Pomp and Circumstance

The next to the last day of school was graduation for the seniors. I have no idea what happens at Korean graduations, and no one told me what my role, if any, would be in their ceremony. So, I prepared by dressing nicely, wearing a tie, and being ready to go to a Korean restaurant and sit on the floor (this means make sure you have clean socks on).

So, I get into work. Eventually, pink ribbons are passed out to everyone, with a straight pin. The ribbon has some Korean gibberish on it which I was later told says something along the lines of "congradulations on your graduation." Each teacher had to wear this.

I asked my co-teacher what our role was in the ceremony. She said quite simply, the auditorium where it's being held is small, so the teachers just stay in the teacher office. That's it. I didn't see any of my graduating kids, not that I'll miss any of them really. I saw only maybe 3 seniors. That's it. I spent the morning on the internet and doing some work.

Afterward, the teachers were taken out to lunch for galbi-tang, which is beef rib soup. Very tasty. The floor was not so comfortable. God, I wish that just once we'd go to a joint with chairs.

Well, the way that the graduates celebrate, is to fight in the street with raw eggs and flour. Here is a pic of some other kids, not my students. My kids did also manage to get several of the fire extinguishers from the school and were fighting with them. Really, I didn't find it appropriate, but in Howell it's all about shaving cream and stuff. Who am I to judge? Happy graduation.