The King and the Clown

Today in Korean History, our teacher gave us a break from lectures and presentations by showing a Korean movie called "The King and the Clown." I have seen this movie once with Hyesun, but it was hard for me to understand what was going on because of the cultural and historical details. Watching it a second time allowed me to enjoy the movie rather than trying to figure out what was going on. It is about the most notorious King of the Joseon dynasty and probably all of Korean history. He murdered his brother to become king and was the only king to be removed from his post by the Korean people. Records of his rule show that he was paranoid and would kill anyone who threatened his position as king. The movie follows two fictional clowns who become the kings entertainers. As the king becomes more insane, the clowns begin to fear for their lives. It is a great movie and accurately shows life in the Joseon dynasty. It was also nice to watch history come to life in a sense that would have been impossible to grasp from a textbook. One of my Korean friends from my class is trying to find the movie with English subtitles for me to take home, so you guys can get a taste of Korea.

I have to admit, now that we are getting closer to Thanksgiving/Christmas season and my birthday, I am feeling a little homesick for the first time. I am having the time of my life here in Korea and wouldn't trade it for anything, but this will be my first holiday season without my family. Korea doesn't celebrate American Thanksgiving and Christmas is a smaller holiday that isn't celebrated with family. It will be very strange for me not to celebrate these two very important family holidays with my family at home. I am so thankful that I have the Byeon's and Derek's family here in Korea, I think I would be a complete mess at times if I didn't have their love and support so close to where I am. They are family to me, and it will be great to celebrate Christmas and my birthday with them. Derek is coming back to Korea for Christmas, which is great! As of right now, I am planning to celebrate my birthday with both of my Korean families together. For Christmas, I am hoping to spend time with both families individually, but we are still figuring out the details.

My mom and sisters are coming in January, which I am very excited about! I have over two months off in the winter, so I am still deciding on travel plans. I am hoping that after Christmas, I will not be in Korea for too long, I want to see as much of Asia as possible. I will keep all of you updated about my winter break plans as I get them worked out.