Ppeppero! Ppeppero! Ppeppero!

Korea never ceases to disappoint me with its cuteness factor. Today, November 11th, is 빼 빼 로 데 이 (Ppeppero Day). Ppeppero, akin to the Japanese Pocky, are long cookie sticks dipped in chocolate. I've been told that Lotte, the manufacturing company (and one which seemingly has a monopoly over food products here in Korea) just decided one day that 11/11 would be Ppeppero Day (take note of the four ones and their resemblence to these cookies). On this day, lovers are meant to give each other boxes of these deliciuos little snacks. In addition, students give to teachers and children to their friends.



I arrived to school this morning to find two one foot-long, one-inch thick Ppepperos on my desk, covered in chocolate and colorful flower shaped sprinkles. These could have easily come from a coworker (which wouldn't be out of the ordinary, despite this "holiday" being geared more toward children), but I'd like to think that I've got a student out there who likes me well enough to secretly place chocolate cookies on my desk before school... :)

I've since had two students come to my desk between classes and give me a box of the classic plain chocolate dipped cookies. I was really hoping for the chocolate almond flavor, but beggars can't be choosers, right? I'll take what I can get when it comes to chocolate covered snacks!

In my first class this morning, one student had a little bag of Ppepperos and said to my co-teacher in Korean "Teacher, please have some Ppeppero." She happily accepted the snack from the student, only to find it empty. In our next class, a student called me over to his desk, where he was offering me a box of the chocolate almond flavor. After our first class I had my suspicions, but my hopes remained high that I'd be snacking on chocolate almond covered cookies 45 minutes later--only to find yet ANOTHER empty package.

Needless to say, these little pranks gave the students a good laugh.

South Korea has a handful of other little informal holidays like Ppeppero Day. There is a special little holiday every month, it's really quite fantastic! Though, rarely have I actually observed any of them. Here is some information I picked up off the internet:

January 14th – Diary Day
Couples are meant to give each other a diary or year planner book and note down all the rest of these lovely gift-giving days make new year’s resolutions.

February 14th – Valentine’s Day
In contrast to Western society, today is traditionally when women give chocolates to their men and confess their love.

March 14th – White Day
Men give candy to the women they love (Flowers, chocolate and cuddly toys, etc.. anything!)

April 14th – Black Day
A purely Korean day, for those singletons out there, who didn’t received chocolate or candy, console and encourage themselves by eating jajangmyeon (짜장면) – noodles with black bean sauce.

May 14th – Rose Day / Yellow Day
Couples exchange roses, and those lonely hearts gather for curry and companionship. Apparently dressing in yellow is also recommended.

June 14th – Kiss Day
The day when couples kiss each other.
There is one site puts it as: ‘Lovers confess their feelings to one another and kiss passionately.’ Just another excuse to make out really!!

July 14th – Silver Day
Couples can freely ask their friends to give them money to pay for a date! Couples exchange gifts made of silver, and announce their relationship to their friends. I’m thinking this is a good idea as you get yourself a free date day!

August 14th – Green Day
Couples are supposed to dress in green, and walk outside in the woods. Singles would drink a (green) bottle of soju to console themselves.

September 14th – Photo & Music Day
Couples take photographs together, go out with friends in the evening to Noraebangs (Karaoke) or night clubs, places with music in order to make their relationship public.

October 14th – Wine Day
Couples have wine on this day, because wine drinking is the thing to do in autumn.

October 24th – Apple Day
The Korean word for apple is called ‘Sa-gwa’ (사과), also means to apologize. On this day, friends, family and couples give an apple to each other to apologize for past mistakes.

November 11th – Pepero Day (Also called the Choc Stick Day!)
A new day that has taken off in South Korea, it is named after a pencil-shaped cookie stick covered in chocolate, given mostly by young Koreans as an expression of their affection.
The 11th day of the 11th month is specifically chosen as the number looks like a Pepero stick. Students exchange the treats with one another with the thought of growing tall and thin.

November 14th – Movie & Orange Day
Couples would watch a movie together while having some orange juice.

December 14th – Hug Day
Couples are meant to hug one another lovingly to stay warm in the cold winter months.

As you can see, there is a lot of emphasis placed on being in a relationship... You have no idea how many times I've been told "You need a boyfriend" or asked by somebody whom I've just met "Do you have a boyfriend?" It's a harsh world for young women here in Korea...

