Famous mystery donor returns to Jeonju this Christmas.

From Yonhap.

Jeonju's Secret Santa (or angel without a face, 얼굴 없는 천사) made another visit to a Jeonju community center this year. The Hankyoreh has more in English.

The "angel" has donated money to the village at the end of every year for the past 11 years. According to Nosong area officials, a man they estimate to be in his 40s called the community center around noon on Tuesday to tell the staff where he had put his donation for this year.

. . .

The money left outside the beauty shop was stuffed inside a piggy bank and a paper box. The donation, totaling 35,840,900 won ($31,219.80), was a mixture of bills and coins in various denominations. There were 700 50,000-won bills, 1,531 500-won coins, 739 100-won coins and 21 10-won coins.

Over the past 11 years, the anonymous donor has given a total of 197,204,020 won.

From the Chosun Ilbo, with video report.

I was wondering if he'd show up this December because last year there was word that the donor had died, as the Korea Herald wrote:

Unlike in previous years, a note accompanied this year's gift indicating that the original donor had passed away. City officials believe the amount given this year included the money received at the deceased's funeral.

White Christmas in Mokpo, Jeonnam.

Playing outside in Mokpo, where the seven centimeters of snow gave it the first white Christmas in ten years.

Christmas 2010 in Busan.

I meant to write about the Kosin University Christmas Tree Festival again this year but found no mention of it until this morning when I learned Busan's festivities will be held---and have been held since November---under a different name. Last year it was the "Busan Tree Culture Festival," this year the English slogan is "Happy Busan, Christmas Busan" (the Korean expands on 2009: "크리스마스트리문화축제").


From opening night, November 30th.

Last year the festival was comprised of four smaller festivals held along the Gwangbok-dong "Christmas Tree Festival belt"; this year it's the same place but streamlined into one entity. You'll find the events---outlined briefly on the festival calendar---in Nampo-dong north of Nampo Station on Line 1 of the Busan subway system.


From the official festival site.

Since the festival runs until mid-January you'll have plenty of time to experience Christmas in Busan. Since Nampo-dong is bustling and lit-up 365 days a year, though, those with limited time and a hankering for something Christmasy may want to try something more seasonal: the large Winter Lighting Festival in Gapyeong or the Christmas Village in rural Naju.

Eseul Village Happy Christmas Festival, December 22nd - 26th.

For those collecting information about obscure regional festivals, the 4th annual Eseul Village Happy Christmas Festival (제4회 이슬촌의 해피크리스마스축제) will run from December 22nd through the 26th in a Naju township. A Catholic Asian News article from 2008 talks a little about the "Christmas Village" and its Christmastime festivities:

Leafless trees, buildings and even farming vehicles glitter in every color as bands play, people sing carols and "Santa Clauses" entertain visitors. Christmas thus came alive from Dec. 19 to 23 in Eseulchon (village of dew), a Catholic farming village in Noan, Naju, about 280 kilometers south of Seoul.

Far more than Eseulchon's 170 residents have made it a "Christmas village." One village official told UCA News about 1,500 visitors came to the first such festival in 2007, and this year's festival has drawn twice as many.

Park Eun-jeong, 23, who came visiting from nearby Gwangju with her boyfriend, told UCA News: "It's really beautiful! I feel Christmas has already come. It's good for a village to celebrate Christmas with such a festival."

As the festival began, village head Anthony Kim Jong-gwan told UCA News that almost all 68 village families are Catholic. He said local people "naturally" became Catholics when a French missioner built Noan Church here 100 years ago. This designated cultural asset marked its centenary last November.

Taken from here, but I can't find the rest of the article online anymore. That entry has a few photos; here are a few more:



From CNBNews.com and Newsis.

More available on the "Christmas Village" site. Transportation information to and from Noan-myeon from local cities is scarce: you can try their number, 061-336-5159, for more.

Book, bake sale to benefit Sungbin Home For Girls, December 18th.

Of interest to readers in Jeollanam-do is news of the annual Sungbin Orphanage Bake Sale, held this year on December 18th at the German Bar in Gwangju. For more information and updates see The Waygook Effect, the Sungbin Bake Sale Facebook group, and Gwangju Blog the latter also having a couple recipes.

