Happy Thanksgiving! I hope everyone is enjoying their Thanksgiving weekend with family and friends while remembering to give thanks for the many blessings God has given us. I was able to get a traditional Thanksgiving meal several times over the past week, so I'm not lacking in the turkey category. I was also able to watch a little bit of football, which really made it feel like Thanksgiving (my dad did a good job training me in that respect). I'm also thankful that the cold I had this week is starting to get better, due in part to having two days off school. Hallelujah for school breaks! The extra rest has helped a lot.
The thing I am most thankful for right now are many friends to celebrate the holiday with this year, which makes up a little bit for not being able to spend it with family. There are three groups in particular that I am thankful for (yes, there is some overlap among the groups).
Group 1: The PICS community. I am grateful for the staff community that exists at PICS. This group includes the other teachers, the staff members, and all of their families. One of the reasons this year is going so well is because of these people. They all care and are concerned about others. They've helped me when my carpal tunnel has acted up and told me where to find things or how to do something in Korea. It's a very fun group that is able to tease each other but can get serious when the situation calls for it.
Group 2: My church family. One of the things I was concerned about in moving was the kind of church I would be able to find. I have been very blessed to be a part of Mission Baptist Church (MBC). The church is made up of people from around the world, though mainly Americans and Koreans. With Osan Air Base just a few blocks away, there are many people at MBC who in the military. I am very thankful that I've been able to get involved in a wonderful women's Sunday school class. I've also become part of a Sunday "lunch crew." Every week after church I have lunch with the same group. There's usually about 8-10 of us, and sometimes we hang out at other times throughout the week (like we did last night). Because of the nature of the church's situation, the specific people in the group are a little bit in flux, simply because people come and go all the time. One of the members of the lunch crew recently went back to the States. In a few months, a couple more will be gone. But, just as people move on, we also get new people in our group. I'm very grateful that I have found MBC and become a member.
Group 3: My roommates. I am very thankful for my two roommates, Kari and Jennifer. Though we all come from different backgrounds and have different experiences, we all get along well. We have a lot of fun hanging out and talking. These two girls are my closest friends in Korea, the ones I can tell everything I'm think and feeling. I'm very thankful that I have found those kinds of friends here. We spent this afternoon decorating our apartment for Christmas, putting up our tree and listening to Christmas music. Then, we wrapped our presents and put them under our tree. We got most of the shopping for our families done when we were in Seoul a few weeks ago, so we really don't have to worry about it anymore. Now we can just enjoy our festive apartment, like I am doing as I write this post next to our Christmas tree with the lights blinking in the dark.
I am also thankful that in less than 1 month I will be back in Iowa for Christmas! I am looking forward to seeing my family and friends that I haven't seen since July. The new friends I've made here are great, but I'm excited to catch up with the old ones as well. All of your prayers and support have been much appreciated. I couldn't do what I'm doing without them.
Oh, and in case you were wondering, Fall Festival went very well. We raised a lot of money for the school, and there were no issues with Balloon Darts in my room. Everything went very smoothly, including when my roommate Kari got a pie thrown in her face.
Saturday, November 24, 2012
Thursday, November 15, 2012
All Work and No Play...
Where has the time gone? I feel like time is just flying by! I feel like I just got to Korea, but in reality, it's almost Thanksgiving and I've been here for almost 4 months. Life has really settled in over the past 4 months, especially in the past few weeks. While most of my life is pretty boring--wake up, go to school, tutor, come home from school, grade, and go to bed--I have taken the time to do something other than school the past few weeks.
First, I went up to Seoul with my roommates last weekend. We went to Insadong, which is a street in Seoul with lots of shopping. It is known for its art galleries, everything from paintings to pottery. Insadong is also a great place for souvenir type items, which happen to make great Christmas gifts. When we were in Insadong, I also bought a painting/wall hanging. These Korean paintings are painted on a thick, heavy paper and then mounted on a decorative background. There's a wooden rod on the bottom to help it hang straight, plus a ribbon at the top to hang it. I love these paintings! Most of the designs are of the Korean landscape, filled with mountains, trees, flowers, streams, and lakes. They are gorgeous! I bought one when I was here for student teaching, which is still in the States. I promised myself I would buy another one when I got to Korea to hang in my bedroom here, and I finally did it last weekend. Now I really smile every time I walk into my bedroom!
Here are some pictures from Insadong, including one with my roommate Jennifer. It was really crowded the day we went.
Now, before I go any farther, I'd like to take a few minutes to ask a few questions. What is the most commercialized holiday? What holiday was created solely to help a company sell more of its product?