Fruit of the Gods

"The Tiger and the Dried Persimmon

A hungry tiger was roaming the hills of a small village in search of food one very cold winter night. He came to the window of a village house, lit by lamp light. The tiger heard a mother trying to calm her crying baby, but even the threat of a fox and a bear outside the window would not quiet the baby. Then the mother told the baby there was a tiger outside the window, but even that would not quiet the child. "What a strange creature, this baby, that it's not even afraid of me" thought the tiger. This worried him, as he saw himself as the most ferocious animal in Korea. Then, the mother offered a dried persimmon to the baby. At once, the baby stopped crying. This worried the tiger, as he worried what kind of earthly creature a persimmon could be that it would make a baby stop crying. "It must be more powerful and ferocious than even me!" Just then, a thief, mistaking the tiger for a cow in the dark, jumped on the tiger's back. Both were very startled and the tiger began to run away with the thief still on his back, thinking the thief was the evil creature "persimmon." The tiger ran and ran, trying to throw the 'persimmon' off his back, but the thief held on tightly knowing that the moment he fell, the tiger would tear him to pieces. Finally, the thief was able to escape from the tiger's back by grabbing onto a low branch of a tree and climbing up to safety. Both were relieved and the tiger continued to run into the safety of the dark forest. Ever since, the tiger has feared persimmon."

Tigers disappeared from South Korea long ago, but the persimmon did not. We are in the thick of persimmon season here in Korea--the large, shiny and smooth red-ish, orange-ish fruits hanging off tree branches around every corner. According to the ancient Greeks, persimmons were the "fruit of the gods." In Buddhism, the persimmon is used as a symbol of transformation. I find persimmon trees to be especially pretty on Buddhist temple grounds, personally.

The first time I tried a dried persimmon, my tastebuds were not very pleased. In fact, I didn't take more than a few little nibbles before tossing it into the ocean off the docks in Busan. The texture is odd and mushy, the taste not very appetizing, and they are covered in a layer of something similar to powdered sugar. That was last winter, after I'd only been in Korea for about a month. I think I'll have to give them another try this winter, after spending a year here and having found a new and improved appreciation for the fruit.

Though, I'll start with raw persimmons. My vice principal just gave me a box full of HUGE and beautifully colored persimmons that she hand-picked over the weekend from her country home up in the mountains. I was also given three delicious persimmons by the husband-wife owners of a new local convenience store. All I bought was a small carton of milk and a bottle of water.

The kindness and generosity of Korean people is truly amazing and inspiring.

Here is a photo I took recently while walking through a temple on the outskirts of Jinju:



And, just for fun:

A Few Random Notes

1. How fortunate am I to get crab for school lunch? I'm not talking fake crab, or even little chunks of real crab. I'm talking halves of legit crabs--and I am free to take as much as I'd like. Try serving crab for school lunch back home and see what kind of reaction that gets.

2. The following data has all been collected at random: Over the months, when I think about it, I take a moment during class to count how many of my 34 (first grade) or 37 (second grade) students wear glasses. Without fail thus far, there have been no fewer than 20 students in each class who wear glasses. Today 24 out of 34 students in one of my classes were wearing glasses. Are Koreans' eye sight that terrible?

*(On a mostly unrelated note, but interesting--at least to me--nonetheless, when I asked my kids what they knew about Mongolia, they all had the same answer, hands down: "good eye sight!"; or, rather, something closer to "good see!" or "good eye!" Hmm, I had no idea.)

3. This morning, in my extra conversation class that I teach before school actually starts (yes, I DESPISE having to teach earlier in the morning and BEFORE my actual teaching begins for the day), I had the students play Beer Pong. Okay, we didn't actually use beer, or any other liquid for that matter. BUT, I used the same concept and had a number written on the bottom of the cups with a corresponding action for the students to do should the ping-pong ball land in that cup. My favorite, thanks to my high-school soccer coach, is always "star jumps." Naturally, I make the kids actually say "I'm a star!" with each star jump they do :)

4. It's a pretty amazing feeling to be able to feel so happy with my life on a daily basis. Even on the bad days, there is always something in my life here that makes me smile and explicitly think to myself "Life is good" and "I'm where I'm supposed to be right now." It's only 12:45pm Wednesday afternoon, and I've already had this happen twice to me today.

God, life is good.

Make that three ;-)

I've Got Sunshine...

