Thanksgiving and Chuseok

It’s already a Thanksgiving break. In few days, I am going back to my home in northern Virginia for nearly 10 days. Somehow, before every holiday, I tend to actually “analyze” that specific upcoming holiday such as new years, thanksgivings, Christmas, etc. So thanksgivings coming and I decided to think about that holiday, what it actually means. Obviously, some holidays like Independence Day and Christmas, their meanings are ubiquitous; America gained its Independence and Jesus was born, respectively.

For most of Americans, meaning of thanksgiving is well known because it has been a tradition since forever. For me, not as much, because of Korean tradition that I was so used to for first half of my life. In Korea, there is also a thanksgiving but in totally different sense. It is called Chuseok. It is in August 15th and it is really analogous to the thanksgiving in America. So I just decided to find some facts about the differences between American thanksgivings and Korean Chuseok.

Let’s start with American thanksgivings. It should be boring facts because we have heard about thanksgivings since we were like in elementary school. We have learned that how very first thanksgivings was originated from Plymouth plantation in America and how they were so happy about harvesting and decided to have a feast. It was to give thanks for the harvest and express gratitude, mostly religiously, even though it is becoming a secular holiday nowadays. During thanksgivings, we eat turkey, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pies, stuffing, carrots, and pretty much that is orangish. Then we eat turkey, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pies, stuffings, carrots, and something orange. Then we gain like ten thousand calories which is like five days worth of eating. When I think of thanksgivings, eating is all I think of. I think that is why sometimes thanksgiving is referred as “turkey day”.

Now, here are some facts about Koran Chuseok. As I said before Chuseok is in August 15th. Korean Chuseok has really long history, perhaps it might have even originated 1000s years ago. Korea, during this holiday, also thanks for the good harvest. However, there is some twist to it. Unlike in America where Christianity was spread and people thanked God for the good harvest, Koreans thank ancestors. Koreans, traditionally, believe that their ancestors are protecting them from harms and unfortunate events and give them a good luck. During Chuseok, Korean families gather and moms make traditional dishes for Chuseok. Many of those dishes contain wheat, rice, fall fruits such as apple and pears. Specifically, there is food called Song-pyun. It is somewhat like dumpling but instead of all the meat and veggies inside it, honey, beans and sesame seeds are in it. Song-pyun is the food that really represents Korean Chuseok, which is somewhat similar to the turkey for the American thanksgiving. Since each song-pyun making is so time taking and needs delicate detail, usually whole family sits around a huge table—including dads, children, and moms – and they all make it together. After preparing all the food, moms lays out all the foods on the plates and lay them neatly down on the table with ancestor’s portrait in the center. Then all of the families bow down to it. It is believed that during the family’s bow, spirits of the ancestors come and “eat” the food. Oh yeah, I almost forgot. Koreans wear this traditional dress called hanbok during this holiday. One of the most “horrifying event” during Korean Chuseok is the traffic jam. Majority – like more than 90% of younger generations - of Korean population lives in the urban area and most of seniors live in rural area. During the Chuseok break, around 75% of population in urban area tries to go down to the rural area, to their parents' house. Korea is overpopulated country and it literally takes more than 10 hours of driving that usually takes less than one hour during the regular days. That is why news media refers Chuseok sometimes as “massive population shift”.

There are some pro-founding similarities between Korean Chuseok and American thanksgiving. They both have own distinct traditional foods. Also they are thanking for the good harvest year. And they are both family gathering event and very good at making people fat. However some differences are that during American thanksgiving, God is usually thanked for most of the American families, whereas in Korean Chuseok, ancestors are thanked.

For me, every thanksgiving has been kind of a fusioned holiday, the fusion of American thanksgiving and Korean Chuseok. Since my parents both lived their majority of life in Korea, they are very used to Chuseok. I have few families over here in America and during the thanksgiving, that is 4th Thursday of November, we gather at one place and have a feast and thankings. This is where the fusion comes in. In terms of date we celebrate at, we are celebrating American thanksgiving. But when it comes to food, we celebrate both American thanksgiving and Korean Chuseok. The moms make turkey dinner and some traditional Korean foods. I love it because I both like Korean and American dishes. One thing we absolutely don’t follow from Korean Chuseok is bowing down to the ancestors. My family is super Christians and we believe that bowing down to anything other than God is against the Ten Commandments. But I think we keep two important things from both holidays. That is family gathering and thanking.

