I just got back from Korea!

What amazing fun!

The flying time was 16 hours, which is insane, but it was worth it!

I stayed in an area called Bucheon, just outside of Seoul.

Landing at the airport, I was met by my excellent sponsor, Su-ji who greeted me with a gorgeous bouquet of purple flowers. It was great to get to know her and her husband (also a dancer) as they are very successful in Korea, with three bellydance studios! All of the arrangements they made for me were classy, smooth and fun!

On my first day I took a nice walk alone, down a long path where I happened upon many little Korean school children. It is always fun to get the fresh, un-jaded reaction from youth that they can deliver when seeing something unfamiliar that makes them so curious and giggly. I, being such a foreigner, stirred up many whispers and waves among them, which I returned with a big smile as I was just as eager to acknowledge the fascination of encountering something new.

From there, I was off to get a facial – Asian style! This was a gift from Su-ji and, I must say, it will probably last a lifetime as it took a full three hours!

The weekend was spent teaching 9 hours of classes and performing in a show. My students were wonderfully studious and excited and my performance was greeted with touching respect and enthusiasm. I had an excellent translator who works for an American Ambassador at the American Consulate in Seoul. She worked tirelessly aside me the whole weekend and was amazing at catching humor and metaphors which made it possible to cover some of the more spiritual and emotionally expressive aspects of the dance. The experience of working abroad with translators always points up the tremendous bond that bellydance creates among women across the entire world and illuminates the romance of cross- cultural experience.

I spent my day off with Su-ji who took me to an amazing king’s palaceSeoul where I was dressed by attendants in traditional Korean wear for photos on the grounds. This, of course, made me cry as I marveled at yet another gloriously moving experience on travel, doing what I love.

There is magic around this dance and I can’t begin to describe the pleasure it is to give and receive its gifts as I encounter group after group of women who are eager to celebrate in each others beauty and to hold up their guest instructors with the such reverence. It made me feel that I had stepped on the path of understanding that doing what you love does bring the ultimate prosperity of the heart, mind and soul.

Then off to the Korean market for shopping and tea!

And then, 16 hours to home!

Thank goodness, when I returned to Miami, I found my house, Mama and cats intact despite a direct hit from Hurricane Katrina. At the time, she was only a category 1. I freaked out when I saw that my gardens had been thrashed, but then we turned on the news and all of my heart went out to the victims hit worst by this amazing event and I understand how unbelievably lucky we are. My Mama is my hero, once again, as she went through the whole thing alone! She has quite the show must go on character, garnered from years of performance I imagine!

Now I am back to DVD prep, hosting my Godmother, Alexandra King in a workshop and show here in Miami, and then off to Philadelphia for more seminar and show fun!

Speak to you again soon!

Ansuya