Random Observations of Korea (ROK) part 2.

Ok, before I blog about Thailand I just wanted to write a bit more about my observations of Korea and also mention some more of the kids and some of the crazy and hilarious things that come out of their mouths!

I was walking to the train station today to buy tickets for my trip to Gwangju and during the twenty minutes walk I was reminded of some of the things I love, hate and just don’t understand about Korea. (I realise that some of these things apply to other countries too, I don’t mean to generalise they are just my observations.)

Love: At the start of the main road leading up to the train station there is always a gaggle of old Korean women selling various fruits and vegetables along the pavement. It is a proper little community and reminds me of farmer markets back home. I love knowing that the money is going to the person who made the product rather than a faceless corporation that packages carrots to within an inch of their very being just for the sake of being wasteful. Although talking of wastefulness, I have noticed that many things in Korea are overly packaged. There is a huge emphasis on recycling though, and it’s very common to see often retired men pushing ox carts down the street laden with cardboard they have collected.

Hate: Spitting. No exaggeration, I heard/saw 6 men hawking up the contents of their throat and spitting it out onto the street on my little walk. I probably would have less of a problem with the whole concept if it didn’t come with sound effects. Even some women are comfortable with “hhuuucckkkk”ing up their lungs and plopping the contents onto the street, into the bathroom sink etc. Every morning I am regaled with a chorus of various throat noises-I spent my first couple of weeks searching around the apartment for what sounded like a dying animal. Yet, it’s considered rude to blow your nose at the dinner table! In a country where 90% of the food (if you exclude the rice) is spicy!? When I hear the hocking sound though, I can’t help but shudder to my very core. Surely it would be better for people to stop eating/smoking what’s making them need to splatter the pavement with phlegm.

Just don’t understand: This woman I saw might just have been the village odd job-but she was carrying two umbrellas. (No, I am not obsessed with umbrellas honest!) One was up to protect her from the sun, and the other she was just carrying…either she’s just extra cautious, or well I don’t know. It’s similar to the river power walkers who feel the need to wear visors at 9 o’clock at night!

Ok on to the kids, so today I realised that I was being a tad bit too ambitious when I expected my grade 4 class (11 in Korean age, 10 in Western) to spell 3 letter words. This was even with me prompting them with phonics and at one point gesturing frantically at the board where I had written the alphabet. “Number one, pig…..P I G.” Still I have identified a very crucial problem and in my next lesson I will start trying to remedy it. Deon and Joo-Joo kept wanting me to call “sleepy” as a word, so to give them a bonus point I called number 16: “Sleepy” Deon slept it “sleey” and Joo-Joo yelled at me for “help.” Repeat to myself three time, “they are not beyond help, they are not beyond help…..”

I had to give Grade 3’s cute little Cathy a bear hug today. Fely and me conducted question time with the kids-how are you? How’s the weather? And so on. When Cathy was asked “how are you?” she responded in Korean, Fely translated it as “lonely.” Bless her, as she was leaving I gave a hug and it seemed to cheer her up. Despite some very loud tantrums (she’s probably a Korean version of me!) she’s on my list of kids I want to smuggle home in my suitcase!

Grade one provide the most giggles though. I was teaching them occupations the other day, and I sincerely hope that if my house is ever on fire I am saved by a “fire dryer.” Joyce tried to convince me her older brother (Jerry from Grade 3) is a pack-horse, when I asked her what he does-“Is Jerry a doctor?” “NOOOO.”  “Is Jerry a student?” “Nooooo.” Grabbing my phone, which has an English-Korean/ Korean-English Dictionary she frantically typed away producing “pack horse” with a very smug look on her face. It’s incredibly cute though when the girls get concerned if I am not wearing my glasses. They certainly make my time at the Hagwon very entertaining.

I must be doing something right too, because some of the Middle School students I used to teach have requested me back as their teacher. Jo Teacher indeed!