So this weekend we had Sports Day at my school. Sports Day, if I haven't already told you about it, is essentially similar to our Field Day (or Track and Field Day) in the states, only every school has one, even the middle and high schools, as opposed to just elementary school. I'm not sure if there are equivalents in other countries,
so if you've never even heard of Field Day, or Sports Day, and are like "NOLEN WHAT IS THIS I DON'T EVEN," well hold on a sec, jump off the caps lock, and I'll explain! JEEZ GET OFF MY BACK.
At Sports Day, the kids play in all kinds of events, from the standard foot races, to a game that involves throwing bean bags at a giant pinata to break it open. There are also some little dances done by the younger kids (which I think is unique to elementary), and is just completely adorable. And finally there are even games for the parents and teachers to participate in! Exciting!
The kids were divided into two teams, white and blue. You can see the white and blue flags above. At the older level, or possibly at schools with more kids than mine, there are more teams, and according to one of my high school teacher friends, they really go all out with their costumes. If she would actually put up the photos from her Sports Day, I would link to her! But she is lame. Stop being lame, Jill! Here is her write up of a high school Sports Day. Basically my kids played smaller versions of the games she talks about. Jill, you are still lame. Because you have this whole freaking week off. 
All around the field there were tents set up. These tents were the Parents' Association selling concessions to raise funds. One of the things they sold were the sweet rice cake dessert things whose names I cannot remember but are delicious. So I, of course, bought some. In addition to these vendors, there were merchants from all around town selling stuff. And politicians talking to the parents. It was basically a free-for-all, completely ok'd by the principal. So that was a bit shocking to see, but I understand (from my co-teacher) that this is not the norm in Korea. Our principal is just a weird dude.
Here is a formation of the Youngs preparing to do one of their dances. Seriously these guys were so cute...I wish I'd gotten a movie of them.
This is the finish line of the track. In the corner, you see the flags for first, second and third places. What would happen is you finish your race, and then you go wait under the flag for your finishing position. They tally up the number of white and blue finishers in each position and assign points accordingly. One of the most exciting races was the scavenger race, where each participant was given a card with an instruction to find a person ("find your mother", "find someone from the parents' association", "find the principal"), and then race with them back to the finish line. Guess who was one of those people on the cards? That's right, everyone's favorite giant, pale, hairy redhead!
We only finished second, my partner and I. Second place is the first loser :( (Nah, I had a great time with the kids and they seemed to like it too). I mentioned before that there were also games for the parents - well after the races, it was time for tug-of-war! And let me tell you, these guys were SERIOUS about their tug-of-war. My team got pretty well schooled after handily winning the first round. Poor White Team (you can tell from the wristbands)
Lastly, Spring is finally in full bloom...though judging by the last couple of days, we decided to skip Spring and head straight into Summer. Finally some warmth! So here is a shot of my town looking nice and green.A note on the title of this piece: "fighting" is not what the kids were doing at Sports Day. Rather, "Fighting" is a cheer you shout to root for your team, much like in English "football" matches. In Korean, though, there is no 'f' sound, so it sounds much more like "white-ing" when they say it. It's pretty much the coolest.
Part the First
Hello all my dear readers! I have so much to tell you about! First, though, let me apologize for the lack of recent updates. These things happen when you're busy. I know it must have been a very trying time for you all, attempting to suffer through your quotidian lives without my updates, but I am glad you were strong enough to soldier on.
So let's see...when we last spoke, my children were actively cleaning class and using some impressive teamwork to get things done. Since then, I really haven't been in class, so not much news there. OH! I did go into Seoul last weekend, and completely failed to take any pictures (I have come to the conclusion that my camera is just too crappy for words, and I will need to purchase a new one as soon as possible, probably after my next paycheck. Fortunately, I'm in the right country to do so). So here: make do with some of my various friends'.
Our first stop: Yongsan electronics mall. This is possibly the biggest geek haven in all the world. In just the I'Park mall alone, there are floors upon floors of electronic gadgets, from cell phones to cameras, to hardware and the Nintendo Wii. The most beautiful part of it is the top floor of this place, the "Electronic Sports Stadium". It's not an arcade, not really...it's in fact a stadium where people gather together to watch two guys playing Starcraft or whatever. So basically it's like being in Jacob and Joe's room in college, only with a huge audience and it's actually broadcast on the teevee. Awesomely dynamic.
After our little nerd break, we decided to continue the dork vibe, but with a slightly different tack. We headed downtown to the Sejong Performing Arts Center because I wanted to get some culture, and there was an exhibit of Steve McCurry photography on display. It featured, of course, the haunting and iconic Afghan Girl, a visually stunning photograph. I believe McCurry is at his best when he is taking portraits. There is no one else I've seen who can capture humanity on film like this man can...it's quite amazing. If you ever get a chance, I would absolutely recommend checking some of his work out. For those of you in South Korea who have not yet seen his work, the exhibit runs through the end of May, and is 8000W for adults.
We decided to take a little break and hang out in the warm (ish) sunshine in Gwanghwamun park near the Sejong PAC. Sorry for the awkward angle. (You will probably live, though)
And here we are standing at the statue of King Sejong himself, the man who not only set down the Hangul alphabet, but also apparently invented astronomy. The statue is a likeness of him personally bringing forth the science of astronomy from the heavens.
Following our little respite, we headed over to the very hip Hongdae area. It's the neighborhood around Hongik University, and is well known for being filled with the Korean equivalents of hipsters, trendsters, and scenesters. It was a pretty cool area, one I would like to explore when I am not quite so tired. Or trying to corral such a large group of 20-somethings (there were like 10 of us). We ate at a very pleasant Indian restaurant (following our Thai lunch, naturally) and then left to grab a beer or two before embarking on the long journey home.
You can see how excited I am to get on the metro for about an hour and a half (not catching an express train is really quite awful).
Yikes. This is turning into something rather longer than I had planned. Stay tuned for Part II, in which I spend three days out in the boonies learning how to teach...
