2004, May 20-23, Thursday-Sunday
KCON Poongmul Camp, Pocono, PA

 
-Chanhyuk Ko-
 Poongmul Fever was felt over the 4 days at Pocono with over 100 people from all over the East Coast. Everyday was filled with thrills and new people to meet. The first day only had half the attendants but as the days passed by, it had passed the 100 mark at its 6th year of the camp.

The people came from everywhere: KFAC (Buffalo), Cheon Ji In (Syracuse), DDKY (Stony Brook), Shim Tah (Cornell), Ho Heup (Columbia), Charm (FIT), Han Ma Eum (Harvard), Oori (MIT/Babson), Choom Kkeun Dul (Wellesley), College of NJ, Han Ool, Han So Ri (Fort Lee HS), Han Noo Ri, Shin Url (LeLand HS, San Jose), Ma Dang Pae Han, 149PP, B.U.K (Brooklyn Catholic Church). NYURI (NYU), Han Pan (Maryland), Georgetown, and Albany
Classes were divided into 7 divisions:
Beginner Jang Goo (SeungMin Lee, HeeYoung SunWoo), Intermediate Jang Goo(KyungHee Kang), Udo SulJangGoo (Chanhyuk Ko), PilBong SulJangGoo (Hanna Kang), Beginner / Intermediate KwaengGaRi(SeWoong Oh), and NalMae Bhook Choom (SungPil Yun)
Some people had never played Poongmul before, some had come to learn Poongmul in order to start a new group, some had many years of Poongmul experiences but there were still lots to learn.

The grand master chief Mr. SeJong Moh had took care of food for 100+ people. There were a lot of volumteers whom we call 'SunBae' to serve, cook foods, give rides and do all the chores that the participants couldn't think of.
Some came during their school exam week, some had waited long days for the camp.

Each day we had a lecturer speak about culture related topics. On the second day, we had learned Korean Folk songs. On the third day, we had a previous chief of culture and tourism talk about what roles do culture take in the global expansion scheme.
We thank each other for sparing each other's time and efforts to learn not only Poongmul but the culture itself that it was the best 100 Chi Bae Pan Gut we had ever experienced!!
A Full Circle
 -HeeYoung SunWoo-

 So where do I begin the “thank-you” speech? (hmmmm~). One thing that I'm sure we can all be thankful-for, for 2004 was the weather, so “thank-YOU mother nature~” ^_^. I'm sure a lot of us, because I know I was, was made into a liar this year when we say, “we all freeze-to-death at poongmul camp!!”, however this year, the weather was just perfect… so there it is, thanks to “perfection”, my lasting impression of camp 2004. And though “perfection” is the up-front image that remains in my mind, it is also the very backbone that holds this article's title “A Full Circle.”

The essence and importance of a circle is what I was taught when I first learned poongmul, and it is the very first thing that I teach to my hoobaes and other beginners… a circle: no beginning and no end (a cycle), no-one left behind remaining outside the circle (unity), and no matter how you twist its shape, it remains as-is (strength).

When we practice the simplest rhythm, 1 chae-Beat 1, we imagine the sound drawing a circle; when we practice either Sun-ban(standing-up) or Ahn-jeun ban(sitting down), we're in a circle; and when we practice the single most important aspect of poongmul, Ho-heup(breathing), we feel our body moving in a circular motion to create harmony. And for me personally, camp 2004 was the manifestation of the ideals of a circle in poongmul.

The summer of 2000 was my first poongmul camp, then hosted by Han-noo-ri, also at Lindenmere, PA. Back then, there couldn't have been more than 40-45 attendants and I could tell (regardless of the immense time, sweat, and coordination that must have went through it, I'm sure) that the original committee, per-se, did not have much idea of what they were doing =). It was a 2 nd year venture for Han-noo-ri and their network did not extend too far, except for a couple of poongmul paes from the tri-State region and the New-England area.