If you answered Christmas or Mother's Day to either of the above questions, then you need to hear about Pepero Day. What is Pepero Day, you may ask? Pepero Day is celebrated on 11/11, and it is a day where you give Pepero to your friends, to your parents, to your teachers, etc. Now, I know most of you are wondering, what is Pepero? Well, Pepero is a Korean treat. It is a cookie stick dipped in chocolate. There a few different kinds: original, which is just regular chocolate; almond, which has pieces of almond stuck in the chocolate; and strawberry, which is strawberry flavored chocolate. The original are my favorite. Pepero Day was created by the company that makes Pepero as a way to sell more Pepero. And it worked! It is a very popular holiday, especially with kids. Student council did a fundraiser selling Peperograms, where students could buy Pepero to give to their friends, with a special note, that student council would deliver on Pepero Day. Since 11/11 was a Sunday this year, they did the deliveries on Friday. And, in case you were wondering, I did get Pepero from several of my students, including some homemade Pepero. It was yummy! Here's a picture of some of it:
Another fun thing going on right now is Fall Festival. Fall Festival is held at school every year, and every class creates and runs a carnival game out of its room. I am the 9th grade class sponsor, and they decided to run a game of Balloon Darts out of my room. Fall Festival is tonight, and they are getting ready right now. They just finished blowing up hundreds of balloons, creating a balloon mountain in one corner of my room.
Hopefully everything goes well tonight and there are no balloon avalanches! Or anymore water balloons like the one I just confiscated...
First, I went up to Seoul with my roommates last weekend. We went to Insadong, which is a street in Seoul with lots of shopping. It is known for its art galleries, everything from paintings to pottery. Insadong is also a great place for souvenir type items, which happen to make great Christmas gifts. When we were in Insadong, I also bought a painting/wall hanging. These Korean paintings are painted on a thick, heavy paper and then mounted on a decorative background. There's a wooden rod on the bottom to help it hang straight, plus a ribbon at the top to hang it. I love these paintings! Most of the designs are of the Korean landscape, filled with mountains, trees, flowers, streams, and lakes. They are gorgeous! I bought one when I was here for student teaching, which is still in the States. I promised myself I would buy another one when I got to Korea to hang in my bedroom here, and I finally did it last weekend. Now I really smile every time I walk into my bedroom!
Here are some pictures from Insadong, including one with my roommate Jennifer. It was really crowded the day we went.
Now, before I go any farther, I'd like to take a few minutes to ask a few questions. What is the most commercialized holiday? What holiday was created solely to help a company sell more of its product?
If you answered Christmas or Mother's Day to either of the above questions, then you need to hear about Pepero Day. What is Pepero Day, you may ask? Pepero Day is celebrated on 11/11, and it is a day where you give Pepero to your friends, to your parents, to your teachers, etc. Now, I know most of you are wondering, what is Pepero? Well, Pepero is a Korean treat. It is a cookie stick dipped in chocolate. There a few different kinds: original, which is just regular chocolate; almond, which has pieces of almond stuck in the chocolate; and strawberry, which is strawberry flavored chocolate. The original are my favorite. Pepero Day was created by the company that makes Pepero as a way to sell more Pepero. And it worked! It is a very popular holiday, especially with kids. Student council did a fundraiser selling Peperograms, where students could buy Pepero to give to their friends, with a special note, that student council would deliver on Pepero Day. Since 11/11 was a Sunday this year, they did the deliveries on Friday. And, in case you were wondering, I did get Pepero from several of my students, including some homemade Pepero. It was yummy! Here's a picture of some of it:
Another fun thing going on right now is Fall Festival. Fall Festival is held at school every year, and every class creates and runs a carnival game out of its room. I am the 9th grade class sponsor, and they decided to run a game of Balloon Darts out of my room. Fall Festival is tonight, and they are getting ready right now. They just finished blowing up hundreds of balloons, creating a balloon mountain in one corner of my room.
Hopefully everything goes well tonight and there are no balloon avalanches! Or anymore water balloons like the one I just confiscated...
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Alien, Fish, Plane
No, this isn't some sort of weird new game my students taught me. This is not a new version of rock, paper, scissors (though that game is very popular for decision making in Korea). No, it's not suggestions for Halloween costumes. Instead, it's a summary of my life for the past three weeks.
You may have noticed my lack of blog posts. Well, I've been busy. And while "alien, fish, plane" doesn't entirely explain the madness, it's a pretty good start.
Alien: I am now officially an alien. While you may be thinking that I've been one for a while, I am now legally acknowledged to be an alien--an alien resident in South Korea, that is. I couple weeks ago I finally got my Alien Registration Card, which is basically my ID card while I live in Korea. This means that all my paperwork is officially done. This is what my big visit to immigration was all about in September. Usually, this is all taken care of within the first few weeks of moving to Korea, but changes in regulations meant we had to wait a little longer to do it this time. But never fear, it was done in plenty of time, and now I am a legal alien.
