Nothing Changes on New Year's Day

And so we are told this is the golden age
And gold is the reason for the wars we wage
Though I want to be with you
Be with you night and day
Nothing changes on New Year's day

I went to Mr Hwang's house for a New Year's lunch with his family, where we had a traditional New Year's ddok guk, which is rice dumpling soup. It had sliced rice dumplings, leeks, thin-sliced beef, seaweed and a fried egg. We also had samgyupsal.

I told him about the traditional Southern dinner of pork chops (for health), black eyed peas (for luck) and collard greens (for money). The ddok guk is for "health and well-being" he tells me; though it's really for Lunar New Year, coming at the end of January.

I got a letter from the Korean Postal Service yesterday, dated the 27th, telling me (in Korean) that I had a package at customs. My jacket. So I took Hwang the letter and hopefully he will help me rescue my package tomorrow after school--er, camp. Whatever.

He also told me that my classrooms will NOT have a computer in them--even though I was repeatedly assured I would have a computer, projector and screen for all my classes. Nothing changes on New Year's Day. I'm supposed to bring in my laptop. Well, I didn't get this laptop to lug back and forth to school, it's too heavy; it's got a big screen because it's my permanent home computer, it's a laptop so I could bring it to Korea with me.

I also received a package of letters from my mail forwarding service. Two actual bills and four credit card offers. So what, you say, four credit card offers isn't unusual. Well, considering the ONLY people who have this address for me are people to whom I owe money, and my bank, I think it's made its way into the junk mail stream pretty fast. Nothing changes on New Year's Day.