"Oh Happy Day!"

Best day EVER.

As I'm walking up the ramp to school today, I hear, "A-mar-u-ta teach-aaaaaaaaaaaaa!" I quickly turn around expecting to see a little Korean child with blood gushing from his forehead but instead, I'm greeted by the sight of one of my little 5th graders beaming and holding out a golden box. He giggles, "Teach-a this for you! Pepero!" and runs back to his posse.

Pepero is a popular Korean snack. Much like the Japanese Pocky sticks, Pepero are sticks dipped in chocolate (or another flavour). I love love looooooooooooooooove Pepero! If you were to take a random look in my kitchen cupboard you would see just how much I love Pepero; I have boxes and boxes of the stuff in there! So, you can imagine just how excited I am when my little student hands me over a big gold box of Pepero.

I continue walking up to the school and something seems to be up. I see Pepero everywhere! Pepero in students' hands. Empty Pepero packages lying on the ground. Pepero boxes peeking out of students' backpacks. PEPERO PEPERO PEPERO!!!!!! (by the way, you're badass if you can say that 10 times fast). Four more students approach me with a variety of Pepero. What the hell is going on?! Finally, somebody lets me in on the mystery. Get this. Today is...PEPERO DAY!!!!!!

Every year on Nov. 11, young Koreans exchange Pepero to show that they like or love someone. It's almost like a Korean Valentine's Day. Can you guess why Nov. 11 is such an appropriate day to celebrate Pepero? The date 11.11 resembles the Pepero sticks. I wonder if next year's P-Day will be even more off the hook (i.e. 11.11.11). I can see it now: "PEPERO FESTIVAL 11.11.11." There will be people dressed as Pepero, giant Pepero sticks, Pepero decorations and so on. Maybe President Lee will give a televised speech on the significance of Pepero in the lives of Korean citizens. LOL. Ok, I'm getting ahead of myself.

Regardless of the humour I find in the existence of a P-Day, I'm sure not complaining about it! I'm so down with P-Day! Who knew chocolate-covered buscuit sticks would bring such joy to my life?

P.S. P-Day is so big that there's a video to promote it: http://www.pepero.co.kr/img/flash/ani/ani03.swf