Having lived in Seoul for many years, I have experienced first-hand the two most important holidays in Korea: Seollal and Chuseok!
And during these holidays, I always had something else to do when everyone else was heading to the Korea countryside to attend family reunions and pay their respect to their ancestors.
Although this year is a bit tough to move around, everyone is still looking forward to a five-day weekend. The holidays will start on September 30, a Wednesday, even as Chuseok falls on October 1, Thursday, and will run until the weekend.
Being a foreigner living in Seoul, these long holidays always afforded me to do the things I have always wanted to do like discovering the hidden alleys in my neighborhood of Hannam-dong, visiting the Lotte World Tower and KLI 63 Building, and spending afternoons walking around Insadong, Garuso-gil and Namsangol. My other holiday activities included taking photographs around the palaces, watching musicales at Daehangno and plays at the National Theater of Korea, and watching movies at cinemas.
This year, though, amidst the Covid-19 pandemic, I listed activities you can do during the Chuseok holidays while wearing a mask and keeping the social distancing protocol when venturing outside your home:
1. Clean your apartment
Yes, wouldn't it be fun to finally clean those dirty corners of your apartment, and sweep all the dirty and dust underneath your bed? Or perhaps, it's the best time to reorganize your closet as you need to put away your summer clothes and bring out the sweaters and coats in preparation for winter. 🏠
2. Videochat with family and friends from your home country
If you haven't kept in touch with your old friends, old classmates and relatives, maybe it is time to reconnect with them. Also, you may have longer chats with your parents and siblings since you have all day long to do so! 💻
3. Send holiday wishes to your Korean friends
While your Korean friends may be driving down south or taking the KTX to their home provinces, it would be nice to let them know that you share the holiday spirit with them.🚄
Over the years, I learned that my Korean friends actually hated family reunions because they were pestered with questions like "When are you getting married?", "Where do you work?", or "Do you have a girlfriend/boyfriend?" 😄
Not only that, they hated family reunions because they are always being compared with their cousins in terms of academic achievements, universities they went to, or even professional success and wealth.
So, you can probably message your Korean friends and tell them to take those questions lightly and wish them well on their work, life, and their quest on finding a lifelong partner.
4. Brushing up on your Hangeul
It's also a good time to go online and open your Korean language textbook and continue building up your Korean language proficiency. I wish I should have done this more. But since I usually toured around Seoul during the holidays using my survival Korean, I thought I could get by what I already had.
5. Watch online movies and Korean dramas
Some Korean drama fans hold their drama marathons during weekends to catch up on the episodes they missed. Well, since you have five days of free time, you can finish more than one drama this time.
6. Jog along the Han River bank or climb a mountain, or play some non-contact sports
Exercising while wearing a mask is still allowed provided you keep your distance from other people. The jogging paths along the Han River banks are kilometers long, so it shouldn't be crowded. You can just walk or run at your pace while making sure you keep your distance.
You can observe the same protocol while trekking up Namsan, Inwangsan, or other mountains in Seoul. The colors of the leaves should be nice this time as autumn is setting in.
Since tennis is not a contact sport, it is allowed. And there are many tennis courts in neighborhoods and universities that are usually free and outdoors.
7. Learn how to cook Korean dishes at home
Wouldn't you want to brag that you know how to cook a jji-ggae or bulgogi? Or even chap-jae? You can find a lot of online videos teaching people to cook Korean dishes as long as you have all the right ingredients at home. And with enthusiasm, you can probably cook different dishes every day during the holidays.
So, there. Seven activities that you can do safely during this pandemic and you can always add a few more in case you have done them all. You can even write short stories about your life in Korea, or even start a painting hobby!📕
But whatever you wish to do, have fun and enjoy the Chuseok holidays!🙌
