Monday Snippets

Teaching a student to say "dig in" and "bon appetite" at lunch. Wishing I can get over to some cliffs nearby sometime soon to explore. The patchwork of pastel colored buildings across the inlet from Yeongdo bridge. The scruffy faced ajushi blatantly cutting me in line for the subway. A middle aged couple looking at three crisp dollar bills and talking about them. Wondering why these Koreans had them in the first place. Kids not knowing how to say "wedding" so linking arms and humming the bridal processional song. A little boy standing on the table so he could be tall like me so as to receive more kimchi bokenbop. People standing instead of taking the risk of sitting next to the foreigner (me).

Jellyfish and Pig's Feet

What do these two things have in common you ask? Yes, dear reader, I consumed both of these foods last night. What's more is that I ate them together and it was delicious.

Andy and I took our assistants out to dinner before we went to play billiards (Korean style of course). They discovered we had never had this particular pork (most of the meat from the leg), so off we went to this restaurant. Most restaurants in Nampo-dong have both traditional seating on the floor and also chairs with higher tables for any foreigners who might come. Now, I've sat on the floor many times in various restaurants, but this guy wouldn't let us and kept pointing to the one open table. We quickly deduced that he didn't think we could eat on the floor. Our guess was affirmed by my assistant Min, which led to much laughter. Anyways, first they brought out many different sides and then a huge plate of sliced cucumbers and sliced pork. Under this was bits of jellyfish and the whole plate was covered in wasabi sauce. I couldn't tell if it was wasabi or the jellyfish poison that really cleared out my sinuses and made my throat tingle...regardless, it was good. They also brought out a couple pig's feet which we tried. Obviously not much meat on them, but they seemed to be slow cooked or smoked and so the meat was pretty tasty. Nothing like trying things for the first time.

English Names

For all English classes, students must pick an English name they want to be called. I remember having a French name in high school, which I think was more for fun than for practical reasons. Here in Korea, it's more practical. The combination of similar Korean names and having a foreigner try to memorize over 100 of them each semester shows the logic of having English names, at least in my mind. Most of the students I've had usually pick fairly common names (or Biblical names), but there are always the exceptions. This semester I have Obama, Soda, Apple, Snow, Cabin, Simpson, Musiq, Bravery, Kill, and Beyonce.

There are also the movie inspired ones such as Wolverine, Hulk, Bella, Neo, and Percy. That's not counting the occasional Serena or Jessica inspired by shows like Gossip Girl or Sex in the City which seem to be so popular with the Korean girls.

I've yet to tell a student that they can't be called something, but I've heard of some students trying to pull "Sweetie" or "I Love You" or the like. It's fun to see what the students pick and how the class reacts.

Snow Day

This morning I woke up to snow, which was quite the shock. Yesterday there had been a few flurries, but I didn't think much about it. When I opened my window this morning I saw this:

I wasn't sure if classes would be canceled, so I got dressed and headed over to the university. Reaching the road, I remembered that I hadn't heard any buses or cars this morning. The roads were covered in snow and ice and seeing as this was the first significant snowfall since 2005, I didn't think the roads would be clear anytime soon. I quickly found out that classes were canceled for the morning (later changed to all day), and a snowball fight with the international students was quickly organized by Annette. Later on President Kim had all the international students (and foreign professors) go to the ice rink.

Students clearing away the snow. No snow shovels, but they made do with what looked like picket signs.

William, Andy, Richard, Annette and I with President Kim (a busy man, always on the phone).

Snowball fight, aerial view

Kosin and Kosin Mountain from the ice rink

Ashley, Dena, and MG ice skating

New Students

"Hello."
"Hi"
*giggling ensues*

It must be the cool thing to do to say hi to the foreign teacher, at least I'm assuming among the freshmen. I've been greeted by so many people this week, much more than I remember last semester. Also I've gotten a lot of bows this week, which is somewhat odd when you don't recognize the student. I know some of them are from my classes, but clearly not everyone.

In the first few days it also seems that the giggles never stop from the girls. This is particularly true for my non-English major classes since they usually haven't seen me before. As soon as I walk through the door, they start. The giggles continue when I say good morning or tell them my name. Of course they start again when they find out how old I am, usually combined with mass whispering in Korean and statements about how I am handsome.

I'm not going to lie, it's great for the ego, but I hope it settles down next week so we can get to work.

Nervous?

While talking with my sister the other day, she asked me a simple question about starting a new semester. "Are you nervous?" I quickly scoffed at the idea since this is my second time around. I mean, I was kind of scared those first times walking into the classroom, and it's probably true that I didn't hit any kind of stride until after midterms, but now? Come on! I'm a pro now.

Yet here I sit, before my first class of this new semester, and I'm not gonna lie, I've got a few butterflies in my stomach. I'm not nervous about the same stuff I was last semester really, since I know what to do and generally what to say. No, it's more that I'm teaching some new classes this semester, which means new water to sink or swim in, which is always a bit scary.

So Rebecca, you were right. But I think after this week, I'll be in a routine again.

Footnote to All Prayers-C.S. Lewis

He whom I bow to only knows to whom I bow
When I attempt the ineffable Name, murmuring Thou,
And dream of Pheidian fancies and embrace in heart
Symbols (I know) which cannot be the thing Thou art.
Thus always, taken at their word, all prayers blaspheme
Worshipping with frail images a folk-lore dream,
And all men in their praying, self-deceived, address
The coinage of their own unquiet thoughts, unless
Thou in magnetic mercy to Thyself divert
Our arrows, aimed unskillfully, beyond desert;
And all men are idolators, crying unheard
To a deaf idol, if Thou take them at their word.

Take not, O Lord, our literal sense. Lord, in thy great
Unbroken speech our limping metaphor translate.