One of the benefits of having my alien card is that I now have a Korean ID. That means I could get a contract cell phone if I wanted one. It also means that I can get a Costco membership. Yes, Korea has Costco. There are 7 locations in Korea, 4 of which are in the Seoul area. A group from the school goes about every 6-8 weeks to stock up on different items. Costco is nice because, besides allowing us to buy in bulk, it provides us with the opportunity to buy more "American" products. We are able to get products at Costco that we aren't able to get anywhere else in Korea. Some of it is more costly, but it is nice to be able buy some American things. Costco is the best place to go for cheese and sometimes meat. They also have more American brands of cereal, crackers, and candy. There are other items that appeal more to the Korean customer, ones that wouldn't show up in American stores--huge tubs of red pepper paste, for instance. The Koreans use it to season their food (Korean food tends to be spicy), so it is a staple. My Costco membership is also good in the States, so when I'm back in Iowa for Christmas or summer, I can stop by in case my family wants/needs anything.
Fish: The end of first quarter was last week, which meant loads of grading to finish up, plus getting grades done. It definitely kept me busy, especially as we had parent/teacher conferences immediately following the end of the quarter. Normally, the school doesn't have conferences immediately following the end of the quarter (it's usually the following week), but because of the volleyball tournament, they moved conferences up a week. Great so the coaches could be at conferences, but horrible timing for the end of the quarter. But I survived. I had a couple students fail, and I had to give their parents the (expected) bad news at conferences. The parents of all 9th grade students, as well as Ds and Fs were required to attend. It was optional for the other parents. Most of the parents who came were of the required students, but I was still fairly busy and didn't get as much other work done as I expected to.
However, end of the quarter and parent/teacher conferences was a stressful, exhausting time, so some of us decided to do something to celebrate the end of conferences. After conferences on Friday, we went to a salon right off the Strip for pedicures and Dr. Fish. We started with Dr. Fish, which is where you stick your feet in a pool of fish and they eat the dead skin off. It was a lot of fun! They don't tickle nearly as much as you might expect, and once you get used to them, you barely notice them at all. After we cleaned off all the dead skin, most of us also got pedicures to complete the relaxation time. Definitely worth it after a long week!
Plane: Songtan, where I live, is home to Osan Air Base. Osan AB hosts an air show once a year in October, and this year's show was last weekend. Attendance is open to the public, as long as you show ID. For me, this means I had to show my passport in order to get on base. I went with my roommate Kari, and while we had to wait in line for about 45 minutes to get in the gate (lots of people!), we had a blast. The air show had planes on display as well as demonstrations of different types of aircraft. The Black Eagles, the Korean flying demonstration team (equivalent of the Blue Angels), performed. Overall, it was really cool to see the different aircraft and hear about and see their capabilities. Kari's dad was in the Air Force, so she grew up around these planes. As a result, she was really nice to have as a companion, full of knowledge that I otherwise wouldn't have known, like what kinds of missions the different air craft are designed for. The only bad thing about the air show was it made me miss my dad. He really likes airplanes, so I knew he would have loved to be at the air show with me. He would have been much more fascinated by the inner workings of the planes, whereas I thought, "Oh, that one looks cool" and just kept right on walking.
Well, that's the summary of the past few weeks of my life. Start of a new quarter means lots of planning to do as we tend to start new units about this time. This week the 9th graders are starting to read Lord of the Flies, and next week the 12th graders are starting The Scarlet Letter. The grading also starts back up this week, with papers and tests to grade. Oh well. 'Tis the life of an English teacher. My wrist somehow managed to survive end of the quarter and conferences just fine (hooray!), though it's been hurting for the past 24 hours or so. Pray that the pain will subside and I will have no difficulties completing all my grading over the next few days.
You may have noticed my lack of blog posts. Well, I've been busy. And while "alien, fish, plane" doesn't entirely explain the madness, it's a pretty good start.
Alien: I am now officially an alien. While you may be thinking that I've been one for a while, I am now legally acknowledged to be an alien--an alien resident in South Korea, that is. I couple weeks ago I finally got my Alien Registration Card, which is basically my ID card while I live in Korea. This means that all my paperwork is officially done. This is what my big visit to immigration was all about in September. Usually, this is all taken care of within the first few weeks of moving to Korea, but changes in regulations meant we had to wait a little longer to do it this time. But never fear, it was done in plenty of time, and now I am a legal alien.
