Hanguk Halloween: The School Part

Confession one: I’ve never really been all that great at Halloween. Pressure to think of a witty but warm costume always leaves me panicking. Confession two: This year I skipped the anxiety and stole a dear friend’s costume idea instead. After some creative use of construction paper, my Leela came together. Shane dressed as Andy Bogut for school.

Halloween is not a traditional Korean holiday. The only people who really celebrate it here are the foreigners and a few other select populations-- mainly college students and schoolchildren.

At our hagwon, we marked the occasion with an all day Halloween party. The kindergarten classes had a strong showing of angels, princesses, superheroes, and witches, with a few more creative getups thrown in here and there. After morning crafts, we herded the kids into school vans and unloaded in front of an unsuspecting grocery store where mommies waited, cameras in hand.

The kids sang a couple of songs before we relocated to an open area to take pictures.

The kids got to “trick or treat” from the parents, who came loaded. On the ride back, the bus nine kids heaped my hands full of candy: mango taffies, Snickers, and fruity hard candies. Nice. After lunch, the nine kindergarten classes gathered in the auditorium for a fashion show, where each and every child walked one by one across the red carpet and had their picture taken. Each and every child. Long, but they were adorable.

Later that afternoon, the elementary school students arrived, much less dressed up and much less enthused. We teachers were assigned to control one of four rooms (craft, picture, game, or facepainting). Though we had too much time and too little to do at each station, and too few pieces of candy left, the kids had fun and enjoyed having a night off from their studies. Though it was an exhausting day, the Halloween party was a nice slice of home.

Saturday Night Lights: The Fireworks Festival

When you're an expat, you deliberately surrender the traditions that make home, home. But if you're lucky, you'll have experiences that remind you that although you're a stranger in a strange land, things aren't so different after all.

In late October the Gwangalli beachfront hosted the 7th annual Busan International Fireworks Festival. Like the Fourth of July, but on steroids, and in October.

Thursday night’s warm-up act featured many-a-Korean-superstar musical acts like BoA, Super Junior, and SHINee. Friday showcased short fireworks shows representing China, Italy, and Portugal. Shane and I opted out, saving ourselves for the headliner Saturday night.

Weeks before, we were advised by those in the know to get to Gwangalli hours early to get a spot. Organizers expected 1.5 million spectators crammed on rooftops, in streets, and on the 1.4 kilometer-long stretch of sand-- standing room only if you got there anytime after 6:00.

Our cohort arrived around 3:30. Camping out with other expats, we drank pitchers, ate pizza and street food, and chatted with new friends, comparing notes on our Busan experiences. As the show approached, we found ourselves gridlocked on the beach, defending our blanket territory amidst a sea of Koreans. A simple trip to the bathroom, a mere 50 feet away, turned into a 45 minute debacle including stepping over bodies, finding an officer to stamp your hand as proof that you in fact had a prized spot on the sand, wrestling your way though the crowd, and waiting in line for 20 minutes. Then you had to make it back.

When the sky darkened enough, the Diamond Bridge lit up, outlined by colored lights and spotlights. We were entertained by enthusiastic dancers, giant beach balls, and Korean music blaring over the loudspeakers. As soon as the first of the 100,000 fireworks was shot off, the crowd cheered and then fell into a trance.

It was magnificent. The fireworks lasted an hour, and were timed perfectly to a multimedia presentation that took us around the world. Giant screens perched atop barges played videos of the chosen countries, while music representing those nations played on the loudspeakers. So what songs represented the U.S, you ask? “Under the Sea,” “New York, New York,” and the “Sex and the City” movie theme song. Of course.

After this show I'll probably be spoiled for life. No fireworks show will live up to the BIFF's variety, beauty, and brightness. Except maybe the next time I see Fourth of July fireworks back home.

If you watch the video, watch all the way through- the finale is the best.

Busan Fireworks Festival Uploaded by shane11111. - Discover new destinations and travel videos.

A Typical Korean Van?

Wow, that is one gigantic Korean van.

Wait, maybe it isn't.

Is that a picture of an octopus?

What is going with this thing?

Woah, Joey Lawrence!

There's a dude in the back of this micro van.

What is he doing?

He's making Octopus Balls also known as "Takoyaki."

