Feliz Navidad y Prospero Año!

A wreath in a bar in Seoul

Well depending on when people see this:

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVE!

OR                                                                                                   

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

By the end of the week, I will have taught my Christmas lesson 22 times.  This means watching the same Christmas light video 22 times, listening to "Jingle Bell" Rock 22 times, listening to Mariah Carey "All I want for Christmas is You" 22 times, and giving the same powerpoint presentation 22 times.  I have to admit, as much as I love Christmas, I am fully read to stop teaching it.  However, I am still extremely excited that today is Christmas Eve and tomorrow the joys of Christmas will be here!

Teaching about Christmas has been quite a learning process for me though.  I began the week by playing a Christmas trivia game and showing "How the Grinch Stole Christmas".  After about two classes, I scratched the whole lesson and switched to teaching about Christmas in America and some fun, short videos.  What I realized, and retrospectively it seems silly that I didn't think about this before, Koreans do not celebrate Christmas like Americans do.  They don't know the same Christmas songs or even eat any of the same Christmas food.  I was shocked in that the majority of my students do not have Christmas trees, stockings, or even open presents.  I had made some extremely wrong assumptions based on the fact that most Koreans are Christians.  My students tell me that for Christmas some go to church, but most celebrate by hanging a stocking on the bed, opening one present, and all of them eat Baskin Robbins chocolate ice-cream cake.  It puts into perspective how Americans celebrate Christmas, and you begin to wonder is it all really necessary.

Regardless, I will be celebrating Christmas in a traditional American fashion.  Tonight, I will be getting together with my Wisco crew in Guri for a Christmas Eve sleepover and a Christmas celebration to follow the next day.  We will be going out to dinner and exchanging presents as part of our Secret Santa.  I am so excited to just be around lots of people who are also excited about celebrating Christmas.

Saturday night I have plans to virtually open gifts with my family on their Christmas morning.  It will definitely not be anything like being there, but at least it will make me feel a little bit closer to my Mom, Dad, Izaak, Roxanne, and Lucy (the new puppy) because of course I wish I could be there as Santa graces the Spatz/Orlansky household.

I must admit that I anticipated that working on Christmas Eve and being in Korea on Christmas were going to be hard days.  While I am sad that I am not home, I am pleasantly surprised on how excited and happy I am rather than feeling like I am missing out.  I can't help it when a few co-teachers surprise me with Christmas gifts, when a few students made me Christmas cards, when I will be celebrating the holiday with a bunch of good friends, and I will be eating delicious food.  It all makes me feel lucky!

To all- I wish you a Merry Merry Christmas!!! To all of my Jews- I love you all too!

Story of the week- I asked every class what they do to celebrate Christmas.  While most students had no response, a lot of people kept saying "cabin".   I kept just nodding my head until after ten or so classes, I was like what is "cabin"?  The story started to unfold when the students said "Movie", "Home".  I was like "Ok, so you watch movies at home on Christmas".  They were like "Teacha, no.  Home Alone movie".  I was still struggling to understand.  Finally, one student said, "Person, Kevin".  This whole time they were talking about the movie "Home Alone" and the character Kevin!  I had solved the mystery and was hysterically laughing in the front of the class.  Ice-cream cake and home alone?? All lost in translation.