Test Week

This week was kind of boring. For the most part I was doing nothing except playing games at school.

From Monday to Thursday the school kids were writing exams for this term and since I don't have any duties relating to exams I had nothing to do. The school also closed at 1pm at the latest every day, and then the whole place was quiet. Very strange, I tell you. I could have been a lot more effective and productive, but it is one of those things that the more time you have the bigger the proportion you waste. Go figure. It was a nice little rest though.

Most of the things that did happen happened just before and during the weekend. One of my co-teachers thought he would take me out so that I can do something interesting since I was sitting there the whole week being bored. He invited two other teachers I don’t really know very well and we went to some place in Moer-in-Gone for, what he said, tea. We never had any tea but had dinner. The food was very interesting. Firstly we got what was a pot of something that looked very milky, together with a big wooden spoon to pour the stuff into your bowl like cup. They said it was Rice Wine, but I would rather call it Rice Beer. Rice wine is more like Suju or Sake. This stuff reminded me of Ginger Beer. I think I want to make some myself, or at least try. It is s called Dongdongju ( 동동주). As the main meal they gave us something like a potato pizza, but I can’t really say what it was. One was quite spicey and the other was just OK. We also had a huge pot of soup with something like rice dumplings, but dumplings like in the west, not the little filled things that look like ravioli. The soup was called Ongsimi (옹심이). All in all it was a nice night and I got to talk to two of the teachers I never get to talk to.

Saturday we went to a pottery class. It was being held at a elementary school that is apparently very well known for it's pottery school. They have their own little museum and there they have pieces from the best artists in Korea. They are very proud of it. We went through it and then had a look at what we would be using to make our own pottery. After the quick view, we all got our clay and with a few instructions, we were of to make whatever we wanted. I will show you mine and a few of the others when we get it back from them next week, they are baking it for us some time this week.

The pottery session was ended when the teacher who took us, me and the students, took us for lunch. We went to a fusion restaurant, which basically means neither a western fast food restaurant like McDonald’s nor a normal Korean restaurant. We had something they translated for me as Pork Cutlets, or 돈까시, but we in the west call it Schnitzel. It was OK, but not that great. Koreans need to learn a bit about making sauce that does not have chilly and sesame seeds in it. Seems they just can’t get those tastes that we like just right.

After this whole session it was only 2 pm and I wanted to go to a book shop in Seoul. I was looking for a book on grammar to give me explanations on why English works the way it does. I just speak English and I don't always know why I say or write something. I ended up getting a tiny little book that gave me exactly what I wanted and I also got a little Korean Phrase Book. I have already made a little list of things I want to know how to say in Korean.

Just outside the book store I found a place that makes the little stamps that Korean use instead of signatures, but after making it I found out that I spelled my name wrong. I still don't know why, but everyone says so. Now I have to get a new one. At least they are cheap.

One last thing about the past week. There is a TV program on the Discovery Channel called “Future Weapons”. The funny thing here was that the guy was talking of the “great new weapons” that they are developing to battle "Bad Guys", meaning the USA fighting others, as if anyone will ever use it and as if only bad guys will be killed. Idiot! Then he goes on to talk about a smart missile that is "guaranteed to hit the target almost every time". Which is it now? Guaranteed or almost? We can’t have both. Almost is an assurance, not a guarantee.

Well, boys and girls, that is it for this week. There are a few things that I already have lined up for next week, but you will have to wait till then.

*Please not that the statements in this Blog is not intended to make anyone look bad. I do not look down on Koreans. I'm merely describing how amusing I sometimes find people and I am mostly describing it to other westerners. Feel free to come to South Africa and tell the world how crazy we are because heaven knows, we are.