Accessorize

Although it sometimes seems to me like the daily life of Korean children is all work and no play as they spend most of their days either in school or at various academies, at least the study accessories they have available to them are a lot fun. I seem to remember that when I was in elementary school there were definetely some "must have" school supplies that were popular; everyone wanted to have the flyest "Trapper-Keeper," for example, and I remember having a few triangular neon pencils, but they all pale in comparison to the items my students bring to class. There seem to be a few companies that have cornered the school accessories market and all of the separate items they produce follow some sort of theme. Most have cutesy cartoon characters and ridiculously sappy slogans written in Konglish. The most sought after pencils are definetely the 1,000 won mechanical pencils, also known as "sharps." I have yet to see anyone with a pencil that has an eraser on the end of it. Usually, students have a separate eraser, some of which are simple, monochromatic, rubber rectangular-solids. However, others are shaped like fast food items and have very distinctive smells. And then there are the countless styles and shapes of stickers that are used to decorate everything (sometimes the stickers are quite funny to the waygukin observer since the sticker companies can't use licensed trademarks and the kids end up with "Dream Donuts" logos and such). Of course, the most important item, and the one that is most semiotically charged (as they are often markers of class status, as well as material representations of extracurricular interests), is the almighty pencil case. Pencil cases are popular all across East Asia, and Korea is no exception (I don't remember ever having one in the States, so I'm not sure they're as big of an item back home). Here are a few of my favorites that I see on a daily basis:














This one belongs to "Ann," a simple cardboard case that opens up into several compartments that pivot outward from the body. It is part of the "Honey Bear" series; the caption reads "Nobody can stop my feeling to you."














Next is "Jess's," a plastic case from the "Sweet Hamu" series, which features a giant hamster. The see-through top flips up to reveal a small white board for writing notes, reminders, or messages to friends. "Jess" has decorated hers with some pieces from one of the avatar-sticker books that are popular among the younger girls.














This one belongs to "Britney" and I think it's cool because it has an abacus, although I don't think she knows how to use it. The abacus may have gone the way of the slide-rule (much to my father's dismay).














"Belle's" case opens to an elaborate study diversion: a miniature baseball game. It is from the "Maple Story" series, based on the ever-so popular computer game.














Finally, "Carla's" case, another from "Sweet Hamu." A few of my students have similar cases; the top flips over and reveals a video game on an LCD screen. This one is my personal nemesis as it is a constant source of distraction from lessons.

I have my own pencil case, which my students love to raid for pencils, pens and erasers (the American "Papermate" ballpoints I brought with me are a big hit since they can't be found in Korean stationery stores). It's nowhere near as elaborate as the ones above, but it serves its function.