One of the benefits of having my alien card is that I now have a Korean ID. That means I could get a contract cell phone if I wanted one. It also means that I can get a Costco membership. Yes, Korea has Costco. There are 7 locations in Korea, 4 of which are in the Seoul area. A group from the school goes about every 6-8 weeks to stock up on different items. Costco is nice because, besides allowing us to buy in bulk, it provides us with the opportunity to buy more "American" products. We are able to get products at Costco that we aren't able to get anywhere else in Korea. Some of it is more costly, but it is nice to be able buy some American things. Costco is the best place to go for cheese and sometimes meat. They also have more American brands of cereal, crackers, and candy. There are other items that appeal more to the Korean customer, ones that wouldn't show up in American stores--huge tubs of red pepper paste, for instance. The Koreans use it to season their food (Korean food tends to be spicy), so it is a staple. My Costco membership is also good in the States, so when I'm back in Iowa for Christmas or summer, I can stop by in case my family wants/needs anything.
Fish: The end of first quarter was last week, which meant loads of grading to finish up, plus getting grades done. It definitely kept me busy, especially as we had parent/teacher conferences immediately following the end of the quarter. Normally, the school doesn't have conferences immediately following the end of the quarter (it's usually the following week), but because of the volleyball tournament, they moved conferences up a week. Great so the coaches could be at conferences, but horrible timing for the end of the quarter. But I survived. I had a couple students fail, and I had to give their parents the (expected) bad news at conferences. The parents of all 9th grade students, as well as Ds and Fs were required to attend. It was optional for the other parents. Most of the parents who came were of the required students, but I was still fairly busy and didn't get as much other work done as I expected to.
However, end of the quarter and parent/teacher conferences was a stressful, exhausting time, so some of us decided to do something to celebrate the end of conferences. After conferences on Friday, we went to a salon right off the Strip for pedicures and Dr. Fish. We started with Dr. Fish, which is where you stick your feet in a pool of fish and they eat the dead skin off. It was a lot of fun! They don't tickle nearly as much as you might expect, and once you get used to them, you barely notice them at all. After we cleaned off all the dead skin, most of us also got pedicures to complete the relaxation time. Definitely worth it after a long week!
Plane: Songtan, where I live, is home to Osan Air Base. Osan AB hosts an air show once a year in October, and this year's show was last weekend. Attendance is open to the public, as long as you show ID. For me, this means I had to show my passport in order to get on base. I went with my roommate Kari, and while we had to wait in line for about 45 minutes to get in the gate (lots of people!), we had a blast. The air show had planes on display as well as demonstrations of different types of aircraft. The Black Eagles, the Korean flying demonstration team (equivalent of the Blue Angels), performed. Overall, it was really cool to see the different aircraft and hear about and see their capabilities. Kari's dad was in the Air Force, so she grew up around these planes. As a result, she was really nice to have as a companion, full of knowledge that I otherwise wouldn't have known, like what kinds of missions the different air craft are designed for. The only bad thing about the air show was it made me miss my dad. He really likes airplanes, so I knew he would have loved to be at the air show with me. He would have been much more fascinated by the inner workings of the planes, whereas I thought, "Oh, that one looks cool" and just kept right on walking.
Well, that's the summary of the past few weeks of my life. Start of a new quarter means lots of planning to do as we tend to start new units about this time. This week the 9th graders are starting to read Lord of the Flies, and next week the 12th graders are starting The Scarlet Letter. The grading also starts back up this week, with papers and tests to grade. Oh well. 'Tis the life of an English teacher. My wrist somehow managed to survive end of the quarter and conferences just fine (hooray!), though it's been hurting for the past 24 hours or so. Pray that the pain will subside and I will have no difficulties completing all my grading over the next few days.
Saturday, October 6, 2012
Because of Love
The past few weeks God has really been reminding me to remember the cross and what Christ's death really means. With moving to a new country, I spend a lot of time focused on myself and on what I need to do or figure out. However, God has been tugging at my heart, turning it back to himself, prodding me to seriously meditate on the Cross. So, as part of that meditation, I have written a poem about Christ's sacrifice and God's love. I share it as a reminder to myself and so you can see what I've been struggling with. My prayer is that it points you to Christ and what He's done for all of us.
"Because of Love"
Jesus Christ, Son of God
And Son of Man
Came to earth to die
For my sins
Because of love.
I have done nothing to deserve
This gift, yet here it is.
My sins are piles of trash,
Rotting in the streets, putrid.
But still He came and died
Because of love.
Looming great in my mind,
Ever present and large,
Stands the cross, the cross of Calvary.
How could I forget what God has done
Because of love.
I can only stand in awe and
Amazement because of Christ's sacrifice,
Generous, gracious, and undeserved.
Why would the Son of God humble himself?
Because of love.
Yet, how often do I forget?
How often do I act like
Christ has done nothing,
Like His sacrifice is worthless?
Because of love
He came and died.
Died for me, died for you.
Every day I should remember and praise
His Holy Name for His mercy and grace
Because of love.
This love surpasses all:
It goes beyond what any man
Could measure or comprehend.
God sent His only Son
Because of love.
