My Korean Easter

So this wasn't an average Easter for me. First Easter without turkey and my moms stuffing. First Easter without my moms decorative bunnies and eggs. And, first Easter without Cadbury chocolate mini eggs. I of course missed all of these things, but I enjoyed my Korean Easter nonetheless.

Easter is not celebrated in the same decorative and highly commercialized way that it is in North America, but the decorating of boiled eggs, like I used to do back in elementary school, seems have made its way across the ocean. One of my grade one students gave me some easter eggs today. Yes, they are edible, but no they are not chocolate. Three eggs, nicely decorated, came in a little basket with a package of salt and sesame seeds. I'm not a huge fan of hard boiled eggs, but the presentation alone is enough to make me give it a try. So I have my morning snack all figured out.

I also received a gift from a student in the Grade 4 enrichment class I teach after school. Now, I'm not sure if this has anything to do with Easter or not, but it is a gift worthy of recognition.

First I should say that before I left for Korea I said my goodbyes to a number of food items: peanut butter, sour watermelons, soda crackers, bread. But to my surprise, I can still get peanut butter, although for a premium price, and I can get bread, however whole wheat is almost impossible for me to get my hands on. But one thing I knew I was definitely going to miss the most, was my sesame seed bagel, well toasted, with plain light cream cheese.

I have managed to find bagels on occasion at a bakery in town called Paris Baguette, but you can only buy them separately and they are definitely not the cheapest thing on the menu. And I've been able to find cream cheese, not light cream cheese but I can deal with that...of course that is also about $5 CAD, so my cheap bagel order at tim horton's has turned out to be quite the delicacy here.

Anyway, back to the gift. The mother of one of my students made me, yes actually made as in baked, four bagels, all different kinds. Today was a major success just because of these bagels. There was a note attached from the mother explaining that her daughter liked me and that she appreciates that and she thought I would be missing bagels. I would like to give this woman a hug. She couldn't have been more right. I miss bagels a lot. I'm not sure if I want to save them or eat them all at once. Anyway, some may call this "bribery" or an act to "soften the deal". But I should explain that the kids do not get marks for the enrichment class, and they are there by their own will, or I guess their parent's will. But none of that matters anyway, all that matters is that I have a sesame seed bagel crisping up in the toaster, and that in this moment I am content.

Happy Easter!