My First Day of School

I woke up this morning before my alarm went off, but just tossed around for a bit until 7. I got up and did my morning routine with the dull hint of butterflies fluttering around (or maybe it was one of those bugs I killed yesterday in my apartment. Bug infestation season, go!). When I got to school, I was a little earlier than my co-teacher so I just sat there while the Koreans ran around all crazily.

Eventually, my co-teacher came in and greeted me. Then some other woman came up and introduced herself and I soon learned that she would be helping me with all my "adjusting to Korean life" needs. Sweet, I thought. She's good at English.

The first order of business was to introduce all the new teachers over the TV broadcast. This was new to me, with sixth graders pretty much running a production studio in the main building. I was impressed and a little afraid because I will have to be teaching them eventually. So smart. They're probably smarter than me. I'm almost sure of it.

Anyway, we got lined up in order and stood there while the principal and the administrative guy blabbered for a while and we listened to the Korean National Anthem. Hey, I guess it's better than K-pop. When they began introducing us, each new teacher would step forward and bow for the camera. They got to me out of order (Suhteebah Howlcam...Koreankoreankoreankoreankorean) so I stepped forward awkwardly and bowed. Everyone laughed. I guess I missed the mark or there was a split in my pants. Whatever, I better get used to being laughed at, right?

We then went to the classroom...and we sat. And sat. And then it was lunch time. As per tradition, the principal takes all the new teachers out to lunch on the first day of school. This was a nice treat (gonsa hamnida, Principal!). I got to sit on the floor of some restaurant eating bibimbap and stare at the wall while all the Korean teachers talked about me and pointed and stared. My co-teacher only told me that they were "very interested" in me. I do have a zit on my chin, so I bet that's what they were talking about. But seriously, they're all very nice.

In the afternoon, we were going to go to the immigration office so I could apply for my Alien Registration Card, but when my co-teacher called, there were 160 other people waiting to do the same thing. "We'll go in the morning," she told me. Fine by me, half of them will be back then too. So the afternoon consisted of sitting. And more sitting. I later learned that I would have no classes this week. Well, that makes it easy. I guess I'll just have three more days of sitting.

I did get to talk to one of my co-teachers for a bit. She taught me some more Korean, and also that, like we associate personality traits to astrological signs, Koreans associate personality traits to blood type. I told her mine was AB+ and she laughed. "You're very weird," she told me. I could accept this. Apparently AB+ is not that common, so people having this blood type are considered "weird and out of the ordinary." I told her she was weird for being a Scorpio/Libra cusp. Also, I'm 27 in Korean. Damn, how did I get so old so quickly? I was 25 before I boarded that plane.

So, I worked 8:30 to 4:30 (Oh yeah. Sure beats American government hours). Off to do it again tomorrow!