Yikes. So those of you reading this now (if I even have any readership to speak of anymore) realize that it has been a long time since I’ve last blogged. I’ve been busy with work and with dealing with some other things, but I know that it’s no excuse to have kept you in the dark for so long, so for that, I apologize sincerely.
When I left you, the new term was about to begin, and I now find myself starting the fourth week of said term. So far, my classes have been going pretty well. I’m teaching a couple of “regular” classes in addition to my TOEFL classes, which has been a nice change of pace. In those, the kids are younger (elementary school aged, usually around 10 or 11), a whole lot cuter, and a great deal more energetic. In most ways, this has been a good thing, especially because the class structure for these new courses gives me a lot more leeway, and thus a little time to horse around with the kids. My other TOEFL classes have been going alright so far; still a lot of blank stares and heads passed out on the desks, but I am teaching a higher level now, so a lot of my students tend to have a better grasp on the material, which makes my job a fair amount easier.
Other than teaching, life has gone on pretty normally. I went to get a haircut last week and made the mistake of not bringing a Korean friend along for the trip this time. I told myself beforehand that if I wasn’t going to go with a Korean-speaker, I’d at least carry with me a picture of myself with shorter hair to show the stylist what I wanted to look like. Alas, I took none of proper precautions, and my head paid the price. I ended up with a standard “Korean” cut, which basically means that they buzzed me just about all the way to my scalp. In the last week or so it has grown out a bit and doesn’t look as bad, but for the first few days, a couple of my coworkers were calling me “Sergeant” and saluting me every time I passed them in the hallway. Great.
At work today, we actually were treated to a real American, Thanksgiving-style meal for the “Holidays” (a term I’m pretty sure they’re using to avoid offending me and the one other Jew at school with the dreaded “C” word). Although it was about a month late, the meal was nothing to scoff at; they had mashed potatoes, stuffing, vegetables, cranberry sauce, gravy, real turkey, and even pumpkin pie! Of course it couldn't compare to Grandma’s cooking, but I took what I can get, and have to say that it couldn’t have come at a better time- my jones’in level for American food had reached an all-time high. Plus, I actually had the day off, so after stuffing my face I got to go home and lounge around on my sofa instead of having to stand teaching for the next 6 hours.
On my way to the lunch today, I passed three Korean women standing on the sidewalk, all dressed up in full Santa gear. There are a lot of Christians in Korea, and Christmas seems to be a pretty big holiday here (though probably not quite to American proportions), but it was still a funny sight; it was one of the many moments I’m walking around here where I wish I’d had my camera. In fact, we actually have Christmas day off from work, which—based on the impression I’ve hopefully given you about the intensity of the Korean education system—should be the best indication of how important the holiday is.