Nanta in Gwangju this Christmas.

The comedic drum show Nanta (난타) will be in Gwangju on December 24th and 25th. There will be two performances each day---6:00 and 9:30 on Friday, 2:00 and 6:00 on Saturday---at the Culture and Arts Center (문화예술회관) in Unam-dong. Tickets range from 45,000 to 55,000 won.

The Korea Tourism Organization introduces the show:

'NANTA' figuratively refers to reckless punching as in a boxing match. 'NANTA' is a non-verbal performance of free rhythmical movements that dramatize customary Korean percussions in a strikingly comedic stage show. Integrating unique Korean traditional drumbeats in a western performance style, NANTA storms into a huge kitchen where four capricious cooks are preparing a wedding banquet. While cooking, they turn all kinds of kitchen items - pots, pans, dishes, knives, chopping boards, water bottles, brooms and even each other- into percussion instruments.

My then-fiancee and I went to the performance last Christmas in Suncheon and had an excellent time.

Winter Lighting Festival (오색별빛정원전) at Gapyeong's Garden of Morning Calm: December 3, 2010 - February 28, 2011.

The 4th annual Lighting Festival (오색별빛정원전) at the Garden of Morning Calm (아침고요구목원) will run from December 3rd through February 28th, 2010. Little English-language information is available, though the Korean-language website tells us the lights will be on display from 5:30 to 8:30 and that the festival is accessible by buses to Changpyeong and then by local buses to the garden. A Korea.net write-up a few years ago---no longer available online---says there are over a million lights spread throughout the site's five themed gardens.



From two years ago (1, 2)

Commenters have left their thoughts about past years' festivals on previous posts. Jim writes:

I went there yesterday, pretty amazing but was the coldest day of the year so bad timing on my part. My 3 year old absolutely loved it and I was impressed with the work that must have gone into it.

From ROK Drop:

The valley the garden sits in is actually quite scenic but it is a nightmare trying to get there because of the traffic that gets backed up on the winding road into the valley. Then once there the place is overfilled with people and really not enjoyable.

I have only been there a couple of times on the weekend. I am willing to bet if you go on a weekday it will probably be more enjoyable due to smaller crowds.

And Mr Rocky Top:

I went there last year the day after Christmas. The traffic wasn't bad, and there weren't that many people there. I would definitely recommend it as something Christmasy to experience.

To close, here is a video taken at the garden last year:

Boseong Tea Plantation Light Festival (보성차밭 빛의 축제), December 17, 2010 - February 6, 2011.

The annual Boseong Tea Plantation Light Festival (보성차밭 빛의 축제) will take place from December 17th, 2010 through February 6th, 2011---roughly from Christmas through the Lunar New Year---at Boseong county's best-known attraction.

At the bus terminal in Boseong county, accessible via numerous buses from Gwangju and Suncheon, there are signs in English and Korean instructing you how to purchase tickets to the plantation. I went to the Light Festival last year on what was about the damn coldest day of the winter. The lights aren't strung in the main plantation viewing station---where people take pictures like the one in my header---but rather to the left and up the hill from where the bus will drop you off.


From December 2005.

Collecting donations for children's center in Jangheung.

A teacher in Jeollanam-do's Jangheung county has passed along information about a fundraising effort for this coming holiday season. John Wurth emails about the Jangheung Area Children's Center:

We provide education for children from low income families that can't afford hagwons and tutors for their children.

We also run a group home. The children who stay in our group home have either lost one or both parents. They have no family able to take care of them for a multitude of reasons. We have 6 children- 4 boys and 2 girls- who stay in our group home.

Given their situation you might imagine that these children do not have much in life. We are only able to provide them with what our donors give us for them.

My request to you is this. Christmas is coming soon. I want to do something nice for these kids.

My thinking is to give each one a gift certificate for one of the internet clothing stores like GMarket. Things here in JangHeung are too expensive. I would also like to get them a game console and some games (XBox, Playstation, whatever).

I am requesting your help to make this happen. You know what's next! I need to get some money for this. I am hoping to ask everyone to give 20,000w-40,000w each for the effort. Anything would of course be appreciated!!!