They are a batter based snack that get filled with pieces of octopus, green onion, picked ginger, and tempura. They get covered in a sweet sauce and a spicy sauce, and then dusted with flakes of dried bonito fish (kind of tastes smoked trout). Sounds weird, really weird. I admit it.

But they tastes delicious.

Thank you micro-van. You make sea-food dreams come true.

Radio On

In my last post, I mentioned that while soaking up PIFF Square's flavor, Shane and I were invited to talk on the radio about our experiences at the film festival; they were looking for a foreigner's point of view. Because the station, 90.5 e-fm, is close to our apartment, because the time worked out with our teaching schedule, and because it sounded just plain fun, we agreed to Kimee's request. The next morning, we met up with her at the subway stop, and she walked us to the KNN building, home of the e-fm studios.

When we got inside the station, Kimee introduced us to the program's host, DJ Donna, and her boss, the station director. They made us feel welcome, briefed us on the program, and we waited for our ten minutes of fame.

Once inside the studio, we cozied up to the mics, and let DJ Donna run the show. I have to compliment her skills! She kept the show flowing, asking top three about PIFF and asking how we were liking Busan so far. She played a few songs between pieces of conversation. Which? Hangin' Tough, of course, by New Kids on the Block, so I got to tell Busan about how I went to their concert when I was little. She also played a Michael Jackson song.

We left the studio feeling confident and satisfied. Also, they gave us gift bags with handkerchiefs, travel coffee mugs, and pens. Not just any pens, but the ones that are three colors in one (red, black, and the third was actually a mechanical pencil).

We walked to school feeling very excited. For the rest of the day we got to tell our friends of our adventure with DJ Donna, and brag about the New Kids On the Block song.

The PIFF Cometh, We Went-eth

For Shane and I, Busan continues to reveal itself as the city that keeps giving, and in early October, she gave us the Pusan International Film Festival (PIFF). For a week, the cinematic world came to our doorstep.

Here's just the facts, Ma’am:

Years in existence: 15

Total films shown this year: 306

Of those, number of world premieres: 153

Persons in Attendance: 182,046

Among those in Attendance: Oliver Stone, Willem Defoe, Carlos Saura,

Juliette Binoche, and many Asian superstars

Films we saw: A Woman by Director Giada Colagrande and Inside America

by Director Barbara Eder

Cost of our four tickets: 20,000 won, or $17.77

Our PIFF adventure began with an early morning haul to the Shinsegae ticketing office at 7:00 am for tickets we feared would sell out if we didn’t get there early enough. Willem Dafoe was going to make an appearance at his film, and being from Wisconsin and huge fans of Life Aquatic, we didn’t want to miss it. Two hours and a new friend we met in queue later, we had them.

Later that afternoon, our posse trekked to Shinsegae, the world’s largest department store which also houses a movie theatre, for the film A Woman. As we settled in, Willem and his wife, Giada, entered and settled in themselves.

The movie itself was....intriguing. Not our favorite, but artistic. The real excitement was after the lights came up, and the writer/director and lead actor hosted a question and answer session. Shane didn’t hesitate. He asked how Willem prepared for this role since it was so different than many of his other roles. Willem looked right at him, smiled, and gave a great answer about how he loves a challenge and he tried to become a part of the scenery, reacting to the other actors.

The following Sunday, we had tickets for Inside America, which had been touted as “a glimpse into America’s bleak soul, somewhere between plasma screens and food stamps”.

Wandering PIFF square in Nampo-dong on the south side of town, Shane and I grabbed a bite of street food: a potato covered fried corn dog (oh my arteries) and a Turkish kebab.

As we met up with our co-teacher friends, Shane and I were approached by a young Korean woman with a clipboard. She asked us if we would be willing to appear on the radio the next morning to talk about our PIFF experience as foreigners (would we?!). After it was all arranged, headed into the theatre, the smell of butter soaked popcorn inviting us inside.

Turns outs, America’s a pretty depressing and scary place, at least according to this film. Like no America I’ve experienced. Though none of us found it too resonant, it was engaging and entertaining. Filmed in only seven weeks, and with a minimal budget, the film focuses on a Texas border town with a huge rift in social stratification, leading to dependence on drugs and gangs.

PIFF was the first film festival either of us had attended. The volunteers were helpful, tickets easy to purchase, snacks cheap. We look forward to your next gift, Busan!