I was sent home a half-hour early yesterday so the entire school could be sprayed down with disinfectant after a student's recent diagnosis of TB last Friday. Yes, as in tuberculosis.

Apparently we're getting chest x-rays tomorrow?

Another student, only days before, was diagnosed with leukemia. I don't know the health status of either of the students, but neither of these things is good news.

A few days ago I mentioned it was officially fall. Upon stepping outside this morning, it felt more like winter. HOLY HELL where did all this cold air suddenly come from??

Jinju was host to Korean's national sports competition this year, which coincided with the famous Lantern Festival held every October. So, the city built a brand new stadium and sports complex, complete with facilities for soccer, track, basketball, tennis, roller blading, skateboarding, volleyball AND last but not least, rock climbing. SO, a few friends and I met up yesterday evening to hit up the rock wall at the stadium. It was my first time to this place (which is an $8 taxi ride away; or, I can take a bus, but the bus only comes by my house every hour or two, I haven't quite figured it out yet). But this place is incredible! It makes me just want to go, soccer ball, basketball, climbing gear in hand and hang out for like six hours doing all sorts of random sports-related activities. Oh, it's also right on the river so there's always the river path to run along.

Anyways, my point in that entire paragraph was to say that somewhere in between about 5pm and 8pm last night, the weather turned dramatically and now it's FREEZING COLD. Here's to hoping there's still a little warmth in the afternoon air under the sun... At least there's still sunshine.

Little Cleaning Machines

Who needs custodians and janitors when you've got 1,088 teenage boys?

Not Jinju Jeil Middle School. And not the rest of the public schools in Korea, either. I haven't yet figured out the pattern, but on most days after the final bell rings at 3:30 and classes are officially over, the boys start cleaning. They sweep, they dust, they wipe, they mop and they scrub. They clean the stairs, the floors, the windows and the desks. They empty the trash. They clean the classrooms, the hallways and the teachers' offices. Every afternoon around 3:45 I roll my chair away from my desk so the first student can sweep under my desk and the second student can mop. I think I'm the only teacher who every says "thank you." ("Thank you" is not nearly as common an expression in Korean as it is in English).

They DON'T, however, clean the bathrooms. Apparently they used to, but they did such a terrible job and would screw around so much that they since got banned from that responsibility. I'm sure they were very disappointed about that one. (We do actually have a few women who are here every day cleaning bathrooms; otherwise, the students clean EVERYTHING!).

About once a month, maybe less, Monday afternoon's sixth period becomes special deep-cleaning days. They spend an entire class period moving desks around in classrooms, wiping the blackboards clean, and climbing out windows onto the rooftops to clean the glass.

What a brilliant idea. But, I can't imagine this EVER working in public schools back home...

I'm Gonna be a Superstar

Okay, not really. Not even close, with my (lack of) talent. BUT, that doesn't mean I can't FEEL like a star during the midnight hour when my friends and I escape to a magical place called a "norae bang."

Norae = song, bang = room. Song room. Singing room. Karaoke room. Room where one can feel like a star for the night.

Koreans love their norae bangs. I'm convinced, in fact, that without norae bangs Korea and Korean culture just wouldn't be the same. It's not uncommon for a night out in Korea to end in a norae bang (for Koreans and foreigners alike). It's also not uncommon to end up in a norae bang with coworkers--principals and vice principals included--after a school dinner. The first time I sang in a norae bang was actually in front of my vice principal (who has an amazing voice) and about seven other teachers. A coworker picked out "Dancing Queen" by ABBA. Let's just say that Dancing Queen is WAY out of my range and I was humiliated. Luckily, they didn't fire me after my terrible performance.

One becomes accustomed to the norae bang session with ease after the first one or two times. Now, when my friends and I make the late-night decision to end the evening with a norae bang session, it goes a little something like this:

Walk half a block to the nearest norae bang (they're everywhere here). Enter, pay the fee (usually around $20 for one hour), order a few beers. Enter into our 'assigned' room, grab the song book, the mics, the tambourines, kick off our shoes and start singing. The norae bang employee will soon bring in a plate of snacks, usually consisting of something like peanuts, dried squid and other little crunchy snacks. People have their usual songs, like "Hotel California," "Piano Man," "La Bamba," The Beatles, Oasis, you name it. The options are endless (well, almost; we've only been able to find Journey once in a norae bang).

