V-Day Until the violence stops!

In the dressing room before the show

I was recently in a bilingual production of the Vagina Monologues in Seoul and am proud to say we raised over $18,000 for KUMFA which is an organization in Korea that helps combat the discrimination that unwed mothers face here. Unwed mothers here are forced to either abort or put their children up for adoption. They rarely are allowed to keep the child for themselves. I feel proud to have raised money for this organization because it personally effects me. One of my greatest friends, Anna, was adopted from Korea as a young girl and her birth mother inevitably faced discrimination as a result of birthing such a beautiful soul.  

I take for granted that everyone knows what the monologues are about. It is a collection of women stories, thoughts and feelings about their vaginas'. It is not a show against men it is a show that raises money to end sexual violence world wide. It is a celebration of what makes women perfect. To learn more about  V-Day click on that link. 

The first time I did the Monologues was in Plattsburgh in 2002 and it was a much different experience. It was so uplifting and empowering. Unfortunately I didn't feel the same about this production. We didn't really have the opportunity to bond as a cast the way I would have liked to. I wasn't even able to learn their names or why they wanted to be in the production. I was looking forward to being in that strong female space filled with energy and light that only comes from a space full of vaginas. Unfortunately for me the male director put a dark cloud on that positive energy for many of us. He was actually the "co-director" but it didn't feel that way. He told me I needed to be sexier.... sexy is a state of mind not an article of clothing doucher! He told one of the angry vaginas to be less emotional... How does one deliver "My angry vagina" without a strong degree of emotion? I'm sure he is talented at stage direction but his presence was really not needed. I wish our female director had known how much we all trusted her and respected her and could have believed in herself enough not to ask for his help. Even though I wasn't able to make the connections I would have liked to I am still very proud to say that I continue to be a part of V-Day (anyone want to help me put it on in Plattsburgh next year?). I met some great women and we did share some special moments on that stage. I know we all feel great about helping out this place that has been our home away from home. We even got blogged about  Expat Chris's Blog

My actress bio poster

Sidewalk advertising

The Moaners
Me, Christine and Krystal

We opened the show
Christine, Courtney and Me

Some of the V-Cast
 Derrika, Me, Courtney, Christine, Ada, Michelle
Khiana,Dari and Yeon Hee Yoo 

Sunday Funday

The last two Sundays I have gotten together with my buds to play. Last Sunday I started my Sunday Funday at the last FC Seoul game of the season. It was the championship game and the energy in the World Cup stadium was amazing. I was in rough shape for the first part of the game due to a little too much fun the night before in Hongdae. There were thousands of fans there clapping, chanting, singing and in general just enjoying the merriment of a championship game. Not the most comforting place for someone with a killer hangover and a headache that made every inch of my body hurt.

Brittny, Sophia and Barbara

Me and Lizzy

The FC Seoul Fan club

The fan club really helps to make the day a great time. They chant and sing and wave these huge banners. Can you imagine a sporting event in the states that would allow a fan to light up a flare in the stadium? That shit would get shut down in a second.

Flares and all

The team won the championship and although I didn't follow them the entire season I was very emotional when it became clear that they won the trophy. To thank the fans the team and their coaches bowed all the way to the ground showing the fans the ultimate respect.

The team giving the fans the ultimate bow. Very nice.

Not to worry though my hangover subsided and I joined the rest of my friends at the Wolfhound for some pitchers of Cass, yummy pub food which is always wonderful for a hangover. We laughed with each other, shared stories, mended strained relationships and made fun of people. Making fun of people is one of the things that we do best. Not just in a mean you don't deserve it way but in a "You haven't worn shoes in 6 years? You are a fucking freak" kind of way. Of course we took the time to make fun of this girl who passed out at around 7:00 pm.

Who hasn't been there.....

Yesterday we got together at the Wolfhound again to celebrate Sunday with some pitchers and laughter. This time Laura and Carl were able to join us for the entire day although some of the girls were missed because they had to be responsible and stayed home to do report cards. I really love my life here and I am so lucky to have found such good friends to have fun with. Sunday Funday can make Monday a rough way to start the week but I wouldn't trade it for a second.