Donations can be wired to a bank account set up with NongHyup Bank:

JangHeung TamJin Group Home (장흥탐진그룹홈)
Nonghyup Bank / 농협은행
657-01-075935

More information can be found on the Jangheung Area Children's Center (장흥지역아동센터) Korean-language homepage or the new English-language Facebook group.

Mystery donor comes to Jeonju again.

Photograph from Yonhap.

Jeonju's Secret Santa (or angel without a face, 얼굴 없는 천사) visited the Nosong-dong Community Center (노송동 주민센터) in Wangsan-gu on the 28th.



데일리안 writes that he or she brought 80,265,920 won (USD 69,120) this time:

박스 안에는 5만원권 100장이 묶여진 돈다발 10개(5천만원)와 만원권 100장이 묶여진 다발 30개(3천만원), 그리고 잔돈이 들어있는 돼지저금통, 결식아동돕기용으로 제작된 사랑의 빵저금통 각 1개씩에 들어있던 26만5천9백2십원(500원짜리 20만1천5백원, 100원짜리 6만천8백원, 50원짜리 천7백5십원, 10원짜리 8백70원) 등을 포함해 총 8천26만5천9백20원이 들어 있었다.

From the Korea Times on the 29th:

The center believes the donor is a man as the caller has been male since 2002, though the ages of the callers sound different.

In 2000, the money was delivered by an elementary school student and in 2001 by a man in his 20s. Since 2002, the donor has made donations by calling the center to inform them where he has put the money.

"The voices have not been the same. Sometime it was thought to be a man in his 60s and other times it sounds like someone between 30 and 50," another center official said.

Still, Han and other officials believe the donor is the same man and he has some link to Nosong-dong.

"We have been waiting for the call for days and are so relieved that he made it," Han said. "I believe he has close links to our village. He could be from this town or might be a resident."

The money has been deposited with the account of the charity organization Community Chest of Korea and will be spent to help poor residents in the village with the population of 16,900.

"In Nosong-dong, there are 631 poor households receiving government subsidies and 218 seniors living alone," the center chief said. "As he donated a large amount of money, more households will be able to receive aid."

Han said his village has become famous thanks to the faceless angel. "I hope his covert charity will become a small impetus for people to care for their needy neighbors."

Last year the Times wrote that the donor left instructions:

``We are glad that such a warmhearted person lives here. As the Santa wants, we will distribute the 20 million won to 100 households with child breadwinners in the area,'' Park Myeong-hee, head of the residents' center, said.

The Herald says the original donor may be dead:

Unlike in previous years, a note accompanied this year's gift indicating that the original donor had passed away. City officials believe the amount given this year included the money received at the deceased's funeral.

Do you know Christmas tree? It is kind of traditional Korean plant. Do you have Christmas tree in your country?

So this was in the Korea Times on Christmas. The original title of the article was, believe it or not, "'Christmas Tree Originated From Korea.'" And an alternate title to this post might be "The Korean Grinch that Stole Christmas," as a guy from the National Institute of Biological Resources is trying to claim that the Christmas trees people use in the west originated from Korea, and is trying to get a slice of profits made from selling Christmas trees around the world.

What contribution have Christmas-unenthusiastic Koreans made to the Western tradition of celebrations on the day when Jesus was allegedly born?

For those who have given up guessing, here is a tip ― check your Christmas tree.

According to Korea's National Institute of Biological Resources (NIBR), it is a Korean fir tree, which he says is one of the most popular trees used for this special occasion, although most Western Christmas enthusiasts may be unaware of this.

The institute is working hard to have its claim officially recognized, as it may enable Korea, as a place of origin, to claim a slice of the profits from their commercial use.

According to the institute, the Korean fir is an indigenous evergreen, which grows on the slopes of Mt. Halla, Mt. Jiri and Mt. Deokyu.

The ``type specimen'' of the Korean fir tree currently belongs to the Smithsonian Institution in the U.S. A European botanist took the specimen out of Korea in 1904 and donated it to the institute.

``It is lucky that there is a type specimen ― even in an overseas location ― to prove the origin of the plant or animal is Korea. There are many more species of our indigenous creatures being used without recognition,'' Kil Hyun-jong of the NIBR said. ``That is why a type specimen is so important as it is proof of origin.''

