Did I mention that it’s monsoon season?

Weather.com predicted 100% chance of rain today and they were
(unfortunately) correct. Crocs were definitely the best choice for
this trip. The rain was steady and heavy, and forced the cancellation
of several activities, including the tour of the royal palace and
sufficient time to explore the Korea House, a replica of a 14th
century estate house and gardens.
So, instead we moved forward with as much of the itinerary as we
could. We met this morning with the principal of the host school,
Seoul Foreign Language School, then toured the facility. The culture
here fuels academic competition to a fierce degree. All students
declare a primary foreign language (English, French, German, Chinese,
and Japanese), and also elect a second language to study. A third
language is randomly selected as well. Students in this private school
attend classes from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. Students eat dinner for an
hour and then study from 6:00-10:00 pm in assigned areas of the
school. To further encourage preparation and study, students are
assigned to study areas in three groups by academic standing. The
majority of students study in classrooms. Students ranked 26-50 are
seated by standing at study carrels with upgraded seats and lighting
in a special room of the library. Students ranked 1-25 are seated in a
premium section of the library, with special ergonomic chairs, larger
carrels, and lockable storage at each seat. All seats are numbered,
and so all students are keenly aware of their standing at all times.
Classes are held Monday through Friday, plus Monday through Saturday
every other week for a total of 220 school days per year. Maybe
"fierce academic competition" is does not adequately describe the
atmosphere! The extra-curricular activities are reserved for the week
following exams, when student rehearse and practice to present a
Festival. The schedule during that week is different – practice
replaces study in the evenings, but end at 11:00 pm. The pace and
demands put on students is (by my standards) beyond imagination, but
the students seem to take it in stride.
We spent the latter part of the morning at a Korean Culinary
Institute, where we learned to make scallion pancakes and a marinated
beef dish. The afternoon was spent at the Korea House, where we dodged
the rain and learned to make Korean rice paper wedding boxes.
Lastly, On last evening's activities: our hosts took us to see the
World Cup soccer stadium and gardens, a Korean produce market, and an
area best described as a Greenwich Village-type neighborhood, with
narrow winding streets, cafes karaoke lounges, and restaurants.
Tomorrow: Jeju Island, the Hawaii of Korea.