Things that boggle the mind

#1 Korean women paint one, sometimes two, toe nail(s) (usually the big toes), and leave the rest bare. Young and old, this is the trend. No one knows why. I'm going to keep asking around until I get an answer.

#2 Surprisingly, for a culture that prizes education and studying 'til your eyes bleed, the schools here do not provide the students with comfortable chairs in which to sit through their 15 hour days. They do, however, provide them with standing desks, just in case their asses have gone so numb in their scoliosis-inducing, squeaking chairs, that standing, while studying, becomes the better option.

#3 Some parents complained to school administration recently that the air conditioning was "too cold" in the classroms, and thus was distracting to their children who are trying to study, ace the KSATs, go to a university in Seoul, and become rulers of the universe. (Seems like baking the kids in their classrooms is a sure-fire way to put them to sleep, and not, as parents might hope, to rev them up for focused study time).

#4 The teacher's bathroom is like walking into the Amazon: musty, moist, redolent of foliage, toilet paper (used or otherwise), and mold. If you're very lucky, you get the stall that drips dubious-looking/smelling/feeling water on your head as you pee.

#5 Students do not understand when I ask a question. I have talked with a lot of people about this one, and have not come any closer to understanding what is going wrong. Questions are met with blank stares, confusion, total stillness. I wonder if my intonation is culturally confusing, or if the lift at the end of the question isn't noticeable enough. I wonder if I'm speaking too fast. I wonder if the words I'm using are too advanced. But these kids are super advanced, so what's the deal? I have to tell them I'm asking them a question and then they'll answer, albeit tentatively. Or, in some cases, I ask multiple (opposite) questions and get the same answer to every single one.

"Do you need more time to work on your project?"
"Yes."
"So, you are not ready?"
"Yes."
"So, you are ready?"
"Yes."

It's enough to send me 'round the bend.