The NIBR currently houses approximately 1.6 million specimens and expects the number to increase to 5 million by 2030.

The institute estimates at least 20,000 type specimens were taken out of the country and some 280 of those are being used commercially.

Korea plans to insist on a ``recovery of rights'' at the Convention on Biological Diversity next year.

Kil said there will be discussions regarding the right to trade plants and animals. ``We will try to restore our rights for original Korean fauna and flora,'' he added.

Though the tree originated from, and is now growing in Korea, companies in the West recognized the value of the tree first and made profits from it, Kil said.

Other than Korean fir, the Netherlands has type specimen rights to the Korean lily, Hungary has stonefly type specimens and the U.S. has those of the dark sleeper and northern loaches, both fresh-water fish indigenous to Korea, he added.

This was also blogged by What the Kimchi??? You'll find a story here, in Korean with video, from YTN. The oft-cringeworthy Arirang TV did a segment on this called "The Lost Right of the Christmas Tree" for its December 25th edition; an excerpt:

An interesting fact about Christmas tree.
Most people may not be aware of this... but Korea's National Institute of Biological Resources says... it's a Korean fir tree... that is one of the most popular trees used for Christmas.
The Korean fir is an indigenous evergreen... that grows on the slopes of major mountains in the country.
Eoh Jin-joo has more.
The Korean fir is a tree that is commonly known as a Christmas tree in the United States and Europe.
The clear, triangle shape and its conspicuous green color is just right for the Christmas atmosphere.
However, not many people know that the tree was an indigenous plant found only in Korea.

Wikipedia has more on the Abies koreana, the "Korean fir." I'm certainly no expert on Christmas trees or Christmas tree cultivation, but a quick look shows that these Korean firs are not even listed among the trees commonly grown for use at Christmas, let alone "one of the most popular trees used for this special occasion." The Times story is characteristically vague, not mentioning the scientific name of the fir, the man who introduced it to the west, where it is believed to enjoy popularity, or how that popularity is calculated. But it does succeed in conveying the arrogance and the crassness of the NIBR man who, after suggesting that Korea might have a small role in a celebration associated with one of the biggest holidays in the world---one Korea does not really celebrate in any traditional sense---shows he's most interested in getting paid and in avenging what is perceived as Korea's loss.

As an aside, I graduated from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, located in a county that calls itself "The Christmas Tree Capital of the World." The Indiana County Christmas Tree Growers website, if that's any authority, doesn't list it as among the most popular tree types grown there.

Yellow Christmas in Korea.

Because of the arrival of yellow sand from China, they're calling this a "yellow Christmas" (옐로 크리스마스). Sadly, it wasn't a White Christmas in Jeollanam-do, and we missed it by a few days. Nonetheless we did at least have a White December for a little bit; here's a look at the bamboo forest in Damyang from the Chosun Ilbo:

Video from the Lighting Festival at the Garden of Morning Calm.

Thanks to seomoonho for posting, and for commenter An Acorn in the Dog's Food for sharing this video taken at the Lighting Festival at the Garden of Morning Calm.



On that post from December 16th, commenter Jim writes:

I went there yesterday, pretty amazing but was the coldest day of the year so bad timing on my part. My 3 year old absolutely loved it and I was impressed with the work that must have gone into it.

And Mr Rocky Top:

I went there last year the day after Christmas. The traffic wasn't bad, and there weren't that many people there. I would definitely recommend it as something Christmasy to experience.

I'd also like to repost a picture from a shoot last Christmas Eve, I think some of the coolest pictures I've seen in Korea:




Those were taken at the Sea World in Seoul's 63 Building. More available via a Naver news search.

'Tis the season for hats and cake.

Christmas can be tough to take in Korea. Say what you will about the secularization and commercialization of the holiday back home, wherever that is, in Korea it's divorced from any context and meaning and is celebrated as simply another romantic holiday. That Korea has adopted and created so many couples' holidays---Valentine's Day, White Day, Pepero Day, the 14th days---owes I think to how stressful and depressing the traditional holidays can be, what with the preparation, the bad traffic jams, the in-laws, and the graves. It's a time for bad interpretations of Christmas music (why why why?)





and wearing outrageous hats, and several chains offer them each year. Last year the most gay-ass one was Baskin Robbins' snowman hat:



As the accompanying commercial says, there's an icecream cake so now it's really Christmas!



