The last post of '09


Two weekends ago Meg and I went to see a show that we have been planning on seeing since about our second month here. It is called 'Ballerina Who Loved a B-Boy' and is a wordless production about a ballerina who falls in love with a b-boy. There was really no plot at all, it was mostly just a hour and a half of incredible b-boy dancing with some ballet solos mixed in. There are literally no words to describe the dancing, it was simply amazing! There were a couple of times when Meg and I both turned to each other in awe, mouths wide-open, and one of us would say, "did he really just do that?!"

Last weekend we went to another show, this time to see The Nutcracker. I was super excited as I have always wanted to see it live. When we arrived at the theater there was a brass group playing carols, a person dressed as a nutcracker walking around on stilts, and an overall Christmasy feel. Meg and I both agreed that it was the first time we actually felt like it was Christmas time. There was a table selling nutcrackers, and neither of us could pass up the opportunity to buy one as a memento. We made our way into the theater and were happy to discover that we had really good seats - middle of the second row in the balcony. The ballet was very enjoyable and definitely put me in the holiday mood!

Christmas time is strange here because although there are some Christmas decorations in the stores and such and it is cold, there is no snow - which being from Minnesota, we always associate with Christmas. Christmas is viewed more as a couples holiday here - couples buy each other presents and hang out on the 25th. It is by no means the big deal that it is in the states. Meg and I did our best to make it feel like a holiday by exchanging presents last night and having a 'Christmas' dinner of duck, mashed potatoes, bean sprouts, and cheesecake.

Christmas is also celebrated in the hagwons here. Both Meg and I have been spending the past month singing Christmas carols, decorating our classrooms, and teaching different Christmas themes. Santa came to visit both CIS and Froebel, bringing each child a gift or two (which was actually sent into the school by the parents). My favorite Christmas moment of late was when Eric in my Nemo class brought me a present on Tuesday because he was leaving early for vacation. When he handed it to me, Katherine quickly exclaimed, "Eric are Santa!" Guess I drilled the point of Santa gives people presents a little too much!

It is finally here...I feel like I have been anticipating this trip forever! We are off tonight for our Christmas Vacation and will be landing in Cambodia about an hour before Christmas Day hits! We will be in Vietnam from the 28-30, returning to Cambodia for New Years. We return to Korea early on January 3, and will do our best to update you about our adventures as soon as possible!

Speaking of travel, in mid-February Meg and I have a 4-day weekend for Lunar New Year. Unable to turn down our last chance to travel Asia together, we quickly looked into some flights for possible long weekend destinations. So, about a month and a half after we return from our Christmas trip, we will be jetting off to Taiwan for a quick stay. And yes, we do realize that we have become spoiled.

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE!! We look forward to more adventures in 2010!