If there are enough people (I'd say more than six), the music never stops. There are songs in the queue so as soon as one finishes, the mic is passed on to the next star. The room is usually set up such that there is a big-screen tv in one corner or end of the room and then a line of seating (often time velvet lined and padded with cushion and pillows) around three walls and a table in the middle, thus leaving plenty of performing (i.e., singing AND dancing) space. We dance on the cushioned seating and it's more likely the dried squid will be tossed around like a ninja star rather than eaten.

Norae bangs are like a black whole, or a vortex of fun where time seems to stand still. My latest norae bang session? We walked out after almost three hours to daylight. Yes, it was almost 7am the next day. Thankfully, we were handed complimentary cans of coffee on the way out.

Norae bangs are the perfect ending to a night out on the town.

See for yourself and tell me you aren't just a LITTLE jealous that YOU can't also be a superstar singer for the night (even my parents joined in on the norae bang fun during their visit!):

Rockin' Out

I've been slacking... But, that's typical.

It's officially autumn in Jinju. The nights are cold, the morning air is crisp and the afternoons remain warm under the sun. The leaves have yet to turn, but I am told that will happen in the next few weeks. Jinju weather right now is really quite refreshing.

Summer in Jinju was, in one word, epic. I hardly had time to bat an eye between all the beach days, baseball games, festivals, picnics, bike rides, hikes, rock climbing trips, late night norae bang sessions and Mongolia. Mmmm, rock climbning. Rock climbing has become an addiction--no, an infatuation--for me and a handful of friends here.

I was first introduced to climbing during the summer of 2009 and it was love at first sight. Unfortunately, after spending over a week in Squamish, British Columbia, climbing was absent from my life for the next ten months or so. Until, of course, Korea brought it back.

Below is part of a blog post I wrote near the end of my Squamish trip. Sitting here moments ago, I recalled writing this while still in Squamish and thought it would be interesting to re-read what I wrote when I was being introduced to the sport.

"Seductive Squamish: Adventures on the Rocks
It's now my eighth day in Squamish, British Columbia, and impressed is an understatement of how I feel about this place. It's breathtakingly beautiful, with the town nestled between massive rocky peaks and an endless green of fir tree after fir tree. I know I have been lucky; I've seen nothing but sunshine and blue skies until today, where I now take refuge in the Squamish Public Library from the chill of overcast skies and intermittent drizzles of rain.

I could not think of a better place to be introduced to the sport of rock climbing. Throughout the past week, I have tested my mind and body in ways that until now have been unfamiliar to me. It's as much a mental game as it is physical, demanding from your mind an intense focus on each move, with a need for problem-solving and piecing together a puzzle, all while hanging on by fingertips and the tips of your toes, shifting your weight until you find the right balance to stay on the rock.

No doubt, there is an adrenaline rush that takes you right up to the top of the rock (although, I never truly notice it until I've reached the peak, and then even more when my feet are safely back on the ground). The rush of feeling you get on the inside is indescribable, and nothing like that of finishing a race, winning a soccer match, or reaching the summit of a long hike."

I include this because I was trying to think of how to describe what climbing feels like to someone who has never done it before. Having always been an athlete, I've had plenty of experiences that demand an incredible amount of physical and mental exertion, concentration, focus and confidence. I'm familiar with pushing my mind and body to new places, above and beyond what I had expected from myself. I'm used to challenging myself and being challenged by people around me. But, that still doesn't even begin to cover what it feels like to climb.

I guess I'll just post some pictures of this year's climbing adventures instead.

These are from Sancheong, about a half hour north of Jinju. This was my very first outdoor climbing trip in Korea:









The next two photos are from what we call the "Sea Wall," about 45 minutes south of Jinju in Samcheonpo. This is a great warm-weather climbing spot since the ocean is right there. That means we swim, climb, swim, sunbathe, climb, swim, etc. Good stuff.





Probably one of my favorite places in Korea thus far, Yongseo Pokpo (Forgiveness Waterfall), is a few hours away but a place we've returned to a few times. As you can see, all the climbing routes are right there next to the falls. Like the Sea Wall, we can climb, swim, climb, swim; AND, there are places to pitch a few tents to make a great weekend out of it. As you can see in the last photo, we gave night-climbing a go after we'd already had dinner and sat around a campfire for a little while.













The rest of the pictures are from my most recent climbing trip up north to Chuncheon, near the North Korean border. There were six of us total and we did a four-pitch climb; this was also the first multi-pitch climb for three of us, so it was an awesome weekend.