Since last week, my students have been bugging me to give them free time for the whole period as a gift for them on Children’s Day. Of course, I would not let them waste forty minutes in the classroom just chattering or playing on their smart phones. It would be total chaos! I wasn’t going to give in to their whim, but I decided to spare 10 minutes of our class for a game. I even let one of my upper school classes watch a magic show in my tab. Thank God, the games and the magic show were enough to pacify them.

Most of the kids were excited about Children’s Day that all they could talk about during our conversation was what they were going to do on Monday. Some of the kids said that they would go to the amusement park or go shopping with Mom and Dad; some would spend the holiday with friends. Others only wanted to play games in the PC방 (internet cafe); then there was D, a new student, who said he doesn’t care about Children’s Day. I thought that he was just being sarcastic, but when I asked him why, I realized what he meant. “I’m (I can) not go anywhere,” he exclaimed, exasperated, “I have many (much) homework.”

“Well, you can do your homework first, then do what you want,” I told him.

“Mom say(s) study study study…”

“I’m sure she will give you some time to have fun on Children’s Day.”

D shrugged his shoulders and sighed hopelessly. He reminded me of a girl from my class who got Math workbooks for Christmas and was told by her Mom to finish them in a month.

Not all Korean parents are like D’s mom. In fact, many Korean parents give a great thought to what can make their kids happy on Children’s Day.

May 5th is 어린이날 or Children’s Day in South Korea. In other countries, it is celebrated on November 20th, according to the United Nations official recommendation. Children’s Day is more like Christmas for Korean kids. When this day falls on a weekday, children don’t go to school or academies. Most of the parents are given a day off, so they can spend time with their little ones. Parents take their children to amusements parks, zoos, museums or picnic grounds, sometimes out-of-town. Shopping for toys or clothes is also a common activity. For busy families, simple lunch or dinner will suffice. On Children’s Day, my husband’s nieces come to our house to visit their grandparents. My parents-in-law prepare expensive presents for them. Parents and grandparents usually buy gifts for the children or give them money.

I used to give candies or chocolates to my students, but this time, the occasion slipped out of my mind, so instead of treats, I offered them a better gift…

I often give homework to my students, but last Thursday, I didn’t give them any. I thought about D and other students who were already bombarded with a lot of assignments from school and hagwons (academies). I didn’t want to add to their stress and take up most of their time accomplishing homework when they could be outside enjoying their special day. Even kids need a break, too, especially on the day dedicated to them.

We were walking around Jumunjin Harbour on an early April morning. The sun was warm and the docks were busy with tourists and workers. Underneath the carpark the wharf was busier than usual. Long gone were the fish sellers, moved to another less in the way location of the port, so to see so much coming and going was unusual. While not regulars in Jumunjin port, we would be more regular that most and seeing a flurry activity as such was something reserved for the height of the squid season, and it was not that time of year yet.

We edged closer, hopping over river sized puddles and landing on tiny atolls of uneven concrete, until we came to what was of so much anxiety and interest to the workers and curious visitors. On the concrete were nets and nets full of fish. They were litterally exploding with them. To see nets this full in a small port like Jumunjin, where even in their tourist markets they mostly sell farmed fish, was a delight. There were wheelbarrows full to bursting being shoved past, and nets being stretched long for cleaning and recasting. Of greatest interest though was the a stocky greying man, sitting on a plastic chair pulling the fish from the nets.

Herself began to talk to him, as I tried to take a few photographs of the action. He was very garrulous and you could tell that the catch had enlivened him. He cracked jokes and offered advice. We put in an order for some fish and a much used plastic shopping bag returned full to near bursting with oily, unscaled and still to be gutted fish. I think they said there was twenty in it, but later we found that there had to be even more. They charged us a mere 10,000 won.

As we stood around chatting with and I continued to take photographs, he made a suggestion.

