Although Chuseok is technically this weekend, we celebrated it at school today since a lot of kids will apparently skip school tomorrow. My two favorite parts were the hanboks and rice cakes.
The kids were all wearing their hanboks -- traditional Korean outfits -- for the celebration! Here are some (adorable) photos!
Another tradition for Chuseok is to make songpyeon, sugar-filled rice cakes. At school, the kids all made their own; they eat one at school and take home another five they made themselves. However, since the cakes the kids make usually fall apart when cooked, the office ladies spent the day making tons of treats to supplement the classroom batches. Another teacher and I seized the opportunity and learned how to make songpyeon from an expert -- the school's principal/resident grandmother.
We started by working the rice dough so it didn't crack, then rolled it into a ball just a bit smaller than a ping pong ball. Then, we formed the ball into a bowl and spooned in the filling, pinching the bowl closed. It seemed simple enough, but try as we might, our cakes didn't look even half as good as the others...
Also during this songpyeon-making experience, a student was brought into the office because she was sad her hair didn't look as pretty as the other girls'. For some reason, I was asked to braid her hair (which was impossibly short and fine). I ended up putting it in pigtails and we all made a big fuss about how pretty she was. Her smile made my day. And don't worry, I washed my hands!
The rest of the day was good: I finished all my work and my three classes weren't too crazy, despite all the sugar floating around. Tutoring after school went off without a hitch, as well.
After school, I took a bus to Suwon to buy a train ticket for this weekend, but they were already sold out! I ended up figuring out the bus terminal's website and hopefully will be able to grab a bus ticket Saturday instead. But never fear, my trip to Suwon was not in vain -- there was Burger King to be had. Here's a haiku I wrote about it.
The kids were all wearing their hanboks -- traditional Korean outfits -- for the celebration! Here are some (adorable) photos!
One of the kids asked the teacher why I was smiling so much. Can you blame me?!
Another tradition for Chuseok is to make songpyeon, sugar-filled rice cakes. At school, the kids all made their own; they eat one at school and take home another five they made themselves. However, since the cakes the kids make usually fall apart when cooked, the office ladies spent the day making tons of treats to supplement the classroom batches. Another teacher and I seized the opportunity and learned how to make songpyeon from an expert -- the school's principal/resident grandmother.We started by working the rice dough so it didn't crack, then rolled it into a ball just a bit smaller than a ping pong ball. Then, we formed the ball into a bowl and spooned in the filling, pinching the bowl closed. It seemed simple enough, but try as we might, our cakes didn't look even half as good as the others...
Also during this songpyeon-making experience, a student was brought into the office because she was sad her hair didn't look as pretty as the other girls'. For some reason, I was asked to braid her hair (which was impossibly short and fine). I ended up putting it in pigtails and we all made a big fuss about how pretty she was. Her smile made my day. And don't worry, I washed my hands!
The rest of the day was good: I finished all my work and my three classes weren't too crazy, despite all the sugar floating around. Tutoring after school went off without a hitch, as well.
After school, I took a bus to Suwon to buy a train ticket for this weekend, but they were already sold out! I ended up figuring out the bus terminal's website and hopefully will be able to grab a bus ticket Saturday instead. But never fear, my trip to Suwon was not in vain -- there was Burger King to be had. Here's a haiku I wrote about it.
Oh dear hamburger
It was two hours, round trip
But you were worth it.
Laura,
ReplyDeleteI've been reading your blog and enjoying it immensely. What a wonderful experience! Hope you enjoy every moment.
Love ya,
Mrs. Hurley
Are you bringing home a Korean child or what?
ReplyDelete