Children's Day in Korea and Indonesia

May 5th, is Children's Day in Korea. It is a national holiday so if it is on weekday, parents don't go to work so they can bring their children to go out and spend time with them. In Korea, many cities will celebrate the event on Children's Day in festivals or performances. Besides that, zoo, museums, amusement parks offers special discounts or free admission for children.

Children's Day Celebration at Seoul Children's Library

Children in all ages in Korea are waiting for this event because the will receive presents or money from their parents on that day. If you go to supermarket, bookshops or toys stores, you will see many toys, clothes or children's book are displayed for parents and children, for them to easily choose the gifts for the children.

Historically, the Children's Day was founded in 1923 by Bang Jung-hwan, a Korean children's writer and storyteller. Originally it was celebrated on May 1st, but then was re-established on May 5, 1946 after the occupation of Japanese. The Children's Day aimed to highlight the importance of children for the nation, their need of love and care, and in the same time also to honor parents and those who contribute in raising and improving the children's lives. Bang Jung-hwan wrote " Children are the heroes of tomorrow. May they grow to be gentle, vigorous, and wise."

Bang Jung-hwan

In Indonesia, Children's Day is celebrated every July 23rd. It is not a national holiday but usually it is marked  in the calendar to note that it is a special day. Also, there is no celebration such as parents give present to their children like in Korea, but children has many activities such as traditional games, drawing competition  or ceremony at school like what I used to have in my childhood.

Balap Karung, a traditional game played on Children's Day in Indonesia

Drawing competition held on Children's Day in Medan, North Sumatera, Indonesia

Back in my childhood, the ceremony on Children's Day in my hometown was held not at school but in the city's square participated by all of kindergarten and elementary school students. We wore school uniforms and cone hat decorated with colorful papers which was made specially for the day. My mom and her staffs would be busy prior to the celebration of the day because she received many orders of the cone hats for the ceremony. I were busy helping her, too. What a unforgettable memory! How about Children's Day celebration in your country?

My mother, brother and I were getting ready to go to Children's Day ceremony.

Happy Children's Day to all children in Korea! ^^

Picture sources:
Children's Day Celebration 
Bang Jung-hwan 
Balap Karung 
Drawing Competition 


References:
http://news.naver.com/main/read.nhn?mode=LSD&mid=sec&sid1=102&oid=003&aid=0004481323
http://www.arirang.co.kr/News/News_View.asp?nseq=115641&code=Ne2&category=2

Do you love me?

This morning I had a very lovely conversation with Joshua Songmin:

Mama : Do you love me?
JoSH   : Yes!
Mama : (melted and hugged him straight away)

JoSH is still 19 months old but somehow I feel that he grown up faster than his age. Looking back on videos and pictures of him taken last year, he was a very young baby, just started to eat solid food. But one year after, he is a little man who can express his feeling. Time flies! Now, he can answer questions, he can react to our requests or instructions. He is so independent he wants to hold on his spoon and plate and feeds himself. He even helps us doing laundry or using vacuum cleaner to clean the floor. He kisses our cheeks and hugs when he want to show his love to my husband and I. 

JoSH is smart. But that's not the most important about him. As JoSH parents, the biggest responsibility is to bring him knowing Jesus Christ who loves him even bigger than us, the parents. 

I love you, my son! Jesus loves you, too.

Conversations with JoSH

JoSH (J)    : Mama...
Mama (M) : Yes...
J                : 됐다! (showing me his empty milk bottle...)
Before going to Indonesia for vacation he said 'finished'; while in Indonesia for a month, he said 'habis'...but after two weeks back in Korea, he said '됐다'...

Showing him Jiajia's pictures on facebook...
M : Do you want to see Jiajia?
J   : Yes!
M : (smiling)


M : Let's pray together...
J   : 앉아? (Sit down?)
M : Yes.
J   : OK...
M : ...dalam nama Tuhan Yesus, kami berdoa...(in the name of Jesus, we pray)
J   : AMIN...(Amen)

Welcoming Ceremony of Worldwide Korea Bloggers

The WKBs were invited to a welcoming ceremony in Seoul, last March, 2012. We were invited to a ceremony held in Korean Culture and Information Service (KOCIS) Office for a brief explanation about WKB, what WKBs had done in the previous year and a symbolic certificate award to one of the bloggers.

After the official ceremony, we joined a guided tour in National Museum of Korea. We were guided by a professional tour guide who introduced us to the main items exhibited in the museum. 

Baekjae incense burner

The museum has a huge collections about Korea and its history, but since we had only limited time, we could not see the whole collections. I think I have to go back someday to the museum. Few hours visit was not enough!

On the way to the painting class we would join in the museum, we were invited to see the souvenir shop. My eyes can't stop looking at those beautiful stuffs displayed in the shop. I wanted to buy many of them :)

 Prior to the painting activities, the art teacher explained us about the dragon we would draw later on. This year is the year of black dragon, but I painted my dragon in red, green, orange instead of black. I brought the dragon painting home and gave it to my son. He loves it!

A great video made by Steve Miller about the Welcoming Ceremony of the WKBs.

To give you a glance of what we did on the welcoming ceremony, here is a video about the event. It was a nice day to see fellow bloggers and get to know them more. Thank you for inviting me, Korea.net. I did enjoy the day!.

Some news about WKBs Welcoming Ceremony on media:
Arirang TV - brief segment
Arirang TV - featured bloggers
reporter.korea.kr - “우리가 바로 대한민국 홍보대사랍니다!”


Some postings from other bloggers:
Asif Quadri - Welcoming Ceremony, Museum Visit & Painting Class, Arirang T & Korea Herald
Johanne Miller - WKB Welcoming Ceremony
Jo-Anna Lynch - WKB Welcoming Event

[Korea] Korean Cookbook - Translated in 10 Languages

When I saw Korea Tourism Organization's Facebook page, I jumped happily!
They posted about a new released book of Korean Family Foods, and it is translated in 10 languages: English, French, German, Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Mongolian, Thai, Filipino, and Indonesian. Oh, yes! Learning to cook Korean food will be so much more easier for foreigners.

The English version

The Indonesian version

The book was published by The Community Service Group of Daewoo Securities Co., Ltd. to introduce many kinds of food usually found in the table of Korean family. I believe this book will help many people around the world to learn and make their homemade Korean food. 

Kimchi recipe

The book consists of many types of Korean food ranging from kimchi, side-dishes (banchan), steamed vegetables (namul), soup (jigae), special food (such as bulgogi, samgyetang, galbi jjim) and snack (gansik). 
Beside that, this book also provide the readers with Korean culture of cooking, tips on how to make delicious soup stock, choosing right cooking utensils and tips on buying the ingredients.


I checked the book in Kyobo Bookstore website and found that the price is not too expensive, 12,000 won. And...I have sent to my husband the link of the book in Kyobo website, asking him to buy it for me ^^ Can't wait to serve Korean family food for my little family!


Source:
http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/FU/FU_EN_15.jsp?cid=1594947
http://www.kyobobook.co.kr/product/detailViewKor.laf?ejkGb=KOR&mallGb=KOR&barcode=9788960512108&orderClick=LAH&Kc=