Happy New Year!

Today is the first day of the new year according to the Korean calendar.  Today ushers in the year of the snake!  Us westerners see the snake as a symbol of evil and many are afraid of them.  In Korea the snake is not to be feared, but respected.  The snake is wise and cunning.  They are associated with long life, protection, and good fortune.  I think they can be kind of cute too.  Look at the picture we took of a snake statue as part of a Korean zodiac displayed outside the National Folk Museum of Korea:

We celebrated the year of the snake with my sister's 2nd grade class.  We took Sam along and dressed him in his hanbok.  Julie's class had been following Sam's adoption through this blog and were very excited to meet him for the first time!  The kids had practiced how to say hello in Korean and greeted him saying this and exchanging bows.  Many of the kids also gave Sam gifts.

Along with getting to know Sam, the class participated in some Korean culture.

Here Julie is making Hotteok, which is Korea's version of a pancake.  It is a common food served by the street vendors in Korea.

Here Julie's students are making Korean fans.

These kids are playing a game called Yut Nori.  This is a traditional board game commonly played to celebrate the new year.

Making paper lanterns.

The kids also built and flew their own kites.  Here is a picture of the whole class with Sam sitting in the middle with Julie.

It was a fun day for all of us.  Thanks kids!  

감사합니다

kamsa hamnida