Second day of school

Today was not a bad day. It started out a little shaky though. I rolled out of bed at 7:45 (Samjan leaves promptly at 8 AM) and had just barely enough time to gather myself (and my pants, I might add, for those of you who worry) physically. Mentally, I was still asleep. I grabbed a sweet potato pastry (yum), downed a glass of water, and shuffled my way out the door, much to the chagrin of my host mother.*

*She generally worries about my eating habits in the morning. She can't understand why I wouldn't want to consume kimchi and bony fish to begin my day. I tell you all now, I doubt there is much worse than eating a whole fish covered in red hot chili pepper paste for breakfast. At least, this is one dish I simply cannot handle at that time of day.

Thirty minutes later and Samjan dropped me off at P*ngsan High School. I get to walk from the front gate all the way to the school. This means EVERYONE gets to see me walk the long, dirt path out of their windows. It's probably a good four-minute trip. I feel like I'm providing the kids with a spectacle, and I'm terrified I'm gonna trip and fall...because that's something I would totally do. I may be more self-conscious about it due to my Emart experiences. Eh, perhaps it'll wear off after a week.

I was in the teacher's lounge getting ready to go to my first class when my nunchi kicked in. All of the teachers were there and were speaking in hushed tones. One even waved a student away when she opened the door. What is going on? I thought. It's almost time for class. We couldn't be having a teacher's meeting right now because class is in 5 minutes. I had no idea what to do, so I walked over to Mr. Lee's desk. I was hesitant to do this because everyone was sitting...and I would attract the whole room's attention, but bit my lip and hoped my diminuitive height would shield me from most of their scrutiny. "Mr Lee, is there a teacher's meeting this morning?" "Ahhh, yes. It was...unplanned." "Uhhh, I have a first period class. Do I stay here or go teach it?" "Oh, yeah, I think you can go to class if you want." Wait, I can go to class if I want, eh? At that point I turned around and saw that my principal was next to the vice-principal and had been there the whole time. Oops. That guy is the sneakiest little man I've ever encountered. I immediately insa-ed him [Insa is the Korean word for giving someone respect. In this case, I bowed and muttered "Annyong hashimnika."] But I must admit that it was a rather hasty, shy insa because, once again, I was the center of the room's attention. I need to stop putting myself in that situation. Mr. Lee then asked the principal if it was ok if I taught my class. I was amused by the fact that he had already given me permission. The principal nodded and spoke in his regal Korean. I imagine he said something akin to "Send the delicate one away," "Make it so," or "What are you asking me for?" Thus, I quickly grabbed my stuff and left the room. Whoa. That was intense.

I managed to say my "sugohaseyo" (literal translation: work hard) when leaving school though. The vice-principal looked a little shaken I had singled him out. Maybe nerves are contagious.

My classes were sleepy today. In fact, I think that's how they'll be every day. If my kids fall asleep in class I embarrass them. For example, I make them stand up at their desk for an undetermined amount of time. This usually does the trick because it's both embarrassing and wakes up the body. In my class right after lunch today, I caught 3 kids sleeping, and they had to sing a song to the class. I'm evil. I know.

My introduction lesson is getting easier to teach. All the students think Alexa is the most gorgeous girl they've ever seen. They always laugh when I show the photos taken toward the North, South, East, and West of my house. The question I have them ask is, "Do you have any neighbors?" I then show them the photos. "No. My closest neighbor lives 1K away." "ooooooo"

I've already noted the exceptional students in class. They are the ones volunteering to pass out papers and raising their hands when no one else will. They also have asked about me teaching an optional club class at night. I'm happy to oblige. I'm not sure what this means for taekwondo though. I really want a black belt. I'll figure that out next week. This week is reserved for three lesson plans, last minute teacher's meetings, and playing "Where's Waldo: Korean Principal Edition"