After hearing such shocking news, I really needed to talk it out with a friend. What better way to do it than over tasty meal and wine? Following dinner, I admittedly purchased a new sweater, 2 skirts, and a box of chocolates. Don't judge - I firmly believe in the power of retail and sugar therapy. After that, I went to the gym and spent over an hour on the treadmill, lost in thought. I'm not 100% healthy but well enough that I've been able to start going back to the gym again. The doctor at the clinic advised me not to run, as it would just re-aggravate my bronchial infection, so I've come to master the art of speed-walking. Definitely not what I'm used to, but at least I can exercise again without coughing up a lung.
Wednesday was kind of a frustrating day. I taught my first class, according to plan. But my second and fourth classes were canceled because the grieving homeroom teacher wanted to teach these classes herself and asked for me not to come. I suspect that she is suffering from immense guilt and can't bare to be away from her students for even just one class period. Nonetheless, I stuck around all afternoon because I expected to teach my third class, as planned. I was wary about teaching this class because I knew that it would be held in the homeroom classroom of the suicide victim. But since I didn't hear anything to the contrary, I showed up and started setting up for begin my lesson.
I was already in an emotionally vulnerable state because I saw wreath of flowers and bouquet adorning the victim's desk. Smack dab in the middle of the room, it was impossible to ignore or look away. But then, things got worse. Right before the bell rang, another English teacher rushed into the classroom and reprimanded me for showing up. She blatantly questioned my motives for coming and suggested that I was being insensitive, considering the recent tragedy. I was utterly shocked. No one had bothered to warn me that my presence might exacerbate the already grim situation.
That really rubbed me the wrong way. How was I to know that another English teacher planned to take over my class or that the school felt that the victim's friends weren't emotionally prepared to sit through my lesson. It is quite common for Korean schools to exhibit this lapse of communication. It seems that I don't find out about schedule changes or class cancellations until the last possible minute, and it isn't just because I'm a foreign teacher. This also seems true for other teachers at my school. So pretty much, my day was finished at 10:10am, but due to a miscommunication, I ended up staying until 4:10pm . Needless to say, I was pretty cranky by the end of the day.
Fortunately, I had a sweet surprise to look forward to. After school, a bunch of Fulbrights congregated in Rachael's apartment for a Christmas cookie baking party. Rachael had a huge bag of almonds and a jar of cinnamon that she was looking to get rid of. So, I found a simple recipe that would use up both ingredients. We also made basic sugar cookies with festive sprinkles, sugar cookies with a Hershey kiss pressed into the middle, and chocolate chip cookies - all from scratch. One issue we confronted was how to finely grind the almonds, without a food mixer. But with a little resourcefulness, a frying pan, and endless (wo)man power, we managed to smash up the almonds into sufficiently small pieces.
While listening to the Glee Christmas soundtrack on repeat, we sat around her little Christmas tree and mixed ingredients for the dough. Ovens are a rare commodity in Korea and those that do exist never come bigger than a standard toaster-oven size. Therefore, we could only bake a few cookies at a time. But it was totally worth the wait and extra effort. The cookies came out great!
And then, we decided to have a holiday photo-shoot. It got kinda silly and ridiculous at the end. We ate as many cookies as we could and then split the rest to take home. My host siblings were so surprised when I presented them with the bag of homemade cookies. Needless to say, they disappeared within 10 minutes of arriving home.
Teaching is always unpredictable and exciting. Thursday was no different. Last week's lesson consisted of a game that helped review vocab words for the students' upcoming exam. I was teaching one of my favorite A-level classes of the week, when something truly unexpected occurred. One question asked, "Name 2 people that you admire and why" (admire, being the target word). One student quickly raised her hand and eloquently answered, "My father because he is a doctor and I, too, hope to follow that career path someday." As she paused to think of an equally impressive second answer, all of her friends began screaming "Eminem! Eminem!"
My mind was taken for a loop. I thought to myself, "there's no way they're referring to the famous American rapper." But sure enough, the student gave in and responded, "Fine... Eminem, because he's a talented rapper and I enjoy his music." Then, like a chorus symphony in perfect unison, all of her classmates began chanting, "Rap! Rap! Rap!" The student was ostensibly embarrassed to be put on the spot. But as soon as I promised to double her team's points, she gave in and broke out into a perfect rendition of Eminem's recent hit, "Love the Way You Lie."
