Chicken Ramen

So, I haven't really been too good about posting this week. I just didn't have it in me. So, these are some of the highlights from this past week...

I am still limping around like a gimp. My kids have been increasingly worried about my leg. I am surprised that they haven't hauled me off to the hospital yet. Now, for some odd reason I have a pain in my knee. Thank goodness for Icy Hot - Icy to dull the pain, hot to relax it away.

Last weekend they had the first round of the English contest - we didn't have to judge for the first round, but may be called into action for a future round. I am so proud of all of my kids. All of the students that I helped except for one, made it through the first round! Yea kids! Hopefully I will be able to see them in action in a future round.

But with the contest success came quite an unfortunate incident. Yup, a dinner. Worse yet, it was a dinner with the dreaded math teacher. I feel like I was rather tricked into it. I was invited to a sit with this man months ago and I refused, but I guess the desire wasn't dropped. So, I was duped by confused English and the students' success with the contest. From what I could tell initially, was that the students were really happy that they did so well and really wanted to take me out to dinner, but what it turned out to be was the head teachers from two of the classes that I helped, one of which was math dude. Man, I have a bad feeling about this.... I can see the complications I was having when I first started just looming on the horizon. Luckily, this time, I am saved by the upcoming vacation.

Now, on a more pleasant note, my kids! So, next week I only teach on Monday because of mid-terms at the Junior School. So, I tried to spend some time with my chillins this past week. So, my lovely class 6.

Class was going pretty well, I was monitoring the group work discussions. I pass by a group of girls and hear a faint peeping noise. I investigate. I find that one of the girls has brought a little baby chicken to school. Stored conveniently in a little 4" x 4" ramen bag! The poor little thing couldn't even move. I told her that she should probably leave it at home at the lunch break. Hmmm...that was something that I wasn't quite prepared for.

These kids are a riot! In the hall one of my little boys, Bob, was showing me that he learned a new English word, "kiss". He demonstrated by kissing one of his little friends on the cheek several times. Then he grabbed one of my little buddies, Jack, and told me that he was his little sister because he was "beautiful like a girl" and then kissed him.

Later, they start this clapping/kicking game. I really don't know how to describe it, and I want to try to get some video on it because it is quite funny. A line of boys start to clap and walk/hop up to another line of boys and then they all start to kick each other to the rhythm of the clapping. It is a little bizarre.

Then on the walk home, we all were having fun, one of the boys said something to my overly enthusiastic and parasitical fan which made her sprint away. When I questioned him about it, he just shrugged his shoulders and pretended not to understand what I was saying (even though I know that he did). Right after the girl left, we were immediately joined by the other members of my lunch posse who have taken up the habit of meeting us at the corner where she turns off. So, we all shared some ice cream and craisins for the rest of the way home. Sam did something and sort of kicked someone off of a bike. I saw his leg up in the air one moment, and a little boy on the ground the next. Oh that Sam!

Later in the afternoon, I met up with them before classes began. They frantically motioned for me to come over, so I did. They all pointed at a hole and were shouting "TEACHER, MOUSE! MOUSE!" Then they filled up some water bottles and poured them down the hole to flush it out. Suddenly a gopher came flying out and about 9 boys went chasing it around the playground trying to catch it. I do feel rather honored that they want to share these special moments with me.

Hmmmm...what else...We have been swapping papercuts in the English office. I was really nervous about sharing mine because some of the people here have a certain way of giving a compliment that really isn't one - like "You look so much fatter in your picture!" and the like. I had told them that I was interested in papercutting and that I have been doing it for about 20 years. So, one of the teachers brought in some patterns for me to try - all pretty simple. It was really sweet of her to do so, but I don't think that they were that confident in my abilities. It was really interesting though because she told me about some of the symbolism. Anyhow, so I did bring in some of my cuttings to give them and, well, I rock as it turns out. They loved them! The teacher in charge of my schedule at the school has been bringing is around with her and showing it to everyone she can - "the Korean American made this!" So, now they want me to teach them about my technique for cutting as I can get a lot more detail than they are used to. I will have to try to jerry rig up some knives for them as we can't get them here.

Anyhow, I will part this post with my latest escalator story. I went to the underground grocery store and was all finished with the shopping and was heading up. I was watching a little toddler on the down side. He was so adorable! He was so excited to be on the escalator that he was jumping up and down, waving his fists in the air and squealing and shrieking with joy. When he saw me he started to wave, laugh and jump up and down more excitedly. As soon as I passed him and his mother he had a startling look down at the monster. The joyful squeals turned to terror filled screams as he neared the silver teeth of the greedy escalator monster. He tried to flee by scampering back up, but he just couldn't climb fast enough. Soon, he burst out in a terrified and frantic cry. His mother quickly scooped him up and jumped off of the beast. The little boy, once on solid ground, collapsed on the floor and starting bawling to the point of hyperventilation. The great moving silver beast grumbled as it just missed its snack.