cassandra does christmas in korealand and posts about it 2 weeks later

so.

Christmas.

the thing that i was dreading the most since starting the entire exchange process. i knew that it was going to be the hardest time during the actual exchange for me, but for some reason, it was not!

i am so confused about this (believe me)

but i have a theory on why this was so:

#1 - KOREANS DON'T CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS

I didn't feel as if I was "someplace else but home during Christmas"

#2 - BECAUSE OF #1, NOTHING FESTIVE

This means that, when i looked around me, I didn't see decorations, carolers, apple cider and gingerbread houses, or Christmas trees ! My brain didn't switch to

OMG IT'S CHRISTMAS. LET'S BUY SHIT AND WRITE LETTERS TO SANTA AND MAKE JELLO

#3 - STICKING TO THE BRAIN SWITCH THING--> NO SNOW !

How can i feel christmasy with no snow to make it magical ! I'M CANADIAN I CAN'T HELP IT.

So with all of this said, this is how my South Korean Christmas went:

~ Get up at 8am (just like in canada) because I can't wait to open presents and stuff.

~ automatically go to the $1 stocking I bought myself 3 weeks previously

~ Realize that i am in Korea and Santa must have lost his way when trying to find my apartment

~ wallow in self pity for a minute

~ go out into the kitchen to look for food that i can pretend is christmasesque

~ find pancakes. o k

after i eat

~get dressed in awesome tacky christmas sweater (a find in korea ! woah !)

~ eat birthday cake with my host grandmother while she stares at me and says 'WOAH 예쁘다' (her birthday is December 25th. What a coincidence!)

~ leave the house, meet my friend Ai Chun 李愛群

~ EAT A MCDONALDS QUARTER POUNDER WITH CHEESE MEAL BECAUSE IT IS THE MOST CANADIAN/WESTERN THING AVAILABLE. HEHE

~ meet friends at nampo dong.

~ look at all of the christmas decorations (the only place in busan with christmas decorations ! so awesome ~!)

~come home at 1am.

o k a y

so yeah. that was my chirstmas.

yippee

but not as bad as i first anticipated !

at least i was with friends :-)

i hope all of you had a great christmas as well. just remember, christmas is a SEASON, not just one day. that's why we get more than one day off school !

xxoo cass