Meh-dee Ku-dee-seu-mah-soo!

Or, Merry Christmas! I hope everyone had a lovely holiday. I spent most of the day volunteering in soup kitchen at a Seoul homeless shelter. My co-workers, Sarah and Chris, and I had a great time chopping, skinning, cleaning, and serving. We wore floor-length vinyl aprons and tall rubber boots, since the easiest way to clean up the kitchen is to periodically hose everything down.

America gets a bad wrap for over-commercializing Christmas, but I think the Koreans are giving us a run for our money. The 25ish% of Christians in the country recognize the "true meaning" of the holiday, but from what I can tell, the celebration is mostly about fancy cakes, parties, and date nights. Christmas is considered a couples holiday here, much like Valentine's Day in the U.S. On my subway ride home last night, a multitude of couples could be seen nuzzling up to one another as the train threw us all from side to side, barreling down the tracks. I unintentionally slammed into more than a few pairs when the train turned and stopped suddenly . . . talk about awkward. Perhaps they thought I was just a bitter, single meeguk (American) expressing my disdain for the amorous atmosphere. I must have looked pretty pathetic because at one point, an elderly gentlemen gestured to a young, good-looking couple holding hands, and then tried to hold MY hand. Thanks, buddy. I needed that.

I survived my first Christmas away from home, but I'm not sure I'll be able to trade turkey and dressing for kimchi in perpetuity. I am thoroughly enjoying my life in Korea, and I probably wouldn't have come home for the holidays even if I had a free ticket. I believe fully experiencing this culture sometimes means leaving my own behind. That being said, I think I've come to the realization that I'm probably not cut out for long-term international life. The holidays bring the importance of time with family and friends into perspective, and life is just too short to miss out on Christmas after Christmas, birthday after birthday, and any other opportunity to eat mass quantities of down-home, fatty American food.