My life is changed;
I am no longer the same.
I no longer serve myself,
But Christ who lives in me
Because of love.
The power of His love
Far surpasses anything else.
Blind see and lame walk,
Sins are forgiven and washed away
Because of love.
How do I live as a result?
I give my life to Christ,
All of it.
Nothing is my own anymore
Because of love.
My life is given in service to God,
Wherever and whenever it may take me.
Sharing this great gift, never silent,
The entire world needs to hear.
And He gets all the glory
Because of love.
"Because of Love"
Jesus Christ, Son of God
And Son of Man
Came to earth to die
For my sins
Because of love.
I have done nothing to deserve
This gift, yet here it is.
My sins are piles of trash,
Rotting in the streets, putrid.
But still He came and died
Because of love.
Looming great in my mind,
Ever present and large,
Stands the cross, the cross of Calvary.
How could I forget what God has done
Because of love.
I can only stand in awe and
Amazement because of Christ's sacrifice,
Generous, gracious, and undeserved.
Why would the Son of God humble himself?
Because of love.
Yet, how often do I forget?
How often do I act like
Christ has done nothing,
Like His sacrifice is worthless?
Because of love
He came and died.
Died for me, died for you.
Every day I should remember and praise
His Holy Name for His mercy and grace
Because of love.
This love surpasses all:
It goes beyond what any man
Could measure or comprehend.
God sent His only Son
Because of love.
My life is changed;
I am no longer the same.
I no longer serve myself,
But Christ who lives in me
Because of love.
The power of His love
Far surpasses anything else.
Blind see and lame walk,
Sins are forgiven and washed away
Because of love.
How do I live as a result?
I give my life to Christ,
All of it.
Nothing is my own anymore
Because of love.
My life is given in service to God,
Wherever and whenever it may take me.
Sharing this great gift, never silent,
The entire world needs to hear.
And He gets all the glory
Because of love.
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Everland
Well, Chusok break is now over, so it's back to school and back to grading papers and tests. However, I had a fantastic break, very restful and relaxing, so I'm okay with that.
I spent all day Monday at Everland, a kind of Korean Disneyland. It even has different characters and parades throughout the day. One of the best parts about Everland, in my opinion, is that it is nestled amongst the Korean mountains. While that unfortunately means the park has a lot of very big hills, it also means that it has gorgeous views of the Korean countryside.
We made a full day of our trip, leaving at 8 a.m. and not getting back until after 11 p.m. Thankfully, we never got stuck in traffic. It normally takes about 45 minutes to get to Everland from Songtan, which is what it took to get there in the morning. That evening it only took us 35 minutes to get back. Hooray for no Chusok traffic! It was a long but fun day. The park itself was only moderately crowded, giving longer waits for the most popular rides, but not enough to be a deterrent.
The park had all sorts of rides, including kids rides, roller coasters, spinning rides, and upside down rides. The park also has some animals and a Safari where you can see lions and tigers and bears, oh my! The most popular ride, however, is the T Express. The T Express is a huge wooden roller coaster that claims to have the steepest drop of a roller coaster in the world. One of the hills drops down at a 70 degree angle, which feels like straight down when you're on it. Unfortunately, I did not have a chance to ride, but hopefully next time I will get to.
Doesn't that look like fun?!
We ended our trip to Everland by watching the light parade after dark, where all the floats and characters are covered with lights. After the parade there was a massive light and fireworks show. It was pretty cool. It told a story about how light was created but then a dragon came and threatened the light, only to be defeated by a phoenix rising from the fire created by the fire-breathing dragon. The fireworks went off to celebrate the victory. There's probably much more to the story, but that's all I was able to gather from the action, since the actual story was told in Korean. The lights and fireworks were cool, though, and all set to music.
From the light parade
I spent all day Monday at Everland, a kind of Korean Disneyland. It even has different characters and parades throughout the day. One of the best parts about Everland, in my opinion, is that it is nestled amongst the Korean mountains. While that unfortunately means the park has a lot of very big hills, it also means that it has gorgeous views of the Korean countryside.
We made a full day of our trip, leaving at 8 a.m. and not getting back until after 11 p.m. Thankfully, we never got stuck in traffic. It normally takes about 45 minutes to get to Everland from Songtan, which is what it took to get there in the morning. That evening it only took us 35 minutes to get back. Hooray for no Chusok traffic! It was a long but fun day. The park itself was only moderately crowded, giving longer waits for the most popular rides, but not enough to be a deterrent.
The park had all sorts of rides, including kids rides, roller coasters, spinning rides, and upside down rides. The park also has some animals and a Safari where you can see lions and tigers and bears, oh my! The most popular ride, however, is the T Express. The T Express is a huge wooden roller coaster that claims to have the steepest drop of a roller coaster in the world. One of the hills drops down at a 70 degree angle, which feels like straight down when you're on it. Unfortunately, I did not have a chance to ride, but hopefully next time I will get to.
