Life as a Kid in Korea

What is your house like?:

Growing up in Busan, Gam lived in a large apartment. During his childhood in the countryside, Jae-min lived in a western-style house, (similar to a house in the U.S.), with his family and grandparents. 

What chores do you have at home?:

Basically to clean rooms, take out the trash, laundry, watch younger siblings and wash dishes. Parents were usually busy, so grandparents helped out, too.

What jobs do your parents have?:

Jae-min's parents both are architects and have designed buildings in Korea.

What time does school start, and what time do you go home?:

The day for Korean kids like Gam and Jae-min starts at 5 a.m. to wake up. At 6 a.m., they go to cram school (a specialized school that trains its students to achieve particular goals, most commonly to pass the entrance examinations of high schools or universities). At 8 a.m. they go to regular school. From 5 p.m., Korean kids have tutoring and cram school to get ahead of the class lesson plans. The day ends at 11 p.m. when they go home to finish up homework assigned at school. WOW - that is intense, don't you think?!

How do you get to school? Are you allowed to go to school by yourself?:

Most kids walk to school or use public transportation such as the bus or subway train on their own. Even children of preschool age are able to go to school by themselves because Korea is very safe. It's a normal sight to see children walking in the streets without adult supervision.

Where do you eat lunch? What is your favorite food?:

For lunch, both Gam and Jae-min prefer to eat Korean food rather than Western food.

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