The Things People Say
My Mom always says that if she had a nickel for all the funny things her students said, she'd be rich. Well, I say if I had a nickel for all the funny things Koreans say to me, I'd be rich, and I've only been here for five months. Here are some highlights from this week:
1. We were doing an activity in class that involved the word 'pickle.' One of my students was confused by this word until she said, "Pickle...Pizza?!" Of course, if you are a normal person, pickles and pizza don't really go together, but in Korea you always get a side dish of pickles with your pizza.
2. Speaking of side dishes, one of the teachers in my conversation class asked what side dishes we ate at home. I then received horrified looks when it was discovered that we don't eat side dishes at home.
3. When I get a ride to my country school on Thursday and Friday, we always listen to the Korean radio and every morning they have an English expression that the teach all the listeners (which I think is most of Korea). Last week it was "get off your butt," this week it was "speechless." Now I know why all the Koreans seem to know some strange expression (like Campus Couple, everyone gets really excited when they learn that Jordan and I are a "campus couple." I've never heard this expression before, but all the Koreans use it and are excited about it.)
4. The principal came to observe the new English room at my city school this week. Or course this meant that I had to have an alternate lesson plan which involved using the new and fancy touch screen/tv screen/electronic white board. At the end he said I was the "number 1 teacher," I guess because I smiled through the whole lesson.
5. Yesterday after my students asked me the usual question "do you have babies?" Ms Park started telling me how Korea was a good place to have babies. To try and raise my maternal status after claiming I wasn't having babies for a long time I told her how we were getting a bunny this weekend. This did not impress Ms Park and she explained that "babies and better than bunnies."
Living well
This week's lesson for the Chungju Middle School 3rd-years involved asking students what they thought it meant to "live well":
Class 1: "Money!"
Class 2: "Money!"
Class 3: "Money!"
Class 4: "Money!"
Class 5: "Money!"
Class 6: "Money!"
Class 7: "Do the volunteer work!"
Me: "Yeah, yeah, mon... wait, what?"
Class 7: "Volunteer!"
Me: "Are... are you serious?"
Class 7: "What? Yes! Yes! Volunteer!"
Me: "You are such a good class! Everyone else said 'money.'"
Class 7: "Oh. Answer change! Money!"
Me: "...I am not surprised."
Class 7: "Money! Money! Money!"
Class 8: "Money!"
my pregnant Korean wife
my pregnant Korean wife thinks its the perfect craving combo: pizza and pickles. she has talked the local dominoes into sending her four xtra pickle side dishes with each pizza when she orders. She says Koreans think pickles are America's kimchi.
yeah for pickles!
Thanks, Ben, for adding the Korean perspective. It must make Koreans feel a little bit better about America, thinking that we, too, have our own version of kimchee! :-)
campus couple!
I like it! You 2 are truly a campus couple. You could title your book that, about dating at Bethel - it might even be, "from campus couple to..." (whatever you want it to be to). Sweet. :-)
@Matthew: that's hillarious.
@Matthew: that's hillarious.