Howdy
Last time I wrote I said "May looks to be an interesting month. Hopefully only in a good way." I think I tempted fate by saying that.
So far it has been interesting, but like the time of a full moon, May brings out the strange students. For some reason they seem to be gravitating to my free talking class. My regular sudents usually put them in their place if they get disruptive. But, there is one student who is an emotional basket case, and a bit of a stalker. Unfortunately, they other teachers never warned me about her stalker characteristics.
Stalker might be a bit harsh, but some of the definition does describe her. She will focus in on one English teacher and basically try to insinuate herself into your life. She wants to go everywhere you go, do everything you do, spend all possible free time with you. I had thought I had run into her by chance Friday morning, but it turned out she followed me from school.
Friday was one of those days when nothing ever seems to go right. The things that do go right later turn out not to have really been good. It started with a Free Talking class that I felt was only so-so. I had to go downtown to get a book from an English bookstore. That is when I ran into Angela, or as we affectionately call her Stalker Girl. She said she wasn't busy and offered me a drive, she knew were the bookstore was. I said sure. She did know where the store was. While I was getting the book she got a call that she had to go in to work so we couldn't go for coffee. On the way back to Sacheong-dong we were talking about work and she almost started crying. (It turns out that when she was in another teachers Free Talking class she DID start crying anytime they were talking about life. Really creeped out the other students.) Very weird drive back.
So, it was only 10:30 and I wanted brunch. I figured I would have something I hadn't had in ages. Popeye's chicken. They open at 10. Not this day of course. It took then 15 minutes to decide to tell me that they wouldn't be opening until 11:30 that day. Fine, I didn't really NEED chicken. So, I went home and cooked brunch and got ready to watch Star Wars Episode 2. A friend and student had borrowed it from a friend. It took 2 CD's to hold the movie. I was really looking forward to watching it. Of course, for some reason, the disc's were not compatible with my CD-rom!!!
Argh!!!! After trying different codecs, and some cursing I gave up on watching the movie. I would download some hockey and watch the 1st Toronto-Carolina playoff game. But, of, course, something went wrong and the FTP would not work.
The bad luck didn't end there. I went to school to teach my kids class. I was told that they have no one to teach my Saturday classes in 2 weeks. I am SUPPOSED to have it off to go to a World Cup soccer game. They told me 2 weeks ago I could have the day off, NOW they tell me this. There is NO way in hell I won't be going, I already have my ticket. Great start to the evening.
It didn't improve. The air conditioner in the room wasn't working! It was hot and humid, and I was in a small room with 12 kids. It got very sticky and very stinky very fast. Not fun. My next class was better, fun. But my last class, no one showed up! So I figured cool, I am off early, I will call a friend I have a dinner "appointment" with, and go early.
My friend, Cheong Seob, was busy and couldn't get there early. Fine, it just meant killing less than an hour until he got there. I went home for a bit, to change clothes and relax. When I got back, no Cheong Seob. While waiting I talked with another teacher, Matt, and one of his students. That is when I found out who Stalker Girl was. 8:15, still no Cheong Seob. I hadn't eaten since 11:00 Am and was pretty hungry. SO I called him. He said he couldn't get away until 9. I said do you REALLY mean that, or at 9 will you have another lame excuse. That is when he said he wouldn't be coming, he was too drunk. I COULD have eaten at 7PM if he had just told me the truth, that he wasn't coming. So, I was pretty pissed off. It was too late to go to eat Sum Kyub Sal now since I was supposed to be meeting some other students at 8:50 at the school to go to a Noribung. One student less now.
9 PM rolls around and only 1 student showed up to go. Another, Seo Jong begged off, because she said she had to go home, she was going to Seoul Saturday. I was hungry, and in a pissy mood, so I asked Yun Jong if she would rather go eat supper instead of going to a noribung. She said sure. Then we ran into Seo Jong and another student. Surprise surprise, she has time to go for supper. Rather than just say she didn't want to go to a noribung that night, she decided to lie. That didn't help my mood, but fine.
We went to a place called Acapulco. It serves Mexican food!!!! I was jonesing for some good Mexican food. We sit down, it is about 9:30. The waitress takes our order, then comes back and says they close at 10PM and aren't taking orders. The luck continues!
We head off to another place. This time a bar-restaurant. They serve steak. I decide that steak would be nice. The waitress takes our orders, comes back and tells us that they stop serving that menu at 9PM. NOw they only serve anjou, beer food! So, my supper consisted of french fries. I was not a happy camper. Going home, it started raining. I had no umbrella.
The night ended for me at 11PM. I went home early, and went to bed hoping Saturday would be better. Friday? It was more like a fricking Monday! :)
Saturday was much better. My kids classeswere great. I treated a friend-student (BumSuk) to Galbi for supper. Plus copious mounts of Soju and beer. We went back to his place to have beer and watch Star Wars Ep. 2. Then went to the market by my apartment and sat, talked, and had a lot of beer. I walked him home, or he probably wouldn't have made it.
Today I am going to a Buddhist temple. It is Buddha's birthday today so I am going to watch the festival of lanterns. It should be a great time, except Stalker Girl is supposed to be going. DungChim is probably going to come too though, so it shouldn't be that bad.
I hope your Friday was better than mine. :)
Take care,
Flint
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The lieing really pisses me off. If you don't want to do something just say it. Catching people in lies makes me question anything they say. The amount of lieing people do for stupid reasons is insane.
Catching so many people lieing to me that day started to open my eyes a bit more.
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