No matter how many times we tried to pronounce the Korean name for Lunar New Year/ Chinese New Year, Koreans never understood. Our students looked at us blankly when we asked them what they were going to do for Solnal. We finally just changed it to "What are you doing for New Year?".
Lunar New Year, also called Chinese new year is one of the most important days in many countries, including Korea, China, and Vietnam. The celebration involves many days of food preparation, wearing traditional clothing, and showing respect to your elders by bowing. Families drink gui balki sool together, which is a liquor that is supposed to allow you to hear clearly the whole year. Sometimes I think we need some of that as well!
Lunar New Year was a four day holiday for us. So we decided to search for something we both love....snow! We traveled 3.5 hours to a city called Gwangju. It is a "small" city of 1.5 million. The bus ride there was almost intolerable. The guy beside us was on his very loud cell phone for the entire trip (who knows that many people?) and then the bus had some sort of problem which caused it to beep like an alarm clock for over an hour. Ahhhhh. But when we saw the snow, we knew we had made the right choice. YAY! We spent our four days exploring this new city and trying to keep warm. Lots of fun. We celebrated Australia Day (also the 26th) and Lunar New Year with lunch at Outback Steak House (yum!) and then a dinner of ramyen (instant noodles....what could be more Korean?).
2 comments:
Okay crazy people!!! Everyone around here is trying to get away from the snow and you go an find it?! Well, you better come back to Canada soon then. We have lots of snow here and it keeps falling.
I can't wait to see more photos! Hope the bus ride home was better.
Leanne
Thought you both would have enough of snow in canada, obviously not! It is very hot in Oz at the moment with Melbourne having temps in the 40's and adelaide 45 for a couple of days in a row. We have been lucky here in the west but it is going to be a schorcher for our first day back at school, pleeeeaaaaase send us some snow on monday, Graeme
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