Lesson 44

All it takes is mixing rice with your salad to get the shy kid to warm up to you.

I actually learned way more than one thing today, so I'll write a little blurb about everything. The first lesson is the most important one (to me).

(1) Charles is one of two new students in my morning class. While Thomas is not shy and talks up a storm (despite his lack of English skills), Charles has not uttered a single word since Monday. Yesterday he sat next to me during lunch and I tried to talk with him but only got nods or head-shakes. Today lunch was rice, soup, kimchi, little fish patties, and "salad" (iceberg lettuce, raisins, kiwis, peaches, and cherry tomatoes drowned in mayonnaise). I ate the mayo-drenched "salad" first (I first eat the food I like least) and there was still a bunch of mayo left on my plate, so I mixed a little bit of rice in it and ate it.

Charles froze and stared at me with wide eyes. When I finished chewing I said, "What's wrong, Charles?" He asked, "Rice... and salad?!" I nodded. "Ooweh!" he said, making a disgusted face. I ate it again and he grimaced and made an X with his forearms (the Korean way of emphasizing "no"). I suggested he try it before saying it's gross. He reluctantly did. Once he put the food in his mouth, he looked at me with a disappointed expression and shook his head as if to say, "Miss Cally, you are a big liar."

For the remainder of lunch he would point to the different foods on his plate and ask me if they tasted good mixed together. We tried different combinations and found that the fish patties in the soup with a little bit of rice were the best combination. The worst: kimchi and a kiwi from the salad.

(2) I've had a lot of behavioral issues with my class, the biggest of which is my students' inability to be even remotely silent when one person is supposed to be speaking. Every day I have discussed this rule with my students, given them warnings, and taken away stickers, and nothing seems to work. I tried out my mom's advice today and found that it worked quite well.

Jasmine is the worst offender in my afternoon class. She was chatting away with Yi-Young during afternoon message and, while Julie was trying to read aloud, I walked over to Jasmine and dragged her chair three feet back and said, "You stay right here." She instantly started tearing up, but I didn't pay any attention and continued calling on students to read the message aloud. Once everyone was finished, I told Jasmine she can join the group again if she can be quiet. She didn't interrupt anyone for the rest of the day. (I did the same thing with Ethan in my morning class - he cried a lot, but also didn't interrupt for the rest of the day.)

(3) During lunch, Julia told me that I got a package. I brought it upstairs to Kelsey's room (since no one is in there during lunch) and opened the box (which I knew contained my winter clothing). My mom had also thrown in a few little presents. I don't think I've ever been so excited about a box of homemade chocolate chip cookies and peanut butter in my life. The second Kelsey and Young heard me say, "Holy sh*t! Cookies!" they swarmed me and exclaimed, "Oh my God! Can we have some?!" The cookies had been crushed into little bite-size pieces during their long journey, making it very convenient to share with the TPs and teachers who got wind of the delicious cookies from "Cally's cool mommy." We all sat in Kelsey's room quietly munching away. Homemade cookies really bring people together.

(4) Grace (one of the TP's) overheard me talking to Jeena about yesterday's failed quest to find the Canon store. She told me she knew exactly where it is and even drew a map for me. After school I went back to Suwon Station and followed Grace's directions: Walk towards Baskin Robbins and you'll see another bus stop. In front of that bus stop is Dunkin Donuts. The Canon store is in the same building as Dunkin Donuts. I easily found the store, got my camera and left. As I walked out of the building, I nearly got hit by a car (again) as I walked past a parking garage - the same parking garage I had been standing in front of the day before.

(5) I took a taxi from Suwon Station back to my apartment. I successfully managed to do it yesterday (was very proud of myself) and I was confident enough to do it again today. This cab driver was much more talkative, despite his total inability to speak/pronounce English. He asked if I was Canadian, told me he likes America and Obama, and told me that he has three children, the oldest of which is 39. He also asked me if I'm married. I show him my lack of wedding or engagement ring. He asks, "Groom?" I tell him I'm not engaged. He asks, "Boyfriend?" I said yes and he goes, "Together?" (Uhh... that's usually what "I have a boyfriend" means.) I say yes and he starts chuckling. Awkward silence. He kept trying to ask me details about this subject and I pretended to not know what he was talking about.

When we finally got to the fish and meat market, he charged me 2,000 won less than what was on the meter. I pointed this out to him and he dismisses my comment with a wave of his hand. Then he says, "Yeppoyo." (예뻐요) I shrug and tell him I don't understand. Then he makes the "curvy body" shape in the air with his hands. He points to me and does it again. "Yeppoyo." By this point, the only thing I can make of the situation is that he's charging me less because I'm busty. I laugh awkwardly, tell him good night, and get out of the taxi. I ran into Holly on my way up to my apartment and tell her what just happened. "Oh!" she says, "He was trying to tell you that you're pretty." I felt a little relieved that it translates into "pretty" rather than "busty," otherwise things would have been more awkward than they already were. Korean language lesson of the day!