So, Christmas is nearly here and communism seems to be alive and well in Korea. Well, not communism in the economic sense but in a collectivist, creepy-cyborg kind of way. We are having preschool presentation at the school this week and each class has prepared a play or a speech of some kind. The kids have been drilled for hours each day and know every word by heart. Keep in mind that these kids are five and speaking a second language. Our director comes in to drill them (scream at them) once every couple of days and they have essentially been turned into little Korean robots. Perfect...now the parents will be happy.

Amidst all these enforced Christmas festivities is the song contest. Each class will compete for a pizza party by singing a Christmas carol. The best part of it is that everyone is singing the same Christmas carol. After it was decided that "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" would be the chosen jingle, there was a flurry of practices and more drilling. Teachers went in search of the "official" song actions (which I kindly provided...luckily, the official actions were neatly tucked away in my imagination) so each class could do the same actions, while singing the same words. "But how does one win the contest if everyone is singing the same song?" you may ask...good question. I will let you know as soon as I see the results.

Something tells me that Koreans don't really "get" Christmas.