12.01.2010

Dying thoughts.

Cold medicine post! Wahey!

I never take medicine. Ever. Because it does my head in far worse than any other person I've ever met. But today, I gave in to my co-teachers' nagging about it. Because they were probably right. Somehow they could tell I was running a fever just by looking at my face. One of those things I guess which just comes with being a career teacher for so long -- something about puffy eyes.

The good thing about teaching while looking like death is that you can often convince the students to behave better than any other normal time. They were angels. They never fail to astonish me with how compassionate they can be, when they see that you really need it. Real live tiny little human beings. One class got a bit rowdy and I simply pointed out that I was probably dying and this could be the last time I see them ever, and they didn't want me to have a bad final experience with them. And again, one of the surprising traits of the students that I can never get over, their utterly naive and gullible reactions to talk such as that. Something about the authority of being a teacher (someone who should not or does not make jokes) and the time lapse of translation in the head -- big, horrified eyes -- Teacher really dying?

No. Not really. At least I hope not. But it's something to think about, now isn't it? I could get hit by a bus at any moment. Do you want my dying thought to be, "And class 6 was so horrible to me today, as well! Especially Hyeongook!" No. No you do not.

Now I'm going to bed forever. Fuck everything, because I'm supposed to have quite a lovely rest of the week/weekend on, but now it's probably all ruined. Unless something miraculous happens between now and the time I wake up tomorrow morning. I ate extra kimchi at lunch, just in case all the hype turns out to be true. I really don't want to have my first hospital experience (outside of medchecks) in Korea though. So something had better improve.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hope you get lots of rest and feel better! At least your kids are showing some compassion :)

MikejGrey said...

Jaysus. Feel better.

Nathan said...

Hope you feel better soon :)