School Festival

Today is the school festival.

My school has had its festival very late this year. All the other English teachers I know in Daegu have been showing me pictures and telling me about their students so I was excited to see what my school would get up to today.
The day started off with the orchestra. The orchestra practice right next to my English room so I have heard their progression from not knowing how to hold instruments to the fantastic renditions they shared with everyone today (believe me it’s been a loooot of practice, I’ve been humming their songs in my sleep) This was followed by the cutest elementary school orchestra from a school close by. It was a bizarre experience to see how my little first graders were actually giants compared to these small innocent creatures from elementary school. I saw a few of the elementary students look terrified at my 6 foot 3rd graders and to be honest I was right there with them. Those students could scare the pants off a nun.
Today marks the 9 month mark in my Korean stay so today was a fitting day for reflection. I love days were the school comes together. I can never quite get over the crowd of familiar faces. I know their personalities, preferences and weaknesses (but unfortunately not enough names) I really do love my kids. Being in a poorer area means I have kids that challenge me on a daily basis but I love them unconditionally. Changing schools next year was a serious option as they are very hard work and I’ve ended more than a few days near to tears but to be honest I just love them and their ways. I do sometimes wish for easier days and a job where I’m dancing and singing with cute little kindergarteners but then I laugh at a stupid joke my 3rd graders have made or see my 1st graders sprout 1 foot in a month and I am overjoyed. Being a teenager is a nightmare of a time in your life but its nice to be part of it. Unfortunately I didn’t have my camera to capture the day so I only have some poor phone camera pictures to share. Watching my troublesome 2nd grade boys play up a storm on the Korean Traditional drums, watching the other teachers dance on stage and just giggling with coworkers has already made this a fantastic day. It’s also nice to not be the shouty English teacher for a few hours.

It’s only lunch time now and I’m looking forward to the second half of the day. Coming up is two dance groups who’ve been practicing in my room for a few weeks and two girls I have a real soft spot for who are going to sing. We have been practicing and singing 3 times a week for about 2 months now in anticipation of this day so I’m really hoping they pull it off. Just remembering back to any comprehensive school memory that involves performing in public makes me instantly feel the excitement and fear I felt all those years ago. It’s nice to watch my students making memories and really putting themselves out there. I couldn’t be prouder!
 I’ve signed myself up for next year so I best get practicing now :S

*edit* The rest of the day was just as good if not better! The kids were allowed to sing and dance. There are some amazing dancers in this school (the dancing was slightly too sexy for under 16 year olds but none the less!) I also had the honor of winning a prize, the kids had coupons to give to teachers that they liked and the coupons could by food that parents had made. It was a silly gesture but it made my day. I was over the moon. What a great day!

Fabulous Places

I found this song the other day and it's no wonder my head has always been full of travel. As a kid I'd watch and re-watch the old Doctor Doolittle movie and sing this all around my house .
Fabulous Places

Christmas in Korea

As Christmas is fast approaching it’s starting to dawn on everyone here in Korea that, for a lot of us, this will be our first Christmas away from home. I have lived away from home for many years but I’ve never missed a Christmas so I will be doing as much as possible to distract myself this month.

So I have decided to make the most of this time and make a list of things to do for our first Korean Christmas:

. Have hot coco with friends

. Watch a movie in a big group.

. See down-town decorated

. Cook a stew

. Make eggnog

. Make fudge

. Sing carols somewhere

. Watch a movie in a DVD bang

. Show Carly (my lovely misguided friend) ‘The Muppet’s Christmas Carol’

. Make decorations with my class

. Show my class lots of Christmas films

. Watch as many Christmas films as possible

. Have an ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ night

. Make some form of Christmas tree

. Do Secret Santa

. Ski for the first time

. Have a proper Christmas dinner

. Make Christmas cards

. Buy fairy lights

. Skype my family in school and on Christmas day

. Skype my family while they decorate the tree

. Finish Korean Christmas shopping

. Make an advent calendar for school and home

. Drink Baileys

. Make crackers

. Pack for home

. Buy Christmas PJ’s

. Leave cookies and milk for Santa

carrot for the reindeer & chery for Santa

. Buy one bottle of Asti

. Make a mini chocolate table (family tradition)

. DRINK A RED CUPPED EGGNOG LATTE (this one is very important to me as I didn’t know they had the red cups or eggnog latte’s in Korea and its become a tradition that makes me feel its really Christmas)

*EDIT : I was lied to!!! They have red cups and they have all the other variations apart from eggnog...I am very sad :( the second I get off the plane...I'm getting like 3 *

. Most importantly have fun and on the 28th of December…run to that airport and get home 
EDIT * Unfortunatly my school changed the last day of term so I'm not allowed to go home for New Year but on the 1st I can fly home*

 

The films we will be watching will be as follows:

Muppets Christmas Carol

It’s a Wonderful Life

The Santa Claus Movie
Miracle on 34th street (old & new)