We ended our trip to Everland by watching the light parade after dark, where all the floats and characters are covered with lights. After the parade there was a massive light and fireworks show. It was pretty cool. It told a story about how light was created but then a dragon came and threatened the light, only to be defeated by a phoenix rising from the fire created by the fire-breathing dragon. The fireworks went off to celebrate the victory. There's probably much more to the story, but that's all I was able to gather from the action, since the actual story was told in Korean. The lights and fireworks were cool, though, and all set to music.
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Chusok
This week was a rough week at school. I had to give several students a bad grade on a paper because of bad choices they made (no cheating, thankfully), and the effects of that lasted most of the week. Please pray that these students will make wise choices in the future and that there will be no more fallout from this week.
But what's one thing that always makes a rough week look better? How about a 5 day weekend? Thankfully, that's exactly what I am enjoying right now, all thanks to Chusok. Chusok is the Korean thanksgiving holiday. It is one of the biggest holidays in Korea. The celebration takes place over three days. This year the main holiday falls on Sunday, with the celebration extending to Saturday and Monday. However, the school was generous and gave us Monday through Wednesday off. Hooray for a two day week!
Chusok falls sometime at the end of September to the beginning of October each year. The exact date varies from year to year, depending on the lunar calendar. Its celebration corresponds to the harvest. Just like American Thanksgiving, most people travel to visit family for the holiday. Families get together and enjoy a big meal. However, before they can enjoy this meal, the family first offers it to the ancestors. Traditionally, this was part of the ancestor worship and done to honor the ancestors. Another big part of Chusok is gift giving. Traditional Chusok gifts include big boxes of fruit (like apples, grapes, and kiwi), dried seaweed, soap, toothpaste, and Spam. And I'm not talking about a package or two of Spam but about a big box with 12 cans of Spam. People traditionally give gifts to the family they visit, their landlord, their boss, their pastor, and, for children, their teachers. Basically, Koreans generally give Chusok gifts to people who are in a higher position than them, one deserving of respect. While I am a teacher who does have Korean students, I did not get any Chusok presents this year. Generally, more elementary teachers at PICS get Chusok gifts than high school teachers. Last year my roommates received 3 boxes of grapes and couldn't eat them all before they went bad. This year only one of my roommates got one Chusok present from a student: some perfume. And, just to clarify, gifts of soap, toothpaste, or perfume are not trying to send a subtle message that you smell bad or are dirty. It is just tradition.
Since we have 5 days off of school, one might think that it would be a good time to travel and explore. However, because most Koreans travel for the holiday, the roads are a mess. As a result, it is much better to stay put. The only place you can really go and not get stuck in traffic is Seoul because most people leave Seoul to visit family in smaller cities and villages. You may still get stuck in traffic on the way home and be stuck in basically a parking lot for several hours. Using the subway is a much better way to travel since you can at least keep moving.
Yesterday I went with two other teachers, Nicole and Kari, to Seoul to go ice skating. There is an indoor ice skating rink at Lotte World, an indoor amusement park. You can use the skating rink without paying admission to the rest of the park. We took the subway in and out of Seoul and had no problems. It wasn't very crowded, especially for a Saturday. We had a lot of fun skating, though there was definitely some cultural differences between ice skating in the States and ice skating in Korea. First, everyone has to wear gloves in order to be allowed on the rink. If you didn't have gloves, you had to buy some there for 600 won (about 60 cents). Second, many people, adults and children alike, were wearing helmets. At first they were trying to insist that we had to wear helmets, because we were women, but since there were other women not wearing helmets, it is more likely that they wanted us to wear helmets because we were foreigners. However, once we had our skates on and were ready to go out on the ice, we took off the helmets and no one bothered us about them. Apparently the helmet rule was one they were not enforcing. The gloves rule they did enforce, though. Another cultural experience to ice skating was the two safety guys. They skated around the rink, making sure everyone was following the rules and clearing the rink when it was time to clean the ice. They also wore gloves while on the ice. One of the safety guys wore pink gloves (a very Korean thing to do) as well as fuzzy pink ears (also a very Korean thing to do). Definitely not something you would see in the United States.
Nicole and Kari in a very Korean pose.
The safety guy wearing pink gloves and pink fuzzy ears.
After ice skating we went out for frozen yogurt at a place called Snow Spoon Cafe. It is a self-serve yogurt place like Lemon Tree. They had several varieties of frozen yogurt with many different toppings, especially fruit, along with a few different syrup choices, including "pignacolada." I guess Spanish to Korean to English translation doesn't work very well.