Yeah, whatever. Paris Baguette rolled out a Smurf hat:



Extra! Korea previewed the 2009 offerings from Paris Baguette and Baskin Robbins. Here's Kim Tae-hee and Girls' Generation modeling a badger hat, or something:



Baskin Robbins hits you with a penguin hat:




Dunkin Donuts came strong with this bear-ear hat:



Tous Les Jours doesn't understand Christmas:



And Crown Bakery used the most irritating pop group in Korea, Kara, to advertise its Christmas gear:



Of course the other "tradition" of Christmas here is the Christmas cake. You have to reserve them in advance, so if you are interested in buying one you probably already did. I didn't, but if I were going to I'd go for one with an interesting shape. Here are a few from Paris Baguette:





Baskin Robbins has ice cream cakes, including:






Dunkin Donuts has a couple but I'm not sure how to get to the pictures. Tous Les Jours has them as well, though you can't see them close-up; here's one page:



Crown Bakery has a wide selection, ranging from 17,000 won to 35,000 won. Here are a few of the most interesting-looking:





And Krispy Kreme has seasonal donuts for Christmas, just as they did for Halloween:



And just so I don't leave you thinking---and thinking that I think---that all Christmas music coming out of Korea is absolute shit---empty, meaningless shit---here's something from the Festival Handbell Ensemble (페스티벌핸드벨앙상블):



And here's something from back home: a couple choral arrangements of two of my favorite Christmas songs.



They do Christmas right:



Here's Roboseyo talking more about Christmas music, about five people who should make holiday albums and three who definitely shouldn't. He forgot to include the Koreans in my first three clips.

Christmas in Busan.

Christmas in Busan poster, via the official site.

This isn't new information, but I'm here and Busan is way over there, so I don't learn about this stuff in a timely manner.

On November 30th I wrote about the Kosin University Christmas Tree Festival (고신대학교크리스마스트리축제), but while riding Busan's green line on Thursday I learned that this is only one of four Christmas festivals going on in the city. The Christmas in Busan 2009 (부산크리스마스트리축제) page has more, in Korean, about the Gwangbong-dong Christmas Tree Festival (광봉동 크리스마스트리축제), the Songdo Beach Christmas Tree Festival (송도해변 성탄트리축제), the Happy Yeongdo Pride Light Festival (행복영도 희망의 빛축제) and Kosin University's festival. The festival is held on the Gwangbok-dong Christmas Tree Festival "belt", a 450-meter-long road connecting all four of the festivals, and runs from December 1st through January 3rd.


Busan is the number one Christmas city in South Korea (대한민국 넘버원! 크리스마스 도시 부산), according to this promotional poster.

A million lights in Gapyeong's Garden of Morning Calm.

From the garden's official site.

From December through February the Garden of Morning Calm ( 아침고요구목원) in Gyeonggi-do's Gapyeong county is all light up because of the Lighting Festival (오색별빛정원전).



The lights will be on through February from 5:30 pm to 8:30 pm each night. The garden is accessible by buses to Changpyeong, then local buses to the garden, which the website says runs 12 times a day, including: 12:40, 13:20, 14:20, 15:30, 16:00, 16:30, 17:40, and 18:30, with an extra one at 19:40 (the pop-up says the last bus back is 20:00).

Unfortunately I've found no information this year in English, but can refer you too a write-up last year from Korea.net for some basics:

From early December until the end of February next year, the Morning Calm Garden, situated on Mt. Chung Nyeong (879m) will have its trees and valleys adorned with over one million colorful lightbulbs as part of the Lighting Festival.

Hometown GardenThe arboretum, which consists of 13 outdoor gardens with roads, pavilions and valleys, are ready to delight the public with lights that have temporarily replaced flowers and petals.

Among them, five gardens, which make up half the total space of the arboretum – the Bonsai, Hometown, Sunken and Moonlight Gardens -- will be highlighted throughout the winter under the theme of “Love, Dream and Light.”

