Yesterday, we went to the middle school graduation ceremony for DongHyun, MyeongHee’s son. It was a rather military affair with all the boys (girls go to another school) standing at attention throughout. Fortunately, it was short and sweet. They called a few of the high performers up to the podium to get their few minutes of fame, they sang a school song and then they dismissed them.

He only just went  back to school after winter break in the 2nd week of February and now he’s out again until the 4th of March. It seems strange to me to have a 4 week vacation beginning around Christmas, go back for two weeks and then have another two weeks off, but then, this being Korea, few things amaze me anymore. When he goes back to school in March, he’ll begin high school in 10th grade.

I think the two weeks off will be needed to mentally prep for the grueling schedule high school will impose on him. School will begin at 9am (he’ll take a bus around 8:30am) and  it will finish at 10:30pm. Afterwards, he’ll attend a private academy to further reinforce curriculum lessons until 12:30 or 1am. They he’ll head home and do it all over again, five or six days a week. Saturdays he’ll have off every other week. Sometime during those hours, he’ll have to do his homework and any other things that come up.

If it were me, I’d find a way to get myself adopted out to someone in another country. But since this schedule is all that Korean kids know, they seem resigned to go through it. I hope he enjoys his time off before the work begins.