Chuseok is the biggest holiday in Korea. Bigger than Christmas! Chuseok is when all of the families travel to their hometowns and spend a good 3 days together celebrating their ancestory. They travel to the graves of their ancestors and often have a memorial service. They play traditional Korean games, eat traditional Korean foods, and dress in traditional Korean formal wear (also known as Hanbok's).
Friday the 17th we got to experience a little bit of Chuseok madness. All of us teachers got to wear hanboks and our Kindies also came to school in their hanboks (which was seriously adorable!). We got to play all sorts of games, make Songpyeon (rice cakes), and take pictures in our get-ups.
One exciting thing I got to do on the 17th was pick up my sister and Calla....wearing my hanbok! I felt like a total idiot hailing a cab in my hanbok, ordering a coffee, and waiting at the bus stop. One Korean man even came up to me and said "ohh...very beautiful". Needless to say, I got a lot of stares. The result was worth it when I got to go on the bus and see Tina and Calla! It was exciting to bring them to the school to meet my co-workers and my students (even though they were very tired!). Everyone loved Calla. But that was only the beginning of her popularity.
Saturday was pretty low key. Tina and Calla were still pretty jet-lagged. We took a nice wander around the Gapcheon River (which actually resulted in my losing my cellphone and trying to communicate with the Korean man who picked it up to find a meeting spot to get it back). And a nice dinner of Galbi (Korean BBQ). Calla and Tina headed to bed early.
Sunday we headed to Church, where Calla got even MORE attention, and celebrated Chuseok again. I think that Tina really enjoyed getting a feel for my church and the people, I was glad she was able to see where I'm spending my Sundays :).
Monday (Yes...you are all getting the play-by-play) we headed out for a day of shopping. This proved to take longer and be more difficult than expected. One reason being it was absolutely pouring out. Trying to maneuver two umbrellas and a stroller is no the easiest thing in the world. It ended in all of us getting pretty soaked, especially Calla. It also resulted in a brand new pair of shoes for Calla. You can see them in the picture.
If you know me, you probably know that I love shopping. So I had a great day, even if all I ended up with was a necklace and two pairs of earrings (two fabulous pairs of earrings I might add). Tina got some very
Korean headbands, and Calla got some adorable hair clips and elastics.
That night we went out for one of my favorite Korean meals, Dak Galbi. What's not to love about cabbage, chicken, sweet potatoes and cheese all mixed together with hot pepper sauce and grilled right at your table. So delicious, even Calla seemed to enjoy it! It was a challenge to get her to sit still at a "sit on the floor" restaurant. Luckily we were there before the dinner rush and the ladies who work there played with Calla for a lot of the time.
Tuesday was the day before Chuseok, and many stores were closed down already for the holiday. We decided that we would go and check out Hanbat Arboretum. It's right beside my school, but I had never been there before! It's actually amazing! But of course, we ended getting stuck in some huge downpours! (That's Korea for you!) Luckily the arboretum has a ton of shelters and we were able to huddle together and keep dry until the rain died down. We took a walk over Expo bridge, and ended up in a very deserted Expo Park, which was actually pretty fun! After a nap, we headed out to Wolpyeong-Dong and finished our day with a great dinner of Baskin Robbins, oh so healthy!
Wednesday, which was Chuseok, was a whole new experience for me. The streets were bare! Something that doesn't happen that often in Asia! We took the day pretty easy, and walked to Dunsan-Dong, walked around the area, and went out for coffee and one of the few coffee shops still open. It was a nice relaxing day. We came home, but headed back to Dunsan-Dong in the Evening to go to my favorite Italian restaurant in Daejeon, Bon Bon. Mmm, chicken Caesar salad and croissant crust pizza, SO good! It wasn't a very traditional Chuseok meal, but I was just happy I got to celebrate with my sister.
To Be Continued..... :)
1 comment:
It sounds like you had a good visit, can't wait for part 2.
Post a Comment