Chuseok

Yesterday - and this weekend, really - was Chuseok, which is basically the most imporant holiday in Korea - but we had classes anyway. Only a few kids showed up, and we had class in the morning because they had public school off for the long weekend. Some parents prioritize learning English over holidays, I guess. Most of the kids were going to see their grandparents later in the day. Traditionally, Chuseok is a day to give respect to your elders, and to your ancestors. There is a bowing ritual done before grandparents, etc. and your give gifts to people. Grandparents give money to children, and other people can give gifts as well to repected people and the like. I actually got two Chuseok gifts from a coupld of students. I was given handmade soaps from one student, which is a popular Chuseok gift, and I was given a pair of earrings and a charm for my yet-to-be-purchased phone. They were the highlights of my week : )

Since our classes ended at 3:30pm, instead of starting around that time, some of the teachers and staff decided to go to Bennigans for a Western dinner to celebrate having the night off from work, and for Chuseok! It was nice, but getting sit-down Western food is so much more expensive, and it's a good thing we only do it occasionally. Tonight some of us are going to just cook together, which we did the other night and it was probably my favorite night here so far. I like spending time with people, but going out to see everyone can get so exhausting and I'd rather just hang out and chill than go out to different parts of town.

I still haven't gone to get my Alien Registration Card, which I need to get a bank account, phone, etc. I need to figure out a good sleeping/waking schedule, because it's bizarre to work at 4pm every day, and not get done until 10:30pm. You end up making dinner at midnight, and staying up til at least 2am. I've been completely flipped around, waking up about an hour before work, and falling asleep as the sun comes up over the mountain out my window. Yesterday helped, I think, since we had to be up for work at 9am. I even got up early and went for a walk around the neighborhood to get breakfast and get exercise. I'm looking forward to payday so that I can start getting things in order, like finding a gym, finishing setting up my place - I need 2 small desk/dresser drawer things. I think today or tomorrow I'll finish putting up my posters and paintings on the walls - it's still very bare, because I've been trying to decide if I'll get in trouble for using tacks - so I'll probably just use wall-tack stuff, and hope it keeps everything in place.

I need to head out to get some groceries, and I'm hoping someplace is still open to buy a pillow - my head and neck as starting to hurt all the time because I've been using my neck pillow from the airplane, since I didn't know where to get a pillow near my place, only a far subway rid away. But, a friend told me where she got one nearby, but it's after 5 now, so I might be out of luck until tomorrow. Oh well, what's one more night in the grand scheme of things?

It hit me yesterday just how much I miss my friends, and how strange it is to think that I've probably met most of the people who I'll be friends with for the next year. I'm not used to having just one group of friends. I like everyone, but I realized that I'm starting to feel lonely anyway, because without a cell I'm completely dependent on the friends I have to invite me places, to move from one place to another when we're out an about, etc. I'm used to being so independent, and I'm used to spending time with different people on different days. I like them all a lot, but it's just weird having immediate friends who are based mostly on proximity - but not entirely, because already I'm closer to some people than to others. Anyway, I miss my friends, and I wish they could all come to Korea - too bad it's not just an overnight car ride away, or I know I'd have a few visitors ; )