I think both the American thanksgiving and Korean Chuseok implies the importance of family knot. Most families don’t see each other because they are so busy during the year but during that day, the Thanksgiving, everyone gathers and have fun with each other. Also, we give thanks for safety throughout the year. Even though we don’t thank for the harvest because we are not farmers, we still thank those hard working farmers who are working really hard to provide us foods. My family and I might be celebrated both holidays in one day. But I think the differences between thanksgiving and Chuseok does not matter. Only thing that matter is their similarities and the importance of them.

Time is Fast

Just today, at Biology Lab class, my teacher told us some announcements and one announcement blew my mind out. She said that we had three weeks of class left, including today’s class and it’s time to eat turkey already. And after that we already are going to have a final exam. I was like what??? It’s already time for the final exam???

I mean it feels like this very first college semester just has started if not two or three weeks. It happens to be other way around. Fall semester of 2009 is already closing to the end. Time does really fly by and I think it goes faster as we grow older. I don’t know why it is have to be that way, but sadly it is. As I grow older, I think of so many more things I want to do and I have to do but time does not seem to understand my feeling.

I remember the first time I went to elementary school and feeling all grown up. From my small home, where I used to stay all day to the big school building kind of gave me the sense of independence. It is really funny when I think about it now because in elementary school, you actually lose independence. Why the hell do you have to ask your teacher to go to the bathroom when you can go to the bathroom anytime you want in your home? Plus, you have to sit on assigned seat everyday and not obeying that “law” will cause you a lunch detention. Wow, eating inside the class instead of in cafeteria, so scary. Oh yeah, never forget about the Principal’s office where all the bad kids go. I think I went there once because I stick a gum on my classmate’s hair. I don’t know why I did that but that kid must have pissed me off first. See, these are just few examples I experienced in elementary school. Not significant. I never wanted or had to do those actions, but somehow I remember those insignificant actions. For me, I think elementary school felt really long at least 10 years, not that I really went elementary school for 10 years…

After graduating elementary school, I went to the middle school. And again, I felt all grown up when I came to middle school. First, you get your own locker; it’s like your own little space. Then also the building is so much bigger compared to that of the elementary school. Still there were some restrictions such as writing passes wherever you go. And even though you have that pass, securities just yell at you, where you going kid??? every time they see you in the hall. You just have to get used to it and learn to ignore it after a while. I think that is all I remember from middle school. Oh year, I forgot about one thing. You actually start to care about the GRADES and it becomes one of your “goals”. Middle school was awfully short. Not only because it’s only two years long but also because you actually get stuffs to do. You actually learn the sense of busy feeling.

Then it was high school, and it was ginormous. People were so much bigger too; some were like two feet taller than me. High school also has that pass thingy like that in middle school, but securities are not that serious about it except for few. I think high school is where you learn all the “bad” stuff. It is the first time you actually get to go parties and drink stuff. Also, it is where you learn how to skip class or classes or whole school day. You just need practice you parent’s signature so you can just make an excuse that you have a doctor’s appointment or sick and get to leave school early without any penalty. First time I showed sectary lady a “fake” excuse letter from my mom (actually from me), I felt really scary and nervous. After a while, it just became my routine. Every time I just felt stressed or had a homework undone or test that was not studied, I just evaded it with my fake pass. Now to some more serious subject. High school is where I started to seek for my passion, which was Biology for me. I started to take elective classes such as human anatomy and AP Biology which fulfilled my willingness to learn. I also got to engage in so many more activities than ever before. There were math team, orchestra practice, science Olympiad club and so much more every after school. I started to spend my free time to fulfill what I want to do. Also the level of the academic demand is so much higher, to the extent that was unimaginable in the middle school. I first engaged in all nighter and it was awful. High school was really busy for me all those activities and more. Especially, the senior year was like two months long. I prepared for the college application for the first half of the senior year. Then for the rest half, I don’t why I went to school because all I did in the class was nothing. I literally didn’t care about my grades because only grades up to first senior year are used during college acceptance process. High school felt little longer than the middle school did, but definitely not two years longer.

This end of August, I came to Virginia Tech and it is already a beginning of a November. Every day was very busy for me since I moved into Tech. The homeworks, exams, and quizzes that were demanded by college-level course made me very occupied. Plus, the activities I do in in-campus church and sports I do with my friends make my time flow by. I think time goes faster as I grow up not because it doesn't understand my feeling but because I actually get busier. When I find myself focused and entertained onto one thing, I find that minutes turning into seconds and hours turning into minutes, just like writing this 1000 word essay feel like seconds. As I go through my sophomore year, junior year and senior year at Tech, I think I am gonna find time go much faster than it is now and I am scared but also excited because it means that I am gonna be more into my passion and focused for my future path.