Chuseok holiday~! Gyeongbokgung

So, Chuseok is a three day holiday around the time of the Autumn Equinox. Although Chuseok is technically only three days, most companies (including mine!) got the whole week off. Chuseok is a sort of harvest festival. Most go to their ancestral homes, which are typically in rural areas (i.e. out of Seoul). Some families go on vacation together during this time, typically to places like Busan or Jeju Island. Anyway, Chuseok is also a time to visit one's family shrine, give thanks to one's ancestors, and children often do a ceremonial bow to their parents. So, it's a big deal.

Some of the parents made me some songpyeon, which is a traditional Chuseok food. It's a rice cake with different fillings, like sesame paste or honey, and is typically steamed over pine needles. Super yummy!

I didn't take this photo. I got this off of Yahoo Images, but it looks similar to the songpyeon I was given.

So, most of the other teachers went abroad during Chuseok, because Seoul gets a little deserted during this holiday. There were very few cars on the road. Most shops were closed on Chuseok day and some were even closed all three days. But, I stayed and this was my golden opportunity to be a tourist!

I was going to go explore some different areas of Seoul on Tuesday, but the weather was not in my favor. It rained hard from morning til night.

On Chuseok day (Wednesday), I went to Gyeongbokgung, which is considered one of the five "grand palaces" in S. Korea and translates to "Palace Greatly Blessed by Heaven". King Kojong (the last king of the Choson Dynasty--the last Korean king) lived there during his reign and it's also where Queen Min was assassinated by the Japanese, who then burned her body and scattered her ashes (if you believe the more extreme historical retellings, she was raped, dismembered, and then burned). The National Folk Museum is near the palace and admission is included in the entry price for the palace. Although because it was Chuseok, they didn't charge us to see national landmarks on a national holiday. 

Aerial View of Gyeongbokgung-- picture in subway terminal

Another picture of the Aerial shot of Gyeongbokgung

Entrance Gate of Gyeongbokgung--called Gwanghwamun

View to the right in front of Gyeongbokgung

Lion Statue in front of palace

Close-up of Gwanghwamun

Imperial Guards in front of Gwanghwamun. They are there especially for Chuseok. 

 Modern Skyscape right across from the front of the palace

 Skyscape from one of the porticos inside the Gwanghwamun

 Palace buildings beyond the Gwanghwamun

 Heungnyemun Gate: the gate beyond Gwanghwamun

 Another view of Heungnyemun Gate

Close up of Heungnyemun Gate

 Beyond Heungnyemun Gate

You have to cross Yeongjegyo to get to the third gate, Geunjeongmun

                                                             

Geunjeongmun

 

 When you go through this gate, you have to step over the stone step instead of on it. It's a bad omen if you step on the stone.

 This is Geunjeongjeon Hall; the throne room where the king held formal audiences

                     

 This is the view to the right. In person, the mountains were so spectacular. It's a shame I couldn't capture a true likeness of them in a photograph. 

 View to the left. Also pictured is the mountains, pagoda and stone railings around Geunjeongjeon Hall

 Stone courtyard and rooms around Geunjeongjeon

 

Stone walkway towards Geunjeongjeon

 Stairs leading up to the throne room,  Close up of Geunjeongjeon

 Mountain behind Geunjeongjeon

 Close up of stairs leading to Geunjeongjeon; There are two tigers on either side of a phoenix emblem

 Stone animals on stairs leading to Geunjeongjeon

 View from Geunjeongjeon to Geunjeongmun

 Views of stone courtyard from Geunjeongjeon

 View of mountains surrounding the palace

 View of painted embellishments at the top of the throne room, under the roof.

 Royal Throne

 Close up of throne

 Diagram of how the throne room was set up

 Example of seating/furniture arrangement for court members-- furniture is sparse and low to the ground so no weapons could be concealed

 Continuation of painted beams inside the throne room

 West side of throne room.

