Chuseok

My co-workers at school are pretty amazing, all very kind and so excited to have me here. I'm the only foreigner here, and they have been very welcoming to me. They are constantly giving me little gifts (a lotion set, rice cakes, energy drinks, etc) and attempting to speak English to me, however broken the communication may be. 

Our desks are all pushed together in one room, so they also serve as my neighbors at work. There are probably twelve in total, all the usual suspects: the cute young male math teacher all the women teachers giggle over; my next door desk neighbor, the maternal home-ec teacher who speaks good English, brings me juicy asian pears and delicious sweet rice cakes for snack every day (and also serves as the school nurse); the gym teacher who wears Abercrombie & Fitch clothing every day to school and asked me to join the school's volleyball team on Wednesdays; the older social studies teacher who brings everyone "Tzan-Tzam," for EVERYONE, which is a ginseng/power energy drink; and by FAR my favorite, the kooky athletic Korean teacher with frizzy hair and a huge smile who keeps asking me for my address so I can climb mountains with her.
Today she asked me (in almost unintelligible English) why I always wear long sleeves and long pants to school. I showed her my leg tattoo and she was very intrigued. She began a long paragraph in Korean (probably about how shocking tattoos are in Korea) but ultimately she made me show every teacher in the room. Four teachers gathered around my desk and looked at my arm and leg, and shockingly, everyone loved them. I told them it was very common in the USA to see tattoos in public, and does not mean that someone is bad. I think this point was driven home due to the fact that I am a girl, and clearly not in the Korean mafia, which is what everyone assumes when they see someone walking down the street with a tattoo. I guess I feel a little more free about showing them in public (though not in front of the children).

So far I'd say we have a fantastic rapport. I realize, to be polite, that this gift giving and snack bringing must be reciprocated at some point in the future, which kind of terrifies me. I don't know anything about what kinds of snacks these people like, or what would be considered tacky. I think fruit is my safest bet; maybe next week some nice looking apples would be good to share. I'll keep that in mind.

This weekend, through Wednesday, is Chuseok in Korea, which is their three-day version of Thanksgiving. It begins a very solemn holiday; on Monday morning, people travel to their ancestral birthplaces and visit family tombs together. Monday evening, they share a traditional harvest feast and offer simple sacrifices for the upcoming rice harvest.

Above: A traditional Chuseok table.

It's one of the biggest travel times of the year in all of Korea; to allot for this time, my school will be closed Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. I am off of work for five days in a row! This is kind of great, and kind of sounds like doom. While it will certainly be nice to have five (paid!) days of freedom to better explore the city, and to get a better grasp of directions, everything will be closed in Jinju Monday and Tuesday, except maybe the movie theaters. Tonight I have plans with Francois to meet some of the ex-pats, get some food and drinks and most likely sing some karaoke. Luckily, they have hundreds of places where you can do all three at once, called "Singing Rooms." I'm not sure Korea is really ready for my karaoke swagger...I have a few songs already picked... and some Destiny's Child as a backup. We'll see how it goes.

As for the rest of the vacation... I'm not sure what will happen, but I know it will be good. Tomorrow morning I'm supposed to be going to church with Francois. Maybe this is a good time for me to catch up on some reading, or walk by the river. Happy Chuseok!! I wish I could celebrate it with all of you while drinking a nice tall glass of Pumpking :(

Love you all!!!!!