collect 200,000₩ and move forward

these past two and a half months have been exceptionally grueling, working full-time and taking level four korean at school. i was not prepared for what level four challenged me with. i did not heed the warnings that the fourth level would be difficult because out of all the levels, i usually hear that level five is the most difficult. therefore, when i went to school the first day, after listening to the teacher scare speak to us and perusing the textbook, there was a resounding 'WTF' in my head.

so four ten weeks, while my unemployed classmates had lunch together every day and took weekend trips together and studied for hours, completing every tedious homework assignment the teacher gave us, i squeezed in my studying during subway rides to work and on my days off, not uncommonly preparing chapters in advance. therefore, this term really took its toll on me. and i'm not one to brag about my studying korean because it's really just a hobby and it's not like i'm saving lives or something. but this was the first semester that when people asked me how my studying was going, i answered honestly that this term was very difficult. we made a huge jump from baby korean to real korean and since speaking has always been the most challenging for me, i can honestly say i wasn't sure i would pass the final speaking test.

but somehow i did. even though the teacher ignored the list of prepared list of questions that i spent hours upon hours memorizing my answers for, we revolved around the subject of new york and i think for that reason, my anxiety dissipated and i did well. much better than i thought i would do actually. better than my level three speaking test! and on top of that, while it's not out of the ordinary for chinese and japanese classmates to ace tests due to the similarity in languages and mentalities but this time, i actually aced my reading test and it made my entire day.

so in two weeks i'm advancing on to level five and if i don't screw it up, i could be graduating from level six as early as may. seems like, now more than ever, an attainable goal after impressing myself with level four. even though level five is said to be the one that only geniuses can pass, i asked my boss to drastically reduce my work schedule for the next three months to focus on my study and she kindly agreed, so i'll have the time to study. i'm motivated and determined and will try my best to not have to eat my words in three months time.

what's happening to me?

this could be my incredible hulk moment: when my muscles start bulging, ripping my clothes right off my body. when i ask myself: what's happening to me?

yesterday i took the level three final for my korean studies and was very confused. the confusing part being that i've been blowing off homework and participation in class for a while now and hardly studied for the exam but somehow, i found it, dare i say, strangely easy.

perhaps i was just lucky. but while my classmates were complaining, i was trying to meddle through the confusion of how this could be easier than the midterm, when i actually gave a darn.

this could only mean one thing in my book: i must have failed!

and today i had a twenty minute interview with a teacher where i had to show off my stuttering grammer skills.

tomorrow will be d-day, not only for my grades, but also for the promised lady gaga bad romance dance i will performed at the graduation ceremonly in front of, sogang university only knows how many, language students. needless to say, my half-full bottles of alcohol sitting in the fridge now will all be gone by the time i leave this house tomorrow. i need all the liquid courage i can get, for i am no dancer.

and the critics say

"you're the best teacher i have ever had"

"you're the right teacher for me."

"you're better than my other teacher [a.k.a. my boss, which i absolutely relish the thought of]"

"you are special."

"you are The One [for her]."

"tell your mom that she has a good boy," told to me by one of my older students.

"lucky forever," obviously written by one my luck-obsessed chinese students.


and my favorite:

"have a nice life!"


i'll try, gueyue. i'll really try.

pda (i just don't care)

or so says john legend anyway.

i find myself asking myself the same question.

what do you think?

now that i've all but announced to my adult students that i'll be gone in two weeks time, i've found myself with a newfound freedom, divulging more of myself to them than ever before. this includes sexuality, which i don't find appropriate as classroom fodder for any students or teachers in a classroom setting. however, i've been asking myself if i thought it would be okay to let loose a little in social settings.

well let loose i may have done last night when i invited a boy to a party where one of my students was in attendance. considering all of the factors, do you think light pda is appropriate or not within the visibility of your students?

v-day special

to the best teacher she's ever had:

 

and this student only knew me as her three-day substitute from months back, but last week she switched into my saturday class. guess she loves me.