The Bonsai Garden, with its pine, papaya and aromatic trees will have a myriad of colorful lights streaming down the valley. The Hometown Garden and the Drooping Tree Garden will have the lights dancing over its hills and ponds. The Moonlight Garden, with its small church building, will gleam with white and blue stars and angels at night. The garden is surrounded by some 100 types of white-colored flowers such as lilies throughout the warmer months.

The Sunken Garden, which is the highlight of the Light Festival, opens up to a world of glittery fairy tales, with statues of Snow White and the seven dwarfs, Cinderella, the pumpkin coach, the Mermaid Princess and Pinocchio.

Moonlight GardenThe garden is made in the shape of the Korean Peninsula, and has roads lined with flowers symbolizing the reunification of the country. With some 100 kinds of woody plants including thuja, yew trees, pine trees and willows, and 1,100 flowers that bloom in turns every season, the Sunken Garden stands out among other gardens.

I wrote about this last year, too, and got some comments regarding traffic. From ROK Drop:

The valley the garden sits in is actually quite scenic but it is a nightmare trying to get there because of the traffic that gets backed up on the winding road into the valley. Then once there the place is overfilled with people and really not enjoyable.

I have only been there a couple of times on the weekend. I am willing to bet if you go on a weekday it will probably be more enjoyable due to smaller crowds.

And from samedi:

I asked my coworkers about this and they told me that it was hell trying to get there on a weekend or national holiday. (Say, Christmas) What should have been a one hour drive from Uijeongbu to Gapyeong-gun turned into a three-hour trip for our academy director's wife a couple years ago. I bet that was fun.

The bus terminal in Uijeongbu also offers direct buses to Gapyeong, which may be useful for anyone who lives in northern Gyeonggi-do and doesn't want to head south into Seoul only to take a bus that's heading back north.

So proceed with caution, I guess, but as a man who likes his lights I think it might be worth braving the traffic for.



From last year (1, 2)

The garden looks beautiful all year round, especially in autumn, thanks to Roboseyo's excellent gallery last month. And for people who don't want to leave the comfort of Jeollanam-do *cough* this winter, remember there's the Boseong Tea Plantation Light Festival through January 31st.

Great work in the community this Christmas.

Plenty of expats in North and South Jeolla provinces are helping out their communities this Christmas with fundraising and gift drives organized in Mokpo, Gwangju, Suncheon, and Jeonju. This isn't the only time teachers are giving back to their neighbors, but this season is a good a time as any to highlight the great work they do, and to show how you can help.

I'll mention Gwangju first simply because they've got an event coming up this weekend. On December 12th from 1:00 to 4:00 pm at the Gwangju International Center, there will be the annual Sungbin Bake Sale, with all profits going to the Sungbin Educational Endowment Fund, a collection "that assists students in attending university or voacational training" according to the Facebook group page. Specifically, time and money is spent helping Sungbin Home for Girls in Gwangju.

This is the third year for the Christmas bake sale, but expats are active throughout the year volunteering to help. In a Facebook conversation with Michael Simning, currently with 98.7 GFN FM and active in organizing local volunteer activities in the past, he told me a little about what goes on throughout the year:

Over the past few years we have had a fairly active charity drive for the girls. We have had various events involving the Gwangju Inter FC, The Underground Grocers and Speakeasy. We would hold soccer tournaments open to both Korean and foreign teams. Donations would be collected in addition to food sales at the events. Due to difficulties involving marriages and children we haven't done that for almost a year.

Ther was a Love Auction held at Speakeasy which was an event that sold some of Gwangju's most eligible/infamous singles. We had a proffesional caterer from home put together a meal and made it a pretty upscale event. There was a huge amount of volunteers at this event.

Volunteers also visit the home on Saturdays to teach. "Now that some of the girls that I began working with are leaving high school and getting ready to make their own way in the world," Simning wrote, "we are trying to help them prepare to get some type of practical vocational education."

Sara Fladmo, a local teacher, is in charge of a lot of the volunteer efforts in Gwangju. Simning says: "She has led the organization of western food stalls at GIC events plus masterminded the last two bake sales. She is invaluable and should be mentioned by name."