 View from west side of throne room to Seoul skyscape

 Golden dragons (representing the King) in middle of the ceiling in the throne room

 Stone courtyard surrounding throne room

 Walking towards Gyeonghoeru pavilion

 Traditional game-- you take some wooden sticks and you have to throw them so that they land into narrow vase-like vessels

 Lake surrounding the Gyeonghoeru pavilion

 Gyeonghoeru pavilion, where royal banquets were held

 Bridge leading from Gyeonghoeru pavilion to the King and Queen's sleeping quarters

 Close up of rooftops

 The 12 zodiac animals statuettes are on the edge of the roof. The more statuettes there are on the roof, the more important the building is. The animal figurines sit according to the Chinese tale, "Journey to the West."

 Close up of stone bridge leading to the King and Queen sleeping quarters

 Another shot of people playing the Korean traditional game

 Alley towards the Imperial  sleeping quarters

 Entry way

 Picture of the walls and rooftops, after going through entry

Another doorway on the way to the King's sleeping quarters

 Gangnyeongjeon: king's sleeping quarters. The queen has her own residence that the king visits for conjugal visits.

 Surrounding buildings used for storage, the personal servants, and the courtesans I would imagine

 The fireplace that heats the floor in the king's quarter.

 The fireplace under the building. One fireplace ever 6-7 feet

 Another doorway leading to the queen's quarters

This is the chimney for the fireplace. Stone pipes run underground from the fireplace to this chimney, about 10 feet away from the fireplaces, so the king's delicate nose would not have to smell smoke.

 Chinese characters used as a protective charm for the royals-- I believe it means longevity, but am not positive.

 Doors leading to queen's sleeping quarters. Once a queen married into the royal family, she essentially lived at the palace her entire life. Rarely was she allowed out of the palace walls.

 Gyotaejeon-- Queen's sleeping quarters

 Behind Gyotaejeon is the queen's private garden. When you open the doors in the back, the queen would be able to look out at her garden from her rooms.

 The stone structures have carved pictures that depict the garden through all the seasons

 A gate leading to the prince's sleeping quarters

 Gate leading to the prince's sleeping quarters

 Pagoda

The prince's sleeping quarters

Hyangwonjeong "Pavilion of Far-Reaching Fragrance" on Hyangwonji lake

 Close up of Hyangwonjeong

 Bridge leading to Hyangwonjeong, called Chwihyanggyo or "Bridge Intoxicated with Fragrance"

 Jibokjae: Private library of the king, two stories

 This looks like it is some kind of shrine, but it was closed, so I couldn't tell for sure.

 I have no idea what these statues are about, but they were cool none the less.

 Grounds of Palace

 More stone statues

 

 Changing of the Imperial Guard (once again, this is just for Chuseok)

 

So, that was part one of my Chuseok Adventure. National Folk Museum and special Chuseok performance in my next entry!

Presents...

Korean parents and students treat their teachers very well.
For our field trips, the parents provide a feast for all the teachers, even drinks. On top of that, the kids will fight to be the first to share their food with a teacher. None of the teachers brought food with them on the field trip because they knew it would be provided through various means.
Even on a day-to-day basis, my kids constantly give me candy and coffee and stickers.
Also, for the musical, all the parents who came had bouquets prepared for their kids, especially the 7 year olds. So, I received 3 bouquets (one was a candy bouquet) from parents... just for being the teacher of their kids.

Also, for Chuseok, I received gifts like mad. Chocolate and coffee and and more candy...
The principal also gave all the teachers a gift. A 100,000 won (~$100) gift certificate to Lotte: Lotte is the mega store walmart of Korea (as in, it's a brand that is trying to conquer the country). Lotte owns hotels, restaurants, an amusement park (Lotte World), shopping malls, duty free shops, etc.
So, all in all, I feel loved and appreciated. <3

 

A Side Note: Stores sell Chuseok gift sets. One of the gift sets is a spam gift set. Pretty much a box with 5 (regular-sized) tins of spam for over $30. I have no idea how much spam goes for in the states, but I am guessing that it's not $6 a can. Spam is considered a delicacy here and it's a big compliment if you receive it as a present. However, I am really glad that I was not given some. ^.~

My Kids~! Musical Time!!!!

