The structure was simple:
morning: games and food
lunch: food
afternoon: talent show and food
night: more awesome talent show and rock concert
An assembly kicked off the event. The principal gave a rousing speech in Korea, of which I could only understand "teacher" and "teacher's room." One teacher was snickering a little while the principal went on, and on. I figured he was giving a spiel on how hard the kids have worked all year and how much they deserved the day of fun, or was just warning the kids about poking their eyes out. I asked the teacher for a translation. I guessed wrong. The principal was scolding the students for starting the assembly 9 minutes late. He also criticized the student organizers for not giving schedules to the teachers before that day. When I learned this, I had to stifle a laugh, although none of the other teachers even tried to hide theirs. It was a 5 minute lecture. After he had covered all of the things that could've been better, the principal smiled and wished everyone happiness and fun. The students bolted out of the auditorium with such enthusiasm that I sometimes wonder if the principal purposefully set up the school-fun dichotomy to ensure the day's success.To join the festivities in the morning, I had to pay 1000 won, which was annoying at first, but then I remembered how little money I've invested into the students all year and felt more like a charitable donation. One dollar to kick a soccer ball. How generous I am! ;) Students and teachers
I, myself, was lucky enough to have participated in the hilarity. As you all know, I'm a competitive person. When I enter a contest, I wanna win. So, when the school president asked me if I would participate in a "drinking contest," I didn't hesitate to acquiesce. "I'll wow them with my chugging skills," I thought. Two details he failed to mention: we were drinking newly opened Pepsi...from bowls. Now, this is a whole different ball game than chugging a glass of water (or beer for that matter). Pepsi is sugary and very fizzy out of the bottle, and the bowl was quite large. News spread that I was competing and a crowd gathered. I was so nervous of losing that I forgot to take a deep breath. That was my downfall.
I am thoroughly convinced that if I had taken that breath, I would've won with flying colors. Ummm, that didn't happen. Instead, halfway through the bowl I realized that I needed some oxygen. Well, I opened my lungs and all that entered was the CO2 being released from my stomach. Shit. Meanwhile, I was painfully aware of all the eyes staring at my progress. Also, the Pepsi bubbles were now tickling my throat and making their way up my nasal passage. I came to the realization that I was gonna have to cough, give up, or pass out. These choices were totally unacceptable to me. Like I said, I'm slightly competitive. I still wanted to win! So, I told my body to shut up and obey. I opened my throat and downed the last inch of Pepsi in a painful gulp.
It didn't feel good. Looking around, I saw the girl who had barely finished before me. She was a seasoned pro at this. The look of inevitable triumph glistened in her eyes. My other opponent didn't fair as well. He was coughing up Pepsi left and right, gasping for air. And this was the kid who's pretty damn athletic and wants to be a PE teacher. Well, at least I kept a little of my dignity...I thought I made it through OK...until students kept asking me, "Are you OK?" My facial expression must have betrayed my stomach's absolute misery. "Uh yeah. That's way harder than it looks."
The top photo is of one of the relay races. The second photo is my co-teacher, Mr. Lee, pillow fighting another student. That's right. Festival Day is the only day where the teachers are allowed to hit the students (unlike other schools in Korea). I may not have mentioned this, but Mr. Lee is a formidable guy. He kicked the student's ass.
Left: My principal throwing water balloons at the school presidentRight: Byeong-yong, the school president, is a soon-to-be-wet target.
*Notice the English written on the cutout. hahaha
1 comment:
I can't even count all of the reasons that this story made me laugh. A part of me was waiting for the "and then I threw up all the pepsi into a bucket" ending to the story.
Post a Comment