빨리 말해.

Oh man. Quickly, now, because my girls are coming to see me at work today (since I have nothing else to do). That is, YJ and YL, two daughters of a teacher I work with. I usually see them for hours every week, but it's been nearly two months. I'm dead excited. And a little bit wary. Their mother told me that the youngest, YL, has not been at all herself lately. Worries that she feels depressed, or is getting hassled at school. YL has such an unbelievably outgoing personality that it's hard for someone like me, who was dead quiet at school and also mostly at home growing up, to imagine that. But her mother asked me to see if I could get her to talk about what's going on, because she's not having any luck working it out for herself. Anyway. I'm excited to see them. And I'm excited for the spring weather to go ahead and finally show up, so that we can spend more time doing things outside together.

I've been really, really worried about my replacement co-teachers at work. Last week, Co informed me that all but one of the incoming English teachers were "old" and that she was really worried about me next year. But yesterday, as I was walking down the stairs to leave the building at lunch time, I ran smack into a familiar face -- one of the teachers I taught at a training course a year ago. "LIZ!" She ran over and grabbed my hands and asked me how my brother in the Navy is doing and all kinds of other things. She was a big fan of my session at the training course, because .... well, because I don't entirely feel comfortable lecturing actual proper teachers, and mostly just "led" them in conversation about cultural issues between themselves and their weoneomin instead. Aka, I just asked questions and let them talk.

Turns out, this is the P's BFF. She dragged me out of the building and into the VP's car, and I was shuttled off to lunch with them against my will. She spent the entire time in the car raving about me to the VP, who really just could not give a shit, and then most of lunch doing the same to the P, who looked slightly uncomfortable.

Anyway. It's a load off that I know she won't hate me, at least. And also, she asked if I had signed a new contract with the school. I told her I had, and would be there until October. "ONLY October?! Why are you leaving in October?" Because your best friend is kind of a jerk who thinks that the foreign teacher is not really a teacher, but kind of a sideshow, and therefore would prefer to replace me with a "different kind" of foreigner who is a brand new teacher and has no idea what they're doing?

"I don't know."

"No. You stay."

Well, okay then. At least I know I'll have someone to go to bat for me when August rolls around. And as far as I can tell, she's a fucking force to be reckoned with.