Sports Day

Now I better understand Mario Party and Mario Kart. I used to wonder where the Japanese got their ideas for the games. I am extrapolating a bit, but after witnessing "Sports Day" at one of elementary schools in Korea I can relate to what is in the game.

If you ever play battle mode in Mario Kart the point is to be the last man driving with some balloons intact. Each player starts out with 3 balloons. The goal is to pop the other players' balloons while driving around a course. Well, I saw this but LIVE!

There were two lines of students. Each student standing had a balloon tied around his or her foot. To make it more interesting the bigger students had the carry the younger students on their backs. At the sound of the fake gun team1 had to pop all of team2's balloons by stomping on them. I had a really good laugh watching the kids.

Another game that is played in Mario Party is a type of fishing game. You fish for things instead of fish. The teachers constructed a "box". It was a wheelbarrow wrapped with a huge blue tarp. You had two lines again. This time it wasn't the students. It was the students' grandparents. So you have all of these old Korean people in two lines. One person got a fishing pole with a non-dangerous hook at the end. They had to use the fishing pole and go fishing in the "box". You all remember how that was constructed... So in goes the first pole and viola! The grandfather hooked a bottle of oil! I know he was thinking, "Yes, just what I wanted!"

The next grandmother to go hooked a multitude of sponges. Wooohooo! Hold on to your pants. After each "catch", the grandparents returned to their respective lines and passed the pole down. I saw a small bag of rice come out, some vinegar, hand towels, a small pot. This was the best fishing day ever for these old folks. They were sweating in the sun, but I know deep down they were happy fishing for prizes.

The best part is tug of war. I think I'll just let the picture speak for itself. If you have trouble seeing...yes that is a grandmother holdin' it down on the end. This is to all the 하라보지's and 할모니's out there. Work it!