 

 

and she gave me a gift, purchased at and neatly gift-wrapped by macys:

the final presentation: 

 

those pretzels are absolutely divine, mostly due to the fact that they aren't just pretzels, but also covered in m&ms, marshmallows, chocolate, etc. 

thanks to my students who love me for being my valentine this year round.

I'm a Vegetarian

i recently stopped by the New York Public Library to get my hands on something to keep my mind busy and left with this.

 

i found it in the young adult section as it is aimed at educating the younger set on being a vegetarian. nevertheless, it has been a wealth of information to a newbie vegetarian like me who needs to be explained everything in the simplest of terms. actually, i thought this introduction into vegetarianism tackled some great subjects such as 'how to deal with the backlash from critical friends and family' and 'dispelling common myths.' basically it explains that if you are tolerant of others' viewpoints and have a balanced diet, you will survive and get all of the vitamins and minerals skeptics claim are missing. furthermore, the book explains all of the different food groups, offers sample daily menus, and even recipes to start out with. 

what really surprised me is that the word 'vegetarian' doesn't come from 'vegetable' but rather the latin word 'vegetus,' meaning lively or vigorous. apparently the vegetarian society used it to describe how the diet made them feel. interesting, huh?

now, for some jokes:

What did the cow say when the farmer decided to become a vegetarian? 

That's moo-sic to my ears!

What did the tired tomato say to the lazy lettuce?

Let's veg out.

What did the white potato say to the yellow potato?

You're sweet.

And finally: What did one vegetarian spy say to the other vegetarian spy?

We have to stop meating like this. 

HA HA HA....

promises, plans, and other matters

in korean, the word that you use when making dates with people is 약속 (yak-sok). it means appointment in this situation, but it can also mean 'promise' in a different situation. i often find that when making appointments with friends, they deny my request citing already planned "promises" with other friends as the reason.

this small culture tidbit actually explains a lot about their 생각 (thinking) because here meeting people is a pretty important business and if you don't hold your end of the bargain, it can result in a lot of shame. there's really no such thing as a coffee date either; once you meet someone, you're with them for at least half the day, give or take an hour.

so this past year i've fulfilled a lot of promises, promises i didn't even know i made. next time i'll have to hold them to a pinky swear just to make it clear that we're talking the business of promises and not just appointments and that yes, there is a difference.

i'm destined for professional failure

today in university, our teacher invented an activity to help us practice the top class of language, used for situations like business interviews and governmental dealings. it involved four students being the interviewers and the rest of the students being the interviewees. i was one of the applicants, and therefore had to go through a rigorous round of interviews. in the end, the interviewers (remember, my classmates) had to pick the person they would choose for the job.

sean (american) chose maki (japanese).
mipi (chinese) chose sauli (japanese).
panuwat (thai) chose jeni (swedish). and with the final successful applicant to be chosen...
eli (japanese) chose maki (japanese).

with only four possible applicants, everyone who could be picked was picked (maki twice!) except me.

throw me a frickin' bone here. by defying the odds in korean role-play, this must mean i should start picking out my cardboard box now.

fan death isn't the only thing on koreans' minds

this week i learned that if i dream of pigs i will be a rich man but if i dream that my tooth/teeth has fallen out, i should probably call home and check to make sure everyone's still alive. similarly, if i shake my leg or write their name in red ink they will hate it because their good fortune from will escape them. also, korean's choose F over 4 in elevators because 4 sounds like the chinese word for death. and when you move into a new place, you get tons of toilet paper; the longer the paper the more to wipe your ass with longer your life. and the same goes for rice cake on new years day. finally, if for some godforsaken reason i hear a magpie singing in the magnificent city of seoul in the morning, i should be prepared to open my door to a best friend that evening.

so in conclusion, i have a lot of things to worry about in korea. fortunately for me, i'm new york bound in three weeks so i'll stick to not walking under letters, on cracks, or breaking mirrors.