나은 and I headed out first to her graduation ceremony... or lack thereof. As she lead me on a tour around the campus, she explained how there's a actual ceremony, with the name calling and speaker, but that no one attends the ceremony. We stayed around the veterinary school as more people arrived. I realized that the cap and gown were simply props for photos. I understand that the US does this to a certain extent, but here a graduation is 1) pick up cap, gown, and diploma 2) take pictures 3) leave.
I appreciate the Korean practicality. They skip the formalities of listening to a speaker you've never heard of before, sitting through a thousand names of people you've never met, and walking across a stage for 10 seconds of unnoticed fame. Koreans go straight to the pictures with friends and family. It's not stripping a graduation of its significance as there's is an acknowledgement of the graduate's accomplishment.
나은 lead her Korean drum group through a semi-impromptu performance. There's something in our family to lead or strive to go higher. Video to Naeun's Performance
The whole family met, took pictures, we had a celebratory lunch, bought cake, and all bummed together eating said cake at home.
No comments:
Post a Comment