botox and dope.

my students are so funny.  i find them all just adorable and their little korean accents when speaking english is too precious.  and the things they say.  oh the things they say.

we were discussing body parts in one class.  'buttocks' was in the teacher book, so i explained that this is a more formal way of saying 'butt.'  one of my favorites said, 'botox, botox,' and i said, 'yes, yes,' not realizing that his meaning was different, as his pronunciation was the same as my 'buttocks.'  then he made his finger look like a needle and started shooting into the space between his eyebrows.  

at the end of another class, one of my students (a male) asked, 'kendra, how do you find my appearance?'  said student is somewhat attractive, but i do prefer to not tell my students if i find them overly attractive.  another student helped to delay the response by saying, 'you need plastic surgery.'  (how kind)  then he asked, 'how old do i look?'  (whew, they're all concerned with looking younger than they really are.)  i said he looked about 24.  he got a big smile on his face, started bowing, and thanked me.  he then proceeded to tell me that i look older than i am.  thanks.  i said it was the business clothes i had to wear and that he would think i looked incredibly young if he saw me in my jeans and dope kicks.

i was told by another student that i had a good appearance today.  this student is single and very much on the prowl for a girlfriend.  he is an interesting character.  i have oftentimes gotten the vibe that he wants a pussycat to be said girlfriend.  pussycats dont really dig desperation.  

just smart arses.  

oh and i mustn't forget this comment.  if you know me relatively well, you know my feelings (or lack thereof) on religion.  well, friends, korea is a very very christian place.  (funny, i didn't realize christians ate dog....bad, kendra, bad.)  a question came up about goals or life or something, i dont really remember.  a student said that his life was complete because of jesus christ.  (hm ok)  later in the class, during a mingle activity in which the students asked each other random questions about future plans, i was asked by aforementioned student if 'i would ever take drugs.'  'oh no, of course not.  but i do drink alcohol.'  'that is not drug.'  'well, some people in america consider it a drug, just wanted to get that out there.  and i hope that i never have to take drugs when i get old because my health gets bad.'  i then asked him if he would ever do drugs.  'no, because i believe in jesus christ.'  

i hate to break it to him, but i have a lot of very religious stoner friends back in the states.

this job has taught me to bite my tongue on several occasions, especially when the subject of religion comes up.  and illicit substances.  i await the day that someone asks me about my sex life.  (what sex life?  pussycat is, of course, a conservative virgin.)

as friday is my last day for four of my classes, i have a 7 - 8 date at starbucks, an 8 - 9 date at mister donut, possibly a 9 - 10 brunch with my 8 - 9 class (9 - 10 is normally my break time), a 10 - 12 date at another coffee shop, and i have yet to discover what my 12 - 2 class has in store for me.  i will be incredibly caffeinated on friday.  i will probably walk home that afternoon, in order to get rid of some energy.  wednesday afternoon is the last session i have with another class, so we will go out for korean food.  this will be a fantastic diversion from my 9 - 10 am pb and j, followed by take-away chamchi kimbap consumed after i get home.

one of my classes was discussing goals and dreams and the happiness of one's life.  a question in the book was, 'are you happy with your life?'  there was an awkwardness in the class when this was asked, even when they were discussing it in small groups.  instead of answering with a yes or no, i was told 60 or 50%.  i've never really thought of happiness as a percentage, just yes or no.  they all agreed that korea is a really stressful society in which people are constantly trying to be better, smarter, richer, and do more. 

i opted to not tell them that their american teacher had escaped this type of life in order to seek a simpler society.  perhaps if they went to america, they would deem it their paradise, never really understanding what makes americans tick.  maybe what everyone needs to do is to just go somewhere they don't understand and attempt to understand it.  you never will fully understand it, no matter how hard you try, so you opt to just say 'fuck it' and have a good time.  you let the baggage and bullshit go and just learn to live.  your life becomes uncluttered and simple.  i feel very removed from most everything american, yet it is quite a refreshing feeling, just to be alive, going through the lovely little motions of my days.  ive only felt this way when i am out of the country.  a feeling of true release is hard to come by, but when it comes, damn.