Today, I will describe to you about the life of Korean students. There are many important
differences between Korean and Canadian student lifestyles.
In ancient Korea, only rich children could go to school and learn. In these schools, these lucky children would study to write special tests. If they scored well, they could be invited to live and work inside the royal castles. They could be asked to help the king of Korea to rule the country. Sometimes, they would be sent to different countries to work for the king. The poor children could not go to school so they just worked in small fields to help their families.Poor families had to work harder to make crops and good harvest to give to the king. They also had to pay taxes, but rich families did not.
TODAY
In the morning, students wake up at 7 A.M, and they go to school at 8:30. Most elementary schools start at 9:10. In my elementary school, we had a total of 5 recesses. We learned Science, Language Art, English, Math, Social Studies, PE, Music, Chinese Characters, and Elective. You can choose from five different electives: Cross Stitch, Traditional Games, Movie, Reading, Origami. We had our lunch at 12:30 P.M. In Korea, elementary school only goes to sixth grade.
For Middle School, school starts at 7:00, so middle school students have to wake up at 6.
Middle School has separate grades from elementary school. You start at middle school grade 1 and go to middle school grade 3. This is the same for high school and university.
In the afternoon, elementary school ends at 1:00 P.M. They go home after lunch.
Most students go to study more at another academy or they go to learn extra-curriculars. Korean students keep very busy. After school, they go from one academy to another.Middle school and high schools usually end later than elementary schools. Some people say that few middle school and high schools end at night time so they eat lunch and dinner at school.
At night , Korean students are very boring and just come home to do homework. Elementary studnets come home to eat dinner with their family. I'm not in high school so I don't know what they do at night... so.. that's all...
Interesting Facts
- In Korea, at recess, you don't have to go out side if you don't want to.
- There is a total of five recesses in one day.
- There is a rule in Korean schools that parents are not allowed to drive their kids to school.
- Students always walk, bike, bus, subway to school.
- There are differences between Canadian ( Actually, our school <> ) and Korean schools in how they eat lunch
* You don't have to pack lunch (There is a cafeteria in the school)
* Cafeteria ladies make lunch and we line up with plate and cutlery then, cafeteria ladies serve the food.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Korean Holidays
In Korea, there are many holidays. Today, I'll introduce one of the major Korean holidays called: New Years Day (Seolnal).
Korean New Year is commonly known as Seolnal. In Korea, people follow the lunar calendar.
New Years Day in Korea is a celebration of the first day of the lunar calendar. It is the most important of the traditional Korean holidays. Koreans celebrate this day by
playing games, eating special holiday foods (I will describe this more below!), and bowing to their parents using a special, traditional way of bowing. Also, on Seolnal, we
wear the Han Bok, which is a very traditional form of dress. What makes this day special is that all members of ones family gather together. This includes: mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents.
Seolnal Games:
"Yut-no-ri" is a game played using four wooden sticks. Many people can play at once. It is like a Western boardgame. You throw the sticks in the air, and you move forward depending on how the sticks land.
"Nul-dduy-gi" is a game just for girls! It is like a Western see-saw. It used to be for poorer girls in old Korean days. But today, they have it for anyone in Seolnal festivals. You jump up and down on a wooden board, instead of sitting like on the see-saw.
Special Foods:
"Ddok-guk" or "Ddok soup" is made of rice cakes in a hot broth. Many Koreans believe that when you eat this on Seolnal, you become one year older. This is why people eat it on New Years Day! This is important because in Korea, you turn one year older on Seolnal, not on your actual birthday. Everyone's birthday is the same day, kind of.
The food on Seolnal is usually not very different than any other day, but it is more carefully and specially made for families.
Interesting Facts:
- On Seolnal, kids get money when they bow to their parents!
- "Jae sa" is a special bow to passed grandparents and ancestors. We do this on New Years Day. It is important to wear socks when bowing to them.
- During Jae sa, you must place the foods in a special order on the dining table. This is because Korean people believe that their ancestors are eating with them.
Korean New Year is commonly known as Seolnal. In Korea, people follow the lunar calendar.
New Years Day in Korea is a celebration of the first day of the lunar calendar. It is the most important of the traditional Korean holidays. Koreans celebrate this day by
playing games, eating special holiday foods (I will describe this more below!), and bowing to their parents using a special, traditional way of bowing. Also, on Seolnal, we
wear the Han Bok, which is a very traditional form of dress. What makes this day special is that all members of ones family gather together. This includes: mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents.
Seolnal Games:
"Yut-no-ri" is a game played using four wooden sticks. Many people can play at once. It is like a Western boardgame. You throw the sticks in the air, and you move forward depending on how the sticks land.
"Nul-dduy-gi" is a game just for girls! It is like a Western see-saw. It used to be for poorer girls in old Korean days. But today, they have it for anyone in Seolnal festivals. You jump up and down on a wooden board, instead of sitting like on the see-saw.
Special Foods:
"Ddok-guk" or "Ddok soup" is made of rice cakes in a hot broth. Many Koreans believe that when you eat this on Seolnal, you become one year older. This is why people eat it on New Years Day! This is important because in Korea, you turn one year older on Seolnal, not on your actual birthday. Everyone's birthday is the same day, kind of.
