10 AM: My school, me including, is probably going to see The Hobbit 2 after lunch. Say whaaaat? The Hobbit after lunch! Yeah-iss.
I'm not excited about this film, not at all. Though I do wonder what it'll be like seeing it with a horde of my boys. Are they capable of paying attention? Maybe.
This morning on the walk to school, I ran into Dongjin, Danhee and Shotputter-Jinseong who were taking time to stop and slide on icy patches. I asked if it was fun, and they said yes. We walked together for a little while and Donjin and Danhee were holding hands (totally normal and manly activity), and I jokingly asked if they weren't going to hold my hand, too? Dongjin said "Yes," and grabbed my ski-gloved hand. I took it back after a few seconds, though.
Then Danhee wanted to know why there was a white cord leading to my earmuffs, so I put my earmuffs on his head to let him see that they actually play music! I was amazed to discover that Korea had earmuffs that could plug into my iPod and conduct decent sound while keeping me warm. They must be a new thing because Danhee was shocked by them too, as he listened to the Busker-Busker (버스커 버스커)song I had playing.
Gave Junho his note. He said thank you, then let out a scream of victory to his circle of friends while I walked away. Loudest reaction since Seonwoo, easily.
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10:45 AM: Ugh, roundtrip flights to America be expensive, y'all. Just looked up a few for vacation and yes, they're pricier because I'm planning so close to time, but I also didn't know my schedule before last week. I shall have to get something settled quite soon.
Delivered more notes, came up woefully short of the kids who wanted them, though. Next class period, I'm just going through the halls with candy and dispensing it to all takers. Their week has been nasty and they need bright moments. Saw HH and mentioned that I'd met his mom yesterday and that I thought she was so very nice. He said yes, his mom told him about it. Still need to find Jinseong and get him his note.
1st-grade-Joohyun (who is not 2nd-grade Artist-Joohyunnie, the boy I gave the birthday present to...this kid is B-class but smart and hangs out with Prince Woobin) wanted candy and followed me all the way down the stairs and across a full corridor to get it. Deokryong joined us in our candy quest, and stared practicing his English. And what he decided to practice was almost beyond believing.
We were walking together and Deokryong said in English, "I like music "Don't Stop Me Now". Queen song. Sing Freddy Mercury. English music." O_O Well, then. I am perplexed by where he would have developed a taste for 1970's British arena rock with vaguely suggestive lyrical content, but I responded happily to his conversation, because my boy is trying to talk to me. He is trying to share with me what he likes.
One of the 3rd-graders saw me and said, "Hello, my goddess." He said it after I was walking away, so I don't know who it was. Smart alecks. I'm going to miss them so much, I try not to even think about them graduating.
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11:50 AM Got Seongwonnie his note. He looked so quietly pleased, and "quiet" anything is rather unlike Seongwon.
Junho was walking down the hall, openly talking on his smartphone like he's the most important person in the world. The kids aren't supposed to have phones in class, but I've seen them confiscated even in the hallways. I've never seen a kid talking on one in the hall, but Junho did. He only stopped to tug my elbow and ask for more chocolate.
I brought chocolate to give the 1st-graders, and my favorites lost no time in being persuasive for chocolate. Hyukjae, Jangyeop, Hyunho, Jaewon, Soonhyuk and others were putting in appearances, but I had to hunt down Prince-Woobin to give him his. Bitty-Baby-Seongjik was pleased to get his own note with his name on it.
I was talked to by a 1st-grade kid I only remember seeing yesterday. In the test room that I watched over with KBR-Teacher, one of the 1st-graders kept looking back at me. Most of the kids have long since gotten over their foreigner-fascination, so I figured this child was actually curious about me as a person. Today he introduced himself to me as Jeongmin's friend and the mystery was solved. Jeongminnie must tell his compatriots about our lunchtime video-watching sessions. Maybe they even know about the Christmas tree. :-)
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1 PM: Had lunch with one of the 1st-grade mothers, and even though I don't teach her son (he's A-ban), she knows all about me, she says. Then she told me that she saw me sing at the school festival because she was there to listen to her son, who was playing violin that day.
Jeongminnie found me and on our walk over to play video games, Deokryong joined us! He said he wasn't going to sit with us, but ended up staying with us for a full fifteen minutes, chatting and showing me webtoons (online comics) when Jeongmin played Minecraft on my phone. Deokryong was using so much English, you could mistake him for A-class.
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5:20 PM: So very beat. How did I get this tired? A long day of...interacting? I didn't even teach and I feel like a did a decathlon.
Watched the movie with some of the 2nd-graders. Our school rented out the entire local theater, so all five screen were packed with kids. I was with 2nd grade, classes 10 through class 6.
After lunch, I played Monopoly with Daesung and Jaehyung, and also Seongwonnie, who sat in the same chair as me, so we were snuggled up for the whole thing. Seongwonnie's pretty quick with numbers, too, and he was our banker. I shouldn't have worried that the returning special needs teacher would dislike me--she seems to think I'm precious, and she made delicious ginger tea for me and the guys to drink while we played. How nice!
After the game, I walked outside and was confused about where we were all going. Were we walking to the movie? Wooseok was on his bike and told me he'd see me at the theater, but before I could meander off after him, Han-Teacher, a kind older lady, said she would walk with me. She and I had some great conversation because she has way more English than I thought. It was so nice to be with her.
On the way there, we were passed by Junho and his crew, who went past us at an intersection by walking right through a red "don't walk" sign like the carefree rebels they are. Han-Teacher said of Junho, "He is a bad boy. All the time. But! He is very good at soccer." I don't know if she was simply trying to compliment him, or if the soccer-goodness is intended to balance out his troublemaker qualities. But in any case, I have no reasons not to love him, other than some occasional annoyance.
When we all arrived at the theater around the same time, Junho got in the same elevator as me, then quickly arranged himself to be leaning against me. It was a big elevator and there were only five people in it, to the extent that you couldn't even pretend that you "accidentally" stood right up on somebody, so I said, "Junho. It's not that crowded." He didn't understand the English, but he totally understood the intent and his friends translated my statement to him as "get lost!" which was a lot stronger than what I said. He still said he loved me before he left the elevator, buoyant as ever.
In the theater, I saw Seongwonnie standing up in an aisle by himself with no friends, so I told him to come sit with me. For the first 20 minutes we split a massive tub of caramel popcorn I had bought, with several moments of sharing the popcorn with Pepper-Dongmin, who was on Seongwon's other side. Seongwon wandered off elsewhere after a while, but I was glad to have sat with him and fed him for a bit.
The movie was...not good. But maybe that's my tiredness talking. I had to unlace my boots, put my feet up on the seat in front of me, and change position fifty-'leven times to get comfortable, all while trying not to bump into B-Teacher on my other side. I loved the first movie, but nothing about this one struck me with awe or wonder, but that might be because of the circumstances under which I saw it.
Speaking of B-Teacher, he's not leaving in February! He thought he was going to leave, but he decided to renew his contract for another year. I'm so relieved--he and I don't hang out outside of work and we don't talk that much within it, but I appreciate him immensely. He does his job and I do mine--he's always there when I have a question, and I try to be sunshiny for him. It's good that I won't have to figure out things with a new native speaker, I think.
I was kind of blown away by how many greetings I got today. In the theater and out of it, dozens boys were saying hi and smiling. On the walk home, lots of them said goodbye and 1st-grade hooligan Hyunmin made sure to get my attention from far away to say hello. On days like this, I want to hug all of them.
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