Dear Tracy,
My first day of school was unreal. Not because of teaching - that hasn't started yet. But because of...well...lemme tell you.
My English department has four English teachers. They all have short, curly hair, appear to be within the 25 to 35 year range, and lord help me, they all have the same face.
Our office has five desks arranged into a small hive. Each work space is identical, except mine. It is distinctly older looking than the rest. I have a computer that was born before the dinosaurs, and all the desk drawers are locked. There is no key. The other equipment in the hive looks like it was invented yesterday.
The head teacher introduced me around before first period.
"Aubrey" she said, beckoning my forward, "This is Mrs. Kim." The nearest teacher smiled and bowed.
"Nice to meet you," said the next teacher, "My name is Mrs. Kim."
I did my best not to say "uh oh." out loud. I just blinked a lot and shook her hand.
The next teacher giggled and chattered in Korean, trying to cover her long teeth with her lips. The other teachers appeared to be encouraging her to speak.
"I no English-ee well," she said, looking around at the others instead of at me. "My first time to teach-ee English-ee. My name is Mrs. Kim."
"Hi!" The last teacher jumped out of her seat and extended a hand, "I am new English teacher in our school. I want to learn English and practice speaking with you. I am newly married. My name is Mrs. Kim. Nice to meet you!"
Did I mention, Tracy, that the head teacher's name is also Mrs. Kim? Crap! How the heck I am ever going to tell these women apart?
About thirty seconds after this episode, one of the Kims magically produced a bowl, smiling and trying to hide her teeth.
"Do you care for some grape?" She had come around the hive and was leaning a little too close to me. She offered up the basket with both hands.
"Thanks" I said, smiling back and taking a small bunch. I popped a large grape with a dusty black skin into my mouth.
"Oh-mo!" said the Kims. The smiling Kim looked at the others over my head, chattering in Korean, repeating emphatically some words that sounded like a TV hacking up static. The chattering sounds angry and distressed. I can't imagine that a throat-grinding hacking sound is a good thing, but who knows? A small strip of toilet paper appeared over my monitor. The smiling Kim snatched it and held it under my chin.
"Un!" she jerked her chin towards me.
"Um..."
"Ppft!" she mimed spitting into the napkin.
"Um..." How embarrassing. The Kims were staring, the smiling Kim was treating me like a three-year-old, and I had no idea what was going on. Too much pressure! I swallowed.
"AAAA!" The Kims exploded. Various sounds of negative shock ricocheted around the hive. The smiling Kim shook the napkin in my face, looking concerned and disgusted.
"Skin," she said, "not good. Next time, pfft!" she mimed spitting it into the napkin.
"Ooh," I said, "I don't mind the skins."
"No, no!" she smacked my hand. (It hurt.) "Bad thing in skin. P..p...p..." she trailed off, looked at the Kims over the computer and started chattering in Korean. They chattered back, and then all the Kims giggled.
"Pest" said one.
"Petitide?" said another. More chatter.
"Pesticide!" screamed a third.
"Pesticide" chanted the Kims, nodding in agreement.
"Pesticide" repeated the Kim with the bowl. "In skin" she pointed to the grapes. "Not for eating. Bad. Next time, pfft!" she mimed spitting again.
A small plate appeared over the movitor and she lay a cluster of grapes on it in front of me. She then continued around, giving grapes to the rest of the Kims. When served, they popped the pale, fleshy, grape insides with their teeth and ejected the toxic skin with incredible speed. Each Kim open mouth-smacked and slurped her portion, then discarded the skins through her teeth without shame.
I couldn't do it, Tracy.
I just left the grapes there, watching the noisy snack time around me in disbelief. Things are different here.
I'm so nervous to start teaching!
My first day of school was unreal. Not because of teaching - that hasn't started yet. But because of...well...lemme tell you.
My English department has four English teachers. They all have short, curly hair, appear to be within the 25 to 35 year range, and lord help me, they all have the same face.
Our office has five desks arranged into a small hive. Each work space is identical, except mine. It is distinctly older looking than the rest. I have a computer that was born before the dinosaurs, and all the desk drawers are locked. There is no key. The other equipment in the hive looks like it was invented yesterday.
The head teacher introduced me around before first period.
"Aubrey" she said, beckoning my forward, "This is Mrs. Kim." The nearest teacher smiled and bowed.
"Nice to meet you," said the next teacher, "My name is Mrs. Kim."
I did my best not to say "uh oh." out loud. I just blinked a lot and shook her hand.
The next teacher giggled and chattered in Korean, trying to cover her long teeth with her lips. The other teachers appeared to be encouraging her to speak.
"I no English-ee well," she said, looking around at the others instead of at me. "My first time to teach-ee English-ee. My name is Mrs. Kim."
"Hi!" The last teacher jumped out of her seat and extended a hand, "I am new English teacher in our school. I want to learn English and practice speaking with you. I am newly married. My name is Mrs. Kim. Nice to meet you!"
Did I mention, Tracy, that the head teacher's name is also Mrs. Kim? Crap! How the heck I am ever going to tell these women apart?
About thirty seconds after this episode, one of the Kims magically produced a bowl, smiling and trying to hide her teeth.
"Do you care for some grape?" She had come around the hive and was leaning a little too close to me. She offered up the basket with both hands.
"Thanks" I said, smiling back and taking a small bunch. I popped a large grape with a dusty black skin into my mouth.
"Oh-mo!" said the Kims. The smiling Kim looked at the others over my head, chattering in Korean, repeating emphatically some words that sounded like a TV hacking up static. The chattering sounds angry and distressed. I can't imagine that a throat-grinding hacking sound is a good thing, but who knows? A small strip of toilet paper appeared over my monitor. The smiling Kim snatched it and held it under my chin.
"Un!" she jerked her chin towards me.
"Um..."
"Ppft!" she mimed spitting into the napkin.
"Um..." How embarrassing. The Kims were staring, the smiling Kim was treating me like a three-year-old, and I had no idea what was going on. Too much pressure! I swallowed.
"AAAA!" The Kims exploded. Various sounds of negative shock ricocheted around the hive. The smiling Kim shook the napkin in my face, looking concerned and disgusted.
"Skin," she said, "not good. Next time, pfft!" she mimed spitting it into the napkin.
"Ooh," I said, "I don't mind the skins."
"No, no!" she smacked my hand. (It hurt.) "Bad thing in skin. P..p...p..." she trailed off, looked at the Kims over the computer and started chattering in Korean. They chattered back, and then all the Kims giggled.
"Pest" said one.
"Petitide?" said another. More chatter.
"Pesticide!" screamed a third.
"Pesticide" chanted the Kims, nodding in agreement.
"Pesticide" repeated the Kim with the bowl. "In skin" she pointed to the grapes. "Not for eating. Bad. Next time, pfft!" she mimed spitting again.
A small plate appeared over the movitor and she lay a cluster of grapes on it in front of me. She then continued around, giving grapes to the rest of the Kims. When served, they popped the pale, fleshy, grape insides with their teeth and ejected the toxic skin with incredible speed. Each Kim open mouth-smacked and slurped her portion, then discarded the skins through her teeth without shame.
I couldn't do it, Tracy.
I just left the grapes there, watching the noisy snack time around me in disbelief. Things are different here.
I'm so nervous to start teaching!
missing you like crazy,
