The start of autumn heralded a long Chuseok break, a time greatly appreciated by students. As the first “long” break since the start of school, many students can attest to the necessity of such a break after working hard for the first month of school. 

Chuseok, an annual national holiday in Korea, is the equivalent of American Thanksgiving. During the holiday, families in Korea come together to pay respects to their ancestors. It is also known for a time where the family is truly united and days are spent participating in family-friendly games such as 윷놀이 (Yutnori) and engaging in conversations. Chuseok is more than just a holiday—it is a long standing tradition that holds many Korean values to it.

“I had a well-fulfilled Chuseok break,” Joonmo Ahn (11), varsity athlete and expert photographer, said, “I really love taking photos so that’s what I spent most of my time doing. Pictures don’t have to be taken somewhere special, you just need more practice.”

Likewise, many students spent their break doing their hobbies. Not surprisingly, most of the students spent Chuseok with their family, meeting up for the first time in a while. Many believed that they should have spent the break resting and having fun. 

Others used Chuseok for different purposes, and instead lamented that they did not spend more time being productive during the long holiday. Athletes and seniors focused especially on their training and college applications.

“Over the Chuseok break, I spent most of my time focused on running,” Chris Ahn (10), avid runner, said. “Ms. Kurbel and Ms. Wessels gave us a great running program to follow during the break, which really helped me stay active. Thanks to their plan, I made sure to run for at least 30 minutes every day. It felt good to keep up with a daily routine, and running regularly helped me build my endurance. The program gave me clear goals to follow, which made it easier to stay motivated and keep improving.”

While catching up with family and catching up on sleep are good, many students were not only focusing on getting rest, but also preparing for upcoming tests and sports meets. This proved that, despite the long break, they had not lost their focus as students.

Teachers also expressed their relief of having a break in a while. Despite the new school year having only started around one month ago, there was still much to be done. Some expressed sentiments that they had wished for a longer break that would have allowed them some room.

“I didn’t do much over the long break,” Dale Fiess, environmental science teacher, said, “I honestly really did nothing because I had a lot of work to catch up on. The break was too short to go on a trip long enough.”

They had expressed their hopes for a relaxing break, but they were instead met with the reality of spending most of their time grading assignments. Like Mr. Fiess, many teachers had encountered complications when dealing with plans for the break, often having to decide between spending time with family or catching up with past work. Some longed to spend meaningful time with their loved ones back in their home country, but could not, due to the awkward timeframe. 

While not all were successful in their endeavors, Chuseok still provided time for a reset, whether it be their physical condition, overdue work, or family meet-ups, proving to be a valuable and much-needed break.