Couples' Appreciation Day

Valentine's Day has come and gone and once again it wasn't a very big to-do for me as I have no one to properly celebrate it with. It did give me a good excuse to distract my younger students from "real" work and let them make cards to commemorate the day, and I even got chocolates from a few students. But it certainly didn't seem to be as big of a deal for them as Pepero Day was, partly due to the fact that it coincided this year with elementary school graduations, so there wasn't any time for them to exchange gifts with their friends. And for the older Korean couples, it doesn't seem to be as important a day as Christmas, which is the date night to beat all date nights. Some of my students explained to me that there are three days during the year that are focused on couplehood (or the lack thereof). The first is Valentine's Day, when girls are supposed to give chocolates to boys. Next comes "White Day" on March 14th, when boys buy candy and flowers for girls. Finally, there is "Black Day" on April 14th, which is a celebration for singles (finally, something I can participate in!) when boys and girls eat jjajangmyeon (Koreanized Chinese noodles made with black bean paste) with all of their other single friends. This little discussion of coupledom in Korea makes me wish I had some pictures of the most coupley of all Korean couples, those who go out in public dressed in the exact same outfits. It is a very popular look among young couples and really has to be seen to be understood, so if anyone out there has any pictures of Korean couple outfits that they are willing to share I'd love to see them.