have been lazing around; i love having such few relatives here that i don't have to spend days and days visiting people and sitting around the sofa wolfing down calorie-laden cookies.
in korea we don't really visit friends; instead, most people head to the countryside, to their hometowns, for a BIG family gathering, the mother of all family gatherings. it's not unusual to have no less than ten families crowding around in the first uncle's house, all talking loudly and eating sweet tangerines. although food is plentiful and yummy, we don't stuff ourselves silly with cookies etc; instead, the first thing we do on new year's morning is to hold jae sa, and pray to our ancestors. after that we visit other relatives in the area, and drink rice cake soup and radish soup; all this before 10 a.m. cuz after that we need to head to the family mountain to pay our respects and pull weeds, although it's mostly ceremonial in nature. all that climbing and bowing... all before noon... i wonder if kids these days will do that.
it's been a long time since i was last in korea for new year's, and i really miss it. for me, new year was never about the money, although they say the only type of people who don't worry about money are those who have plenty of it. it was more the warmth of family, the fun of running around in the cold, crisp and clean winter air of the countryside, watching tv specials lying on heated floors that made my new years so special. especially those of us who lived in the crowded and hectic city, going down to the countryside to pay respects, as well as visiting aging relatives who were so indulgent towards us (or me, cuz i was so damn cute HAHA), was indeed an annual event that we looked forward to, although driving down hours to the remote rural area was a real pain in the ass because of the horrendous traffic jam. but all these are memories, yes?
taken at the national cultural museum, where my brother took part in some maths competition *shudder*
my next door neighbour; i remember doing her homework for her cuz she wasn't academically inclined
first year birthday, with the brother
yess, the costume is even more uncomfortable than it looks
with my father's eldest sister
his pictures with me... never came out nice :p