To celebrate the tradition of Christmas, the FC music department gathered to present the third year of ‘Round the Table Carol Sing,’ which took place for two consecutive evenings, Dec. 12-13, in the FC gym. Groups including bands, choirs and clubs performed.

This is my third year participating in the concert and it gave me a whole other perspective to my experience living in the U.S., coming from South Korea.

Just as in America, many celebrate Christmas in churches and Christian schools. However, compared to the numerous decorations, perfomances and gifts in the U.S., a lot less is to be expected in Korea.

Unlike in the U.S., children, usually ranging from one through fifteen years old, receive gifts. After, parents often stop providing gifts. When the typical Korean parents believe that their kids are mature enough, they will discontinue giving presents. However, many start trading gifts again when the children become adults.

Most elementary schools perform Christmas concerts with very few performances. However, as many students grow older and blend into busy high school life, insurmountable homework and tests, Christmas becomes meaningless to them.

In addition, music departments do not exist in numerous public schools in Korea, so nothing is to be expected during the Christmas season. Moreover, many attend schools even on Christmas day, especially the junior students in high school. They have no opportunity to relax even on Christmas day and celebrate Christmas.

It is unfortunate that I cannot celebrate Christmas with my parents who live in Korea. At the same time, even if I were in Korea, my parents would force me to study for the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) because Koreans highly value good education. However, I felt very fortunate enough to perform in jazz band and percussion group in front of many audiences for this Christmas season in the U.S..

For more opinions, read the Dec. 10 article, College Corner: Tips on scoring cash for college.