Not much new to report. Spent yesterday shopping and hanging out in the market. Today we went down to the Han river and walked for 3 hours. The weather was absolutely perfect. We saw animals, families, kites, swan boats, water skiing, wind surfing, the outdoor public gym, tons of people climbing the giant rock wall, playgrounds, bikes galore, and a few fellow foreigners even. The river is the place to be on the weekend! I love that is was packed full of people, but still felt like a break from the cement sidewalks I see day in and day out. I always thought of Phoenix as a "big city" before I moved here. I haven't seen grass in 7 months now. Phoenix seems rural compared to this place.
I had a conversation with one of my advanced classes about school lunches on Friday. I found it so interesting! In Korea, all children eat at school. They are provided with one lunch option. They said it's typically rice and vegetables with kimchi. Sometimes they have fish or some kind of meat as well. I asked them what happens if a student doesn't like something served for lunch. They were taken aback by such a question. They didn't understand the concept of picky eaters. They explained at school, at home, or a restaurant you eat what is served to you, no questions asked. If you don't like it... too bad. Then I asked about allergies. What is a child is allergic to peanuts, dairy, or gluten? They were also confused by this concept. I had to explain food allergies, to which they replied that just isn't an issue here. They don't know any adults or children with food allergies.
This makes me think America is doing something to mess our kids up. Think about when your parents were younger.... did they have "peanut free schools?" You bet your ass they didn't. Kids didn't have these gluten and peanut and who-knows-what-else allergies 50 years ago. These allergies aren't problems in other countries. So what are we doing wrong? Is it the pesticides? Is it these crazy parents catering to every food whim their child has? I need to do some research on this!
While I'm on the topic of elementary school in Korea I want to briefly describe the first day of school here. I had to go to the opening ceremonies (yes, that's what it's called) to hand out information about my school. The school year starts in February here, instead of August like America. So I showed up with my Korean co-worker to an elementary school and I was so surprised at the commotion. There was music, an MC, street vendors, balloons, balloon animals, cotton candy, flower stands, and who knows what else! This is totally normal here in Korea. The first day of school is just a giant ceremony and pep rally (and kind of looked like a circus). Parents (a surprising amount of fathers) take the day off work and go to the school. They have a tradition of writing their hopes for the school year on a piece of paper, then tying the paper to a balloon and releasing it. It was amazing to see! So, that's your Korean culture lesson for the day. My Korean co-worker explained that starting the new school year is a huge deal here, and dad's are more likely to take that day off work than for their kids birthdays or other functions.
Bye!
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