Classes went really well today! I had fun with the students, which coincides with the basis of my daily goal. I just want the students to have fun learning English.
I took the bread from 경주 down to lunch with me. You would never think that giving presents could be so stressful! After sitting down to eat lunch, I got up to take some specifically over to the VP. Later, I split another box between the first grade and second grade offices. Of course, nobody was in either office when I went down, so I put what I have left of my English-letter-writing ability to work. It went something like this, "These are from 경주. I hope you enjoy them. Did you miss me? I missed you! ~Peace, Stacey (Penguin drawing)." I know that is some hard core writing skills in action; thank you, Manchester!^^ I wanted to make sure that even though it was in English, they might be able to understand it. There is a teacher in each office that can help translate if necessary.
Nobody showed up to my teachers' class, which I'm oddly getting used to. I am only taking Korean language lessons on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays because of my volunteering at the orphanage on Mondays. The only reason I don't have tutoring on Wednesdays is because of my teachers' class that is often non-existant.ㅠㅠ
Oh, random! A teacher just came in to give me a book entitled The Secret of Forgiveness and Being Born Again. I was asked if I'm a Christian, and he said that the book is either by his teacher or from his teacher. I'm not sure which. Christianity has a STRONG presence in Korea; almost stronger than Buddhism. There are a ton of churches, which are incredibly visible at night due to the red glowing crosses that can be seen from a mile away. Evangelism is also incredibly prevalent here...something I was not expecting in the slightest. In Japan, I became accustomed to very few people caring about whether I am Christian or not, but I have been asked about it more times in Korea than I have in the states. Koreans are blunt! Sometimes it is a bit of a relief, and it is a good thing that I am not easily offended by questions like that. The reason it is a relief at times is, because I know where people stand. In Japan, nobody ever makes an individual decision; it is the decision of the group. In Korea, if a Korean wants to do something or disagrees with something, usually it's just put out there. Of course, bluntness is situational, but it is much more straight forward than the states at times as well. Some Koreans are aware of Western cultural sensitivity to asking another's age or religion, but in Korea a conversation can easily go like this:
Person A: My name is ____. It's nice to meet you.
Person B: My name is ____. It's nice to meet you too.
Person A: What is your age?
Person B: 28. And you?
Person A: 35. Do you have a religion?
Person B: No.
ETC...
Usually there is a lot of initial guessing about age too. It is important to immediately discover the age of those around you, especially in a new situation, because the way you talk to a person and the way you treat a person depends on age. There are different verb and adjective endings when speaking to someone older than yourself. With a friend or someone younger, one can use plain form. "Friend" means something different in Korea also. A "friend" is someone the same age as yourself and someone you have known for a long time. Many younger Koreans have grown accustomed to the Western concept of friendship, however. I have Korean "friends" who are older than me, but I still use panmal (formal language) with them. Julie has spent a lot of time around foreigners and doesn't care whether I use formal or plain language with her. It's so much about feeling out a situation, and even then I don't get it right all the time. If I'm unsure, I will often ask what is appropriate, but for the most part, I stick with panmal unless I am speaking to my students or host sibs.
I stuck around school for quite a while today. I'm using my host family's laptop to type tonight. They're being very generous! I don't really know what I did today after I walked home. We had Vietnamese rolls for dinner, and I hung out with my host sis for a bit. I packed for the weekend, and yah...that's about it.
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