It Might As Well Be Spring
A few days time marks the genesis of the next chapter of my existence. I intend to embark into it with august strides and efficacious plans akin to those of intrepid Tomyris (whose name is so rightly like my own), though with less muliebrity. Perhaps a better elucidation of my intentions would be to inadvertently refer to the creature that ushers in the period of our musing, namely the Panthera tigris altaica, or Tiger, whose fearsome courage, sharp incisors and insatiable appetite for self preservation result in an altogether terrible quadruped.
In fact, such a referral isn’t nearly as arbitrary as I’ve made out, since the description I gave is somewhat like that which the Lunar New Year (설날, Seollal) and an advance into the Year of the Tiger might invoke. It is this which will bring me to the age of twenty three (according to the Korean system – after having been allowed only two months of my twenty first year and four months of the following) and which will perhaps require me to turn to the next page of life.
I say this for a number of reasons, the first of which is that the Lunar New Year is arguably the biggest holiday of the Korean calendar and gives reason for a somewhat vast family meeting. This will be occurring in my girlfriend’s family and I believe I am expected to participate. Secondly, I will have two weeks holiday in which I will get to see a lot more of Korea and think about how I can improve my teaching as the new school year comes round. Lastly, I’m just about halfway through the length of my current teaching contract and need to shift gear to that of “find out what comes next”. I cannot be entirely sure how each of these will play out, however I can give you a rough idea of what I’m expecting.
Early next Sunday morning I’ll make my way over to MJ’s house to celebrate the new year. As far as I know, this will include both a) performing a traditional bow to every person in the family who is older than us, since we may bow together, and b) eating 떡국 (Ddeok guk, rice cake soup), which is symbolic of getting a year older. I have a horrible suspicion that I might be given money, since the elders are supposed to provide for the younger, and know that this will be a deeply awkward moment, especially given that my recent trip with them was entirely funded by the family. I also know that rice cake soup is thick, meaty, and contains copious amounts of egg and seaweed, both of which I’m not fond of but both of which I intend to consume. I believe it’s considered polite of a Korean girl’s boyfriend to eat the girl’s mother’s cooking with extra zeal. If I manage this then the two day family skiing trip we leave for that afternoon will probably go a lot smoother!
Which brings me onto holidays. At the moment I’m aware that one of my Korean friends will be visiting Seoul next week, and I hope to catch up with some people I haven’t seen in far too long. I’ll also be taking to the shores of Jeju Island, the southern-most territory of Korea and easily the warmest, though as it’s Winter the temperatures still aren’t much to boast about. What is interesting is its status as a dead volcano, the likes of which I’ve never experienced before and which I’m quite excited about. Apparently the island is so porous that even in heavy rain you hardly ever see a puddle. It should certainly be worth a blog and many photos!
As for “what comes next”, I think it’s really difficult to say. Currently I’m swinging towards returning to England in either August this year or February next year, having been informed that it’s possible to extend my teaching contract by six months should I wish it. A lot of it depends on what MJ intends to do / manages to arrange immediately after her graduation next year. Until then I need to harden up my teaching style and get strict with my new third graders who will join me in just over two weeks. My aim is to instil fear into their every move so that a call of “QUIET!” results in silence. Unfortunately I might be too easy going for that (I like to think easy-going could be replaced with “cool” or “handsome” after the discovery that I have a fan club in the middle school opposite mine), but perhaps I can at least up the discipline a little. That’s if I even teach third grade… I might end up teaching just two grades but twice a week, which might give me half a change of getting to know some of the students names; a feat which currently seems impossible in just a year.
Does it leave you wanting more? Well you’ll have to wait until after the new year when I’m sure I’ll have more than enough to say…
… Other than that you should check out Korean pop-rock song “외톨이야“, (eotoli ya, I’m a loser) by CN BLUE. I’m afraid to admit it might actually be reasonably catchy, even with an awkward rap!
톰
[...] day one week ago, when I was due to head out and meet MJ’s family on the first leg of my new chapter. I had organised myself so that I was due to wake up nice and early to catch a bus over to Paju, a [...]