Half famous randos

This is the blog post where Joe and I decide to have no cohesive thoughts and instead choose to share random thoughts/experiences/whathaveyous. Deal.

--Today I had my first Korean language class. While I was in class, Joe hiked up some rando nearby hill and sat on a bench for what he thought would be a quiet read. Little did he know that mere moments later he would be near assaulted by libidinous Korean high school girls. These ladies asked Joe a battery of questions and then told him he was handsome and then left . . . only to return moments later to ask more questions and to reiterate their belief in his handsomeness. This continued for about half an hour. Joe told them he was married, and they asked if he had a "happy home". When Joe responded in the affirmative, they bowed, said he was handsome again, and said goodbye . . . this time for good.

--The thing that I am the most frustrated with at this point in Korea is something that should not aggravate me to the extent that it does . . . but it does. The lights here last FOREVER. You stand at a crosswalk for a good 9,000 minutes before the light changes and allows you to go. And jaywalking is really not acceptable. So, you stand. And you stand. And you stand. And you wait for-effing-ever. And you finally get the green to walk and then you get about seven seconds to cross, never mind the cabs and mini buses who pay no attention to the lights and bomb it through the crosswalk anyway. And this is of course even worse when you are trying to go for a jog and you find yourself jogging in place like a total rube for three minutes solid. I've seen people out of the corner of my eye mock me as I run in place. Mocking wouldn't be necessary if the lights changed in a timely manner. Sheesh.

--"I'm scared for my life on the sidewalks. I never know if I'm going to be hit by a scooter, a car, or a bicycle," says Joe. Anything goes here with vehicles it seems . . . you want to nearly mow over a pregnant woman or an old lady hauling a cart of leeks to the market on your scooter? By all means, go for it! You want to park your car on the sidewalk? Do it, man. Enjoy.

--And speaking of the market, Joe has taken to haggling with the market ladies over how many onions he wants to buy. Apparently, it is the height of rudery (yes, rudery) to only buy one onion, versus the 12 they insist you buy in a bushel.

--So, we live across the street from my school, which means we see the students all the time . . . like when they jump the fence to get snacks from the corner store, or when they're out all night roaming the streets (the school is a boarding school and I'm pretty sure they're supposed to be in their dorms at a certain time). Tonight we ran into a gaggle of them at the corner store. Because of my introductory PowerPoint the first week at school, all the kids know Joe, and I think are fascinated by him . . . the fact that he cooks and I don't (practically unheard of in Korea for a man to cook and not a woman) and the fact that he plays rugby and is generally beefier than most men here. Anyhoo, the kids said hello to me very nicely and then stared at Joe. "Is that your husband?" "Is that Joe?" were just a few things we heard. Then a few students who didn't even say hello to me, turned as they were walking toward the school and shouted "Goodbye, Joe!" And of course, the requisite giggling followed. I love it. These kids are awesome.

--I love these kids that I'm teaching. They are so earnest and eager and crazy smart. And they now feel comfortable enough to come up to me and ask questions. I had a girl tell me she didn't understand why my example of foreshadowing really was foreshadowing. I explained it to her, and she got it, and knowing that she got it was the greatest feeling ever.

--Also, my co-teachers continue to rule. More on them another time . . .