Chuseok is Coming!

My school will be shut down all next week, as will almost all the schools I know about. This is a rare occurence, made possible by the timing of this year's Chuseok holidday.

Chuseok (추석) is a three-day harvest festival, similar to American Thanksgiving, in which the new crops are cooked up, special foods are perpared, and the ancestors are remembered.People travel to their hometowns, and visit their relatives. This year, Chuseok falls on Tues., Wed. and Thurs. Lots of businesses will shut down Monday or Friday as well, and some, including lots of schools, will close for both.

Seoul will turn from being a a loud, busy, bustling metropolis to a slightly less loud, busy and bustling one. With that in mind, JoongAng Daily put together a helpful list of contact numbers for foreigners:

The “120 Dasan Call Center” has English-speaking operators from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week, to assist foreign residents in Seoul. Dial 120 and then three and follow the voice prompts.
“1339,” a 24-hour emergency medical information center, has English, Japanese, and Chinese speaking staff members.
The center can refer you to the nearest hospital or pharmacy and inform the 119 emergency service center. Just dial 1339.
In case of fire, call 119. If a receptionist cannot speak English, he or she will forward the caller to another receptionist.
For trains, the Korail phone service will book reservations for foreigners, but only if they’re Korail members. General services such as train schedules are available for nonmembers. Call 1544-7788 and press seven for English service.
For information regarding traffic on the highways, TBS eFM has English reports on weather and traffic every 15 minutes from 7 a.m. to midnight.