Breaking the Ice

You remember how I said it feels like the Koreans threw the word “can’t” out of their dictionary? Well this is a philosophy I tried to adopt even before I came here. Trying to get rid of the negative in life and just focus on the positive. Those first couple of weeks alone in Masan certainly tested my new life motto. What with a washing machine that was broken, a stove that wouldn’t light, and taking cold showers every night cause I didn’t know how to turn the hot water on. And every one of these problems I would keep bringing up with my mentor teacher, my guide to this new life in Korea. And everyday my pleas of help would go unanswered... But, I would just think about my kids, picturing their smiling faces that would cheer whenever I arrived. Then it was like most of those worries really weren’t so bad after all.
     As I got more familiar with my kids, the older ones told me that they were so happy I was so nice. When I asked why they explained to me that their previous teacher wasn’t nice at all. She was very strict, never smiled, and avoided talking to the kids after class. That’s when I started to wonder, was the reason my teachers were acting so distant not because I was a terrible teacher in their eyes, but rather because they had a bad experience with the teacher who came before me. This whole time I had worried I had offended them all somehow, either by my lack of knowing Korean, being “late” for meeting the teacher at the bus stop, or maybe my towering height. That was when something happened.
     It was my last teaching day of that week and actually for a little while because Korean Thanksgiving or Chuseok was about to start. No school for a week for me! I had arrived at the school about an hour early and was wandering around my classroom, taking in everything I had. That was when a teacher came in with a cup of cold tea. She handed me the tea and explained in basic English and charades she was the 3^rd grade and history teacher who also had two children enrolled in the school. None of her kids, both her students and children could stop talking about me. And with a smile she insisted I drink the tea. I was stunned to say the least, but as she left me to my tea the biggest grin started to form on my face. My kids. They had done what I couldn’t. They were bridging the gap between me and my teachers, telling them how happy and kind and fun I was. Because I came to school positive, throwing all my negative feelings aside, the teachers were starting to warm up to me.
     A few days passed and I was enjoying my vacation chilling in my apartment. I really couldn’t do much else due to lack of Korean and that fear of venturing outside alone just felt stronger those few days. That was when I heard a knock on my door. I opened it, and who did I see but my mentor teacher AND the English teacher. Yes, you heard right. The ENGLISH teacher. Meaning, I could for once successfully have a conversation with my mentor teacher! I knew before she was going to drop by, but I didn’t realize she would bring backup. Or fruit. Yes, I was greeted with a BIG box of fruit, a gift for Chuseok. Picture apples and Asian pears as big as grapefruit. I was kind of dancing, not going to lie. But that wasn’t all. The two proceeded to fix my washing machine! For 2 weeks my washing machine had just spat water at me everytime I tried to do my laundry, forcing me to pull the plug on it and be grateful I brought so much clothing with me in the first place. It took them 2 hours, and calling one of the school’s repairmen to come to finally fix the machine. This whole time I was bowing like crazy, apologizing for being such an inconvenience to them. This was their vacation and they were spending their time helping me. But that was when the English teacher turned around and faced me.

     “No, we’re sorry. We didn’t realize you were one of us. A co worker. A fellow teacher, and we left you here alone to fed for yourself this whole time, when you don’t know the area or the language. We are supposed to help you. We failed in our duty. We’re sorry and if you ever need us, call us, e-mail us, talk to us and we will be by your side.”
     I almost didn’t know what to say. Of all the things I expected…that wasn’t one of them. So all I could do was bow as deeply as I could and thank them both profusely in English and Korean for everything. They just laughed and insisted they take me out to eat now that my machine was fixed, adding that they would find a restaurant that didn’t serve only hot, angry, spicy food. I tried to wave them off, saying that whatever they wanted to eat was ok, in which they just smiled and said, “We know you don’t like spicy food. You try to act like you like it, but we’ve seen your face at the cafeteria.” My acting talents are failing me! Either way, my stomach was very happy as they found a little hole in the wall place run by a sole Korean grandma who was more than happy to leave Korea’s true love, chili peppers out of the food. That was when my teachers gave me one last surprise, a card with $500 on it to spend on my apartment. $500! You mean my dreams of having an oven in Korea WILL come true!? When I asked about the money, where it came from, if it was ok to have it, they told me not to worry about where it came from. Just to get whatever my apartment needed before the end of the month.
     It took me two weeks. Two weeks of just being patient, staying positive, and meeting 70 energetic kids who were happy to meet me. That’s what it took for me to become the newest member of my school’s family. I think I could used to this.