Sports Day

Sports Day

Definitely one of my top three best days thus far was yesterday, a Saturday that I had to go to work. It was the annual “family sports day” which means that all the parents of the kindergarteners came to a school playground to play games with their children and their teachers. Imagine that! Us foreign teachers leading/ pretending to converse with the solely Korean speaking parents! It actually panned out quite well. The conversations with the parents consisted mostly of me bowing (out of respect... their way of greeting) and saying “hello.” One of my student’s mom’s could actually speak quite good english. She told me that her son really liked me and that he said I always had something fun to do with the children. This meant a lot to me because her son is one of the brighter students in the “devil” class who I am constantly trying to challenge and keep busy to prevent misbehaviour.
So the days activities. The students arrived before the parents we put stickers (red for red team, blue for blue team) on them with their names. Then when the parents arrived they also got the same large sticker with their child’s name on it. This was so helpful in identifying whose parent was who. So the students got names, then facepaint (I had red face paint on that was supposed to be war paint... think football player... but ended up looking more like whiskers!)... finally we had to tie on the wrists of the students helium filled balloons with a paper that they had in class written a wish on. Later in the morning all the students were standing in a big group and we let the balloons all go into the sky... with the anticipation that their wishes would come true. I know I know so cool!
So once we have almost all our students ready the parents being to arrive. My job was to keep the students occupied while Michelle, my Korean teaching partner, got the stickers on the parents. It was a little tough to keep their attention for what seemed like too much down time but I managed. I play head and shoulders with them and go really slow and then crazy fast which makes them laugh really hard. ( I can only imagine what the parents think of me) I also taught them the chicken dance without music so that involves me humming it out... (ha ha ohhh dear).
We then led our students to the center of the field (coarse sand field). This is when the team of “sports guys”, the school hired, took over. We had the students line up and then the father’s come stand on one side of each student and the mothers on the other. If only one parent was there that was ok. We had an opening ceremony where we walked around in a semi circle (blue team one way and red the other) to form a large circle and then through a balloon archway. A student from one of the older kindergarteners read an oath about sportsmanship and then the games began.
The games are in no particular order:

1) dancing as a large group spread out --- led by two sports guys with crazy moves that would put dance moves like “the sprinkler” or “shopping cart” to shame--- Us foreign teachers loved it!
2) Tile Game- blue team parents against red team parent-- playing area split in half--- tiles that are one side blue/one side red and then on go the parents have to compete to flip as many over as they can to their teams colour.. when the time is up who ever has the most of their colour wins (great game but the parents were crazy competitive like an old grandma pushed another two women to the ground--- NUTSO!)
3) Piñata Type of game- Blue team and red team each had a piñata that was like two large plastic bowls lightly taped together to form a circle... then the students had to throw bean bags at the bowls and whichever team was the first to knock it open won (inside was a streamer that flew down with balloons.
4) Running on an elastic band-- each teams parents squatted opposite a partner and held a large elastic band tight... then the students took turns racing down the middle... some teachers had to demonstrate this and Roberta the lucky girl (completely sarcastic) was fortunate enough to do it. They tried to get me to but I balked... only because I could imagine myself falling on to an unsuspecting parent!
5) Big Balls-- They had these monstrous big balls that again the line of parents had to bounce down and back--- the first to get it back wins
6) Relay race-- First teachers/then two students represented each age group/then 6 moms/6 dads--- running half way around a circle with a baton
7) Tug o War
8) Big Banner Game- Again with the long lines (about three wide/ one for each team) and then two of the sports guys each grabbed an end to a long banner and the whole team had to jump over the banner than duck under it as the sports men ran down the line with it--- again first team to finish wins
9) Couples competition- This one was hilarious!!! The dads and moms ran together to a center flutter board.. the dad laid down and put a balloon on his butt...then the mom took out the huge wooden paddle she was carrying and whacked the balloon till it popped and then both mom/dad ran around a pylon and back to the line for the next group to go! Obviously not everyone participated (not all couples were present)
10) Race to blow balloons.-- the red team got red balloons/ the blue team blue balloons-- each team then competed to blow them up the fastest and put them in a large clear bag... then the object was to stand the large clear bag upright (it worked really well). The first team to do this the fastest of course won!
11) Balloon Bag race-- we then used these balloon bags and had six contestants from each team straddle the balloon filled bags with their legs and then they had to move as a team around the line (again about three wide) of their team members-- first to finish wins! (I did this one!)

