Sports Day

Korea is a collective country. Collectivism, or "groupism" can be seen everywhere in Korean culture, even in schools. In American school there's no homeroom teacher or something like that: they just move from class to class every block and they not exactly belong to a single class. But Korean students do belong to a single class throughout a year, where they stay with same classmates and homeroom teacher, and where they learn. It's teachers who move, not students. (I think it's not to make students comfortable, though. It's more like it makes it easier for teachers to keep their eyes on them.) Of course there are some "moving-around" classes, but many of the studeis are done in a single classroom.

The classes go like: class #1, #2, #2,.... And since there are 1st grade, 2nd grade, and 3rd grade, (we don't say freshman or sophomores, for there's just three years in high.) There's a sort of a "bond" among graders with same number of the class. And that's how they can collaborate, on the most dynamic and enthusiasic day of their whole school year!

.....................The Sports Day체육대회 usually takes place on May. (Typically the midterm ends on the first week of May, and it's a good way to blow off their stresses!) Students do practice a lot for all the games and sports for the day----there's sure a "competition." Third graders often take the most responsibility on arranging things for the Sports Day, possibly hassling with juniors, but they're overcoming this "seniors decide everything" tradition and trying to participating equally for the event.
Along with practicing, they make an order for their team shirts. Good way to make them stuck together.

















Sometimes it's great chance to show off their characters. After all they couldn't in schooldays when they wear uniforms.












Here are some common games they do.

Rhythm Dance, the highlight of the day. In my school the first graders do. A whole class participate for harmonious work. Typical collectivisic work.

..........................................T-ball, an easier form of baseball. Girls definately aren't able to hit the ball that's thrown to them, so instead they put the ball in front of them to hit. Other rules are same as baseball.

Footbaseball, also an easier form of baseball. You kick the ball instead of hitting it. Students and teachers all enjoy it.

Tug-of-war, also the group sports. It also takes up the hugest point in a total score.

.Jump-rope, both for individual and group. As far as I know the group one gains more points.

Race for various distances. There's also a relay with a baton, most exciting of the all.

..................................Ssireum, korean wrestling. Girls hesitate to go for it, but the game itself is lots of fun.

Hula hoop, with all kinds of difficult requests. Like three steps forward with hoop, with your one leg, ect.

Guys who don't do the sports root for the team, it also counts a lot on their total score.

At the end of the game, the team that got the most points take the first place and the class is given an award.

Koreans' Way of Life that's Reflected on the Language (2)

4) Postpositions makes all difference

In English there are words like "also, too, but, at least, just" that add up the meaning. "I'll go there" and "I'll go there too" are obviosly different, aren't they? What's unique in Korea is that many of these extra meanings and nuances are described through postpositions. 은eun, 나na 도do, 까지kkaji are the common examples.
e.g. 너 친구 얼굴 예쁘다! (Your friend's so pretty!)
너 친구 얼굴은 예쁘지.(Your friend is pretty, but.... (she's negative in other aspects.) )
너 가니? (Are you going?)
너도 가니? (Are you going too?)

c.f. Koreans usually speak without postpositions. They also speak without subjects which are obvious.

4) I you love
Yes, that's how you say in Korean! It goes like subject-objective-verb. That's why you got to listen carefully till the end!

5) Three different words for one meaning
As I said, Korean language's largely affected by Chinese. There's been a lot of foreign words since 20th century, so there's often three words to express the same concept, or at least two, Korean and Chinese. Normally Korean words are used in colloquial, and the words originated in Chinese are usually big, academic words that's used in formal writings, but there's no set standard.
e.g. 얼굴-안면(顔面), 눈알-안구(眼球)
김-증기(蒸氣)-스팀(steam)

Koreans' Way of Life that's Reflected on the Language (1)

1) Honorific(formal language)
In English, or many of other languages, there's no honorific words that's as delicate and complicated as that of Korean. For example, you call the person you're talking to "you," whether he's your friend or your dad, or your grandfather. In Korean there's appropriate word to call friends, teachers, and older people and they're always very careful about using the honorific. Typically you say formally to someone you first meet, and to someone who's older. This is why Koreans want to know how old the person is for the first thing. The honorific shows that Koreans bureaucratic thoughts: they strinctly keep the order of ranks in any form of group. (you can find out more on honorific on http://koreaworldwider.blogspot.com/2010/04/koreans-have-lots-of-honorificformal.html )

2) Segments
How many colors are there in a rainbow? The answer's two in Liberia, three in Zimbabwe, and seven in Korean. Knowing how Korean people devide out certain concepts may help you understand their culture, thoughts, and life.

e.g.1 there're the words to say three to four days before or after today in Korean.
그그저께(two days before yesterday)-그저께(a day before yesterday)-어제(yesterday)-오늘(today)-내일(tomorrow)-모레(a day after tomorrow)-글피(two days after tomorrow)-그글피(three days after tomorrow)
What's interesting's that there's no native word for "tomorrow."(내일來日 concists of chinese characters.) Some people argue that this means Korean people naturally lack the will to create out the future. Maybe, but how'd they explain there're ARE native words to say two or three days after today?

e.g.2 하늘(the sky)이 푸르다. 나뭇잎(the leaves)이 푸르다.
American people may never understand how could they think "sky" and the "leaves" have the same color, but that's how Koreans say. the adjective "푸르다" is used to say both blue and green. But I don't think that means Koreans are "dull" about colors. In Korean there're actually a tons of different words to express different colors. I think Korean ancestors didn't feel they need to distinguish between the sky and the leaves---They're all nature after all!

3) "Light" and "strong" words for sounds and actions
There're really a lot of mimetic words, and onomatopoeia. (There're many kinds that even natives don't know.) What's interesting's the "degree" of that sounds and actions can be felt different, which depends on which vowels you use.

There're two kinds of vowels: positive and negative.
positive: ㅏ(ah), ㅗ(oh)
negative: ㅓ(uh), ㅜ(ooh)
Postives sound light and bright, and negatives sound serious, heavy and dark.
e.g. 졸졸<줄줄, 똥똥하다<뚱뚱하다, 살랑살랑<설렁설렁, 팔락팔락<펄럭펄럭

Also you can say "stronger" consonents to emphasize.
e.g. 감감하다<깜깜하다<캄캄하다, 단단하다<딴딴하다<탄탄하다