A Puggle Week

For most of the month of January, I felt like I did a lot of nothing.  The boys were on winter vacation, and while some took supplementary classes for a few weeks, the halls were quiet and the cafeteria was closed.  Due to the nature of my contract, I still had to be at school, warm my desk and get my hours in.  This was alright, but mostly not alright.  I thrive on being busy, so having to come to work and have nothing to do, basically drove me crazy.  I was so desperate for new hobbies that I almost bought a dog last week.  Yes, the most precious little pug puppy you ever did see, stuck in a glass cage at the pet store.  He looks like this:

I am now avoiding walking by the pet store.  That little guy is too dangerous for this puppy-loving human.

This week however, school is back in session.  But only for this week.  The rest of February is 'Spring Vacation'.  This week is special because it is graduation time.  The 3rd grade students (seniors) graduate from high school tomorrow.  The entire student body is required to attend graduation, as are all the teachers. The ceremony will be in the gym and last about 2 hours.  Honestly, I'm really liking this situation.  I don't have to go into school until 9:30 and after the ceremony is done, I get to go home again.  Definite WIN.  When I first heard about this random week of school though and how I would have to teach, but not really teach, classes all week, I was like...

My Western brain can't really make sense of it all, but I really can't complain.  We have 'normal' classes, but I was told to not actually teach anything.  So, we are playing games like charades and '2 truths and lie'.  I love it.  I will go to school and play games any day.  It turns out that I kind of missed these boys too.  Here are a few of my favorite moments so far this week.

1) A student named Won Bin starts talking to me during my first class on Monday morning:

Won Bin: Kelsey!  I went to California for winter vacation!

Me: Awesome!  Did you have a good time?

Won Bin: Yeah.  I love California.  It was very nice there.

Me:  What was your favorite thing about California?

Won Bin:  I met some new friends in San Francisco.  They taught me how to use the word 'shit'!

Me: Really?  That's interesting...

Won Bin: Yeah!  Like if I pour this water on my pants, afterwards I can say, 'Oh, shit!'  Right?!

Me:  Yes, that's right.

Won Bin:  (sitting down in his chair and leaning back contemplatively) Wow, I'm living the American dream...

Me: hahahahaha

2) A student named Jae Seon is playing '2 truths and a lie'.  Here are his sentences about himself:

-I ate lunch today.

-I hate the color blue.

-Yesterday, I didn't go to the toilet stool.

After voting and decisions have been made about which statements are true and which are false, it turns out that he does in fact hate the color blue.  So, yesterday he didn't go to the toilet stool...

I ask him if he is telling the truth.  

Me: You didn't go to the bathroom yesterday?

Jae Seon: No teacher.

Me: Really?  Are you telling the truth?

Jae Seon:  Teacher.  Yes. I had to go to the bathroom, but no paper!!

Me: Ew.

3) After walking into class today, a group of students come over to me and offer me some of their Chicken Pop.  Chicken Pop!  Chicken Pop is a snack food that actually tastes like spicy chicken.  Num, num, num.

This weekend is the Lunar New Year in Korea.  It is the second most celebrated holiday in Korea after Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving), so everyone goes back to their hometowns to be with family and eat good food.  The holiday also means that there is no school on Monday!  Woop woop.  Today, my co-teacher was telling me about the traditional Lunar New Year's bows that people do to their elders.  I found this on the Korean tourism website and thought it might be interesting for you to read about it.

Confucianism has had a very strong influence on all aspects of Korean society. One ancient Confucian tradition that still remains today is the notion of bowing to elders as a sign of respect, known as Jeol. There are various types of Jeols, and which one you use depends on the formality of the situation and the people involved. For example, when two people meet for the first time, the usual greeting is for both people to do a small Jeol, nodding their head while leaning their upper body forward a bit. It is used in the same way as a handshake. Another part of Confucianism is the concept of honoring ones ancestors. On the official day of Seollal, Koreans change into Hanboks to symbolize new beginnings by starting off with a clean body and heart. The Jeol is also a very important aspect of this ritual and of course, in such a formal occasion, a light bow would simply just not suffice. In this case, the bow is similar to what you may have seen Buddhists or Muslims doing. This kind of Jeol, performed on Seollal, is called a Saebae and to perform it one must get down on both of their knees and bend forward toward the floor. A tradition that young people in Korea particularly love is that during the Seollal if they do a Keun Jeol to their elders, like parents and grandparents, they can receive a little envelope with some money tucked inside. People also make this traditional formal bow to their elders on such special occasions as wedding days or traditional holidays. Let's Learn How to Perform 'Sebae'. 1. Hand positions In the case of women, usually she places her right hand above the left hand, and vice versa for the man. To express grief at funerals, women place their left hand over their right hand, and the opposite for the man. However, when performing sebae, the woman places her right hand above the left hand, and the man places his left hand above his right hand. 2. Man's Sebae ① ② ③ ④ ⑤ ⑥ ⑦ ① Place one's left hand above the right. Stand up straight with your hands resting in front of the lower abdomen (right below the navel). ② Raise both hands to the chest. ③ Place both hands on the floor as you bend your knees. ④ Bend your upper body and bow your head. ⑤ Once your head touches the back of your left hand, stand up by raising your right knee first. ⑥ Raise both hands up to your chest once more before returning your hands to their natural position. 3. Woman's Sebae  There are two ways of observing sebae for women: simplified jeol and formal jeol. Simplified jeol is commonly performed in everyday. However, the formal jeol is usually performed for showing respect to elders on special occasions such as wedding ceremonies or other formal events.  1. Simplified Jeol ① ② ③ ④ ① Place your right hand above your left hand. Stand up straight with your hands resting in front of your lower abdomen (right below the navel). ② Release your hands naturally as you bend your knees and sit. ③ Rest your hands in front of your knees, placing them at shoulder's width. Then bow your head as you bend your upper body. ④ Take your hands off the floor as you raise your upper body. ⑤ Resume your standing position with your hands in front of your lower abdomen. 2. Formal jeol ① ② ③ ④ ① Raise both hands up to your eye level with your head slightly bowed and eyes on your feet. ② Sit cross-legged with your hands still raised in the above position. ③ Bend your upper body about 45 degrees. ④ Stay in this position for a couple of seconds before getting up. Maintain your hands in the original position at all times. ⑤ Resume your standing position with your hands in front of your lower abdomen. ⑤ Once you have finished performing 'sebae', you can sit back down and listen to the well-wishing comments from your elders. Then, enjoy the delicious Seollal tteokguk (rice cake soup) with all your family members, and later, play folk games together like yunnori. Also, make a New Year's resolutions for a more fulfilling New Year.

I think this bowing business takes more coordination and balance than it seems.  I'll practice if you do.

I'm heading to Seoul on Saturday morning with some fellow Taebaekers and will be hanging out there until Tuesday morning when I fly to Indonesia.  I'll be in Indonesia until February 23rd when I fly back to Seoul.  I can't promise much, but I will try to get at least one blog post up while I am hanging out in Bali.  At least some pictures :)

Happy week everyone.  I'll be in touch soon from the South Pacific.  Muah!