Tongdosa Temple

In my post last week I mentioned my distaste for taking individual photos. While I do appreciate the gesture, "For your family you have to take picture!" it just isn't really my cup of tea.

Yesterday my co-teacher took me to Tongdosa Temple with her family. It was absolutely beautiful, despite being inundated with solo portraits forced upon me. Not one, not two. . . TEN. TEN times Mr. Kim insisted I stop the picture I was taking so he could take one of me in front of, well, take a look.

First one: "OK, thanks!"

Second one: "Ya, ok, this will be nice."

Third one: "Hmm, this is a bit awkward."

Fourth one: "And this just feels sacrilegious"

Fifth one: "Here, really?"

6th one: "I really can't go to Heaven unless I cross this bridge? Better get some photo documentation."

Over it.

Really over it.

 

This was actually quite impressive. Only a little over it.

Does this count if Minsu ran in?

There you have it. My journey through pictures to Tongdosa Temple.

Testing Madness

Yesterday high schoolers all over South Korea took their big college entrance exams. It was such a big event, in fact, that everyone was encouraged to go into work an hour late so there would be no traffic on the roads when the kids were trying to get to school! I won't deny I enjoyed the extra hour of sleep immensely. I didn't realize it made international news until my dear friend Lindsay in Portland sent me an article about it. Take a look! Article from NPR

While it's great that Korea is so . . .accomodating (?), it saddens me to see the intense pressure these kids are under. Stopping planes from flying over during the listening portion?? "Listen hard, kids! You only get one chance!" At my elementary school, 6th graders are often in tears on exam day. Not only are they expected to do well by their parents and teachers, there is intense social pressure as well. Grades are not private, and everyone knows their class rank. I find this absolutely reprehensible. No student this young needs to know where they rank amongst their peers. A friend of mine has already had three girls at her middle school commit suicide due to the stress. I think it is commendable how much they value education; look at the leaps and bounds they have made in the last 60 years! Their progress in such a short time is not matched by many. America's education system certainly isn't perfect, but it seems like their has to be a more balanced way of going about it. . .

Happy Pepero Day!

Pepero Day is Korea's answer to Valentine's Day. A made up holiday in order to get people to buy candy for schoolmates and the one they love. In Korea's case, you give out a pepero, which is a chocolate covered cracker stick. Good description, I know. Here is a sampling of the loot I got from my students today.

I was in a sugar coma by the day's end after eating about 100 of these sticks. The reason it is today (11/11) is because the 1 1 1 1 looks like 4 sticks, get it? Brilliant. The kids at my school were encouraged not to bring them, but rather bring healthy snacks to share. Ya right! I gladly accepted every last pepero.

A lot has happened since my last post, but I will just touch on a few events.

First, Halloween. My first Halloween out of Colorado and out of the U.S. Since Korea obviously doesn't celebrate Halloween, finding a costume proved to be a bit of a challenge. That is until I found a pajama stand near Christine's apartment. Yes, a onesie pajama stand. My dragon costume was labeled as a nightgown! How one could ever want to wear this cumbersome thing to bed is beyond me. Take a look:

Would you wear this thing to bed?! That is Christine as Lady Gaga. We were on our way to the beach to take a few photos in our costumes. Too much fun! :)

Jack, a friend from high school and college, was also in town. He is currently traveling around the world before settling in New Zealand for a year in March. I was so glad he was able to stop in Busan before going onto the Philippines!

These Koreans insisted on taking a photo with Jack. Amy and Natalie jumped in behind for good measure.

Last Sunday I went to an apple festival with a teacher from my school and her family. It was wonderful! (Can I just point out really quickly that I never used to say the word 'wonderful', but I have to teach it to my kids so now it's in my daily rotation of adjectives. I will hope it goes away when I move home.)

Mr. Park pulled over on our way to the festival and insisted on taking this photo of me in front of the "beautiful fall weather". It was hilarious. And awkward. I hate individual photos.

Only one kind of apple available, it just depended on how many you wanted.

So Yeon, Mrs. Park and I in front of a ski resort. It's only missing one thing. . .

Tonight was my favorite neighbor's birthday. Jessica and her husband Mayo have become some of my closest friends in Korea. Tonight was Jessica's birthday, and yesterday was Mayo's birthday and their wedding anniversary! I was so excited to go out and celebrate with them tonight. I am going to be so sad when they leave in February!!

Finally, one of my favorite photos I have taken in Busan:

I wish I knew Korean just so I could talk to this man and hear his life story.