“Why don’t you sit down here and pull the fish out, and I’ll take a photograph of you while you do it? You can even wear my oilskins and hat”. He laughed out loud at the idea and gave my wife one of those looks, while nodding in my direction. Needless to say, me being no fun and afraid of actual work I declined the offer, shirking away in the process. The man didn’t seemed bothered and continued to laugh and crack jokes with Herself.

Later that day as I was looking back over my photos I could not help but think about this suggestion. He didn’t seemed bothered by any stretch of the imagination, and was certainly only having a good laugh at my expense, and probably rightly so. What I could not stop thinking of was that this was worthwhile advice for anyone who is a  tourist, or a photographer, or just whoever is nosey and wants to inspect as you go about your work. If you think that something is so fantastic you feel enticed to point and stare, or photograph, or watch with intense critical interest, perhaps you should don those oilskins yourself and really see how interesting an experience it is.

Whenever we travel we take so much time to find authentic experiences, but rarely do we take into account that what is an authentic experience to someone is a life and way of living to another. Yes it’s interesting, but isn’t it more important to have a little personal respect for people who are going about their lives? It’s not as if they would choose to be so interesting to the point of fascinating.

I was skimming through some photos in my camera and found a lot of pictures from last year’s Seoul Lantern Festival which my husband and I came to see before we went to the Philippines in November. I was going to talk about the festival and share the photos in my blog, but I suffered from “temporary amnesia” as a result of my preoccupation with our business in the PI. Now I’m back in Korea, back to sanity, back to blogging… but I miss my Mom and the family back home. I can’t wait to see them again this summer.

Before “temporary amnesia” strikes again, here are the photos from last year’s Seoul Lantern Festival. This post is rather late, but the festival is held annually, so if you haven’t been to one, these pictures will give you an idea of what you can expect to see if you plan to witness the festivity.

During the festival, hundreds of resplendent lanterns, made by international and local artists, are lit and displayed onCheonggyecheon Stream. The colorful lanterns represent a different story each year. Last year, the theme, entitled“Haensong Baekje: Dream of a Thousand Years, focused on the 700-year-history of Baekje.

Seoul Lantern Festival began in 2009. Since then, it has attracted a lot of tourists and locals. When my husband and I went to the festival, it was the last night the lanterns were going to be on display. We weren’t expecting many people, but even on the last day of the exhibit, the place was teeming with sightseers.

The beautifully handcrafted lanterns are made from hanji or the traditional handmade “paper of Korea”. The main material for making hanji is the thread-like skin of the inner bark of the mulberry.

There were lanterns from other countries, too, like Taiwan and the Philippines.

I was thrilled to see a giant Christmas tree from Pampanga, my hometown. Many visitors flocked the 6.3 meter-tallPhilippine-made Christmas tree to take a photo. Two hundred vibrant capiz or windowpane oyster shell lanterns were put together to make the outstanding tree.

Although it was windy and chilly, my husband and I enjoyed the long walk along Cheonggyecheon Stream.

Anywhere we set our eyes upon, there was a uniquely designed piece of art with a story to tell. Beside each lantern was a brief description that can be read in Korean and English. We were being reminded to move in haste from time to time, because of the throng of people behind us, so I couldn’t read all the descriptions, but lucky for me, I had my husband to explain what some of the lanterns are or what they represent.

An ornament attached to the nobility’s crown

A pair of royal shoes

(This one escapes me.)

A helmet

A hilt (sword handle)

Besides the giant Christmas tree from my country, my other favorites are the lanterns of women holding traditional musical instruments.

If you would like to see this year’s Seoul Lantern Festival, you can visit their website to check the dates and other activities lined up for the whole festivity period.

The easiest way to get to the venue is by subway:

Subway Line 5, Gwanghwamun Station Exit ⑤ (walk 3 minutes)
Subway Line 1, Jonggak Station Exit ⑤ (walk 3 minutes)
Subway Line 2, Euljiro 1-ga Station Exits ②,③ (walk 6 minutes)

You can get detailed directions by clicking this link. Admission is free. Don’t forget to bring your camera with you! ^^