Trisha CP #4

I met with Do-jun this evening and it was a great chat! He is visiting his parents in Busan (sp?) for the South Korean New Year. We talked about how the celebration there is more family-oriented and I explained that its not really family oriented here, unless maybe you have young children of your own. I told him about the New Year's kiss at midnight and the romantic notion some people have to only kiss someone at midnight if you plan to spend the rest of the year with them. Explaining it made me appreciate the romanticism. I also liked the family-oriented approach Do-jun told me about. The more I learn about South Korea, the more I am excited to begin my teaching career there. I asked him a bit about the role of women in South Korea to gauge a better understanding. I want to be informed about norms for female behavior so that I can be aware and respectful of my host country. He told me about the role of a mother and then a female in general. Overall, it seems very similar to America, but with the role of a mother being more traditional than specifically of a woman, based on what Do-jun described. I also asked him how easy it was to travel to more rural parts of South Korea, as I am interested in exploring the countryside, too. The transportation system seems great there.  Do-jun explained that you can easily transfer with a ticket from subway to bus to go to rural South Korea.