My co-teacher is STILL out sick, so I have been muddling my way through school affairs as best as I can so far this week. The whole cancellation without notice policy has definitely become a permanent feature of my life at the school. I just wonder if before they were being overly considerate because I was a new teacher and now they think I am broken in, or if it’s just a busy time. My kids never missed a class that I can remember until after Chusok, and now it’s almost more normal to NOT have class. I was stressing out a little bit because I feel this pressure to finish the material I had outlined at the beginning of the semester and had already fallen behind (because I beat the info into their little heads), but now I’ve become resigned to it as simply a feature of Korean academics and I will just do the best I can with the time I have been given. It’s weird, though…it’s not like they’re canceling the supplementary English class, as happens in the case of other ETAs. I am the only English teacher, so they’re just missing out on that subject. I can’t be held accountable if they don’t show up for our time together. Normally, I would be a little more frustrated with the situation, but it never fails that some absurdly cute little tyke will show up at just the moment when I am feeling the worst and immediately cheer me. It’s possible that I would have let myself sink into some cultural blues without the constant upper their presence provides. I expect it will get better, though…at least, that’s what all the cultural adjustment literature says. I am not sure if I am suffering from culture shock, really, but if neglect is an important aspect of Korean life, then I guess I am having trouble adjusting…as I should, I believe!
Anyway…new topic. I went out with the SK guys for some drinks last night, and it was highly amusing. We had an awkward lesson, unfortunately, and they requested that I start teaching them from this horribly boring book, but I guess they’re tired of me winging it. Well, if that’s what they want…less work for me, anyway! I was a little offended, but they haven’t liked anything I have bothered to prepare, so whatever. I am not getting paid, so I shouldn’t be spending as much time on their lessons as I have been. Chillin’ at the bar was fun, though. We had a couple pitchers and some fruit and talked a bit…awkward, but they loosened up some as the pitchers were depleted. Unfortunately, the one guy (whose name I am not sure of!) had some kind of eye irritation that was aggravated by alcohol, so he only drank a couple glasses, leaving me and Mr. Nam to down an obscene amount of Hite. During the course of the night, I found out that the other guy was at one point a level 2 black belt in judo but currently enjoys only watching sports and is a huge Korean drama fan. Oh, and he’s a ridiculously fast driver who has memorized where all the speed cameras are on the way to his home in Incheon and has broken many bones in random accidents. It’s amazing what you can find out about people even when you can’t speak that well, for he is definitely not a strong English student. Mr. Nam spent quite a bit of time discussing me, a topic which makes me a bit uncomfortable but as it mostly consists of compliments, it’s not too bad. He asked me about my boyfriend yet again, and since I don’t have one, he offered to help me. It’s nice, but am I really a charity case? And also, the last sort of man I desire is a fifty-year-old engineer. I tried to tell him I was doing well enough on my own, but I suppose he takes the fact that I am currently single to be indisputable proof that I require intervention. I dearly hope this idea does not extend past the one drunken conversation. He then informed me that he thinks I should date a fellow vegetarian and proceeded to reassure me that I was a great girl, a “model woman”, even. It was meant in the kindest way, I suppose, but it is a bit of a sore subject. I’ve only been lamenting about my inability to capture anyone beyond two minutes for the past four years, for goodness sakes! I’d like to think that my single status has more to do with my pickiness than my appeal as a potential gf, but who knows. One thing is certain…it’s not on my mind in Korea. We then got onto the strange subject of smells again. He has several strong opinions in this realm, surprisingly. For one thing, he is convinced that Americans hate garlic and think Koreans have a garlicky smell because they eat it so often. I tried to tell him that I actually eat just as much, if not more, garlic in America and I have not found a single Korean who smells, but I don’t think he heard a word I said. It’s funny how many completely unfounded generalizations of Americans he clings onto. On a personal level, he also thinks I don’t smell because I don’t eat meat. This is where the monkey discussion comes into play. He leans over, looks at me, and says, “Jen, you eat like a monkey.” I was taken aback, of course…I mean, I do like bananas, but I am hardly in the habit of eating lice out of hair and such. I started to imitate a monkey, and then he quickly corrected himself—“I mean, a monk!” Ah. I guess most of the vegetarians in his experience have been monks. A strange comparison, but who am I to argue?