Family Holidays

Today is "Children's Day" and this Saturday is "Parent's Day" here in Korea.

They really celebrate family here because the kids treat Children's Day like Christmas! They get all these gifts from their parents and grandparents, and their parents spend the whole day with them! (Which is rare in Korea, especially for fathers.) The families go to amusement parks, movies, and zoos to play. The day before Children's Day, public schools have a Sports day (similar to the American "Field Day") with races and small, fun competitions. The parents come and watch and cheer their child on.

I just recently learned how "Children's Day" started in Korea. Apparently a man named Bang Jeong-hwan, who wrote childrens' books, wrote "An Open Letter to Adults." In the letter he asked adults to "speak to children with respect, and speak softly." One translation of Bang Jeong-hwan's letter says:

"Children are the future of our nation. Let's show respect for children. Children who grow up with ridicule and contempt from others will become people who disrespect others, while children who grow up with respect from others will become people who respect others in turn."

I think Korea, more than most nations, realizes the value of their children. The mothers especially help their children in whatever way they can. They would probably even walk over glass!

I'm glad the kids have a day to relax with their family and just play like kids are supposed to... even if it's only one day. Sometimes I think the value that's placed on the kids can be too much pressure, since they're expected to succeed in all they do.

I think being a kid in Korea is hard, so this one day is like a breath of fresh air!

HAPPY EASTER!

Happy Easter everyone! The weather is starting to warm up a little bit! (A little.) The sun is also starting to shine earlier in the day. ^^

In Korea it seems that Easter is similar to Christmas. Christians celebrate it, but not the culture. There's not really any Easter candy and hardly any Easter decorations. BUT apparently it is Korean Christian tradition to decorate eggs!

At my school for the last two days I showed the Veggie Tales "An Easter Carol" to introduce the idea of Easter and give everyone a day off from work. They enjoyed it, but I was a little surprised at how many children didn't know what Easter was! In America there's hardly a kid who wouldn't know. Such a big culture difference...

Easter one year ago is when I first came to Dong-shin Church... and met Jin! Yay for 1 year anniversaries!

Teaching is like...

Even though I really do enjoy teaching... teaching English has it's own set of difficulties. Which, once I get past how cute the kids can be, are quickly made apparent. Sometimes teaching is like playing charades. Except more frustrating. Mostly because it's even more important that you understand what they kids are trying to say because you're trying to help them. Class the other day went something like this:

Kid 1: Teacher, what is [hand gesture relating to fighting]?
Me: Fighting?
Kid 1: No, teacher. [Another hand gesture--not as clear this time]
Me: Um... bully?
**Kid 2 now jumps in**
Kid 2: No, teacher! Like at baseball... [dances around crazy] when music plays!
Me: Dancing?
Kid 1: [Frustrated sigh] NO, teacher! This! [Runs down the middle of the classroom]
Me: Running? Playing? Soccer?
Kids 1 and 2: No...
Me: [Absolutely confused and not sure what the heck they are talking about.]

Yeah, I definitely need to learn Korean. Which, on that note, I'm getting "private lessons!" haha. Jin is helping me learn the alphabet, and Brendan downloaded Rossetta Stone Korean onto my computer. So... hopefully I'll catch on quick...