Tomorrow I am heading to Everland, which is the Korean version of Disneyland. I'm looking forward to the rides and experiencing the Korean version of an amusement park. Because it's still the Korean holiday, the park shouldn't be that busy. Plus, Everland is offering a discount to foreigners, so I can get in for almost half-price. I am going with about 9 other people from the school, so it should be a fun time. One of the other teachers is driving because it is hard to get to Everland using public transportation. The only downside to this plan is that we might get stuck in traffic on the way home. Thankfully, we will be going in a vehicle that is large enough to qualify for the bus lane, which will move faster than the other lanes of traffic. My plans for Tuesday and Wednesday currently consist of a lot of relaxing, without too much else going on. All in all, it should be a very good break before the final push to the end of the first quarter complete with plenty of tests and papers. But in the meantime, happy Chusok!
But what's one thing that always makes a rough week look better? How about a 5 day weekend? Thankfully, that's exactly what I am enjoying right now, all thanks to Chusok. Chusok is the Korean thanksgiving holiday. It is one of the biggest holidays in Korea. The celebration takes place over three days. This year the main holiday falls on Sunday, with the celebration extending to Saturday and Monday. However, the school was generous and gave us Monday through Wednesday off. Hooray for a two day week!
Chusok falls sometime at the end of September to the beginning of October each year. The exact date varies from year to year, depending on the lunar calendar. Its celebration corresponds to the harvest. Just like American Thanksgiving, most people travel to visit family for the holiday. Families get together and enjoy a big meal. However, before they can enjoy this meal, the family first offers it to the ancestors. Traditionally, this was part of the ancestor worship and done to honor the ancestors. Another big part of Chusok is gift giving. Traditional Chusok gifts include big boxes of fruit (like apples, grapes, and kiwi), dried seaweed, soap, toothpaste, and Spam. And I'm not talking about a package or two of Spam but about a big box with 12 cans of Spam. People traditionally give gifts to the family they visit, their landlord, their boss, their pastor, and, for children, their teachers. Basically, Koreans generally give Chusok gifts to people who are in a higher position than them, one deserving of respect. While I am a teacher who does have Korean students, I did not get any Chusok presents this year. Generally, more elementary teachers at PICS get Chusok gifts than high school teachers. Last year my roommates received 3 boxes of grapes and couldn't eat them all before they went bad. This year only one of my roommates got one Chusok present from a student: some perfume. And, just to clarify, gifts of soap, toothpaste, or perfume are not trying to send a subtle message that you smell bad or are dirty. It is just tradition.
Since we have 5 days off of school, one might think that it would be a good time to travel and explore. However, because most Koreans travel for the holiday, the roads are a mess. As a result, it is much better to stay put. The only place you can really go and not get stuck in traffic is Seoul because most people leave Seoul to visit family in smaller cities and villages. You may still get stuck in traffic on the way home and be stuck in basically a parking lot for several hours. Using the subway is a much better way to travel since you can at least keep moving.
Yesterday I went with two other teachers, Nicole and Kari, to Seoul to go ice skating. There is an indoor ice skating rink at Lotte World, an indoor amusement park. You can use the skating rink without paying admission to the rest of the park. We took the subway in and out of Seoul and had no problems. It wasn't very crowded, especially for a Saturday. We had a lot of fun skating, though there was definitely some cultural differences between ice skating in the States and ice skating in Korea. First, everyone has to wear gloves in order to be allowed on the rink. If you didn't have gloves, you had to buy some there for 600 won (about 60 cents). Second, many people, adults and children alike, were wearing helmets. At first they were trying to insist that we had to wear helmets, because we were women, but since there were other women not wearing helmets, it is more likely that they wanted us to wear helmets because we were foreigners. However, once we had our skates on and were ready to go out on the ice, we took off the helmets and no one bothered us about them. Apparently the helmet rule was one they were not enforcing. The gloves rule they did enforce, though. Another cultural experience to ice skating was the two safety guys. They skated around the rink, making sure everyone was following the rules and clearing the rink when it was time to clean the ice. They also wore gloves while on the ice. One of the safety guys wore pink gloves (a very Korean thing to do) as well as fuzzy pink ears (also a very Korean thing to do). Definitely not something you would see in the United States.
After ice skating we went out for frozen yogurt at a place called Snow Spoon Cafe. It is a self-serve yogurt place like Lemon Tree. They had several varieties of frozen yogurt with many different toppings, especially fruit, along with a few different syrup choices, including "pignacolada." I guess Spanish to Korean to English translation doesn't work very well.
