I'm eating WHAT?!

Wednesday I taught my first class of the new year at Geumcheon. It was with my 3rd graders, who I had last semester. They all know me and were excited to see me, to talk to me and tell the class that they saw me eating lunch in Naju. I have a new co-teacher, which I'm really excited about. I was shocked/impressed/excited that my first class was so well behaved. They listened, the answered questions, they volunteered. Having a new co-teacher who CARES and who has authority is going to be a tremendous change. I have a feeling that my students might actually learn and won't spend the entire class talking, in Korean. I'm also teaching from the same book as my co-teacher, which will be much easier for me to work off of what he teaches and a lot less work of trying to decide what the best lessons would be for them. I get one page out of each unit, the speaking page. I've read mixed reviews about this book, but I suppose if the grammar is terrible I can always use the idea and make my own lessons.

After teaching my first and only class of the day I made my way back to the office. My co-teacher stopped to stare at the board that lists the classes of the day and information. He then says "dinner at 5 pm". I always love the "heads up" I get. 3 hours before school ends I find out there is a dinner party, awesome. Anyway, I tried a few times to find out where this dinner party would be, but all I got was that it was to welcome the transfer teachers to the school.

At 5 pm I was pushed into my co-teachers car and driven to the restaurant, which turned out to be just across the road. It was a bit hidden which I found a bit strange, but I didn't question it. There was a picture of chickens on the door, so I thought "hey meat for dinner, win!" Usually we go out for sashimi and beef stew. I sat down with my fellow teachers. We have a new part time teacher, his international name is Jude, he's my age, too! Jude is a really friendly guy and I enjoy talking to him. Yes, he speaks English and it is a really nice change having someone in the office or at lunch that can and does talk to me. Anyway, back to the story. So, Jude starts cooking the meat on the bbq as more staff and teachers begin filing into the restaurant. He looks at me and says "do you know what this is?" I guessed pork, it looked like it. "No, it's DOG meat. I think it's healthier than pork and it makes you strong." .... wait, WHAT? You took me to a DOG restaurant. DOG. I ate DOG. After the initial, "wait, what?" reaction I got over it. I wasn't getting out of eating it, they don't take no for an answer here (unless of course you have an allergy). It honestly isn't all that bad. A bit of a different taste then pork, but when you cover it up with ssamjjang you can't really tell what you have.

This dinner was much better than previous ones for the simple fact that I know have someone to talk to! Jude and I had a lot of good conversations and he would translate things for me or tell me what everyone was talking about. There was a lot of smiles and pointing at the two of us and comments made that weren't translated to me and everyone kept saying "ah obba" and point to Jude (that means he is older so I call him brother). Some of the female teachers said they are happy that I finally have someone that can speak to me so I'm not so lonely. It is nice. You have no idea how isolated I am day in and day out. I don't see many foreigners in Naju, so I go home and am alone and all day at school I'm alone, no real conversations. Which is one main reason I'm on facebook ALL day. I need to have chats with friends, I don't care if it's not face to face, it is still a conversation.

Anyway, at the beginning of the meal there is always a toast. The people I sat next to usually drink water or soda. Thankfully I wasn't too close to the gym teacher, who drinks a lot of soju with a few of the other male teachers. As the toasts began the soju bottles were being brought out on the tables and not 3 or 4, 10 or 12 per table. As the meal continued, so did the flow of soju. The principals face was bright red, but more and more soju was still poured for him. A few minutes before we all stood up to leave, the very drunk gym teacher (barely holding himself up in a sitting position) leans over and says something in Korean, while saying my name and pointing at me. Jude said that he wants to drink with me twice a week, beer and soju. I just laughed but he was persistent. Jude told him I prefer wine or whiskey to beer and soju. He thought about this for a moment (wine is really expensive her, a bottle of whiskey is $5). And then said, "one night a week drinking!" I said okay, knowing that it'll probably never happen. But it made him happy.

Naju weekend

This has been an interesting weekend. Friday morning as I headed off to school, I passed an adjosshi (elderly man) near my apartment. I don't really know this man, but I see him everyday at the school. He usually ignores me when I pass him in the school driveway or when I'm in the office. However, when I passed him near my apartment he had a huge (surprised) smile on his face. I bowed to him, said hello and continued on my way.

Saturday morning I was hungry for eggs so I ran out to the 24 hour store near my place. I usually see a man there who on the street will smile and say hi to me. It was a lady this time and despite having seen her many times there today she felt like talking to me. She proceeded to ask if I was an English teacher and I replied that I was and what school (in my very basic knowledge of Korean). A few hours later as I was leaving my apartment to head to Gwangju, I passed 3 men sitting outside the convenient store near my place. I smiled at them and one of the man waved and started talking to me. I took out my headphones to hear what he had to say. He immediately grabbed my hand and shook it after I bowed to them. He just stood there holding my hand talking to me or the men he was with, after awkwardly putting my hand against his face he let me leave. I bowed to them and not sure what he should do he threw his hand in the air to say hello again. It made me laugh even though it was a bit strange. I've been here for 6 months and this is the most that random Koreans have talked to me, especially in one day!

Today was market day. I love market day. It's always fun to just walk around, checking out all the different kinds of fish or seeing the many different kinds of kimchied things. It was a dreary day, but I attempted to get some pictures at the market. As I was heading there a few children noticed that I was a foreigner. One, still in his pajamas, began pointing and jumping up and down exclaiming "waygooken, waygooken" until his friends arrived. I'm sure I'm not the first foreigner he's seen, but he was excited nonetheless.

different types of kimchi