This week seems like the longest week since I came to Korea. Usually time just flies here, but this week crawled by. Maybe it’s because I didn’t have any special plans for the weekend, so there was nothing to look forward to. Monday started the week out on a bad note. All of the native English teachers were called into a meeting with the Vice-Principal, where we were informed that we needed to have all of our lesson plans for the semester done as soon as possible. We’ve been in school for a month now, and they just decided to tell us we need to submit formal lesson plans? Why didn’t they tell us this in the beginning? Plus, once we submit them to the vice principal, what is she going to do with them? She can’t speak English, so I know she’s not going to double check them. Then a few hours after the meeting we were told that we would now be in charge of cleaning our classrooms. I do this anyway, I always make sure the paper is picked up, the desks are straight, and the floor is swept. However, I was informed that I need to mop the floors, and once a week I need to wax the floors…that’s right, I am supposed to wax the floors. First of all, I don’t know how to wax floors. Second of all, I went to college so I wouldn’t have to do things like that for a job, and third, none of the Korean staff is asked to do anything like that. I think the last part was the most insulting to me. I’m used to being discriminated against because I’m foreign, but this is the first time it has ever gone to that extent.
On top of that Mondays are the day I have to stay until after 8pm. So I couldn’t even go home after school, and let out my anxiety. I was planning for my night class, when one of the Korean teachers came in and asked me if I had eaten dinner yet. I said “no” and she told me to go hurry and eat, because all of the other teachers had already eaten…that was another slap in the face, they hadn’t even bothered to walk to my office and see if I would like to eat with them, instead they just left the poor foreigner to go eat dinner by herself. That was the frosting on my cake of a day, and I just broke down. I spent the next 20 minutes crying in the office and hoping that no one would walk in and see me looking like a baby.
Once I mentally adjusted to the newly added stress and responsibility, I got along fine. That’s how I cope with massive amounts of stress, I break down, then adjust. I’m fine now. I don’t hold any ill will towards my co-workers, I didn’t wax the floors in my classroom, but I did clean out all of the desks and sweep the floor and dust the visible surfaces.
On Wednesday I had my French tutoring session. This time I got paid in strawberries and Korean melon. Yay!!! I like getting paid in fruit and vegetables. My student is gradually warming up to me, she talked a lot more this week, and even spoke to me in English after the lesson was over. Who knows, six months from now we might be friends. I really need to find some friends here my own age. I like my co-workers but they’re all older than me and most are married or engaged. There is one who’s not, and I like hanging out with her, but she’s still ten years older than me. Then I have a couple students that always want to walk home with me and hang out with me, so all of my friends here are either ten years older than me, or ten years younger than me. Where are all of the people my age?
On Thursday, I went with one of my 16 year old friends to sign up for Hapkido lessons. Unlike Muay Thai, I won’t be learning how to kill people with my elbows in this martial art, but I will be learning how to defend myself next time someone tries to attack me. I need some form of exercise, and I really enjoyed Muay Thai, so I figured another martial art was the way to go. I start classes on Tuesday. When I was taking Muay Thai, I didn’t wear the uniform, basically because it was a pair of short shorts and no shirt, and I didn’t think that would be appropriate. With Hapkido, however, I get to look like an actual martial artist, which is exciting.
Saturday, after teaching “Sabbath School” I came home and did a deep cleaning of my apartment. It was oddly satisfying. Then I went to the grocery store and the dollar store to get some things I needed for around the house. Sunday at church we would be watching the General Conference broadcast from Salt Lake, and in between sessions there would be a potluck meal of sorts. I decided to make potato salad. I spent the evening boiling and cutting eggs and potatoes, then blending until everything looked perfect. I put it in a big container, and brought it to church the next day. I put it out on the table, and I think everyone tried one chopstick’s worth of salad, said it was delicious, then moved onto the next dish…note to self, potato salad is not a hit with the Asian crowd. Oh well, now there’s more left for me. I’m going to be eating potato salad for the next week.
All in all, it wasn’t a bad week (except Monday, but now that I’ve adjusted to the pressure, I just feel foolish for crying). The weather is getting better, and as I walked to church today I saw little violets (my favorite flower) sticking out of the cracks in the sidewalk. By midweek, the cherry blossoms should be in full bloom, and spring will be making it’s gentle brief appearance before we are tossed into the inferno of summer.
May your lives be full of blossoms and springtime as well.
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