Food Poisoned! AND I want YOUR opinion!

I've been poisoned by food... Urgh... On the upside, I'm on the mend. I've been able to go to work (school) without any problems, but just have to be careful about what I eat. Which unfortunately has made my coworkers really worried about me... O_o  Even though I've told them I got food poisoning, and they told me they know what it means, I don't think they do... They keep asking if I have taken medicine for it and/or they don't understand why I haven't been eating like I normally do and why I'm drinking a lot more. They also worry that because I'm not eating the school lunch with them, I don't like the school lunch... Which I think is funny since I've been eating it for a week and a half already. I think if I really didn't like it, I would have stopped eating it long ago...

Anyway.

I keep waiting for the kids to stop being cute... But it hasn't happened yet. But it's still the "honeymoon" period, so we'll see what happens when I start to actually want all of them to speak in English. I've taught all the grades (but only 1 class of 4th graders, the rest come tomorrow) so far, and all I've done with them is the introduction powerpoint I made. I was going to try and teach the 5th graders more than just about me except... once I asked if there were any questions... That was the end of that.

They still surprise me though. Beyond the favorite questions, the "normal questions" (age, marital status, blood type, height/weight/shoe size, do I like Korea), and the questions regarding my family, there are still many more yet to ask apparently... Are you afraid of the nuclear threats from North Korea? Do you like Obama? One particular boy who spoke and understood English well even asked me who I voted for in the last election... LOL. These kids are way more politically aware than I ever was (or still am for that matter...). One of the kids also asked if I liked Japan, to which I said I didn't have any feeling for or against, and when I asked if he liked Japan he shook his head violently. I know that Japan and Korea have had a rather bitter relationship, but because of how long ago it happened, I tend to overlook it unfortunately. Of course, even though these kids are much more well-rounded than I was at their age, they're still kids: "Have you ever seen a zombie?" "Are there zombies in America?" LOL

I knew the concept of adoption would be hard to explain, but I didn't think it would be this hard. I thought the hardest part would be their response to me. I thought that my picture showing myself with my family would say enough. Very clearly, it did not. One boy asked if I was Korean. Yes. Is your mother Korean? No. Is your father Korean? No. *very confused look* I showed him the picture of me as a baby with my family again and still the *confused look*. All foreigners? Yes. *confused* LOL. Although his classmate (who speaks English well), asked me after that (in English) if I am adopted. I hope he can explain the concept to his classmate. While most of the kids may not understand what adoption means, they do seem to understand that I don't speak Korean. I was slightly worried that they would fight me on that point, since the previous NET is also Korean and can speak Korean, but they haven't really. Although there is a persistent boy in the 5th grade who has asked me every time I see him to say "Annyeonghaseyo." I finally relented to him today (since this was the first official class) but I deliberately mispronounced it, saying "Annonghaseyo." He smiled and left. So I think he gets the idea. :D

So... Time for a POLL....

I've been realizing that sometimes what Koreans say to foreigners doesn't really mean what they want it to. For instance: my coT and I were talking about my lesson plan. After I explained it, she said "Good try." ... I asked what I should change and she said "It's okay." I have a funny feeling that at some point, someone told her that ANYTIME someone tries something the first time to say "Good try." I didn't want to push the point, especially since at the time I felt a little bit insulted... But I don't think she meant "Good try." Or maybe she did. But similar things happen a lot. Koreans say something that sounds a bit rude or cold-hearted, but I don't think it's because they mean it. I think it is because of what they have been taught...

Here's an example, and I would like everyone's opinion on it. Straight from the book I am supposed to be teaching from:

A: How's it going?

B: I'm great. How about you?

A: Not so good. I have a fever.

B: That's too bad. See you later.

A: Have a nice day!

 

Maybe it's just me, but that seems a bit... callous? Obviously, it's just a simple script for learning responses to "How's it going?" ... But I worry that the students will think it's okay to say "That's too bad" without saying anything else. Prior to knowing any of this, if I was talking to a Korean and told them that I was feeling sick, if their response was just "That's too bad. See you later." I would feel a little hurt/annoyed. I told her that maybe we should teach the kids to say "That's too bad. I hope you feel better." Of course, all of this could be just me. Maybe other people normally just say "That's too bad." But please let me know either way. :D

 

Much love from the ROK!