These games were interrupted by about an hour lunch in which the parents ate with their kids a picnic they had brought. The teachers had our own picnic but supplied by the school which was korean bbq style. (Rice, dried sea weed wraps, meat cooked on coals, kimchi)

During all of this I also was cheering my heart out. Camille (New Zealand Teacher) and I had made up our cheer for the red team.
“Our team is What?”- Camille/me
Red Hot (students/parents)
“Our team is What?”- Camille/me
Red Hot
Team red, Let’s show them what we’ve got- Camille/me
GO RED, GO, RED (then faster) go red, go red, go red

Yeah I am surprised i had a voice by the end.
I also had to lead all the red team in dancing-- by standing in the circle and getting them to do what I was doing-- completely improvised but it worked out!

At the end of the day--- their was a closing ceremony where another student made a speech and then wrapped presents were drawn for.
Then the parents left in their vehicles and the teachers all stood there for the huge procession of them leaving and waving goodbye.

After, the owners of our school, took us out for supper to a korean bbq place (do you sense a theme) any hoo so we ate well on them.


After Sports Day-- Seoul International Fireworks Festival
So I had heard about this International Fireworks festival via facebook and was considering on attending depending on how wiped out I was from Sports day. Well I was super tired and all of us teachers were finished supper and sitting outside of GS25. The teacher that I had replaced, Brian, met up with us and kind of gave me and Roberta the shove to go. The others were content with not going. Now not that I am a huge fireworks lover... but I hate missing opportunities and honestly I thought of my mother and how she loves fireworks so much... so I should go. (There mom and you think I don’t think of you! jj)
Ok so we embarked on the subway and found it completely crowded. We were definitely a little too friendly with about 1000 people that day. I believe Roberta said “This is my idea of Hell” and regretted having gone. I also was considering turning back...but we had made it to our first transfer stop (where you switch lines) and there was only one more transfer to go so I thought I could manage. (ohh and you should know I still have on my red- sports day t-shirt and red face paint whiskers). Once we reach the last transfer stop it is feels like it is about 35 degrees and is crowded with people... we round a corner to take the last set of stairs down to our awaiting train and it is a SEA of PEOPLE! I can not begin to describe the amount of people! It was complete CHAOS! We have a video clip of it which I will try to load. But it was something to see! And we saw it and thought screw that! There was no way we would have ever gotten on the train to see the fireworks that were starting in about 20 minutes! So we turned right back around walked up the stairs but before leaving we decided we might as well run up out of the station and see if there was any possible way we could see them. Once out of the station we could hear the fireworks. Brian got his bearings a bit (he has lived in korea for 2 years) and we wandered around. Then to our surprise we found this great, quiet dark niche, that overlooked a highway and one could see a couple high rise buildings.. and between those buildings.. the fireworks!!!! ASSAHH (Korean word for hooray) so we merrily watched the fireworks for at least an hour. The fireworks were put on by the U.S., China, and Korea. We obviously couldn’t see all the fireworks (not the low ones)... but I think we lucked out because I couldn’t imagine how big the crowd would have been by that river and how awful it would have been trying to get home. So I was content reflecting on my day in front of million dollar fireworks... thinking that this was a pretty amazing day, that we are so fortunate (or that my belief “ask and it will be given to you” keeps working out,) and I couldn’t be happier with all the new experiences Korea has been handing me.

So with that I’ll sign off that I am missing all of you wherever you are in the world!
Co op people, School friends, the girls whom I am sure on not reading these novels ha ha, teachers, and of course family