Ok, so we celebrate it about a day before everyone in the U.S. due to the time zones, but I suppose that just means I get 2 days to celebrate it.
There is so much to be thankful for, that I decided to make a list: (I was inspired my a friend of mine.)
I'm thankful for family and friends, and I know that's a huge cliche, but it's true.
I'm thankful for my family that, even though I'm half-way across the world, they still support my decision to live away from them.
. ...and that they put up with the fact that I've missed almost every holiday and family function the past year and a half.
I'm thankful for my friends who call me just to know how my day went, who miss having me around, and even though they desperately want to see me on a semi-regular basis, allow Skype chats, photo uploads, and random Facebook messages to replace me.
I'm thankful for my girlfriend - who cares for me, loves me, and supports me, and is one of the most amazing people.
I'm thankful for my job, which I enjoy on most days.
...and even when I'm having a bad day, I may complain, but it's better than working a job I hate, being unemployed, suffering depression, or dealing with bankruptcy.
I'm thankful for kimchi - food of the Gods. (and a good food to help you lose weight)
I'm thankful for my health - even though I have visited doctors more this year than any other, at least it's not because of anything serious.
I'm thankful for being happy - the happiest I've been in a long time.
I'm thankful for Korean friends and co-workers - who even though we have our misunderstandings and miscommunications, are some of the most incredible and kind people I've met.
I'm thankful for mandu - because I need to eat it at least once a week.
I'm thankful for Apple Computers - because my MacBook and iPod make my life so much easier and entertaining!
I'm thankful for a roof over my head - especially one that the school pays for
I'm thankful for clothing that fits me - not just because losing 30lbs feels amazing, but NOT feeling ginormous compared to Asians feels AWESOME!
I'm thankful for Seoul - because it's one of the biggest cities with a plethora to experience every weekend.
I'm thankful for SNSD (Girls' Generation) because --- well---have you seen them?
I'm thankful for being able to travel and see the world: Korea, Japan - next Thailand?
I'm thankful for freedom - something I take for granted at times, but something I'm thankful to the people in the past and present who protect and defend it.
I'm thankful for laughter - because without it, the world would be a dark and boring place.
My Thanksgiving took place in Ansan (about 20 min south-west of Gunpo) where I met up with friends at a bar that serves smoked turkey legs. Turkey is pretty uncommon to find, and very expensive. Also, not many people have ovens to cook it!
It was a decent meal and we all ate and drank a lot.
North Korea has once again attacked South Korea (this time there is no dispute like the Cheonan incident last March) {here is my post about it}. This incident also took place near the NLL (Northern Limit Line) on the island of Yeonpyeong-do.
Basically what happened was that the ROK forces were conducting military exercises in the area (a common occurance) - and were test firing artillery aiming south and southeast. The DPRK sent a letter demanding a stop to the exercises (another common occurance), of which the ROK forces ignored. North Korea then launched artillery into the South striking Yeonpyeong-do which is inhabited by some civilians and a large South Korean military garrison. The attack killed at least 2 ROK Marines, injured about 12-18 others including some civilians. It also set fire to approximately 60-70 homes on the island.
The South Korean forces fired back and this went on for about an hour or so begining about 2:30pm yesterday. Both sides eventually stopped and people were evacuated from the island.
The local reactions here were not that noticeable, but after talking with people they showed their outrage and a little fear of war. There were people crowded around the TV's downtown as people watched and listened to the news, but there were no protests anything out of the ordinary that I witnessed.
South Korea isn't taking this incident lightly as the military and police have been put on crisis alert in case of any further agression. President Lee Myung-Bak has also called for “multiple-fold retaliation” if the North provokes more. But as for now, things are relatively calm but could blow up at any minute.
The U.S. Media loves a good story, and is a little more dramatic, stating we're on the "Brink of War" (even though the 2 countries have technically been at war since the cease-fire was signed in 1953)
Sean Hannity (a opinion commentator, not journalist) and Karl Rove turn the story into "dozens of citizens" injured, and follows Fox News over-dramatic "reporting" of the events and cites Obama's lack of response. Why the push for war? Ratings? Don't these people realize if a war was to break out thousands, if not millions of people would die, be injured, and their lives would ever be altered? And while we're at it, can we just promote Karl Rove's book...
Netizens and other commentators on blogs are a little over the top, stating this is the start of WW3, Nuke China, and how the "socialist Obama liberals have no guts to do what's right and nuke the North" - yeah, try not to read that garbage.
If you want a better perspective, stay away from the US Media and focus on BBC news, or the Korean media (links located to the right).
