On Friday morning, I found out that all the teachers from my classes were going to be volunteering that afternoon at a school/residential facility for persons with disabilities.  SOOO, I got permission from my supervisor to tag along with them.  As I understand it, the school is a public school and directly next to it, is a government funded residential facility.  I was only able to see a very small part of the program, but I was quite impressed by the facilities.  There was a nice track and exercise area, a gym, a horse riding area, and several very nice looking houses/buildings.

After arriving, the teachers all received information about the program (I assume, as this was all in Korean).  Then, we were divided up and given different jobs to do.  Some people did some arts & crafts projects,  some people were asked to talk with some kids who were non-verbal, a few people were selected to help bathe some kids who were unable to move on their own.  My group was assigned to play badminton.  Awesome!

There were 5 kids that we played with...four had Downs and the other one had autism.  As soon as I stepped in the gym, one of the guys grabbed my hand, handed me a racquet, and made it clear that I would be his partner.  We played for about an hour.  He was quite good and I got my workout for the day.  After we were done playing, the teachers indicated that it was time to clean up.  All of the "kids"  started rolling up the nets and packing everything up...a nice team effort.

I'm so glad that I was able to join the Korean teachers on this trip.  I always love the time I spend with this very special population...what an amazing afternoon!  

This weekend is a 4 day weekend compliments of the lunar new year.   According to Wikipedia, Korean New Year, commonly known as Seollal, is the first day of the lunar calendar. It is the most important of the traditional Korean holidays. It consists of a period of celebrations, starting on New Year's Day.  The Korean New Year holiday lasts three days.

At school, we were given some gifts  for the holiday.  I received a package of tuna & canola oil, rice cakes and socks.  Love it.  Such different gifts than I've ever received in the states.

I'm heading to Seoul this weekend.   Not sure if there will be anything going on for the weekend, as it appears that Seollal is a holiday that is spent at the home with your family.  If there is anything of interest, I'll be sure to report back.

My friend Carrie taught in Seoul a few years back.  This weekend, her former co-teacher was getting married and I had an opportunity to attend the celebration.  We headed to Seoul on Friday evening so we could enjoy the entire weekend.

On Saturday, we did a lot of walking around and people watching...always interesting!!  We then met up with some friends and went to a wonderful Korean BBQ place for lunch.  We continued touring after lunch then went back toward our hotel area for dinner.  We found a great curry place.  The best part, however, was the Gorgonzola cheese naan.  DELICIOUS!!  Have I mentioned that the cheese in Korea sucks???  I've never considered myself a cheese snob, but when the only option is yellow, rubbery stuff, you really appreciate a taste of real cheese.  A+ on the Gorgonzola!!!

Sunday was the wedding.  We headed out early as we needed to get to a subway station to lock our luggage in a locker before taking the express bus to the wedding hall.  After fumbling around with the locker (instructions in Korean only), we headed to the bus.  Oops, we locked the directions in the locker.  Good thing we also had directions via subway/cab.  

We arrived at the wedding location.  As we stepped in the building, it basically looked like a department store...lots of shoes, gloves, hats for sale.  Seemed a bit strange to me, but as the escalator approached the 7th floor, it was clear that we had found the right spot.  Music was playing and people were chatting in the large, open area.  For a moment, we wandered around lost, until we were rescued by one of the bride's sisters.  She directed us to the location to leave our monetary gift, then shuffled us over to a little room where the bride was sitting.  Apparently the bride sits in this little room until the wedding starts and takes pictures with friends and family members.

At noon, the ceremony began.  It started with the mothers of the bride and groom walking down the aisle.  They did something at the front of the room and bowed to the audience.  Then, the groom waited at the back of the room for his bride to enter through a little door (connecting the main hall to the little room she was in).  After she approached the groom, they headed down the aisle together.  

During the ceremony, people would come and go as they like, people chit chatted, and enjoyed each others company.  I'm not sure that anyone was listening to the speaker.  Interesting.  After the ceremony, the family took pictures then the friends took pictures.  All were group shots.  Then, Carrie was selected to catch the bouquet.  We're not exactly sure why she was the chosen one, but in front of all the family/friends, the flowers were tossed and she caught them.  She will apparently be married in 6 months.  :-)

After the photos were finished, we headed for lunch.  This was a huge buffet where everyone in the wedding hall ate...from the wedding we attended and other weddings.  It was massive.  While we ate, there was another ceremony going on across the room.  This time, the bride and groom were in traditional Korean attire.  Unfortunately, we didn't really have an opportunity to check it out.  After we finished our meal, we said goodbye to the couple and headed back to the subway station.  After another struggle with the lockers, it was time to return to Ulsan.

It was a beautiful ceremony, I just wished I knew more about Korean wedding traditions and such.  There was a constant stream of questions going through my mind and I may never know the answers.  Enjoy the photos.