There is more information about the bake sale on Facebook. In addition to cookies, brownies, cakes, and other food baked by and donated people in the area---take a look at the list---there are also donated books for sale. It starts at one. The Gwangju International Center (광주국제교류센테) is located on the 5th floor of the Jeonil Building (제일빌딩)---the white one with the KEB---and is nearest exit 1 of Culture Complex subway station.

Looking now at Mokpo, as a member of the Mokpo Facebook group I get regular updates about what's going there. This month there's an Orphan Christmas Gift Drive through the 13th.

The Mokpo orphans are generally well taken care of, but it is an extremely special event for them to receive something just for them, not given as a "group home" item.

This year we have 73 participants from age 4/5 to university students, who are all deserving of something to bring a smile to their faces and lift their spirits.

If you are interested in donating, I will set you up with a orphan profile that will include some background info about their age and interests, as well as their 3 item gift wish list. It is up to you which items you buy, but we request that you provide at least one of the items listed.

I exchanged messages with Shanna Marie Howse on Facebook, and she told me a little more about what's going on in Mokpo. First, a little about last year's party:

At last year’s party we really had a special time. The Sisters invited all of the teachers to join them for a meal before the party, to show their gratitude for all we do. We had a volunteer dress as Santa to hand out the gifts, which of course the students were thrilled to receive. Watching the joy on their faces as they open the gifts was really memorable for everyone present. The kids then put on a talent show; many of them are learning to play instruments, or are just interested in singing and dancing. I’m not sure of the exact numbers but I believe we had around 40 individual gifts and then another 5 to 10 “house” gifts, for the kids who don’t attend the English classes, plus monetary gifts for the university students. The gifts were mostly donated by teachers from Mokpo and surrounding areas, and the rest were bought with the money we raised earlier in the year through fundraising.

Christmas isn't the only time they do things, though. She continues:

Some other fundraising events that we run are the annual Halloween Monster Mash party, our biggest and most successful of the year, occasional sporting events such as an ultimate Frisbee tournament, the pub quiz happens usually once a month, this year there will be a Christmas party with perhaps a bit of fundraising going on, and in the spring we host a BBQ party for the kids. At the Halloween party we decorate one of our local bars who are kind enough to lend us the space for free and donate 1,000 from ever drink sale to our cause, we have a 50/50 draw and a bake sale, this year we added jello shooters and pizza slices, there is a costume contest with prizes and also a pumpkin carving contest. Last year’s party also had the “dungeon” activity (it’s a mystery) and this year briefly we had tarot readings. The Pub Quiz is being held about once a month at Moe’s, the new foreigner-run bar in Hadang. The entrance is 5,000 won which is donated to the orphan fund each time, and they usually run a 50/50 draw. The next one is Quizmas on Dec. 17th. And finally the BBQ party, was a first last year but it was successful and much enjoyed by the kids, so we hope to continue this event annually. We had a huge BBQ picnic at their main building in Mokpo, with hot dogs, chips, cola, cookies, (all big treats for them) and fruit. All of the food was donated by teachers in Mokpo. We then played some games such as tug of war, water balloon fight and three-legged race.

She was kind enough to tell me a little more about the Mokpo Orphan English Program which she coordinates:

Our program has 15 wonderful teachers who volunteer once a week for an hour to teach English, very casually, to the students. In total there are around 73 students that the Sisters take care of and currently around 45 of them are in the English classes. We have two locations, one is the Mokpo main building and the other is outside of town in a small village called Illo. We run our program from March to July and then September to December. We have to supply all of our own materials for these classes; there is no funding from the government or from the Sisters for it.

If you're in the area and are interested in participating in the Orphan Christmas Quiz Drive, see the Facebook group for more info, though it might be a little late to be matched up with a child.