The Santa Clause

The Christmas Toy

Scrooged

Love actually
Jingle all the way

National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation

Gremlins

Trains, Planes and Automobiles

The Grinch

The Family Man

Home Alone

Home Alone 2

ELF

The Nightmare before Christmas

Rise of the Guardians

Christmas Story (I’ve never seen this but hear its good)

I will also be listening to an excessive amount of Nat King Cole (aka the voice of Christmas)

One of my favorite recent Christmas memories was driving home for Christmas. We listened to Nat King Cole and Ella Fitzgerald (as well as some Wham and Mariah) for a solid 4 hours. We stopped in the cold icy fog to get red cupped starbucks and Krispy Kremes and at the end of the trip we ended up at home where the decorations were hung and my family were waiting. I love Christmas, not for the presents, I think I grew out of the gifts for myself when I was about 14 but I love spoiling other people. I love giving them something that makes them smile. I do go a little over board sometimes but it’s worth it! Oh in fact as I’ve wrote that sentence I’ve just thought of the perfect gift for people at home!

I love the food, the lights and most of all the atmosphere. It really is magical. People smile more and hug more. It’s probably the only time of year you’re allowed to be romantic at every moment of the day.

I have been told I’m not allowed to go into full Christmas mode until the 25th of Nov since then it will be a month till Christmas which is fair enough. This Christmas will be very different from what I’m use to but I am actually a little excited for it. I am excited to spend time with my little Korean family especially since sadly so many of them will be leaving in February.

Bring on November 25th!!!!

Autumn in Haeinsa

While my friend was visiting I wanted to show her some culture and experience something a little different so I thought about a few of the places I had been this year and decided to take a trip up to Haeinsa temple. I also brought along my Saffa friend Nini who hadn’t seen the temple yet.

Haeinsa is a place I’ve blogged about before (here) but this time we were lucky to be visiting during the changing colours of autumn. They were spectacular. I am lucky to come from a place that does have lovely autumns. When I was in university in Cardiff and working in London I saw lovely autumn leaves in many parks but nothing like here in Korea.

The reds are so vivid they look painted!

Unfortunately a lot of people had the same idea as us so we were stuck in traffic for a while but I had the lovely Nini and Jess to keep me company.

Once we arrived we started our mini hike. The hills at Haeinsa are a little steep but as long as you are in flat shoes and look where you are stepping you will be fine. There is the option of hiking the mountain to the peak but I’ll leave that for another visit.

A festival had just finished at the temple so there was more stands and shops set up as you walked up to the hill but it all added to the atmosphere of being in Korea. Many variations of Korean delicacies were available including a odd looking stuffed squid.

The steams and mini waterfalls were idyllic and made for a lovely backdrop to the temple grounds. We walked up to the main entrance of the temple and had a good wander around.

You can’t take photos from inside the temple but I love going in them. Taking your shoes off and stepping inside always feels like stepping back in time. The silence and smell of incense is extremely relaxing and makes me want to learn every thing there is to know about Buddhist culture.

The surroundings of the temple are breath taking. The trees and hills seem to go on forever, the air was crisp and it was impossible not to find simple joys like taking a real breath of fresh air, extremely rewarding.

There was a piece of modern art placed in the temple grounds that depicted the pain carried by different people of all ages from all around the world. People had been asked to place stones in a piece of red cloth to represent the pain they carried in their life. The bags were varied but it was very sad to see the cotton tearing at the seams of the biggest bags.

Unlike my last visit we were allowed to enter the complex that houses the ‘Tripataca Koreana’ (which you can read about here).

You still couldn’t get very close but you could see all the slate through the grates and it was impressive to know we were mere feet away from some of the world’s most sacred artifacts.

After a lot more staring and pondering on the view we were all calm, relaxed and ready to sign up that second to a temple stay. The temple stays at Haeinsa allow you to stay over night and experience a day in the life of a monk. It’s something that is very high on my to-do list but unfortunately we hadn’t planned ahead and the complex was looking very full.

We headed back down the mountain at closing time with the sun quickly setting on us. (of course we found time for a brief and very needed leaf fight as well as a some what peaceful moment with the divided Buddha)

I love this nutcase!

We headed home on the bus, which was a lot quicker on the way back.

Luckily we had bought our tickets when we had gotten off the bus. I’d advice getting your tickets once you arrive at Haeinsa as the booth was closed after 5:30 even though the buses ran after this.

It would also be wise to bring cash as there isn’t many card facilities here, expect in the gift shop.

The day was ended with a night of makgeolli and card games in downtown Daegu (As well as nora bang…of course) which was a perfect Jux-tu-position to our serene temple visit

I have heard people complain that after a few months in Korea you get ‘Templed out’ after seeing so many but I’d definitely advice an autum visit to re awake your love of Korean culture. It’s easy to let Korean life become normal but a visit to a place as beautiful as Haeinsa (even with the crowds of hiking Koreans) can make you appreciate where you are all over again.