I woke up the morning of Tuesday, October 25th to mouth-watering smells wafting from the kitchen. Since I already had plans to have dinner with my friends, my host mother surprised me with an incredible birthday breakfast. She made delicious, tender marinated beef, which is usually reserved for special occasions and gatherings. In addition, she made me seaweed soup, which Koreans customarily eat on their birthdays. Last but not least, she baked me a sponge cake from scratch that was topped with vanilla icing and sliced fruit. Seriously, this woman is a rock star. God only know what time she had to wakeup in the morning to get all of this done. Then, my host family presented me with some adorable gifts.
Once I arrived at school, there were more surprises waiting for me. My (real) mom managed to find a way to have a chocolate cake and flowers delivered to my desk. The other teachers in my office got a real kick out of it. P.S. Mom, they think you have super powers. Notice, the cake count is at 2 and it's not even 10:00am. Also, if you look at the cake #2, you will notice that Koreans often say "Congratulations" on your birthday, as if it is such an grand achievement to turn a year older. A little odd, but endearing, I suppose.
For my birthday, I also received some thoughtful cards and gifts from loved ones back in the States. It's nice to know that even though I'm far away, I'm still remembered and cared about. Thank you all for your kind words and messages. They really put a smile on my face and made my day all that more special.
Sometime in September, a group of students asked me when my birthday was and promised that they'd remember. They definitely lived up to their word and somehow managed to spread the news around the entire school. I couldn't walk a step out of my office without being accosted by students screaming "Happy Birthday" down the hallway. I was serenaded with the birthday song in every class that I taught that day. Students late to class even had to do solo renditions for me. It was highly entertaining and the other students had a blast clapping along.
Inititally, I didn't expect much from this day because I knew that I still had to teach my weekly club class from 7:00-8:30pm. I thought that this commitment would hinder my ability to celebrate properly with friends. However, I got permission from the school to take my 6 club class students out of school and bring them to my birthday dinner. Immediately before departing for dinner, they each presented me with a card and/or gift. I almost starting crying on the spot.
Though I have only taught them for 8 weeks, I have come to form a strong relationship with each of my club class students. Since the class is so small, I've been able to get to know them on a personal level. Unfortunately, my school only allows club classes to meet for a total of 20 hours. So this birthday dinner marked our second to last meeting. It was quite a depressing realization. For my students, it meant that they would have to return early to mandatory self-studying time and for me, it meant that I'd have to recuit new students for my club class. ㅠㅠ (Korean emoticon for crying)
While I could still see these students in my regular weekly classes, I knew that it wouldn't be the same. They were the first students that I bonded with and I credit them with helping me feel comfortable in the classroom. At the beginning, they were obsentibly nervous about speaking with a native teacher and hesitant to express their ideas. And by the end, they blossomed into confident English speakers, with whom I could debate or joke around with. Whew, enough of the sad stuff. I have no doubt that we'll keep in touch through texting and visits in-between classes. Here are some more of their adorable cards and gifts.
I was so excited to introduce my students to my friends. What a better way to culminate our time together than for them to practice speaking with a whole group of native English speakers. In total, 7 of my Daejeon Fulbright friends showed up. I was really touched that all of these people took time from their busy schedules to help celebrate my special day. We met up at a restaurant right next to my school that serves 춘천 닭갈비 (chicken and vegetables topped with spicy gochujang sauce). The food is prepared on a big hot skillet in front of you and then afterwards, you mix the remnants with rice to make a delectable fried rice. YUM!
My friends also surprised me with my third cake of the day; this time, a delicious coffee-flavored cake. Despite the fact that restaurant was full of other diners, they insisted on singing "Happy Birthday" to me for perhaps the 20th time that day. It was so nice to see everyone together. My students had a great time, too. Immediately after dinner, they sent me a plethora of text messages, gushing about how fun the evening was and inquiring about when they'd be able to hang out with everyone again.
All in all, it was an amazing day. I really couldn't have asked for anything more. I am truly blessed to have such wonderful people in my life, who go out of their way to make me feel special. Here's to another year of new experiences, fun adventures, and of course, good company.
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