메리 크리스마스 (Merry Christmas)!

Hey there and Merry Christmas everyone! So Christmas was this past week and I had a few very first Christmas experiences this year- celebrating it in a foreign country, experiencing a cultures norms and expectations on the Christmas season, and of course I was away from my family.

Christmas for me is all about the music, christmas lights, classic TV shows, making batches and batches of homemade cookies, and of course a nice quite dinner at home with my immediate family. It is a time of year that I am usually most happiest and content in life due all of the positive vibes generating from such wonderful things! I love Christmas and recall on years past spent in America with my family as some of the best times we ever had together.

However, celebrating Christmas alone- and in a country that only recognizes it for a couple of days- it had potential to be lonely and depressing. In Korea, where only 1/3 of the country celebrates Christmas, there are little to no homes with Christmas lights, no street decorations, no 'Mall Santas'', and with schools only going on break  for 1 WEEK AFTER CHRISTMAS, it seemed as if it was just another minimal holiday. However, for my fellow foreign friends, the young Korean crowd, and myself, Christmas is a special day meant to be spent with those we care about and having good times and making memories. My friends and I made an effort to acknowledge Christmas for the weeks leading up to the 25th and also had our own "Friend's Christmas" gathering in which we became one another's family. It is so important to reach out to those closest to us when we seek comfort and consistency...and this Christmas, my first away from my family, I could not have asked for better friends or a more memorable first Christmas in Korea!!!


I of course did miss my family, and the necessary skype call to each member gave my heart and soul some much need TLC. But, I have had many wonderful years spent with them on Christmas and provided all is well in our lives we will have many more in future years.

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas, Hanukah, or other Holiday fitting for your life!!! Happy Holidays and Happy New Years!!!

-Patrick

For more info on how a Korean Christmas is played out check out these blogs. They are both fun and informative blogs I watch regularly that teach a lot about the korean culture, language, and life here in the great land of Korea!

Sweet and Tasty- A quirky girl living in the US that has many personas she uses to explain how different types of Korean people speak and live in Korea. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GP3FyIaDYVo&list=UU9aWBNR-mDNzgRsO3XLJ7uw&index=1

Eat your Kimchi- A canadian couple who has lived in Korea for 3 years and kept a video blog of their time here. They since have moved on from teaching English to now running their own business in Korea.
http://www.eatyourkimchi.com/whats-christmas-in-korea-like/

Wedding Bells and Welcoming Winter

Hello all you beautiful people! I'm sure you may be wondering as to the title of my blog entry....Well I hate to disappoint you but no, Patrick is not married and still single and ready to mingle. Actually, two weekends ago a good friend of mine, Monica, got married! I met Monica here in Korea and became close with her as we worked together at the same academy. She is a Korean native, as is her husband, and this was my first time experiencing a Korean wedding.
I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but I did think that it would be more 'streo-typical' and very custom oriented. However (and you think I would know by now that not much in Korea is still 'stero-typical' ) Monica's wedding was very different from what I pictured it to be, and not very much like Western weddings either. It was for sure noticeably a wedding, but none like I had been to before. There was new aspects combined with old traditions, and obviously some of the western world practices had been borrowed and combined with Korean lifestyle.

The wedding itself was very brief and to my opinion not very appealing as to what someone would want on their wedding day. Altho Monica, her husband, and the venue was all beautiful and well put together, it just wasn't what I think is a 'dream wedding day'. Despite some of my comments made in the video, I really did have a great time at the wedding and appreciated it for what it was- it just wasn't very appealing to me. However, seeing Monica so happy on her big day made it a very memorable experience and something I will forever remember!

Anyways, can you believe that it is already min-December!?!? Crazy how quickly time can pass us by. I have gone from exploring beaches, temples, and taking weekend getaways filled with kayaking, cycling, and lazy days at the pool to now spend more time watching movies with friends and eating nice hot home cooked meals while staying snug indoors! Altho both sides of life definitely have their pluses, I would still rather be laying at the beach! However, I wont let winter get me down. I have many plans for this coming winter. All summer long my friends and I kept speaking about how we needed to check out 'this museum' or 'that historical sight' or 'take a tour of this gallery'. Well...the next few months of -C degrees will definitely be the time to check out these indoor attractions. However, I also do plan on hitting up the outdoor and indoor ice skating rinks, Holiday light festivals, and also am planning on trying my hand at skiing for the first time in the northern mountains of South Korea!! Wish me luck!

Oh ya....did I forget to mention I'm taking a 6 day solo get-a-way to Tawian at the end of December? No?? Well I'M PRETTY STOKED ABOUT THAT TOO!!!

Not to mention Christmas is coming up!!! My classroom is decked-out with Gingerbread men, Red and Green, and more crafts are on their way from my lil Tigers!

Anyways, I hope ya'll are taking care and enjoying YOUR holiday season. Stay tuned for blog entries around Christmas time and also my trip to Taiwan!

Peace and Love to you!