The new school year is about to begin, which means that we will be losing some students and gaining some new ones! Some of the older students that we are losing are going to high school. High school in Korea is the hardest part of a student's educational life. They go to school from 7 am to 10 pm - literally not dismissed until after 10! They are served dinner at school and have forced study hours and tutoring sessions. No extracurricular activities, no sports, no Rally Day. How sad! They also attend different private academies on Saturday and Sunday to further drill in the newly learned information. Although they are one of the smartest nations in the world because of their rigorous school schedules...maybe there is a small price to pay for extreme schooling practices.
This is a photo of the first full moon of the new Lunar year. How exciting. We ate rice, beans and roots wrapped in seaweed for strength and luck in the new year.
Another interesting (yet strange) bit of Korean culture that I have yet to share with you is the social importance of one's blood type. Literally - everyone knows their blood type (even 4-5 year olds), and while it is quite important information to know in a medical sense, students will regularly ask Dan and me about our blood types. They are shocked to discover that we have absolutely no idea what they are!! Maybe it is something that we should know (sorry), but we think it is a very bizarre, although common topic of conversation. Celebrities have their blood types listed on their online profiles (unless it is a "bad" blood type), and news reporters will ask the people they are interviewing on television about theirs. There is a movie about a woman of one blood type falling for a man of another. You can and will be judged based on your blood types - how clever you are, your personality traits, etc... Watch out if you have a "bad" blood type - you might not be able to redeem yourself! I guess it is good that we don't know our own types...wouldn't want to be judged in the harsh world of the Korean Inquisition - a court where public appearance and social status reign supreme over all else.
Dan and I checking out our local fire station. This picture is dedicated to Bertie (Dan's nephew). Nee-nawww!
As the weather turns sunnier and warmer (WHOOOO!) we have begun to see an important Korean citizen rearing her head from the melting snow burrows...a woman known as the "ajumma." This term technically means "woman who is old enough for marrying," but it has taken on a culture that is the foundation and staple of all that is Korean. They are quite easy to spot on the streets, and are all quite similar in stature and appearance. All around a height of about 5'0", these short women literally control Korea. They are pushy, always get what they want, and are not afraid to poke, touch, or yell at you (especially if you are a foreigner). They have short, permed, black hair in tight curls next to their heads, wear MASSIVE duck-billed visors that enable them to stare at others without being noticed, and wear a strange array of colorful, terribly mismatched vests and pants. The color palette usually ranges from light purple to dark purple and always contains a floral arrangement. They are often pushing/pulling broken baby carts with bricks or stones placed in the seats for stabilization. On a number of occasions, Dan and I have been accosted by a troupe of these women and have nearly been prodded to death by their surprisingly strong fingers. Although very rude...we got a picture of a woman from the back.
Our Korean sized sofa. Dan looks massive!
