Jumping Headfirst into a Giant Underwater Pit Blindfolded

Today was a big day, so I'm going to make this a two-parter.

Part 1: First day of teaching

The title of this blog post says it all. Schools in Korea are so different than in America. They actually go to three different schools: Korean, English, and either music or martial arts I believe. Instead of the kids changing classes the majority of the time, we do. In my seven hour work day (2-9 PM), I have about ten 30-minute or 1 hour classes.

My first class was.. well interesting. I had the kids recite a story and play hangman, and then I looked at watch and it was apparently time to go. After I said my goodbyes to the students, the teacher sitting in said to me "But Peter...you're not finished yet..."

The clock was wrong. What came next was at worst a disaster and at best a light farce. Picture a series of hello/goodbyes leaving the room/coming back, and you'll come to close to what "we" all experienced. The next few classes were a little better. I was amazed how much better I got as the time progressed. The classes went by so fast I didn't really have any time to mess up too horribly. The principal of the school recommended a "trial and error" approach my first week, and that's certainly what happened. What was extremely weird is they had a new teacher observe me ON MY FIRST DAY TEACHING. I guess they expected me to be an expert after my first class.

In one class (no joke) I had to teach the kids internet lingo, emoticons, and proper chat room etiquette. Who would have thought that our 14 year old girls would be models of imitation? Some classes are great because all they are are Free Talking periods. That's when you get to really connect with your students. I figure after a whole year of this with some of the students, they'll be much more fluent and comfortable with the language. I would like to say the same about Korean on my part, but considering this is my first time being exposed to the language ever, it might take a little more persistence..... which brings me to part two:

Part 2- Operation American for Sushi- FAILED

I thought after my first day, it would be a good idea to reward myself with some Sushi at a local Japanese restaurant (since I had already had my fair share of Korean food). I looked around town and finally found a place that was clearly Japanese. The waitress was wearing a komono, and there was Japanese writing everywhere. I looked at the menu (completely in Korean) and could not find the characters for sushi anywhere (if such characters actually existed). I asked the waitress for Sushi and she just gave me a weird look. Then I asked for Sake, and again I got the same strange look. I finally settled on Soju and some meal consisting of Squid and peanuts.

I was expecting some noodle dish or something with peanut sauce and pieces of squid, but what came out was literally one huge cooked squid and a handful of peanuts under it. I tried to cut it and eat it with my chopstix, and THE WOODEN CHOPSTIX BROKE!! The waitress came over and showed me that it was supposed to be finger food. Ooops...

At that moment, I felt like the American equivalent of Borat. I wanted to shout at the top of my lungs: I AM THE QUINTESSENTIAL STUPID AMERICAN, which would have certainly added more absurdity to the blend of the traditional decor of the restaurant and the cheesy Asian techno-pop music at high volume. But however delightfully Borat-esque the situation was becoming, I decided to do what any sensible person would do: finish the meal and get the hell out.

On my way back, I stopped by the place with the only English menu in town: Baskin Robbins. The taste, atmosphere of the joint was distinctly American. I hope my quick almost instinctual decision to come there wasn't sign of homesickness. In any case, if it weren't for the couple of smiling Koreans that said "Hi!" (in English) to me on my way back, I might have considered the night a total bust.