Immediately, my jaw dropped to the ground and all her classmates covered their ears, perhaps in fear that the rap would corrupt their innocent minds. She managed to get through the entire first verse and the chorus before both she and I broke out into laughter. In addition to being thoroughly amused, I was so impressed by her impeccable pronunciation, rhythm, and delivery. This performance spoke volumes about her high English proficiency level. I was so amazed that she could understand all the words, let alone, replicate it herself. Despite the fact that she said the "f word" in class, I stayed true to my word and doubled her team's points. My only regret is that I didn't capture this moment on video.
Recently, I've discovered a new area of Daejeon. Since I both live and work in the New Downtown, area, I rarely feel the need to leave and explore the other districts. However, while scoping out potential Christmas presents for my family and friends back home, I quickly learned that the boutiques in upscale Dunsan-dong were out of my budget. So on Thursday after school, I took the subway to Eunhaeng-dong, the lively Old Downtown area, and went exploring with friends.
This is where the local teenagers and students hang out after school, and it's easy to see why. Unlike the pristine, swanky feel of New Downtown, Eunhaeng-dong has a dynamic and youthful energy. Rows of small, colorful stores line the streets and it's a great place to just wander around, soaking in the city's excitement and culture. The highlight of Eunhaeng-dong is undoubtedly its extensive underground shopping market. There you can find everything from cheap shoes to sweaters to makeup and winter accessories. Very few things there have price tags, so it's fun to practice my Korean and try to haggle for discounts.
I managed to find nearly all my Christmas presents in the underground shopping market. I love the idea of supporting local vendors, rather than large scale department stores or international fashion corporations. After shopping for a few hours, we worked up an appetite. Fortunately, Eunhaeng-dong is known for its delicious, but dirt-cheap street food. My favorite thing to get is a waffle from the snack cart. Unlike America, where waffles are exclusively served for breakfast, Koreans love to eat waffles at all hours of the day. For just 1,000 won (or $.91), you can get a warm, buttery waffle filled with a vanilla, strawberry, or chocolate cream filling. YUM!
The week ended on a bittersweet note. My Friday classes are some of my favorites of the week so I was saddened to learn that it would be my last time teaching them forever (Next Friday, they have exams; the Friday after, I'll be leaving for America; and then they'll move up to 2nd grade, while I'll teach the new 1st graders). When I informed one class of this news, they were all visibly upset. Nonetheless, we started the lesson and, as usual, had a wonderful time together.
One of the chapters from their English textbook focuses on the classic 1989 movie, Dead Poets Society, so my students know allllll about it. This film tells the story of an English teacher, played by Robin Williams, who uses unorthodox methods to teach his students to "seize the day," and be extraordinary. He tells the students to refer to him as "O Captain, My Captain," in reference to a Walt Whitman poem, if they are feeling particularly daring and creative.
Eventually this teacher is framed as the scapegoat for a horrible tragedy and is subsequently fired. But in the last scene, this teachers returns to his old classroom to collect his belongings and as he is about to exit, one students breaks his reserve for the first time, climbing on his desk and shouting "O Captain, My Captain!" Although the strict principal warns this student to sit down or face expulsion, many students follow suit. This is a highly pivotal and symbolic scene, as it shows that this teacher taught his students to literally "stand up" for themselves and their individualistic ideas.
(Fast forward this YouTube video to the 2:40 mark)
When the final bell rang, I immediately felt emotional. I saw in my students' faces that they felt the same way. In 4 short months, I've formed a close bond with many of these students and it was rather sad to see them go. As I was packing up my bag for the last time, one student bravely shouted out "O Captain, My Captain!" Several students followed in her example and proclaimed the same meaningful words. Though they didn't stand on their desks, I nearly lost it. Through this subtle gesture, they acknowledged that I made a difference on their lives and were grateful for it.
This is precisely why I wake up in the morning and take my job so seriously. Even when I have a rough day, it's times like this that remind me why I'm in Korea. Regardless of the struggles and challenges that I face, I'm having an impact on my students. After such an emotionally draining week, this was the push that I needed to get through the final weeks of this semester. I am truly lucky to be where I am today and honored to be teaching such kind and thoughtful young women. As I look back and think about all the teachers that influenced my life, I can smile, knowing that I, too, am influencing mine.
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