For a good over-all view, here is a decent article I found on Yahoo:
Tensions on the Korean peninsula:
What you need to know
By Zachary Roth
Tensions are near the boiling point on the Korean peninsula after North Korea shelled a South Korean island, killing two South Korean soldiers. What's behind this latest spike in hostilities between the longtime adversaries, and just how concerned should we be -- especially since we have 25,000 military personnel stationed in South Korea? Here's what you need to know.
What happened, exactly?
Early Tuesday, North Korea fired artillery shells at the South Korean island of Yeonpyeong, which sits off the disputed maritime border between the two countries. The attack killed two South Korean marines and wounded 18 soldiers and civilians. It prompted an exchange of fire between the two sides, involving around 175 artillery shells and lasting about an hour.
The North accused South Korea of having started the exchange by firing shells inside North Korean territory during a set of South Korean military exercises that the North called "war maneuvers." The South denies that charge, saying that its soldiers were merely conducting military drills and that no shots fell in North Korean territory.
The North Korean attack was the first on a civilian area of South Korea since the Korean War.
Why did this happen now?
Tensions have been running high since March, when a South Korean naval vessel in the same area was sunk, killing 46 sailors. Seoul blamed a North Korean torpedo attack, though the North has denied involvement. Then earlier this month, the South Korean navy fired warning shots at a North Korean fishing boat after the craft strayed across the border. The North Korean boat retreated.
Some analysts have linked Tuesday's action by the North to the impoverished nation's need for food. The Obama administration has refused to remove sanctions against the North, imposed in response to its nuclear program. "They see that they can't pressure Washington, so they've taken South Korea hostage again," Choi Jin-wook, a senior researcher with the South Korean Institute for National Unification, told the New York Times. "They're in a desperate situation, and they want food immediately, not next year."
Does this have anything to do with North Korea's leadership situation?
Kim Jong Il, the North's ailing and reclusive leader, is believed to be gradually shifting power over to his son, Kim Jong Un, who in September was promoted to the rank of four-star general.
Some analysts believe the transition has made North Korea eager to demonstrate its military power. Kim Jong Il famously employed an aggressive "military first" approach to politics, and spoke of turning the North Korean army into a "pillar of the revolution." The regime may now want to show the world that the same military-first policies will prevail under his successor. "The son's power base is derived from the military, and the power of [the] military is greater than ever," Cheong Seong-Chang, a fellow at the Seoul-based Sejong Institute, told Time magazine.
The United States wants North Korea to resume the six-party talks on the country's nuclear program. The talks, which also include Russia, China, Japan in addition to America and the two Koreas, were launched in 2003, after North Korea opted out of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. The talks' aim is to arrive at a peaceful diplomatic agreement to contain the North's nuclear capacity -- but the talks have been in limbo since 2008, and earlier this week, an American scientist revealed that he had been shown a sophisticated North Korean nuclear enrichment facility, throwing the resumption of the talks into further doubt.
Today's incident adds another obstacle, experts say.
The revelation of the uranium facility and Tuesday's attack on South Korea may both be expressions of the North's concern that the Obama administration and its allies are unlikely to offer concessions such as the easing of sanctions. "I think they realize they can't expect anything from Washington or Seoul for several months, so I think they made the provocation," Choi Jin-wook, senior researcher at the Korea Institute of National Unification, told CNN.
How scared should we be?
South Korea has placed its military on "crisis status," and Prime Minister Lee Myung-bak has reportedly ordered strikes on North Korea's missile base if the North makes any "indication of further provocation." It appears unlikely, though not impossible, that further military action will result.
South Korea does not have an active nuclear weapons program. North Korea is believed already to have eight to 12 nuclear bombs. But nuclear issues aside, any military conflict between the countries could badly destabilize the region, especially if the North Korean government were to collapse -- an outcome that some South Koreans fear could lead to a Chinese takeover.
This exam is a HUGE deal. I believe the test is only administered once a year on one day, and it can make or break your future career plans. (some people say that you can only take it once, but of that, I am not sure). My middle school was shut down because the majority of our teachers had to proctor the exam. This means they stood for 7 hours yesterday, and came to work complaining of back pain and exhaustion. I felt terrible when my co-teacher sat during our class with a heating pad wincing in pain.
The day before the test, the seniors parade out of their respective high schools with the rest of their schoolmates wishing them luck on the exam. Cheering them on, while feeling bad with the knowledge that some of these students are going to spend the rest of the day studying. The younger students probably go home to study as well as they know they will have to take it when they become seniors... or just because they go home and study anyways. That's the boring life of a Korean student: Eat, go to school, eat, go to after school academies, eat, study, play Starcraft, sleep. Rinse and repeat.
