Twas the Night Before Christmas...in Korea

‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through Gwangju
Everywhere was busy, the streets were a zoo.
People were walking and talking without a care,
Despite there was a threat of snow in the air.

Rather than being nestled and snug in their beds,
Students were forced to learn English instead.
We quickly learned Christmas Eve isn’t special here,
It is just an ordinary day of the year.

This bit of news made Eric and I quite sad,
However we would not let our Christmas go bad.
With the flip of a switch and some researching too,
We quickly found something fun to do.

We bundled up in our scarves and our coats,
And on the way out we grab some 10,000 won notes.
We ran underground to where the subway lay
And after waiting five minutes we were on our way.

We passed: Nonseong and Hwajung and Sangchung too,
Until we finally found ourselves in Sangmu.
We climbed our way up to the street up above,
All I could think was “thank God I have gloves.”

We turned to our left and walked up the street,
Both Eric and I could not feel our feet.
We walked and we walked and we walked a bit more,
Until we encountered a big yellow store.

There E-Mart was across from the park,
It provided a break from the cold and the dark.
We walked up and down the aisles of treats,
Looking for snacks and drinks which could be discreet.

We were off to see a movie next door
And we needed some drinks to sneak through the door.
We both agree theater prices are little bit whack,
And that’s why we always bring our own snack.

With soda and candy bars shoved our pockets,
We made our way to the front ticket office.
“Two for the The Tourist, please.” We said.
“The one at 9:30?” The clerk said, cocking his head.

“Yes that’s the one, two tickets please.”
The clerk understood us with surprising ease.
With snacks in our pants and tickets in tow,
We were now ready to enjoy the big show.

The movie was over and much fun was had,
But now it was time to call us a cab.
We made it home just before midnight,
And decided it was time to turn off the lights.

Lying all nestled and snug in our bed,
Images of past Christmases danced in our heads.
Sure we’d miss the potatoes and roast,
But we have each other and that matters most.

So before we closed our eyes real tight,
We whispered, “Merry Christmas my dear, and I bid you goodnight.”