In today’s lesson, you will go over these questions. Use them as a guideline to your conversation, but you’re welcome to deviate if any other interesting topics come up. 
- What did you do on New Year’s Day?
- How do you normally celebrate New Year’s Day? Do you (or your family) have a unique way of celebrating it?
- What are you looking forward to this year? If you aren’t looking forward to this year, why aren’t you?
Useful expressions: Here are some sample answers with useful expressions. Read the sentences out loud and go over the meaning with your tutor.
The entire family get together at my grandpa’s place and we have the traditional ceremony to pay respect to our ancestors in the morning of the New Year’s Day.
- Get together: gather or assemble socially or to cooperate
- Someone’s place: someone’s home
- Pay respect to someone: to honor someone after their death, usually by going to the person’s funeral
We always share a large meal family-style, with grandma’s signature dumplings. Traditional Korean glutinous rice cake is one of my all-time-favorite holiday dishes.
- Family style: designating a style of preparation or serving of food in which diners help themselves from plates of food that have been put on the table
- Someone’s signature dish: a recipe that identifies an individual chef
- Glutinous (or sticky) rice: 주로 동남아에서 먹는 음식을 가르키나 약식도 이렇게 부를 수 있을 듯
- All-time-favorite: favorite of all choices, during all times
- Holiday dish: special dish prepared for holidays such as turkey and cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving in the US and Yule log for Christmas
Instead of the Chinese red envelopes, Koreans get freshly minted money from their parents and grand parents as well as pep talks to wish a good year.
- (Chinese) red envelope: a monetary gift which is given during holidays or special occasions such as weddings
- Freshly minted money: 새돈
- Pep talk: a talk intended to make someone feel more courageous or enthusiastic