The day of the test can be hectic. 650,000-700,000 students have to report to their correct testing locations, and if they go to the wrong place - panic sets in. Thankfully, police, firefighters, and even a motorcycle club are willing to help out these students. Students are not the only nervous group. Parents are seen praying at churches and temples for their sons and daughters success - if not directly outside the school's gate.
The test usually runs about 10 hours including breaks and lunch. Unlike the SAT's back in the States, there is a listening portion in both Korean and English. During this time, it is vital that the students not be distracted by honking horns, rumbling trains, construction work, or airplanes outside the school's hosting the tests. Trains are delayed, police are more abundant near the schools, construction comes to a halt, and the airports basically close down for an hour or so. Rumor has it that the tests are pretty difficult and that the government is aiming to look at the testing rules and maybe adjust them, such as being able to take the test more than once a year.
I'm sure the day after the test is followed by relief that it is over and done, but also fear about their scores. There always seems to be a jump in suicides from students who think they failed, or after the scores are reported their fear becomes reality. Sad, but true.
I'm just thankful I didn't have this pressure as a student.
I was playing around with my camera this past weekend during Saturday shopping trip, followed by a Sunday concert in Hongdae. This is what I came up with:
Mok-sal (pork neck) - always sooo delicious!
Soundholicity Presents: GoGoBoys
Soundholicity Presents: Daybreak
I don't know why, but Koreans love stationary -- and pens, pencils, and pencil cases..
Seoul's public schools have banned corporal punishment! Oh the horrors! How will we ever control the students!? They'll just behave badly all the time knowing the teachers won't hit them!
Teachers complain they aren’t ready for the changes
November 01, 2010
Corporal punishment is now banned in all schools in Seoul under revised regulation devised by liberal Seoul education chief Kwak No-hyun.
But teachers complained that they are not ready for the changes and many are still confused by the new system.
“Regardless of whether the schools are private or public schools, more than 99 percent of schools set up their own regulations banning teachers from using corporal punishment for educational purposes,” said an official at the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education yesterday.
The revised regulation takes effect today and all forms of corporal punishment will be banned. While students and civic organizations that advocate for students’ human rights welcome the changes, some teachers are worried.
Citing a lack of alternative means to control student misbehavior, many teachers argued they can’t handle situations without corporal punishment, given that corporal punishment has been widely considered an effective method of supervising and teaching students in Korean schools until recently.
If teachers are caught bypassing the regulations, the education office will issue a warning or take disciplinary measures.
Because many teachers complained that they had no positive alternative measures to replace corporal punishment, the Seoul education office unveiled alternative punishment guidelines on Sept. 9.
According to the guidelines, teachers can isolate students for misbehavior in an “introspection room” and set up a meeting with students’ parents to discuss their children’s behaviors.
Teachers affiliated with the Korean Federation of Teachers’ Association released a statement immediately after the Seoul education office’s Sept. 9 guideline announcement and said the education office’s guidelines are too idealistic.
“The schools lack the number of teachers who can manage ‘introspection rooms’ and offer counseling to misbehaving students,” said Kim Dong-seok, the union’s spokesman. “It’s also unclear whether teachers’ meetings with parents will work because there are no measures that can force parents to come to school if they reject the teacher’s request for a meeting.”
Members of the teachers’ union urged Ministry of Education officials last Thursday to come up with national guidelines on corporal punishment.
The Seoul education office said it will recruit additional teachers for introspection rooms by March of next year.
This article is interesting because teachers are respected and are almost seen as a second parent to a child. Hitting them is/was a daily occurrence, and the students never complained about it. In fact, they once told me "it's a good thing we get hit, if we didn't we would be very bad."
The day the ban came into effect, my students were behaving badly and some of the teachers were obviously frustrated with the new rule. I don't think they've had classroom management courses to take, as the majority of them go straight to "the stick" for punishments. Some make them sit or stand in painful positions for a long time.
I never hit my students, but I do make them stand in the back of the classroom or in the hallways removed from class if they are misbehaving. Sending them to the principal is never done - as the principals are more administrators than they are disciplinarians. Modern detention (i.e., sitting in a room after school) is not common. More common is forced labor cleaning classrooms, hallways, school grounds, or for more serious situations; writing apology letters and confessions to their parents and teachers.
I think it would be fun to end this post with a quote from my co-teacher. I asked her what she thought of the new regulation, and she said: "I don't care about the new law, I will still hit them."