There are five kindergarten classes (segregated by age)-- Secret Garden (7 yrs), Wizard of Oz (7 yrs), Mark Twain (6 yrs), Charles Dickens (6 yrs), and William Shakespeare (5 yrs). I only work with three of these classes-- Wizard of Oz, Secret Garden, and William Shakespeare.
I will try to post some class pictures later, but this update is for the musical performances! I only taught musical for the 7 years (Wiz of Oz & Secret Garden). I will be co-teaching with Lucy for William Shakespeare in the next play, but I only have musical pictures and videos from the 7 year olds right now.

Anyway, Wizard of Oz did "The Ants and the Grasshopper."
Rehearsal Time:

 Build Me Up Buttercup- Song & Dance

 
Performance Pictures:

Characters: Name (Outfit): Grasshopper (Green), 4 Ants (Black), 2 Butterflies (Yellow), Sun, Leaf, Snowflake  

Why Do You Build Me Up

Hannah: Snowflake; Kevin: Leaf; Julie: Butterfly; John: Sun; Angela: Butterfly; Alex: Grasshopper

 

Jia, Fred, Hae-In, & Roy as Ants

Why Do You Build Me Up Video

Introduction:
John: Sun; Jia & Hae-In: Ants

Hannah: Snowflake (pink/white); Kevin: Leaf (Green); Julie: Butterfly (Yellow)

Angela: Butterfly; Alex: Grasshopper; Fred & Roy: Ants

I Want Candy Song & Dance:

Secret Garden performed "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz."
Dress Rehearsal:

Sarah: Wizard of Oz (pink), Reo: Magic Monkey (w/o costume), Cara: Munchkin/Narrator (Purple)

Cara: Munchkin; Carol: Dorothy; Nana: Toto

"See the Wizard of Oz" Song-- Amy: Dorothy 2; Tania: Toto 2; Carol: Dorothy 1; Nana: Toto 1; Cara

Cara: sitting as narrator. Sarah: Acting all bad-ass as the Wizard of Oz.
VIDEOS:
Dress Rehearsal: Scarecrow & Tin Girl Scene

Dress Rehearsal: Cowardly Lion Scene

 Performance: Wicked Witch of the West Scene

Performance: Wizard of Oz Scene

Well, that's all I have. My camera batteries decided to die on the performance day, so I didn't get as many pics & vids as I would have liked, but oh well.

My kids performed so well. I was so proud. :-)

Medicine and Doctors in Korea

I have a persisting cough, so I decided to go get some meds. Unfortunately, this was not going to be as easy as I first though. Pharmacies in Korea are free-standing buildings run by a pharmacist. Beside simple things like ibuprofen, you cannot get any medicine from stores. Very few medicines are over the counter. Pharmacies typically have a green cross sign above them or a mortar and pestle image. So, I was really worried, because I did not have enough knowledge of the Korean language to explain what I needed. It was also the weekend, so I couldn't ask one of the Korean teachers to tell me what to say. So, I bravely set forth to get some meds from the pharmacy down the street. Luckily for me, things went better than expected. I started to act out my symptoms, the pharmacist looked at me and said "Cough medicine?" and I said "YES~!" Then, he browsed his wall-o-meds and gave me a box and then told me "two tablets every day." I thanked him and paid him $2 for the meds. I love Korea. <3

Picture of my cough pills.

Also, doctor offices do not exist as we know them in the US (at least as far as I know). If you need to see a doctor, you have to go to a hospital. If they give you a prescription, you have to go to the pharmacy that is near the hospital. One's local pharmacy will most likely not have any major medications.

I had to go to a nearby hospital (National Police Hospital) to do my visa health check. You have to do a health check before they give you your residency card and you have three months to get your id card. So, I went and did my test which was way more involved than I thought it was going to be. They took my weight and height, checked my blood pressure, did an eye test, hearing test, blood test, urine test, and a chest x-ray. I read that this test was to check for drugs... but apparently it's more than that. This health check cost me about $80.

I thought since I was going to the hospital anyway, I would refill my hyper thyroid medication. However, the internal medicine office was not taking any more patients at that time, so I had to come on another day. So, I came again and was given a hospital id card. There is a bar code on it and when they scan it, all your info comes up. It's very cool. It's hospital specific, so I can't use it at another hospital, but still very cool.

 Sorry the picture is so blurry... I couldn't get a clear close up of my card.

