Christmas

Saturday, December 23rd

I woke up early as usual after traveling. I am still trying to get accustomed to Korean bathrooms. The whole floor in the bathroom is part of the shower water collection area, so after a shower, most of the bathroom floor is wet. Using shower shoes is mandatory especially after someone has showered or returning to the bathroom. It is also one of the few rooms without 'ondol' heating.

In the morning, Dr. Kim decided to take me on a drive of the countryside since his elder sister was ill and didn't want to entertain guests. I guess that will be a future weekend trip. On the drive, it doesn't take long before leaving Seoul city limits and realizing why Korea is about 70% mountains. The mountains are quite small, but the terrain is somewhat steep and roads are never straight. In the winter, the mountains are not aesthetically pleasing as in the spring/summer when all of the trees start blossoming. It was a pleasant drive and we even saw some protesters. In Korea, organized protests are illegal except for certain areas. Dr. Kim said it was "not in my back yard" type of protest about an agreement between a small town and Seoul.


Sunday, December 24th (Christmas Eve)

I attended church with Dr. Kim and his younger son. The service was in Korean, but Dr. Kim tried to translate as much as possible. Dr. Kim's English is pretty good, but not fluent, so translation was struggle today. Dr. Kim attends a small Presbyterian church. The congregation is about 80 people (adults & children). There are many children which is surprising since Korea has a very low birth rate and most families are only having one or two children. The music part was songs that I knew the melody, but it was tough to remember all of the words especially when everyone else is singing the Korean translation.

Afterwards, lunch was served. It was quite a feast of different types of dishes. There was kimchi, noodles, multiple vegetable dishes, meat dish, fruit, and of course rice and soup. It was definitely interesting to see the order of eating. We followed the Confucian way with the eldest people eating first and so down the age brackets. Somehow, I was gently pushed to the front of the line after the eldest of group ate. The church isn't set-up to accommodate the physically challenged or elderly that have difficulty with stairs. The church occupies the third and fourth floors of a small building and this is the reason that Dr. Kim's mother is no longer able to attend the church services.

After lunch, we sat and watched as the youth of the church practiced for the late afternoon Christmas program. Once practice was over, many people returned for the performance. There was singing, signing, break dancing, rapping, and acting for ten different songs/skits. It was really entertaining and was nice to see that Christianity is present in Korea. I can't say that I kept a very religious life, but it always nice to reaffirm the beliefs in Christ that I do have and follow.


Monday, December 25th (Christmas)

Once again, I woke up early, but in the usual childhood anticipation of receiving the last and best Christmas gift. Yes, my family traditionally opens most gifts on December 24th and we will have one last gift on Christmas morning. Instead, I did the usual of check my email and wait for breakfast. After eating, I watched some TV. In the afternoon, Dr. Kim took me shopping so I could buy a few things. The buildings in Korea look different than America because it seems that every window or outer surface of the lowest four floors of buildings are covered with signs. It is quite confusing to figure out what the store front they are for or which floor the business is located. Overall, it was boring Christmas Day, but it is still considered a national holiday, so most business people have the day off from work.