Yes, it's true...this girl will NOT leave me alone. For the past two days, she has sat literally right next to my chair while I work, asking me incessant questions in Korean while I am actually trying to get stuff done. I feel so bad because I get so irritated, but I obviously don't know ANY Korean...you'd think she'd quit, but no! She stays up there with me for HOURS! She is one of our learning disabled kids, I guess, and I feel bad for her because she's really left out in class and doesn't seem that dumb (she keeps looking through the English-Korean dictionary and trying out words on me, and seems to know some English words, at least), though I suppose her behavior would perhaps indicate that all is not well upstairs. I hope she forgets about me by Monday. As much as I'd like to spend time with kids at school, I really do hate doing my work at home, which she especially seems determined to force me to do. Argh!
Today I found out that my co-teacher and principal will both be leaving the school at the end of the school year in December. I feel like my world is falling apart. I really like them both, especially my co-teacher, and I am really sad that he is leaving. What will I do??? He was quick to assure me that I am very famous in this area and there will be many volunteers for his position, but somehow I think the double allure of the booming metropolis of Hongsan and working with a linguistically-challenged foreigner will not prove to be enticing to many. Even if it is, he's really irreplaceable, in my book. Man o man, what if I end up with a horrible new principal AND co-teacher, when both were sooo perfect to begin with? I can't remember if I mentioned this earlier, but teachers tend to move around a lot here. In public schools, they are actually REQUIRED to move after five years. It seems crazy and difficult for teachers in particular, especially when compared to the system to which I am accustomed, where teachers stay at the same school for their entire careers, but I guess you do manage to spread around teaching talent this way and bring good teachers to places like Hongsan. My co-teacher is leaving early, though. I don't think he likes the school that much. He doesn't get to teach anymore and it's over an hour away from his house. Poor guy.
I was also thinking today that I haven't had time to really collect my thoughts and impressions of the last few weeks, since it's all been so hectic, and I am becoming really stressed out. I seriously don't know how I managed school, if this is so hard for me right now! I guess there I could only let myself down, whereas here I basically have 5000 people counting on me to do a fabulous job. It's awesome.
The second grade teacher, the one who lived in Canada for three years but is too shy to use her English with me, approached me the other day while we were working outside. She had a grasshopper in her hand and asked me what the English name was. She was highly amused by my answer. I hadn't thought about it before, but it really is a funny name!