Hodge Podge

Merry Christmas! Feliz navidad! Feliz natal! 메리 크리스마스!

The past 1.5 months have been a hodge podge of things. I will tell you about a Korean wedding, my birthday, and my first Christmas in Korea!

First: Rice Update

I would like to note that soon after posting Rice, Rice Baby , I witnessed the farmers baling the dried rice stalks! Waste not, want not!

The farmer even waved at me when he noticed I was taking pictures. How can I say “My dad is a hay farmer, and watching the baling process makes me feel at home!” in Korean??

A Korean Wedding:

Disclaimer 1- I have only attended 1 wedding, during COVID19, and did not get to exerience the buffet after.
Disclaimer 2- I accidentally left my phone in the car.
In November, a work colleague was getting married. He went around my school to hand deliver the intricately designed invitations to all of the teachers. I was excited when I received my invitation, but also puzzled. There was no “Please RSVP by…” notes.
After the teacher left, I spoke with my co-teacher, asking how to proceed. She explained to me that you just show up, bring money for the buffet, and you’re good to go.

On the day of the wedding, another colleague picked me up around 10 AM to drive 30 minutes to the wedding venue. The wedding would start at 11 AM. We both wore our masks for the drive. As she weaved in and out of Saturday traffic, she explained to me the wedding process in her broken English.

After parking, we walked into the wedding venue. Venue workers stood at every entrance, taking and noting temperatures of each wedding guest. We walked up 2 flights of stairs, which were decorated with beautiful flowers in the corners, and arrived on the appropriate floor for the wedding. Both floors had a different wedding in progress.
There were many people standing in the lobby, congregating in groups, wearing their masks. My colleague and I walked over to a table, where we found envelopes. We each put ₩50,000 (approximately $45) into our own envelopes, and wrote our names on them. This envelope was then passed to a gentleman sitting at a table with a sign for the wedding. You see, there were 2 weddings to occur within an hour and a half of each other.

In return for our money envelopes, we received meal tickets. My colleague then ushered me to a room labeled “Bride” where the door was wide open, and the bride was posing for portraits, with family and friends all watching (including her groom). We then greeted the groom. I wished him health and happiness, and then went over to greet my principal, vice principal, and a few other colleagues; all were a bit taken aback that I was there.
We then entered the wedding hall, where there were tables and chairs, all draped with cloths, and flowers. These surrounded a catwalk and stage. The stage had 2 sets of 2 chairs on each side of the center stage. and more flowers. A live orchestra was to the left of the stage.

People could sit wherever they liked, or stand at the back, to observe the wedding.
The ceremony opened to the 2 sets of parents walking down the catwalk to the stage. The 2 mothers each lit a candle. Then, reunited with their husbands, the parents bowed to each other, and then bowed to the guests. Then, the groom appeared with his wedding attendant, who directed him as to how and where to stand. The groom walked up and down the catwalk, and then awaited the procession of his bride.

The orchestra began playing, and the bride appeared from behind a white curtain in the far left corner of the room. All eyes were on her! She turns and walks on a platform, lined with simple white columns and white floral arrangements. She greets her parents, and her father walked with her to the groom. The bride also had wedding attendants who would stop her at specific points, to fix her gown, and ensure she was picture-perfect for the ever-snapping photographer.

Bride and groom, now reunited, walked down the catwalk, stopping every few feet for the photographer. They finally arrived at center stage. There was not an officiant at this wedding, so the bride and groom just said their vows, and the groom sang a song to his bride. They then went to each set of parents to bow: the bride bowed to the waist, and the groom prostrated himself. This is showing filial piety to one’s parents, and new in-laws.

The ceremony ended with the bride and groom walking down the catwalk, with their attendants stopping them to fix their clothes for the photographers. A handful of friends awaited them at the end of the catwalk, to throw flowers while they had their very first (and very picturesque) kiss as husband and wife.

The ceremony lasted only 30 minutes or so, even with all of the abrupt stops, dress fixes, and photo-ops that occurred.

Due to Coronavirus, the principal told us we were not allowed to attend the buffet, so I was able to turn in my meal ticket for a bottle of wine. We hopped in our respective cars and headed home.

My thoughts on the wedding ceremony:
Korea is known for it’s “Balli Balli” 발리 발리 (quick quick) culture. They believe in extreme efficiency.
The venue was beautiful, and the venue attendants performed their tasks very well, directing and staging every step the bride, groom and parents took. As an onlooker, I felt these abrupt pauses in the ceremony were very jolting, taking away from the romance and magical ambiance that I have grown used to in weddings. However, everything was picture perfect, and the photographers were able to get every important action shot they needed.

I do hope to attend more weddings, to get the full ceremony+delicious buffet experience, and to actually take my own pictures. For now, here is the only proof that I dressed up and attended a wedding!

32 and still counting!

I turned another year older in December. My parents will agree that I am not big on receiving attention. However, it felt strange going to work and no one wishing me a happy birthday. My previous companies had spoiled me in that regard!
I met with 2 friends on my birthday to have bulgogi (불고기) and somaek (beer and soju: 소맥).

The following day, a colleague invited me to her home, where she served me the traditional Korean birthday meal of seaweed soup (미역국). When asked why they always serve seaweed soup for birthdays, my colleague said this is to commemorate the mothers eating seaweed soup after giving birth to regain their strength.

My birthday was simple and quiet, just as I prefer it!
*PS, thanks to those of you who had wished me a Happy Birthday!

“It’s the most wonderful tiiiiime of the year!”

The weeks leading up to Christmas were filled with lots of work, as well as wrapping and sending Christmas packages to my immediate family, and Christmas cards from my Korean students to their American pen pals.

Watching my students create their Christmas cards was so exciting! My older students loved using the random papers and tapes I provided, but my younger students were more keen to drawing and keeping them very simple.
I had a slight hiccup in my plans when Korea decided to temporarily suspend sending individual letters to the US, due to COVID19. I had 17 pen pal Christmas cards to send. After an evening of frustration and some tears, I realized I could send the cards via packages. As of today, about 6 cards have made it to their respective recipients. I am still waiting for confirmation on the other 2 packages. Here’s hoping they do not get lost in the USA
Yesterday, we celebrated Christmas! Schools close to observe the holiday. Although students are well-versed in the commercialized aspects of Christmas, and the streets are lined with lovely lit trees, Korea does not really celebrate Christmas as we Westerners are used to. It is treated more as a couples’ holiday, rather than a family day. I don’t want to have too much of an opinion on this year’s holiday, because Coronvirus has changed everything

Over the past weeks, COVID19 cases have sky-rocketed to nearly 1,000 new cases daily. The government made announcements very early in the week, stating that for 2 weeks, gatherings would be considered unlawful above 5 or 6 people, restuarants, cafes and bars were forced to close at earlier hours, or provide delivery service only after 9pm. There has been a lot of confusion surrounding these announcements, and varying interpretations about the unlawful numbers. But, as a teacher, and as a foreigner, I have tried to follow the 5 and under rule.
I spent the morning video-calling family, and the evening making pizza with a friend.

Today, I took a stroll around my favorite spot, until the temperatures dropped below 0 celsius. At which time, I went to a handmade noodles restaurant that I always pass by. It was a peaceful day, that ended with delicious noodle’d soup and kimchi! The cook even gave me 2 mandarin oranges as I was leaving.

Good riddance, 2020! Helloooo, 2021!

To end our time together, here are some more views that I’ve fallen in love with. I wish you a wonderful end to 2020, and for 2021, a COVID19-free year filled with love, happiness, hope, and good health!