This past month has been a quiet one, and we've been homebodies due to the biting cold. Up to now we haven't had much to share. In light of the holidays, I wanted to take the chance to think about how blessed Andy and I have been. I am so grateful we had the freedom and courage to take this opportunity to live abroad and it has certainly changed us in the four short months we've been here. There have been ups and downs, disconcerting revelations and invaluably pleasant surprises. But one thing's for sure, there has not been a single thing about this experience that has made me feel a shred of regret.
Cheonju is a great city. We are fortunate to live in a building filled with foreigners and this "handicap" has enabled us to easily become accustomed to our life in Korea. We have met many wonderful people and I am so glad to say they are quickly becoming some of the best friends we've ever had. Every weekend is a new adventure with the people we love, even if that adventure is simply enjoying each other's company while playing cards or having dinner.
It is because of these people that this Christmas proved to be less heart wrenching than I had expected. Andy and I spent last weekend in Jeonju with a lovely group of waygooks. We had a Minbak just near the Hanok village and we filled this cozy little space was with laughter and merriment. Secret Santa, White Elephant, and a Christmas dinner were just a few of the festive events we celebrated. To top it off, we had a melodious evening at the Noribang (means singing room. In simple terms it's karaoke, but much cooler) and belting out "Bohemian Rhapsody" and "Born in the USA" with our friends was enough to make me forget my longing for home, if just for a little while.
We work this entire week, but we were given Christmas Day off. This could be seen as a curse or a blessing. For me, going to work and seeing the little ones helps take my mind off of the usual visits and traditions I hold so dear this time of year.
This Christmas was very different but it was still one to remember. I had the chance to Skype with family (When will my nieces and nephews stop growing? I feel like I will have a heart attack when I see them come August! It gets me all teary when I think about what I'm missing.) and our friend, Lee, spent the day with us. When you're this far away from family during the Holiday season, it's easy to think about what you're NOT doing. I was lucky to be surrounded by loving friends who helped me see what I WAS doing.
And I'm grateful for every minute of it.
They make snowmen with two snow balls instead of three. When I made one with my students they kept saying, "Teacher, no! Two, two!"
A beautiful morning walk to school.
I picked Lee's name for Secret Santa. Naturally, the gifts were entirely dinosaur related.
Remy, our bestie from South Africa.
Belting out "Bohemian Rhapsody"
You can feel how much heart and soul they're putting into this one.
Looking sharp on Christmas 'morn.
Take note of the amazing hoodie Lee got me for Christmas ^^
So last weekend we spent our Saturday and Sunday in Seoul and we got to do and see a variety of things. When we got there on Saturday we met up with our pals Kate and Asami and did some shopping. After that the four of us headed for one of Seoul's most fascinating, yet somewhat underwhelming attractions, Lotte World. From what we had heard of Lotte World before going we knew that long lines were to be expected. However, since Kate, being from New Zealand, had never been to an amusement park before we decided to give it a shot. I wouldn't say going was a mistake but the lines were much longer than anticipated. We were also thrown off by one key element of Lotte World... most of it was indoors...
Christmas parade going on inside the giant building that houses Lotte World.
Whuuuhhhh???
Kate and Asami ready to board the air balloon... after 2.5 hours wait... hulllll.
These are the pics from the Seoul Lantern Festival. Pretty impressive stuff. We almost missed it too.
So, this post is my effort to catch up on some of the fun stuff we've been doing the past couple of weeks.
To begin, my school had a talent show a few weeks ago. The singing was adorable and the art was impressive. It was a nice day to see my students put on a show for their parents and the staff.
Here are some photos of their artwork.
Teemo from League of Legends! The students were super impressed when I told them I play. :-)
Psy
Jax from LOL
Last weekend, Andy and I went to his co-teacher's wedding. It was an interesting experience. The ceremony was held in the Liho Hotel in Cheongju. When we arrived we were pretty unsure about where to go, but a gentleman (who we later found out was He-Jin's father) saw us in our confused state and directed us to the envelop table. Commonly, wedding guests simply give an envelop of money to the newlyweds as a gift. After signing our envelope and looking around for the next place to go, we were then rescued by a friend of He-Jin's. She took us to an adjoining room to get a photo with the bride, and He-Jin was so excited to see that we had come. It was really sweet to see how happy she was that we were attending and I'm very glad that Andy was placed with such a nice co-teacher.
He-Jin smiling beautifully with her father before the ceremony.
The ceremony itself was surprisingly short and I wish we could have understood what was being said. Nonetheless, it was a great opportunity to experience a piece of Korean culture. The bride and groom's mothers were dressed in Hanbok, a kind of traditional dress reserved for special occasions. At one point during the ceremony, the bride and groom did what I can only describe as a ceremonial bow to show respect to each set of parents.
In Korea, whenever greeting someone, it is custom to do a slight bow (about 45°) with both arms to the side as a sign of respect. As you can see above, the bride is bowing much farther and the groom has knelt to the ground. This type of bowing is not common and would even be offensive if done under normal circumstances. This is a sign of great reverence and, as a result, is only used during these types of ceremonies.
After the wedding, the bride and groom returned to the front of the altar for one huge picture with the family and another with all of the friends. By the time this process was finished and Andy and I left the hall, the decorations and pictures for the next couple were already set up. We went to the second floor for a buffet style dinner where we simply grabbed a plate and sat anywhere. When we were done, we were told we could just leave. The entire event took less than 2 hours!
The next day Andy and I went to a Cat Cafe in Cheonju called "Hello Cat". In a nutshell, a Cat Cafe is a place to sit and drink expensive (yet delicious) coffee or tea while watching, playing with, and petting cats. It was a little strange at first but it was worth at least one visit. Living here without Sugarfoot and Caramel has definitely made me feel pet withdrawal and petting the strange looking buggers helped relieve some stress.
That face.
This one jumped right up to our table even tough we hadn't bought treats to bribe him. As a result, I decided that he was clearly the best in the bunch and I knew that it was true love.
Probably one of the funniest cats I've ever seen.
Anyone who visits us will be treated to this experience. It was worth it. :-)
