Amanda Takes Off...

Yesterday was a national holiday, so there was no school and no tae kwon do. I ran to the stationery store and got to practice asking for things and numbers. I also went by the market and the question "how much is this" tumbled out of my mouth in Korean so quickly that I surprised myself. Of course, I still can't hear quickly enough to understand half of the number returned to me, but that's OK.

Today one of the gardeners at our school brought some silkworms inside. I love that I teach at a school with a small zoo and silkworms. So I learned the Korean word for silkworm: 누에고치. (Pronounced like "new-eh-ko-chi.")

After work I went to the market again and got to practice asking for things and using numbers. One the way there, at the stoplight, an old man just stared at me. It's one thing when it's kids, another when it's adults. Later, a few teenagers yelled, "foreigner, foreigner." Come on, if you're going to say something obvious, at least add some adjectives to it! On the way home some little kids yelled, "Hello! Hello! Where are you from?" For some reason, that didn't bother me.

I thought I had some idea of what it was like to be a minority, having taught where I did back home. I was wrong. I may have been a minority in my school building and in that area of the city, but I was always the majority socially. Here I am a minority in every sense of the word.

So when I get "foreigner, foreigner" yelled at me, I breathe deeply and cling to other moments. Like walking back into the beauty shop and greeting the tea-serving owner and being greeted by her. Walking by the pizza joint and seeing the woman who makes my pizzas nod her head at me with a smile, then getting a response when I ask how she's doing. Yes, I know they are shop owners, they are not friends. But being treated like I would back home—that feels good.

And other times, too, are exciting. I learned how to say "See you later" today. It's one little phrase, and of course I could make due with the more formal goodbye, but it was so neat to use it.

I thanked my Korean coteacher for some coffee, in Korean, without thinking about it. She froze and gave me a high five.

It was neat to talk to the shuttle driver and figure out what time he's coming to pick us up tomorrow. In Korean. Yes, I messed up the first time, saying "9-10-minute-hour." But I shook my head and started over. "9-hour-10-minute, 9-hour-15-minute." He smiled, looked very excited, and said, "Ahop shi ship bun!" I called, "Doe mahn na yo" (see you later) and he called back at me and nodded and smiled. Every other day it's been "thank you" and "goodbye" and today it was different. Something so minor...

And tomorrow I have tae kwon do again. I'm looking forward to it.