Blogs from South Korea, Asia - page 344

I won't give a big speech. All I will say is, YAY! My poor children are bearing the brunt of my obsession. But they are loving it. They are brilliant little apprentices. Check out the video.... read more

Chuseok is the Korean Thanksgiving, a kind of Harvest Day, where the moon if full, and people give thanks. The day itself is a public holiday and there are others around it. My principle kindly relinquished my duties for the remaining two working days of the week and thus I had nine days off in a row. On the first Saturday, Tiem and I joined some other friends, and a tour group for a visit to the DMZ. This is a fascinating place, and although one is limited to what they can do and see, it's a worthwhile day out. This was pre-nuclear test, I wonder if the tours are suspended at the moment? The ROK soldiers stand guard facing the North Koreans, the North Korean's do not take their eyes off of the ROK's and ... read more

...should be my new title! I went out with my 3B students after class on Monday night. We went out so I could try makolli- a traditional Korean rice wine that you drink out of a bowl. It looks like milk but tastes nothing like it- not altogether unpleasant though! After noraebang (My Sharona is becoming my signature song!) everyone was petering off home. But it was only 2am! I've been trained at Sandinista, I thought to myself, I don't stop til 5am and then some! So off I toddled into the night looking for mischief... Happened across this group of Korean guys and girls and asked them where a good place to go was. They said there wasn't anywhere in Nampo-Dong but why didn't I accompany them to noraebang (oooo I bet they regret that ... read more

(I'm sorry it's taken me so long to write. There's just been so much adventuring, I've fallen behind. With the next few posts, I hope to catch up!) When we last left our heroine, she was preparing to go to Gyeongju (ancient seat of the Silla Dynasty-- which began around 600 A.D. and was one of the most artistically advanced dynasties) for a Fulbright conference. That means, the 64 plus Fulbright ETAs scattered across the country would gather together once more to sup and celebrate, to discuss our trials and triumphs, and ultimately, to speak English to fluent English speakers for a straight 3-4 days. Gosh, it was heaven. I had not realized how much I missed speaking with native speakers at native speaker pace without linguistic misunderstandings. I was kind of wary of the reunion ... read more

I do acknowledge that Thanksgiving has become, as of the past few years, a small dinner, a small moment of gratefulness for family, and good food, and a day off. The hoopla it may have once held, or may hold for other families, has dwindled for our family...and by that I mean that we have accepted it as a wonderful excuse to cook a turkey, and actually sit down at the dinner table together. It is not a large gathering of friends and family...it is not an excuse to overdo it on wine and tell embarassing stories to members of your extended family that may not be as educated on your personal information. But, for that reason, it has become even more meaningful to me. It is a time when our small family realizes how close ... read more