Tomorrow I am heading to Everland, which is the Korean version of Disneyland. I'm looking forward to the rides and experiencing the Korean version of an amusement park. Because it's still the Korean holiday, the park shouldn't be that busy. Plus, Everland is offering a discount to foreigners, so I can get in for almost half-price. I am going with about 9 other people from the school, so it should be a fun time. One of the other teachers is driving because it is hard to get to Everland using public transportation. The only downside to this plan is that we might get stuck in traffic on the way home. Thankfully, we will be going in a vehicle that is large enough to qualify for the bus lane, which will move faster than the other lanes of traffic. My plans for Tuesday and Wednesday currently consist of a lot of relaxing, without too much else going on. All in all, it should be a very good break before the final push to the end of the first quarter complete with plenty of tests and papers. But in the meantime, happy Chusok!
Monday, September 17, 2012
Korean-American Friendship Festival
This weekend was the Korean-American Friendship Festival on the Strip near Osan Air Force Base. The Strip is a walking mall right outside Osan's main gate. It has tons of restaurants and stores of all sorts. Thanks to the Strip, I've had Thai, Mexican, Turkish, Brazilian, Chinese, and Japanese food (in addition to American and Korean) since coming to South Korea. There are also carts and booths set up in the middle, where you can buy more food, souvenirs, and bootleg DVDs. The Strip is kind of a cool downtown area, though one that is best avoided on Friday and Saturday nights when the military personnel are all heading to the bars. Here's some pictures of the Strip on a regular weekday.
The Korean-American Friendship Festival took over the Strip and the surrounding streets on Saturday and Sunday. There were tons of booths set up with food and other items for sale. There were also some rides available for children. It reminded me a little bit of a "mini" state fair.
I went with one of my roommates, Kari, and we had a lot of fun walking around, talking, and eating a lot of food. We went right after church on Sunday, and it wasn't very busy. We had been in the area Saturday night for something else, and it was packed. It was nice to be there without the crowds, as we were able to walk comfortably down the street and we didn't have to wait in line for food. The festival had all sorts of food, including several varieties of Korean and American food. For American food, there was everything from burgers, hot dogs, and brats to snow cones and funnel cakes (yum!). I even found corn on the cob (on a stick, no less).
For Korean food, they had kimchi (of course!), fish, squid, rice, and other tasty treats, including one Korean delicacy: silkworm larvae (see picture below). Most of the Korean food booths had plastic examples of their food displayed, which is typical in Korea. Restaurants in the food court do it too. It can be hard to tell if it is plastic or not, but the food in the display pictured below is plastic.
I had two Korean dishes for lunch, both very tasty. The first was a meat popsicle; it is just meat on a stick. I had one made of chicken that was covered in some sort of sauce.
After that, I had something that I believe could be the next hot food item at the Iowa State Fair. It meets both criteria for popular state fair food: deep fried and on a stick. It is called the Potato Twist.
It starts as a regular potato on a stick that a machine cuts into a spiral pattern. After the potato has been "twisted," it is deep fried. Once it is cooked, the potato twist is rolled in salt and seasoning so that it coats the outside of the twist. It is delicious! It's just a deep-fried potato, so it tastes somewhere between a potato chip and a french fry. Wouldn't that go over wonderfully at the state fair?
The Korean-American Friendship Festival took over the Strip and the surrounding streets on Saturday and Sunday. There were tons of booths set up with food and other items for sale. There were also some rides available for children. It reminded me a little bit of a "mini" state fair.
I went with one of my roommates, Kari, and we had a lot of fun walking around, talking, and eating a lot of food. We went right after church on Sunday, and it wasn't very busy. We had been in the area Saturday night for something else, and it was packed. It was nice to be there without the crowds, as we were able to walk comfortably down the street and we didn't have to wait in line for food. The festival had all sorts of food, including several varieties of Korean and American food. For American food, there was everything from burgers, hot dogs, and brats to snow cones and funnel cakes (yum!). I even found corn on the cob (on a stick, no less).
For Korean food, they had kimchi (of course!), fish, squid, rice, and other tasty treats, including one Korean delicacy: silkworm larvae (see picture below). Most of the Korean food booths had plastic examples of their food displayed, which is typical in Korea. Restaurants in the food court do it too. It can be hard to tell if it is plastic or not, but the food in the display pictured below is plastic.
I had two Korean dishes for lunch, both very tasty. The first was a meat popsicle; it is just meat on a stick. I had one made of chicken that was covered in some sort of sauce.
After that, I had something that I believe could be the next hot food item at the Iowa State Fair. It meets both criteria for popular state fair food: deep fried and on a stick. It is called the Potato Twist.
It starts as a regular potato on a stick that a machine cuts into a spiral pattern. After the potato has been "twisted," it is deep fried. Once it is cooked, the potato twist is rolled in salt and seasoning so that it coats the outside of the twist. It is delicious! It's just a deep-fried potato, so it tastes somewhere between a potato chip and a french fry. Wouldn't that go over wonderfully at the state fair?
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