After lunch I went to tell my homeroom teacher that I was leaving, as I usually do, and she taught me a new phrase: Chusok Jal Munesehyo (Have a happy Chusok)! It still takes me some time to internalize the sounds I hear as words, so as I went to repeat the phrase, I had some difficulty remembering exactly how to pronounce the phrase.
On the way to Korean class I stopped at a bakery to buy a small snack for the Korean study group. A girl in the group had spontaneously gifted some coffee to all of us (on a day when it was much needed) and so I thought I could return the favor with a spontaneous Chusok surprise. It had been on my bucket-list to introduce myself to the baker in order to have someone to say hello to on my way to the subway station (and maybe to get free cookies sometimes) and so as I was buying some bread with blueberry jam and cool whip infused into the center, I introduced myself to the baker. She asked me where I was from, what I was doing here, how long I would be here, where I go to school- in Korean. And for the most part I understood! Her name is DaYeon and I've been saying hello to her on the days I go to Korean class and pass her shop. Introduce myself to the baker: complete!
Eruv Chusok (the day before Chusok): Visiting your parents and preparing food with them is very traditional on Chusok and so on Eruv Chusok, we woke up early, around eight o'clock, and drove out to the grandparents' house. The house was near Uijeongbu, just a few subway stops away from where I lived, but we drove nonetheless. Although Uijeongbu is close to Suraksan, its architecture and "methodé pour vivre" is completely different. Whereas in Suraksan there are mostly apartment buildings and many stores lining the streets and greenery is scarcely seen save by the park or riverbank, Uijeongbu is filled with houses and townhouses with intricate metal gates and small gardens. I felt removed from the hectic and crowded streets of Suraksan, and breathed the calm and still air.
When we arrived at the house I saw the aunt and grandmother had already begun cooking- on the floor! There was a section of the living room covered in newspaper and on top, two small gas stoves with frying pans. I helped cook some of the 덩두랑 (Dongdurang), small meatballs made out of batter that looked like stuffing on Thanksgiving. Omma was making 넠 두 천 (Nokduchon), clear noodles, and added soy sauce and vegetables to the noodles.
There were three younger cousins at the house, and two older who lived around the block. Jun, the two older cousins and I went to play some basketball at the park. When back at the house, I sat down on the couch to take a break and drink some water, and the next thing I know I'm passed out on the couch. When I woke, the father offered to take the three younger cousins, Jun and me to get ice cream. We had a great time eating ice cream and playing word-chain. In word-chain, one person says a word, and the next person has to make a new word starting with the last syllable of the the word the person before them said. Even though it was in Korean, I was surprised to see how many words I knew for each syllable.
After returning home, we pulled the dining room table out from behind the drawers and laid it in the other room to be set. Dinner was delicious. Sitting at the Chusok table, I didn't feel like an observer, I was part of the family. When I took my glass to take a sip of water I made sure to turn my head to the side, as not to be rude in the presence of the grandparents. When I did, though, the family looked at me as if I was an alien- what is he doing? I explained that I thought in Korean culture it was rude to drink normally at a table with elders. They continued to stare, until the older brother told me that it was only rude to drink normally if there was alcohol in the drink, they were confused because I was only drinking water!
Eruv Chusok day was a success! I enjoyed meeting and spending time with the family and learned so much about the different foods of Chusok.
Chusok Day: We went to grandparents' house again to eat lunch. In the room where we had eaten dinner the previous night, there were sheets of parchment-paper hanging from the wall with Korean hangeul (letters) on it. It was set up for a traditional Chusok ritual: Chal. We placed all different types of foods and treats on the table- not to eat. Chal is an ancestral memorial ritual performed on Chusok to honor the spirits of the deceased family members. Each member of the family would go to the center of the table, while the others stood in a semi circle around them. The person in the center would take a teapot and pour six cups of water, then take each cup and pour the water out into a bucket. Then they would get up, return to their place in the semicircle, and the family, unison, would bow twice on the floor, and once only with the torso. I was told to stay in the other room and watch, which I did, even though I had wanted to participate.
Later we went to Omma's sister's apartment. It was pretty far away, in Buchon (about 1.5 hours out of Suraksan). We didn't have to prepare food, since they had done so yesterday. I pictured my family dinners in the States, tables, with lots of mismatched chairs at fold out tables in order to seat the extra people. As I looked down the table, there were no chairs or big fold-out plastic tables. They had just taken the coffee table and cleared it to use as an addition to the regular dining room table, and it worked perfectly because they were both about the same height.
I imagined someone coming to the United States not knowing what Thanksgiving was; that was me in Korea. Chusok was a great experience for me because I was able to not only learn about Chusok, but live it, too. There were many moments where I thought to myself, "I'm really here. I'm in Seoul." Like when I was sitting on the floor making meatballs, talking with the Aunt and grandmother
or when I was eating ice cream playing games with the younger cousins or sitting at the family dinners eating Nokduchon. Happy Chusok and Chag Sameach!
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| The Setup |
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| Making Meatballs |
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| Aunt (left) and Omma (right) |
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| Uijeongbu |
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| The word Shalom, it's just so timeless |
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| Ice Cream! |
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| Dinner time |
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| Ready to eat |
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| The Chal |
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| 시은 and me! |
