it is drink it while studying Also try studying for one subject per day and then re-viewing the material from the day before continuously on every passing day For this method to work you must study your hardest subject first and the course that takes the least amount of studying on the last day This may be your art final but because I do not know which tests you have planned for you you need to do this planning on your own Have fun studying and good luckDucky

Dear Ducky Who can I turn to This is the question I have been asking myself for a very long time I donrsquot want to be judged and I donrsquot want to even tell anyone about my life but there are times when I wish I had a best friend someone that I can tell my deepest secrets to and they wouldnrsquot leave

my side But with that description it fits a dog but I al-ready have a lizard and so I tell him Micky my pet lizard doesnrsquot respond and give me advice though He only lis-tens as he drinks water closes his eyes and eats crickets I feel like no one cares so who should I tell Sincerely A box

Dear A box A lot of kids at your school would listen to you if you just started to talk Most people are nice enough to lis-ten to troubles but a professional who can help you is your school counselor If you still feel that your lizard is your best friend in hard times you are presenting to me that you are in need of someone to talk to That is why I do not think talking to your lizard is helpful if you want feedback from your story Your parents can help you with advice or your newly made friends but if you want a listenermdashknow that Micky is always going to be there for youHave a great dayDucky

Dear Ducky I dated a guy two years ago and we had a rocky relation-ship The relationship seemed like a great idea at first but as interferences came in the way a mutual close-to-hate came up and we broke it off within four weeks of official dating Officially dating in modern terms seems to be be-ing Facebook official but it really ruined our relationship Now that it has been two full years and we are away from the awkwardness break ups sometimes bring I would like to go back into the dating force however no one seems interested I never show interest first in a guy because I have always felt that it is a manrsquos thing to do however Irsquod like someone to lean on when I am tired or sad How can I be Facebook lsquosinglersquo again and ready to move on from my past relationship mishaps Sincerely Moving on

Dear mover Truthfully it is hard to tell people you are available be-sides holding up a sign above your head everyday stating it Also relationships should be a commitment through love not because you just need a random guy to lean on It may because you are trying too much that no one is interested If someone tries to get a relationship that is never an ethical thing to do or does it end up with a guy who sincerely cares for you When you are tired or sad lean of your friends parents or siblings who are always there for you whether you ldquobreak uprdquo or not It is pos-sible to want a boyfriend for these reasons however sin-cerely your significant other should be there because you have loved them not because they seem interested in you The Relationship Duck

Dear Ducky How does one deal with big lies that cannot be taken back I have a friend who lies about everything and I find them out She cheated on a huge test earlier this year by writ-ing her notes in an orange pen on her fingers and writing down her answers with the correct answer on the exam She lied to her mother about where she goes after school She turned in an essay by reading Spark Notes and pay-ing a freshman to do the work for her All of these huge problems have been looked over by different adults and even me I accidentally saw her hands during the exam I read her essay and before I had read Spark Notes I saw the transaction between her and her freshman worker and well she told me straight out about her lies to her mom I

used to respect her for being such a great student but after a few glances at her ethics even her own work looks as a cheat It is hard to get past the stereotype of cheater Am I supposed to tell someone about her I have told a few people who I thought would be able to help me get through this but they all told me to mind my own business Sincerely Bystander

Dear Bystander Telling you to mind your own business means to let her continue to go down a path where many failed men have gone These situations are tricky because not only will your friend be embarrassed but depending on the type of person they can lash out at you too Therefore the best way would go to her teacher counselor or dean and catch her in the act because telling that you saw her writ-ing on her hands is not strong evidence If you feel nega-tively about her you may even call her out in front of people however again there is an issue of anger Finally you can cut all communication with her and let her live her own life As long as you are not influenced and you do not feel some great dire need to help her let it go off to catch her in the end Ducky the Teacher

Dear Ducky A new girl came to our school and she acts as if she is queen of some I donrsquot know say Monaco I actually have no idea where that is but she acts as if she is some model out of fashion magazine except shersquos not Her confidence confounds people and feels a short-lived respect for her until you get to know her Her life is a life full of lies All of her academic achievements are all one day activi-ties that she states that she had worked extremely hard for Or in class she gives great examples of past community service projects she does but after class when kids ask she says that it was obviously just to get the teachers to write her great college applications And worst her fake face of pretending as if she has gone to so many places done so many things and knows much more about you than yourself is all a lie In my life I have never met any-one so fake that it is scary to see how she has built her life upon lie after lie I donrsquot even want to help her get out of her big mess of lies I want to see her step up over every-one on her mound of lies and get pushed by someone she cares to impress and roll down the hill get scrapes at every sharp edge that juts out of the pile equivalent to a moment where a person fell for her lies Will her lies come back to haunt her in the end Sincerely One of the jagged points in her pile of theoretical items

Dear Scrape-maker It seems by reading your script that her lies have af-fected people in more than becoming the teacherrsquos pet First her lies are just a problem for herself If her life is all a lie I am a hundred percent certain that yes she will get to the top of her little landfill that you she made for herself and as she is doing that she will be a digging a grave next to it If you are not affected by her lies and it is only herself she is hurting there is not much you can do especially because she does not seem to be your friend However the one thing you can do is wait for her to realize that material wealth is not as great as actually going out and doing the community service she says she has done experiencing new adventures and also just liv-ing her own life instead a life of a supernatural being who sounds just awesome Ducky the Right