Anyway, I was seen by internal medicine and my check up cost me $14 and my medication refill (90-day supply) came to $21. ^.^v

Out with Coworkers~!

So, one idle Tuesday, we (meaning Paul, 4 of the Korean teachers--Debbie, Bumi, Sue, & Hankyoung, and I) all decided to go get some dak galbi-- spicy chicken-- and drinks.

A side note: office politics rule at my school-- the principal of the English school doesn't like the foreign teachers and the Korean teachers to be friends. Friendly, but not friends. So, when we all went out, we had to sneak out to go drink together. It was bizarre. And, despite all our efforts, one of the administrators found out about it anyway. *roll eyes* They would never say anything to the foreign teachers, but apparently, the Korean teachers got an earful about it. While I am grateful for this dynamic (of the Korean teachers having to deal with everything from parents to the demands of the principal), I realize how unfair it is to them. :-(

Anyway, we had a blast. It was so nice, because this was the first time that I really got to talk to the other teachers about things that didn't have to do with school. Although, we really should have gone drinking on a Friday rather than a Tuesday, when we had school the next morning. T_T 

 So, we went a dak galbi place that Bumi recommended in Seokchon, about 10-15 minutes by taxi. It's in between Garak and Jamsil. I regret not taking pictures of the area, but I didn't want to seem like a tourist.

Well, we commandeered a long table for all six of us and we have two grills each. The waiters came and poured  a mixture of chicken, noodles, rice cakes, and some veggies into our grills. Then, dumped a type of chili powder on top. YUM~~!
The Korean teachers also thought that my Korean was really cute, so if they needed the waiters for anything, they would tell me what to say and I would shout it out to the waiters.

My bowl of some dak galbi. The clear soup on the upper right of the picture is a sour broth which is an AMAZING compliment to the spicy dak galbi.

Side Dishes (ban chan): red = kimchi, green = pickled radish <3, mixture = macaroni salad

Now comes the soju. In case I've never mentioned it before, the taste of soju is very similar to (watered-down) vodka. Although, the alcohol content of soju only ranges from 20-45%. So, first you have to shake the soju to make a mini-tornado within the bottle to get rid of the "evil" inside. We all took turns doing this. ^.^

Another activity that revolves around soju is flicking the... I don't know what it's called, but the excess pull tab from the bottle top. You twist it and flick it. If you get it to break, the two people beside you have to take a shot. I had to do two shots. >.<

Picture of one of the pull tabs that we took turns flicking and me flicking the stupid thing.  I had no luck.


The last event that involved soju is there is a number inside the bottle cap. We all took turns guessing the number. If you get it right, you drink.

Sue and I are doing a one-shot because Paul managed to flick the pull tab off. Smug bastard.  Again, not lucky on soju games. Well, lucky depending on your POV, I suppose ^.~

I think this picture was to show the empty grill, as opposed to Sue and a blurry Paul.

After lots and lots of soju shots, we were getting a little loud and the staff approached us to keep it down. So, we decided to head to a bar so we could drink and be loud.

 We arrived at the bar (hof) and ordered kimchi pajeon (scallion pancake with kimchi mixed in) and grilled pork and kimchi. The kimchi was really sour, which means that it is old, but the Korean teachers told me that old kimchi is good and.... not prized, but enjoyed. Give me new kimchi, fresh from the clay pot please. I like my kimchi spicy, not sour.

A funny episode that happened: there were a lot of young waiters at the hof, so they were even more determined to have me talk to the waiters to ask for things. So, they were telling me what to say and I would talk to the waiters. However, one time they argued over what EXACTLY I should say. So, they went back and forth, changing what I needed to say. I got confused and ended up blurting out, "Youngye, namja juseyo~!" Which unfortunately means, "Young guy/boy! Go get me a man~!" The entire table busts out laughing, the poor waiter beat a hasty retreat, and I went bright red. YAH~~~~~! 

Sue, Paul, and Hankyoung

Debbie, Me, and Bumi

On a side note, American bars have beer nuts, Korea has either cereal or rice puffs.

Well, that was our night. It was lots of fun, but again... I wish we went out on a Friday instead of a Tuesday. Woke up with the biggest hang over ever, was sick, and still had to teach all day. :-<