Since LAST week, my students have been talking and updating G-chat statuses non-stop about Pepero (빼빼로) Day. Every year, on November 11, Koreans celebrate this day by giving "Pepero" (Korean version of the Japanese "Pocky") to people they love and care about (sort of the equivalent of Valentine's Day). Of my 3 years working at this school, I have never seen so many Peperos as I did this year. Oh. Em. Gee. These kids were walking around with BOXES of the stuff! One kid walked out of my class with a big box and giant plastic bag filled with Pepero AND an overstuffed backpack which he couldn't zip up because it was brimming with more Pepero than books. He basically had to drag it out of class so that his stuff wouldn't fall out. Huh-larious!! Wish I took a picture. What was even funnier was seeing all the frazzled teachers, totally spent from trying to teach sugared-up kids all day. Kind of a useless holiday...but an amusing one, nonetheless!
Pepero love from my students :)
Of course, as a teacher, any moment could be a "teachable moment". So while my students were happily munching on Pepero sticks, I told them that there were many people on the other side of the ocean who were spending the day remembering those who served and lost their lives in past and present wars. Maybe that was a bit of killjoy but they need to know, right?? A little cultural lesson never hurt anyone. :p
jocelyn~!!!! look who's blogging again! i was just going through the links on my site (it's now only like, an annual routine :P) and decided to pop over to see if you've written anything since september 2008. hahaa~ you HAVE! new layout too! niceeee.
ReplyDeletei like how you told your students about people losing lives in wars as they munched on pepero (which does look a lot like japanese pocky!). well, it's definitely good to talk about those things, cuz who knows when else will they hear/learn about it. do they have a remembrance day in korea? i like the red poppy thing we do in canada. that's pretty meaningful. :) i'm going to email you now, this is getting loooong~!