Across the province, McCarthy's Bar in Suncheon, the Suncheon International Football Club, and the Jeonnam Rugby Football Club are holding a donation drive to raise funds for the SOS Orphanage in Suncheon (순천SOS어린이마을), funds that will go toward buying things like school supplies for children there. Exchanging Facebook messages with Harold Lear, owner of McCarthy's, he tells me the goal is "to raise awareness and money for the children of the SOS Children's Village (orphanage) and to give them a little Christmas cheer," and he says the SIFC has been involved with the orphanage for three years. Last Christmas the football club raised 1,200,000 won themselves and through donations from friends. That's not including the money and presents collected in a separate drive at the Suncheon Christmas party. Those interested in giving this year can visit McCarthy's in Jorye-dong



or can transfer funds to their Industrial Bank of Korea (기업은행) account:

McCarthy's
322-033220-01-011

Finally, though it was my intention to just focus on Jeollanam-do, I came across a post on The Jeonju Hub out of North Jeolla province worth sharing. An excerpt:

Ho! Ho! Ho! Santa Claus is coming to town. This is a time when the word 'charity' often comes up in Jeonju's English speaking community, when are hearts warm up in the season, and we think about giving. It is a great balm for homesickness, to give to someone who has less than you.

Here's an updated post:

It looks as though things will be taking shape this way: We will try to make 200 gift bags. Each one containing a toothbrush, some candy, pad and colored pencils, sheet of stickers, those little hand-warmer things, etc. You can give cash or donate material (pls check first with material to avoid too much duplication). Deepin, DeepInto, RadioStar can receive donations. Or call/write me personally. Here are the needs that are clear so far:

•200 brown bags (or better colors)

•200 toothbrushes

•200 candies

•200 vitamin C candies

•200 sheets of stickers (Power Rangers, Hello Kitty are hot)

•Box(es) of wet-tissues

•200 toys, rubecubes, tops, pogs...)

•more suggestions

•money (you will be told where each won went)

KEB 620-161824-953 also send email to i.d. donation.

I wish we could get rich sponsors and give a cool toy to each kid. Please mention it to anyone you may know. I will order 200 ramien, which was a HUGE hit last year (these kids are not rich hagwan kids, they don't get much pocket money to go to the store.) Teachers, please... remember, did you ask Santa for a notepad and eraser set when you were a kid? I have candy-canes and chocolate coins covered. Thanks and Merry Christmas.

Expats doing good work in Jeollanam-do is nothing new. In fact the first foreign residents of the area were missionaries who set up schools, hospitals, and tuberculosis clinics (a history still visible today), and their legacy continues in cites like Suncheon and Gwangju, Seoul and Pyeongyang. But it's not all about trying to fit into some larger picture. Today there are scores perhaps hundreds of foreigners helping out their communities not because they want to challenge stereotypes of teachers and expats, but because they think it's the right thing to do. The people named here, and the hundreds of volunteers who weren't, are doing an excellent job making their cities a little bit nicer for those less fortunate than us.

Boseong Tea Plantation Light Festival, December 11th - January 31st.

The Boseong Tea Plantation Light Festival (보성차밭 빛의 축제) will run from December 11th, 2009 through January 31st, 2010. Here's a picture from the fields in December, 2005:



And another look at the fields covered in snow:



You'll find plenty more pictures here, though the ones from the 2010 festival are of course done on a computer. The fields will be lit up from 5:30 pm to midnight each day. According to the Gwangju bus terminal site, buses run frequently to Boseong:

6:10 6:40 7:15 7:50 8:30 9:00 9:30 10:00 10:30 11:00 11:30 12:00 12:30 13:00 13:30 14:00 14:30 15:00 15:30 16:00 16:30 17:00 17:50 18:40 19:15 20:00 20:40 21:40

If you live in Suncheon, you can use the same website but select 순천 from the drop-down menu. Buses run to nearby Boseong county pretty often. There are then buses from the Boseong-eup terminal, and from Boseong Station, to the tea fields, though the Boseong county website doesn't provide a timetable.

I saw Korea.net put something up on this a couple days ago---before I published this, but after I post-dated it---so let's see what wonderful news they bring:

Boseong, the green tea capital, will present the nation's largest green tea field tree, which will strike a beautiful image of Boseong into the hearts of all its winter guests. Those who visit the festival will wish to stay longer in Boseong and participate in all the events, rather than merely passing through.

I'll reuse last year's post and write that should the image of a tree strike your heart in some way, and should you want to spend the night and see the tea fields again in the day, there are a few motels in town, as well as a ton of more expensive pensions.

A 20-meter-high Christmas tree tower went up in Gwangju's Yangrim-dong last night, near the dormitories of Honam Theological University. Nice picture by the Kwangju Ilbo.