This last weekend, on October 3rd, Koreans celebrated one of their biggest national holidays, called Chuseok (pronounced Choo-sock. In Korean, it's spelled 추석.) It's a major harvest festival, celebrated on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, at approximately the first full moon of Autumn. It's basically their equivalent of Thanksgiving, a time for gathering with family (including attending to the family graves), feasting, and giving gifts. Our students had a five-and-a-half-day weekend. The teachers had a four-day weekend.
My first, intellectual reaction was, "It's their holiday, not mine. Chuseok means nothing to me. I'll just use it to catch up on my work." That was what my head said, the "ego", or conscious mind. Then, my heart spoke up. (I've been learning to listen to my heart. It's usually wiser.)
My heart said, "This will be like Thanksgiving. The exact date isn't important. Everyone in Korea is gathering with family, feasting, and giving thanks for the harvest. You could feel very lonely." Fortunately, that didn't happen. Some of the staff at my school, who live in the same apartment complex and weren't travelling, hosted a Chuseok feast in their apartment. It was all Korean food, which I'm really starting to enjoy, and very good.
Otherwise, I spent some time exploring. I had the use of a van, because I'm the substitute van driver while Josh & Meagan C. are in the U.S. for a friend's wedding. On Friday, I drove them to the bus station, and then drove around for a while trying to find my way back to the apartment. Finally, I had the presence of mind to stop at a gas station and ask for directions. The station attendant spoke enough English to help me out.
Once I'd figured out how to keep my sense of direction, I ventured out later that day to do some shopping. After parking the van (illegally, like everyone else) and wandering around for a while, I finally found a grocery store! I got barley, eggs, broccoli, bananas, and tomatoes. I'm set for a while now.
On Saturday, I figured everything would be closed for the holiday, so I graded homework until it was time for the Chuseok feast. That was excellent, as I mentioned above.
Sunday I went to Osan for church with my roommate, Dick the Bible teacher, his wife Sherry the Admin Support specialist, and her mother. They go to a Baptist church near the Air Force base in Osan. It was the first time I'd seen Americans in the majority of any gathering. The preacher looked and sounded like a southern good ol' boy, but the message was real. He talked about the importance of prayer, how prayer was the only thing that would be effective to combat the evil around them.
Even on Sunday morning, the hedonist pleasures of that neighborhood were clearly visible. Right outside the church, there was a sign with a drawing of Betty Boop, advertising the "Pink Lady" on the second floor of a neighboring building. Of course it's a strip club, but what got me was the exaggerated features that Miss Boop is known for. Big, round eyes. No wonder Korean women and girls think their eyes are ugly, if that's the kind of image they're bombarded with! It made me very angry. I'm sure some of my students have problems with their body image, and that sort of thing is definitely a contributing factor.
I tried to buy a cell phone from the place where my roommate got his, but I didn't have enough cash. That place near the base takes dollars, but not traveler's checks, and that's all I had. (Note to others: Traveler's checks are not easy to change in Korea if you're a teacher. You're usually working when the banks are open, and banks are where you will get the best rate. Where you live, the businesses will probably not take traveler's checks. Also, property crime in Korea is almost zero, so there's no need to worry about carrying cash.)
On Monday, which was still a holiday, I managed to find the bank that Sherry had pointed out as we swung through town on our way back from church. I changed $200 in traveler's checks into won. Then I went to the pharmacy and got a month's supply of a PPI to replace the famotidine that I had run out of. (Of course, the explanations were involved, since the pharmacist's English skills were limited. However, I didn't need a prescription.)
After the pharmacy, I tried to buy a cell phone. I went into 5 or 6 different places, all nearby, and tried to explain what I wanted. (Everything took longer, accompanied by hand signals and pantomime.) They all wanted me to have a foreigner I.D. card, which I don't have because of my visa status. None of them would sell me a phone without this I.D. After talking with my roommate, it seems I have to purchase a prepaid card. After talking with Do Young, a Korean art teacher, it seems that such phones are available anywhere in Eumseong, if you know how to ask in Korean. He volunteered to go with me to buy one. I think I'll take him up on that today.
My third roommate moved in today. He's a Tae Kwon Do instructor, one of the younger ones, but pretty good. His schedule will be later than ours.
Well, it's almost time for me to get dressed and fix my breakfast, but first I need to share some prayer requests.
Prayer Requests
First, praise God for a good Chuseok holdiday! I had a good time, a good feast, I got lots of grading done, and I got some important errands done.
Second, please pray for my students. The girls need to know that they are beautiful just the way God made them, slanted eyes and all. The boys need to learn how to respect me and pay attention in the classroom. All of them need to be able to understand me better, and learn how to do homework properly.
Finaly, please pray for me that I would be able to get all my work done in a timely manner. I need to get caught up on grading, and I need to submit a syllabus.
Thanks for reading, and thanks for praying for me. I hope to write again soon.
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