Reasons, cont.

Reasons why I love Old Coteacher:

1. When she asked about the situation with my grandfather today, and I told her, she gave me a look and paused, stuttered before speaking. I looked at her and said, "You're right. I have some hard decisions to make." She nodded and patted me on the shoulder.

In other news, my students managed something they haven't for a long long while today: creeping me the fuck out. They try, constantly, but rarely achieve it. We were working on making excuses, and I was teaching them about the standard cliche line for turning down a date: "I have to wash my hair." When, suddenly, I hear them start to chime up in Korean: "I'll wash it for her!"

Gross, guys. Gughoaienklfmnelknagter.

The first graders had a full-on weoneomin experience on the street today, and the neighborhood got a bit of a show. I had stopped in a stationary store to pick up a few things for the lesson I was doing with the boys at the center tonight. When I walked out, a group of them were standing down the sidewalk from me. I turned and walked in the opposite direction, when suddenly I heard, "HEY SAEKSHI GULL!" called out from behind me.

Uh. No.

I turned on my heels. You never seen a group of boys scatter so damn fast. No.

"야! 이리와!"

They were shocked to hear some of my best Korean come flying out of my mouth, as were the ajeosshi gathered around outside the restaurants on the sidewalk. They froze, came back and lined up in front of me, with their heads down.

"누구 누구 누구!"

It was like a Mexican standoff with every boy pointing to someone different, who wasn't himself.

Now. I don't want to start off on the wrong foot with these boys. They haven't stepped foot in my classroom, only seen me around, and they don't, at this point, see me as anything other than a random persona-less foreign face. The power of what happens when they speak English to me hasn't clicked for them yet. So I don't want to come down too hard on them, or send the message that I'm some kind of fucking bitch. But, at the same time, it was the second time inside of fifteen minutes that I had had "saekshi gull!" screamed at me on the street. The sooner they realize that that's not okay, the better. You gotta strike a balance with these things. I don't want them starting off afraid of me.

So. Once I had them all lined up in a proper posture of respect, shaking and turning red, I said:

"야. 내 두눈을 봐봐. 난... 선생님이야. Sexy girl, 아니. 알겠어?"

Laughter all around at the repetition of the phrase "sexy girl". Neh. Ahlgaesseoyo.