Water Week it Was, Plus a Visit From a Friend

This past week sure has been busy for me. One of the other English teachers went on vacation, so I covered an extra kindergarten class. It wasn't too much trouble, but it reminded me of how difficult teaching can be when you're not familiar with the students. Some of those students already knew my name from when I visited their classes while training, and this time around I was able to commit some of their names to memory.

Friday, however, was the most fun day of the work week, because we got to go on a field trip! Our destination was a water park, to celebrate the beginning of summer vacation. I can't remember the last time I went to a water park. Come to think of it, I'm not sure I've ever been to one. I have been to public pools and the like, though, and it's been a long time since then.

The typical swimming uniform for Koreans is a swimsuit, a t-shirt and a baseball cap. I can now add the Dodgers and Astros to the list of MLB caps I've seen here. I even saw a guy and a girl walking around together, one wearing a Yankees cap and the other a Red Sox cap. I wonder if they knew they were on opposing sides of the GREATEST RIVALRY IN SPORTS (according to the moronic national media)?

I brought the only solid-color t-shirt I had available, the red one, and my retro White Sox cap, since it was the only ballcap I had. On the bus ride over I was "fortunate" enough to sit in front of a bunch of girls who typically spend class time pushing my buttons. Before we arrived they'd pushed enough buttons for an international call. They stole my hat, threatened to throw it out the window, and hit me several times. They tried to record me saying things in Korean on their cell phones, but I kept saying other phrases I knew instead of what they wanted me to. The experience was not without stress. I ended up putting my Sox hat in a locker when I got there because I was too concerned about losing it.

Fortunately, when we got to the park I was assigned to stay with the kindergarteners. What a relief: I got to be with the kids who liked me. I spent most of my time in the shallow water, which was considerably deeper for such small children. I've always liked those kindergarteners, but that day I really got to bond with them. Occasionally we mixed with a few of the older classes, but since we were in shallow-water areas, they tended to be the younger grade levels.

I ended up reuniting with those girls who harassed me on the bus at one point. They continued their feud with me, but when they grabbed onto my arms so that I could carry them through the water, I complied with their wishes. I hope they realized that despite their hijinks, I'm still willing to be friendly to them.

The kindergarteners were finished in the water areas before the rest of the classes, which meant I was free to do whatever I wanted until dinnertime. I went on one of the waterslides called "The Tornado" with a Korean teacher and a kid whose name I can't remember. It was fun but scary, because there's a terrifying drop that leads to a large tube where you go up and down the sides with centrifugal force. It looks something like the picture on the side.


After that I decided to take it easy and just relax for the rest of the free time I had, but there was a brief period of frustration when I misplaced my shoes, socks and shorts. It turned out that since the room where I'd originally left them was no longer in use, the kindergarten teachers had taken them to a different area. I was relieved when I got them back. After having dinner we packed up the buses again and went back to school. It was an eventful and tiring day.

Saturday (which is still "today" for me as I write this, though it's past midnight) was noteworthy because I got to see Roy, an old friend of mine, again. He was the one who inspired me to come to Korea, and I'm sure glad he did. He made the three-hour bus trip here and gave me a call when he got to the main intersection near my school. I went outside to find him while still talking on the cell phone, and as soon as he spotted me from a distance I waited for him to cross the street into my neighborhood so we could start catching up.

I took him to Nantapizza 5000, which has become sort of a weekly treat for me. It was a good place to sit and talk while enjoying some inexpensive yet tasty pizza. It was amazing that I hadn't seen him in over five years, but it felt like we could just pick up where we left off. While I don't think I have a lot of friends like that, I'm very thankful for the ones I do have.

There aren't a lot of details that are necessary to share about Roy's visit. We mostly just walked around town and talked about stuff. Some of it was personal, some of it was reminiscing, some of it was just updating each other on what we've done since college. It was really great, though. A lot of people who know me know I feel weird when it comes to revisiting the past, but there are certain types of conversations I miss from my college years. It's hard to describe this type of conversation exactly, but it's one where subject matter can be either frivolous or deeply spiritual. I can't have those with many people I know. Right now I feel very fortunate that I have one friend in Korea with whom such a conversation is possible.

Raffles has swapped around portions of my schedule starting next week, including the addition of a new class. It's a new challenge that I'm a little nervous about, but I guess the changes will keep me on my toes. At least I only teach three classes on Tuesdays now, so...hooray.