Some students did not spend this Thanksgiving break efficiently. Most juniors were busily preparing for the upcoming December SAT, while many teachers were saving up for the Christmas break that is just a few weeks away. Nonetheless, a few teachers and students worked to distinguish their Thanksgiving, by taking special trips.

Mr. Ames, a history teacher, had a very exciting two-day trip to Busan from Wednesday evening and to Friday evening. He decided to travel to Busan because of his wife who lives there.

“I have been there many times, so sightseeing and going to the beach was not meaningful,” said Mr. Ames. He did not want to waste his time touring Busan, and rather wanted to spend his few days with his wife.

Since he could not stay there for long, they had a very nice Thanksgiving dinner with turkey and mashed potatoes at a famous restaurant that his wife knew. Though most people preferred to eat seafood in Busan, Mr. Ames, who is not a seafood lover, wanted to eat pork neck.

After visiting his wife, Mr. Ames had a baseball match in Gapeong. He is part of a The Seoul Baseball League, league where foreigners and Koreans who love baseball get together and have friendly baseball matches. According to Mr. Ames, this league was made to help the sharing of different cultures, to exercise, and most importantly, to have fun. Though the baseball field was lightly covered in snow, the team dusted and shoveled the snow so that they could have the final match of the season. The weather got worse and worse as the game went on, so the game was cut off short in the second inning.

“I had a lot more fun spending my break with people who I loved and doing what I loved to do,” said Mr. Ames.

Multiple students also traveled abroad. Emily Bae (10) went on a trip to New York. Emily and a few of her friends competed in a mock trial competition called Empire New York Mock Trial. Luckily, her hotel, Crown Plaza, was right in front of Times Square so she was able to enjoy the city atmosphere during her leisure times. The mock trial would begin 10 A.M. and end after two rounds. An example of a mock trial topic was a prisoner who got abused in prison and committed suicide.

“If I stayed in Seoul, I would have slept half of the day and played half of the day. My use of time in New York was a lot more productive and fun,” Emily said.

Although she was there for five days, she mainly only had one full day for leisure activities. Right as the free day started, she went straight to Sephora. She and her roommate, Eileen Kwon (10), spent the whole day shopping for cosmetics and clothes and eating American cuisine.

As the days of her break were coming close to an end, she reflected on the joy of being able to travel across the world to do something she loved. Although she did not win the competition, she said that the experience was worth it.

While many might be rolling around in beds, waking up at noon, playing with their friends, and going to academies, going out of the town and doing something new left Mr. Ames and Emily with more meaningful memories.