Happy Solar New Year!

I get slightly panicked after Christmas because it is hard to fathom that the year is coming to a close. Another year come and gone…unbelievable. The past few have flown particularly quickly. And to think so many good things could happen in just one year!

2012 began in sunny California with family, food, and a dedicated running schedule. I had a breezy last semester in college that allowed me to soak up everything Charlottesville has to offer. I celebrated my 22^nd birthday about six times (wouldn’t want it any other way!) I put a check on the bucket list when I experienced being a waitress. My family gathered in Charlottesville making graduation weekend a total blast. During an impromptu week in the Virgin Islands I swam with a sea turtle. I trekked through Europe with the sole regret of wishing I could have stayed longer. I savored the Malis Family Reunion of 2012 and a week on Lake Michigan since it would have to suffice for the following summer as well. I finally returned to the special beaches of Cape Hatteras after a few years absence. And…I moved to South Korea to start my first real job and have had awesome experiences along the way. 2012 has been a big year for me, but none of it has meant anything without the people I have shared it all with! Hello 2013.

As it turns out, I’m not too bad at keeping up with a blog! And seeing as you’re still reading this after four months, I still have at least one follower! (And perhaps one new one...shout out to a certain cousin who I just now coerced into reading...) It’s been a lot of fun to write about certain experiences, and even though it takes a good bit of time, I still think it's the best way of communicating with everyone back home. Happy Solar New Year!

In Korea, January 1^st is not nearly as important of a day as Lunar New Year, which will fall in early February this year. People still get the day off and celebrate both solar and lunar New Year to a certain extent. Certain rituals that are traditional to Lunar New Year are also upheld during Solar New Year, such as eating duk gook, a rice cake soup.

It’s surprising to me that January 1^st isn’t more celebrated in Korea since Koreans ‘change age’ on New Year’s Day. So today is kind of like everyone’s birthday in Korea! In the Korean age system, you are born at age 1. This is to account for near year spent in the womb. On New Year’s Day, everyone’s age increases by one. So, this can mean a baby born on December 31^st is ‘one year old’ and the following day on January 1^st turns ‘two.’ I know, I know, it doesn’t make sense to our Gregorian calendar-ed brains, but that’s just our Western bias, right? People can choose to add their year on Solar or Lunar New Year, but it seems January 1^st is the most widespread day. During the year, Koreans also celebrate their actual day of birth with candles on a cake and perhaps a gift, but they don’t actually ‘change age’ on this day.

Age, in fact, is a central concept in Korean culture. A typical Korean conversation often goes “Hi, nice to meet you, I’m Allie, how old are you?” Establishing this hierarchy is important to social interactions. Age is highly respected in this culture, even within the younger generation. When a group of people go out it is often expected that the oldest person will pay. I have been a beneficiary of this custom and it rocks having mainly older Korean friends! There are also certain names you kindly refer to older friends depending on whether you male or female and whether the person you are speaking is male or female. An older female to me is my unni and an older male to me is my oppa. Yes, as in…Oppa is Gangnam Style! The sentiment of these terms is akin to calling someone your older sister or brother.

So as it goes, I’m turning 24 today. What a horrifying thought. But I suppose this aspect of Korean culture could be quite agreeable to me if it means I get to celebrate my birthday on BOTH New Year holidays as well as my actual birthday. Does this mean I’ll be 26 by the time March rolls around??