The food on Seolnal is usually not very different than any other day, but it is more carefully and specially made for families.
Interesting Facts:
- On Seolnal, kids get money when they bow to their parents!
- "Jae sa" is a special bow to passed grandparents and ancestors. We do this on New Years Day. It is important to wear socks when bowing to them.
- During Jae sa, you must place the foods in a special order on the dining table. This is because Korean people believe that their ancestors are eating with them.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
The Korean Gayagum
Today, I will introduce a Korean musical instrument called the Gayagum. I know a lot about this instrument because I play it. I own my own Gayagum. It is in my living room. In fact, the instrument is taller than me!
The Gayagum is special because it does not sound like any instrument from Europe or the Americas. You can tell that it is from an Asian origin. The sound is sharp and full. The music made by the Gayagum depends on different pressure placed on each string. I will describe the rest below.
History
The Gayagum was invented around the 6th Century in Korea. This instrument held a royal place in Korea because it was used in the King's home, in royal parties, and other fancy ceremonies. Traditional Gayagums were made using silk strings and a wood body.
What It Looks Like
It looks like a tall (taller than me!) wooden board. There are 12 strings. Each string is held up by a wooden bridge that move. When you move each small bridge, you change the tune of each string. At the edge of the Gayagum, the strings are attached. My Gayagum has red and yellow string that attaches the musical strings to the wood. My Gayagum is all brown colored with white strings. But some Gayagums are blue or red. Some special Gayagums have 48 strings, but you have to be very good at playing because you need to use both hands to play the music. Normally, you use your right hand to play the music, and the left to change the tune.
How to Play It
You must use your index finger to "pluck" the string. This is how you get the bold sound. But sometimes, you must use your middle finger and thumb too. All of these fingers "pluck" the strings, but sometimes you must "flick" it. Your left hand "pushes" each string to tune. The music changes when you push the string with different force. Sometimes, you bounce your left hand to get a beautiful echo. It is not really an echo, but you need to listen to the Gayagum yourself to know!
Interesting Facts
- There is a special way to put the Gayagum in its case. Or it will break!
- You only need your hands to play the Gayagum. You do not need anything else!
- Your right pinky finger must always stick on the right side of the Gayagum where the strings are attached to the board. This is just a rule!
- You can play pop songs on the Gayagum too! - I know how to play Oh Canada on my Korean Gayagum... it sounds good!
- In ancient times, many boys played the Gayagum, but today, people think differently and only girls learn how to play it.
How to Buy One You can buy them on the internet now. You can find them cheap too. Normally, you can buy it for about $1000. My mom found one on the internet for very cheap. Mine cost $400 and it is from Korea. Some very expensive Gayagums cost $20000! You can try going on Korean shopping sites like www.gmarket.co.kr.
This is a one of the gayagum song 'Airang'
The Gayagum is special because it does not sound like any instrument from Europe or the Americas. You can tell that it is from an Asian origin. The sound is sharp and full. The music made by the Gayagum depends on different pressure placed on each string. I will describe the rest below.
History
The Gayagum was invented around the 6th Century in Korea. This instrument held a royal place in Korea because it was used in the King's home, in royal parties, and other fancy ceremonies. Traditional Gayagums were made using silk strings and a wood body.
What It Looks Like
It looks like a tall (taller than me!) wooden board. There are 12 strings. Each string is held up by a wooden bridge that move. When you move each small bridge, you change the tune of each string. At the edge of the Gayagum, the strings are attached. My Gayagum has red and yellow string that attaches the musical strings to the wood. My Gayagum is all brown colored with white strings. But some Gayagums are blue or red. Some special Gayagums have 48 strings, but you have to be very good at playing because you need to use both hands to play the music. Normally, you use your right hand to play the music, and the left to change the tune.
How to Play It
You must use your index finger to "pluck" the string. This is how you get the bold sound. But sometimes, you must use your middle finger and thumb too. All of these fingers "pluck" the strings, but sometimes you must "flick" it. Your left hand "pushes" each string to tune. The music changes when you push the string with different force. Sometimes, you bounce your left hand to get a beautiful echo. It is not really an echo, but you need to listen to the Gayagum yourself to know!
Interesting Facts
- There is a special way to put the Gayagum in its case. Or it will break!
- You only need your hands to play the Gayagum. You do not need anything else!
- Your right pinky finger must always stick on the right side of the Gayagum where the strings are attached to the board. This is just a rule!
- You can play pop songs on the Gayagum too! - I know how to play Oh Canada on my Korean Gayagum... it sounds good!
- In ancient times, many boys played the Gayagum, but today, people think differently and only girls learn how to play it.
How to Buy One You can buy them on the internet now. You can find them cheap too. Normally, you can buy it for about $1000. My mom found one on the internet for very cheap. Mine cost $400 and it is from Korea. Some very expensive Gayagums cost $20000! You can try going on Korean shopping sites like www.gmarket.co.kr.
This is a one of the gayagum song 'Airang'
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