Korean Sports Day.

Growing up I never got to have a “field day” at school like I always heard about or saw on TV. In Korea, these sorts of field days exist to the max, and it’s a huge production. For weeks leading up to sports day the kids were ordering t-shirts, making signs, and getting ready.

Sports day was on Tuesday, June 1 and it was a really fun day. The day was full of races, jump roping, hula hooping, etc. Each class had an area surrounding the field, which they decorated with signs and banners. Each class was vying for the “cheering award” for whoever was the loudest/best at cheering… so all day it was Korean middle schoolers screaming and dancing to kpop. Luke and I don’t have homeroom classes so we got to sit in the shade and eat ice cream, fried chicken, and even drink beer – on the clock! In Korea, drinking is socially acceptable, even when you’re a teacher at work apparently. After lunch there was a special relay race: students, teachers, and parents. I was on the teacher’s team, along with the Principal. We had to pop a balloon with our butts, jump in a potato sack, and at the very end get a piece of candy out of a bowl of flour using our mouths… after you’ve run around the track and are breathing heavily inhaling a bunch of flour isn’t very fun. It was funny though especially since all 3000 of the kids at my school were watching and cheering my name. Sports day was pretty hilarious and it showed me that even though Koreans are insanely focused on studying and school work they also can have a day off to just have fun.