Now lets jump to camp 2004, it's theme “the ONE: poongmul.” Imagine if there ever were or will be an existence that brings together everyone from high-school students to (I'll just say) elders ^^, from people from the west and the east, from collegiate clubs to social organizations, from a person who's never even touched a poongmul instrument to people who live and die with poongmul (inside joke~), from international Koreans to 2 nd generation Korean-Americans, to friends and fellow poongmul players of other ethnicities… it'll simply be an assembly of individuals, representing their organizational identities that has brought them passion and joy, all the while, learning to unite with others and witness a communion of thoughts, feelings, humility, and bliss.

This is what 100+ people had the privilege of experiencing during a 4-day period. And we all owe this to everyone… each and everyone of you who participated in this event, who fulfilled their part to complete the circle.

You will not believe the view that I had on Saturday night in the cafeteria. I was standing on top of a table on the corner and the grandiose view that I had of 100+ poongmul players. I couldn't keep myself from smiling and the few of you who passed by me and smiled back at me, I'm sure you were having a great time, but probably no-one had the view and feeling that I had. The sounds of the swae's rang a tune in my ear (perhaps 20 gwaengari's were a bit too much, but I still got love for the gwaengari~), the Jangoos gave me goose-bumps and made the hair on the back of my neck stand, and the bhuks hit my chest so hard it made my heart skip a beat each time. It was amazing how the playing of a Sunbae(senior) player with their wisdom, complimented the playing of Hoobae(under-classmen) with their drive to succeed and become as good as their sunbaes.

SO~ here goes, the main event, the part that could have already been said and done, but I took the liberty of building-up to this moment =P… MADD PROPS to the committee organizers (for the names that I know, Hyundon hyung, Baekchun hyung, Wonyoung hyung, Chanhyuk hyung, Younghwan hyung, Youngsam, etc.) you guys were insane to even think of hosting such a large-scale camp, but you did it and we extend our utmost gratitude for what you've done; the host-Youngsam and hostess-Namyi, without your efforts the camp would not have been a smooth-ride, and it takes a real man and a woman of course, to deal with 100+ dazed-out people and keep us all in check; teachers (Chanhyuk hyung, Kyunghee hyung, Sungpil hyung, Seungmin, Sewoong, Hanna) it's thanks to your dedication that others can not only learn but continue to grow and mature as poongmul-ians, your knowledge will die without your guidance, you're like a Intangible treasure; to our undisputed, All-Time, Grand-Master-Chef for the 6 th consecutive year, Mr. Sejong Ah-juh-si, need I say more?

Your name, title, and reputation precedes you and carries US ALL through the days and nights; to our special-guest lecturers, your beliefs and inspirational discussions becomes a road-map for a ride that we should all take-part-in; the “quiet, behind-the-scene, no-one-ever-knows-what-you're-doing-or-why-you're-there” volunteers (the drivers, cleaners, cooking assistants, freelancers, etc.), sorry I can't mention your names cuz you're exactly what I said, we don't know who you are, but it is you that helps everything function, you never get the credit that you deserve and though you may not be expecting any recognition, it's all the more reason that we applaud you for your humble and selfless act; and to the rest of you, I mean c'mon… you deserve some sort of announcement, right? heheheh =)… it is you and the groups of you why the camp even exists, your active attendance that allows for this wonderful event to take place.



I intended this article to somehow conclude with a kick-ass punch-line that will bring together all 3-aspects of a circle that I mentioned (a cycle, unity, strength) previously, however I lost my track of thought and flow of writing over the past two days, so here's my impromtu conclusion!!

You see, poongmul always advocates that it brings people together, but does it really? Take into consideration the politics and issues involved, each other's pride of its own senitments of poongmul, historical and cultural disagreements, past animosities that has been left unresolved, discrepancies of how poongmul should be used in modern society and in the future. It's rather easy to go about our own business, do our own thing. Maybe we're doing this, maybe we're not, maybe it's just another obstacle that we have to come-over. Whatever it is that we're doing with poongmul, it is a cycle, we don't know how it all started, we don't when or if it'll end, but we continue our endeavor to achieve what we encourage… that poongmul will unite us all, not just Koreans, but all of us, the small representatives that was present between the dates of May 20-23 at Lindenmere, we were perhaps the first circle that was formed to provide not a strong unity, but rather a unity that will strengthen the future.