Lunar New Year

Today's the Lunar New Year in Korea. Similar to Chuseok, everyone heads to the country to visit their extended family. Unlike Chuseok I decided this time to hit the road, because as much as I wish it were otherwise, I get pretty bored at Lee family gatherings. The food is really good, but it mostly involves conversation I can't participate in and the kids fighting over the television. The kids have already left to go over to their grandparents' house. Right now they are probably dressed in their traditional hanbok and offering their grandparents money, which seems to be the focal point of the holiday. They're probably also eating rice cake soup for breakfast. I'd actually like to be over there viewing and participating in that part (I really like that rice cake soup), but I want to get going as soon as possible, and all the cousins in the house made it difficult to get in the shower in time to go with them.

So I'm eating peanut butter toast and finishing my hot choco before I get going. I'm staying with Rachel at a guesthouse for four nights. I should be hanging out with Matthias some, and hopefully Billie and Bonnie. Billie's really busy right now though, she has a solo art show she's putting on two weekends from now. That takes dedication, to put together an art show for yourself in a foreign country. I can't wait to see it. Oh, and I have been writing some, but not enough. I reread a couple of my favorite short story collections for some inspiration.

Yet another relative of a teacher at my school has died. That makes six deaths this semester, almost one for every month I've been in Suncheon (and one wedding). Sure, 20-30 bucks a month is a small price to pay for how much teachers appreciate it when I show up and make my donation, but it's starting to add up (I think maybe the sort of cavalier Korean attitude about death is also starting to rub off). I'll be in Seoul this time, when the funeral at the hospital takes place, so my host mother said that I didn't have to worry about it. She also said I probably didn't need to come to the most recent funeral, which was only a week or so ago, but that just happened to be the day I decided to come into school to organize my desk for the inevitable move this semester. If I wasn't going to Seoul I think I would go, but still, it's a little uncanny how many parents and in-laws of teachers at my school have died this year.