Yesterday at my first class, several of the students came to school wearing hanboks (pronounced han bow...the K is silent). They were so adorable, and the traditional costumes are very colorful, even some different styles for the boys. I got out my camera to take a picture...got one pic and the battery died! :( I was so sad about that because a little girl arrived in the cutest little pink hanbok...with a little pink flower in her hair that matched. They were all adorable. I'm not sure what the occasion was, because the class teacher doesn't speak/understand English, so when I asked her if there was a special occasion, there was no reply. Oh well.
I also heard some sad news yesterday. Michelle, the adoptee from Houston-area who found her birth family back in September, and has been living and teaching in Seoul since January, got the news that her birth father was killed in a car accident yesterday. That's so sad for her to have just found her family and birth parents, and now, lost her father in this tragedy. She has been able to spend time with her family and her sisters, so that is really good.
Today I'm doing my laundry, then I'll hang it to dry...hopefully it will be dry by tomorrow (no dryer). I am also meeting a friend of Angela's who wants to practice her English. She teaches Korean at the army base here in Seoul...knows a little English, but has very little opportunity to practice it. She is going to try to teach my old brain some Korean, and I'll help her practice her English. She lives about a block away in an apartment building, so it's an easy walk. It seems like a good use of my free mornings on Tuesday and Thursday. This afternoon I tutor, and then this evening, I'm going to attend a Korean play. Angela gave me two tickets to this play. Jokingly, I asked her if there were subtitles...obviously not, but she said she thinks I'll be able to figure out some of what is going on just by how it is acted. It's in a small theater, about 120 seats. She said when she attended the matinee last week, it was full of seniors. LOL Kate, the adoptee from Florida (who is freezing lately), will go with me. That should be fun. So...my day is full.
On the way to tutoring, I usually try to go see something new. Last Tuesday, before it started pouring rain, I wanted to find Dosan Park. It's close to where I tutor, so I headed that way. On the way there, I discovered this beautiful garden. It's the outdoor area for what looks like a really expensive restaurant. There was a greeter in the driveway, valet parking, and the smells wafting out of the kitchen made my mouth water. The garden was beautifully manicured, I couldn't help but take some pictures for you to enjoy! Dosan Park, by the way, is dedicated to the "founder of Korea's educational system." It's a small but really beautiful park with nice walking paths, some exercise equipment, statues, a small museum with pictures of Mr. Dosan's travels and achievements. Very little of it was translated though.
I added this picture for the benefit of my readers (lol). Angela and Mathias received it as a gift after they bought some things. When she opened the box to show me, it gave me the shivers (yuck)! These are dried anchovies used for making soup stock. Thankfully, they are used in amounts small enough that I do not taste them in the stock, otherwise, I'd have to take a pass on the soup too. It's a custom that if you give a gift, no matter how small, a gift or token is often reciprocated. I guess this also holds true to when you make a large purchase...sort of like an added bonus, or like on TV, "but wait, there's more!"
More to come...
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