11 PM Here's the Thank List and stuff I wrote on Tuesday, because school takes up load-boocoodles of time. :-)
241. Surprise ddeok, in nice little
ribbon-wrapped packages, sent to all the teachers by one of the 3rd grade moms.
242. Finding out that it's my baby JH's birthday
today, planning for his present tomorrow.
243. Gradually filling in the the color in my
Secret Garden grownup coloring book.
244. Beomjoon bellowing "Your hair is
YELLOW" for no good reason. It's been yellow for the past 2 years you've
known me, little bear.
245. Chatting with EJ Teacher on the walk to
school, trying to cultivate a new friendship.
246. Row upon row of cherry blossoms in town.
Spring sprang everywhere.
247. Listening to JY teasing students--her style
is totally different from mine, but the kids love it and respond well to it.
248. Looking forward to the girl-teachers-only
teachers' dinner tonight. Should be fun!
249. Talking to 1st grader Yoongyu, about how he lives in my neighborhood, which is why I see him so often on the walk
home from school.
250. The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe still
being fun to watch with the kids after all this time.
1:30 PM Had my first office hours today. None of
my 2nd graders came by, but plenty of 1st graders did, most notably Rook, who
is one of the kids who loves me most, and who I recently found out was one of
the school athletes.
Every year there is one athletic representative
for each grade. When I got here it was GiantShion for 3rd grade (by the way,
Shion surprised me on easter Sunday! He walked up quickly and said 'surprise'
just as I was walking into English service and he was leaving Korean service.
It's a good thing I have Shion's profile programmed into my mental database of
"People Who Are Safe and Who I Am Glad to See," because my first
reaction to seeing him was one of joy and not of alarm. Because he's big enough
to make you jump back a bit, if you didn't know how sunshiny and loveable he
was.)
Anyhover, the first year I was here it was Giant
Shion, then Loud Jinsung (who I befriended), then Won, who i believed hated me
for more than a year, though that now seems to be inaccurate. the best year,
Youngjoon was added to the lineup, and now it's. Won, Youngjoon, Rook, all lining up in the
school vestibule and waiting for their training sessions.
Rook wants to know how old I am because of
course he does. I still tell them all
that it's a secret, but I did add that i that been to college, grad school, and
taught in America before coming here.
Rook says it doesn't matter that I'm old because
I'm still totally lovely and a "golden beauty" (if you look up this
phrase in Korean, it primarily yields pictures of Scarlett Johansson). I begin
to think that Rook will never have a bad thing to say to me.
We also had a spiritual discussion. I go to
church with his classmate, Joyful Hyunwoo, and Rook said he'd heard that. he
asked if I went to church in America too, and wondered how church in both
countries compared. Then Hyunwoo walked
in and they went off OK on a separate discussion about church, which was really
sweet. Maybe more of my boys will come to English services! Who knows?
4:20 PM. Well, wonder of wonders class 2-5, 2-6,
which gave me fits last week, was darling today. Once I figured out that what
Hyunmin and Chanmin and ESPECIALLY Hansem want is attention.
So I give them attention. I compliment their
pronunciation and laugh at their jokes and give them the side eye when they're
being marginally mean to each other.
Last week I was pretty flabbergasted with them.
This week, deciding to be charmed by them worked wonders. They were so pleased
and so content with being liked and
being part of a fun, jokey atmosphere. It was like our own little club
and it was grand.
