Valentines Day

Hi Dad…. This is for you (he is prolly the one and only who checks this site daily)

So today is Valentines Day. Before you ask, I will inform you now I have no Valentine loves over the age of 12 years old… so don’t ask ☺

Interestingly though, Valentines Day is celebrated differently in Korea. It is still fairly commercial but not near to Western Standards. The only corporation really raking in the dough, is the chocolate companies. Man o Man… I may have seen little action when it came to Christmas gifts but I am drowning in Chocolate after today!!!!!!!

This was a surprise as my Korean Valentines introduction began this morning at the gym. I am friends with the Korean, front desk man, (Thomas) at the hotel where my gym is located. He came up to see me after my workout and told me that it was Valentines Day. He showed me that Minnie (gym girl) had bought him chocolates. He then seemed a little let down that I did not do the same. Ha! Sorry bud I forgot…. and we are literally just friends [odd friends… mostly consisting of me waking him up (he sleeps ‘on the job’ at the front desk) when I enter the hotel at 6 am and then him walking me home after my workout…. So casual friends.] We talked about how Valentines Day in Korea means that the women buy the men Chocolate… it is essentially a man’s day, hence my surprise at receiving anything from my students today. (Could it be that report cards are next week? … only joking).

And to throw in a little Wikipedia;
“It has become an obligation for many women to give chocolates to all male co-workers. [this is the case in South Korea as well… I did not follow this… oops] In Japan this is known as giri-choko (義理チョコ), from the words giri ("obligation") and choko, ("chocolate"). This contrasts with honmei-choko (本命チョコ); chocolate given to a loved one. Friends, especially girls, may exchange chocolate referred to as tomo-choko (友チョコ); from tomo meaning "friend".” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valentine%27s_Day

Before everyone begins to throw out the (indeed) cries of chauvinism… women have no fear… your day is a month later in Korea. The fourteenth of March is “White Day.” This day is all about the woman. Men are to buy woman candy. I stuck up my nose a bit claiming that men got the better deal when it came to receiving chocolate v.s. candy and all the female teachers agreed…. A man must have set these ‘rules.’

I continued this ‘special day’ talk with my Korean Teaching partner…. She went on to tell me that actually every fourteenth of the month is a ‘special’ day for couples.…I wonder if this is so that men have an easier time remembering…. It is similar to the idea of a monthly anniversary but this way all your ‘buds’ have to do the same thing on the same day… You know if you mass all the South Korean Male brains together they may just have a chance at getting it right! (clearly only joking… who is the chauvinist now?)

Ok here goes..
*May 14th- Rose day—couples buy each other roses.
June 14th- Kiss Day- ha I hope this happens more than once a year!
July 14th- Silver Day- couples buy one another silver…. Usually rings
August 14th- Green Day- I laughed out loud at this one… it is ‘Walk in the forest day’
Funny because of the lack of forests… I can maybe find one but I will have to ride the subway to get there… and how random is a scheduled nature walk!
September 14- Photo Day- After living in Korea this is no surprise to me… this day does not mean bring out the disposable honey… it means professional cheese ball photos in which they pale out the skin… everyone is obsessed with looking whiter!
October 14- Wine Day- Hopefully they splurge and buy an import!
November 14- Movie Day- Maybe a “DVD BANG”?—a DVD bang is a private room with a big TV (often flat screen) where one can rent/watch a movie on ‘yummy’ vinyl futons. Young teens go there to literally “bang” but bang in Korean means room… ohhh sometimes I heart Korea… jokes can be so easy… but the ‘banging" on wipe down vinyl does make sense as there is no privacy when you live in a small apartment with your whole family.
December 14- Hug Day- I was filmed by some Korean teens hugging this Korean boy for school (literally they were in uniform… I wonder if this was why?)
January 14- Nice Words Day- To mark the new year you are supposed to say kind words to one another
*February 14- Valentines Day
*March 14- White Day

(* mean the days that are taken seriously- my Korean teaching partner only follows these)

And I saved the best for last… I hope you wondered why I started with May….

April 14- BLACK DAY---- On this day those poor people who did not receive any chocolate on Valentines Day or Candy on White Day are to go out to dinner alone. They are then to order something black to eat… usually “ja jung” (some Korean word I probably say wrong but like dark black curry sauce on rice) and eat alone. HAHAHAHAHA

I can’t wait to sit alone with my black saucey rice and the moment to come when I look across the restaurant and into the eyes of a tall handsome stranger… we lock eyes and our heart’s will skip a beat… and then neither of us will breathe as we scope out the dish that sits before the other… and the two of us will breathe a sigh of relief… two lonely souls have at last found one another!!! It’ll be a “BLACK DAY MIRACLE” HAHAHHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAH!!!!

Cherrio… I will write an actual journal of my life happenings soon!