Americans Unite in the Name of Turkey

What is November without a good ol'  'merican Thanksgiving? That is the question that all of the 'mericans here in lil' ol' Changwon ask each other each year. And each year they decide that it is indeed a November not worth mentioning unless we do something to make sure Thanksgiving happens here. So, the community here manages to muster up the fixings to create something close to a Thanksgiving feast.

Being 'merican m'self, I was indeed invited to this year's Thanksgiving event by the 'mericans I know here (people from other countries were invited too, since we're such an inclusive nation and people). It was held the weekend before Thanksgiving though. The host of the party was in charge of getting a turkey from the military base in Jinhae about 20-30 minutes out of town, and then everyone else brought a side. My contribution choice was decided by the fact that it's kind of hard for me to get descent veggies in my diet on a regular basis here since I'm so busy. So Laura and I got really excited about the idea of making a vegetable dish for the event. We went to the market before the dinner and got all the stuff we needed and cooked it up real good. Everyone else did an amazing job with their parts of the dinner as well. There were tons of people and tons of food.....turkey, mashed potatoes, 2 kinds of pumpkin pie, apple pie, etc. So delicious! And it was fun eating it while talking to people from South Africa, New Zealand and Ireland about what kind of holidays they do and don't have, and what days they stuff their faces and such.

On the way back home, walking through the city Laura and I got stopped by Doraemon and Captain Frog who were advertising for a car company. We thought there were guys inside the suits because they immediately started hugging us when we walked by. But suddenly the cutest little cartoon-ish girl voice came out of the frog, "Hello! How are you?? OO you so pretty!"  *Gasp* Doreamon?? You're real?? And you think I'm pretty?? Lol, it was a fun end to a relaxing and food-ful night. Tomorrow, race day!

Some Autumn Hues

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I have been loving fall time here in Changwon! Although the temperature fluctuates from very chilly to icy cold winds, depending on the day, it's at least usually sunny and beautiful out. There's not much rain at all so the leaves have been turning ablaze and then staying on the trees a nice long time so that I can happily gaze at them as I walk to work. It's different from Seattle, where our trees turn color one day and then all the leaves fall off the next day from rain. Also, the main trees here are ginko trees (how stereotypically Asian, hehe!) and they turn a brilliant yellow in fall time. I caught some pictures of them here. Now, they are all yellow without any hint of green and the leaves are starting to litter the streets and sidewalks. On my way to work I saw the cutest little Korean girl pick up two fistfuls of the golden leaves and toss them into the air so that they could rain down on her head. I definitely remember doing that when I was little too....some things are universal I guess :)

Happy Pepero Day!

On November 11^th, in the US, veterans are respectfully remembered for Veteran’s Day, and in Canada, they honor all troops for Remembrance Day. In Korea, however, this is a happy day where they buy thin, chocolate covered biscuit treats to give out as gifts to friends, teachers, coworkers and loved ones. The treats are called Pepero here, but I know them back home as the Asian snack called Pocky. 
A few days ago, every corner store started to fill itself with a variety of candies, colorful and fluffy gift baskets, and mounds of different kinds of Pepero. All of a sudden the stores were packed with the brightly colored packaging of these sundries. Pepero day was coming. This is a “holiday” made by a manufacturing company called Lotte as a ploy to sell more Pepero snacks. Now, although it seems that every Korean is aware that this is the sole reason that this day exists, they all still participate whole-heartedly, especially the kids. Some say it's almost worse than Valentines Day. The kids give Pepero out to their friends, and it’s a big deal as to who gets some and who does not, and from whom you got it, etc. Koreans also give to their coworkers, teachers, boyfriends, girlfriends, favorite shop-keepers, and whomever else they feel deserves it. Pepero day is on November 11th each year because the date looks like Pepero sticks (11/11). 
Hope you got a wrinkle in your brain from this little tidbit of info! :)