How Far Stupid Takes You

As the struggles of language barriers and miscommunications continue, I've found that feigning stupidity is often the easiest solution to a challenging situation. For example, when trying to locate photocopy paper, it's much easier to ask someone to photocopy what you need rather than try and fix exactly what's wrong (plus the other person always seems proud to have solved the problem that was originally plaguing you). Often asking a person the same question 4 or 5 times has to be done, that way you can determine which answer is the most likely one, as usually every response given will be different (it took 4 teachers nearly a week to figure out what my thanksgiving holidays were). And of course, if someone asks you a question you know you could never properly explain with out a dictionary, an interpreter and the acrobatic-charading ability of a olympic gymnast, it's always easier to say "I don't know" and leave it be.

Teaching children however does not leave any of these options, and I'm quickly becoming a v-e-r-y s-l-o-w t-a-l-k-e-r, capable of charading the first three stanzas of any top 40 song without missing a beat. I teach grade 1-6, I have no co-teacher (I run all the lessons on my own, though usually there is a Korean teacher in the room to help translate and tell the kids to shut up), and most of the kids think I'm awesome, though sometimes it's hard to be impartial when the kids with strong English are so much easier to work with.

Most Korean kids are pretty darn cute, and you rarely see any of the mutant-type kids that you get at home. If you have a spiky haired, pointy headed, buck toothed, bug eyed, big eared little caucasian kid, you've got something awful on your hands. In Korea, they pull it off pretty well. Though something happens to them around the 4th or 5th grade. With the guys I can't quite put my finger on it, but I think it mostly has to do with kids coming up with an identity and style to call their own. Their parents no longer choose their hair cut or clothes, and, well I guess it's just like home. Except the number of girls who suddenly spawn these horrific, nasty, 40-year-old woman mullets is surreal! There's this terrible triangle chunk of bangs that starts near the top of their head and spreads nearly to their ears. I guess they find it attractive, but I have a feeling these girls think living in a dumpy trailer park in the US is exotic.

There's about 200 or so "waygooks" in Mokpo here, and it's quite an interesting community. While no one "knows" everyone, you "know of" everyone in town, and suddenly the city of 300,000 really does feel like a tiny Canadian hamlet community. For anyone who's never lived abroud, I'm told it's no different than the minority communities within Canada, and I now find it a little less bizarre that I would see Polish or Irish or Italian Community gatherings and events.

This weekend ended up being quite the party weekend for Shannon and I, and I learned a number of interesting things about this country and its nightlife:

1. The only people who look at you cock-eyed for playing twister in a bar are those who wish it was them playing.

2. The bars here don't close (in the places we go to anyway). The staff leave after the patrons, whether that's 3am or 8am.

3. Most waygooks such at singing. And the males are generally worse than the females. However what we lack in talent, we make up for in decibels.

4. Everyone in this town is crazy except for me. Which is funny, cause I'm pretty nuts.

Thanks for the comments Steph, it's great to hear that teaching is teaching, regarless of the country. Though I'm sure there are some different mannerisms between the Japanese and Koreans that would get a laugh from both of us. It's not that uncommon I'm finding for kids to pull (out) my arm hair here, for example.

Thanks for reading everyone, leave a comment if you have a moment.

Quick addition - trying to upload a photo, so I'm gonna put it here first, then see if I can stick in onto my blog profile.