Christmas in Korea

For the first time in a long time, I’m a little sad that Christmas is over.  In America, Christmas is commercialized to the extreme.  It’s to the point where stores will start putting out Christmas displays before Halloween and we are bombarded with Christmas ads and music before Thanksgiving.  My last few years in America ended up with me being sick of Christmas by the first week of December.  I don’t mean to sound like the Grinch, but as a result, I would usually be glad when the calendar showed December 26.  

Here in Korea, Christmas is not this overwhelming, in-your-face holiday that it has become in the United States.  In fact, if my students are to be believed, Christmas is treated just like any other holiday here.  Yes, there is some commercialism and celebration of Christmas here, but it’s on a very small scale so that a choice exists for everyone to either notice it or ignore it as each person desires.  When I leave my apartment and go out in public, I’m not completely engulfed by Christmas décor nor are my ears assaulted by the same 7 Christmas songs played over and over again.  Because of the more subtle nature of the holiday here, I was able to enjoy the season much more than I have in recent memory.

While I did not partake in any large parties or anything, I did celebrate the holidays with a small group of friends here in Korea.  Several of us got together on a couple of occasions to watch Christmas movies, such as Die Hard (a must-see every Christmas), Christmas Vacation, and A Christmas Carol. 

There were also a couple of small parties to celebrate the season.  The members of my language exchange group celebrated one night by doing a pot-luck dinner followed by a grab bag gift exchange.  Of course, no night out that includes Koreans would be complete without a visit to a noraebang (karaoke room).

 Language Exchange Group

Grab Bag!

On Christmas, a small group of us spent most of the day together.  Weeks prior, we planned a Secret Santa exchange so we kicked off the festivities by exchanging gifts.  I got what looks to be a delicious gift box of beer.  This led into an afternoon of drinking and playing charades.  In the evening, we had a dinner reservation at Dino Gogi, an all-you-can-eat meat restaurant.  After dinner, with our bellies stuffed full of meat, we took a quick walk to the lantern display before we called it a night.

 BEER!!!

Charades!

 Lantern Display

The ONLY Christmas decoration put up by the 

City of Changwon, that I know of.

I’ve said it before, but now that I have a comparison, I can confidently say that commercialization ruins Christmas, at least for me.  However, I think it’s safe to say it’s not going away in America anytime soon.  Even if I don’t ever see another Christmas outside of America, I can always look back at this year and say that at least once in my life, was I able to truly appreciate what the Christmas season is all about.    

An Example of Korean Generosity

Many people will say that in general, Koreans are friendly people.  I would say that has been my overall experience during my stay.  However, as I became more immersed into my life here, I tend to forget about that quality.  It’s always nice when you meet someone who reminds you of this endearing trait. 

Yesterday, I went to the Junam Reservior, which is large wetland area that also serves as a winter home to over 20 different species of birds.  The warm weekend weather, coupled with the desire to play around with my new camera, prompted me to make the journey to the outskirts of Changwon.

I walked around the reservoir for over 3 hours enjoying the weather, taking in the scenery, and trying out my camera. I was on my way to the bus stop to head back into Changwon when an elderly man caught my attention and waved for me to come over to him.

After introducing himself and his wife, both of whom spoke decent English, especially for someone their age, he started asking me the usual questions such as, “Where are you from?  What do you do in Korea?  Where do you live here?” and so on.  They then asked me if I would like to join them for some coffee or tea.  I had no specific plans for the day so I agreed.

We headed to the visitors center and ordered our beverages.  They insisted upon paying for my tea.  We sat down and just chatted for over a half-hour.  Just some of the things we talked about were their travels in America, our respective families, our jobs (they are both retired), what I like about Korea, what they liked about America, and current events. 

When we finished, they offered to give me a ride back to Changwon.  I later learned that they live outside of Masan, which means they were going out of their way for me.  Upon dropping me off, I try to thank them for their generosity, but they said they should be thanking me because they don’t often get the opportunity to converse in English.

In this increasingly impersonal and detached world in which we live, it is refreshing to meet people who are willing to show such generosity to a stranger, especially a foreign stranger.  Seemingly insignificant experiences like this, which will not soon be forgotten, will go a long way in my creating and maintaining a positive view of Korea.   

Random Pictures From Junam Reservior

 Note:  The above picture was not taken yesterday, 

but rather a month ago.  I included it because it is 

one of my favorites.

Year 2 Wish List

Last Friday was the 1-year anniversary of when I first arrived in Korea.  I came in only committed to stay one year.  I told myself that after the first year, I would re-evaluate and decide whether to stay longer or to leave.  Last week, I officially extended my visa and current contract by 2 months, and am currently in the process of applying for public school positions starting next March for another year. 

Wanting to stay longer means I obviously like it here.  Are there things that I don’t like about Korea?  Sure.  But they are small things that are inconsequential in the long run.  There has been nothing so far that has made me want to pack up and leave.

I've written about this before, so I won’t spend much time restating it, but the job is the best thing about being here.  The only reason I want to switch to public schools is because I would receive a significant increase in pay and vacation time.  If my current job was able to match the pay and vacation, I would not hesitate to sign away another year of my life with my director. 

The other reason I want to stay is that I do not feel that I am done experiencing Korea.  Looking back, I did not do as much during my first year as I had hoped to do.  I will place part of the blame on my limited vacation time among other reasons.  Up until this point, I only received a three-day vacation in August which fell on a Tuesday-Thursday.  Also, it seemed that all of the national holidays this year fell on a Wednesday.  Another 15 months with increased vacation time should allow me to cross off more of my “Korea To-Do List.” 

My Year 2 Wish List (in order of desire)

1. Visit Seoul 

2.  Hike Jirisan and Seoraksan (mountains)

3.  Take the DMZ tour

4.  Visit Jeju Island

5.  Attend at least 3 cultural festivals (including Cherry Blossom festival and Lantern festival)

6.  Visit a traditional folk village

7.  Do a Temple Stay

8.  Eat bosintang