Amanda Takes Off...

Today we had a Halloween party at school. I have no clue where the kids got the costumes since Halloween isn't done in Korea, but all but two showed up in store-bought costumes. We also had a birthday party, took the kids trick-or-treating to the two closest restaurants and had a long, long day with the after-school class. As soon as the kids left, Daniel (one of our Korean coteachers), Ali and I let loose. Ali threw me on her shoulders piggyback and we ran outside, with me yelling to Cocky Guy's father, "Balance! Power!" in Korean.*

Daniel's costume was a supermodel (I decided this for him after watching him walk the runway during our costume fashion show) and Ali and I used our sports' uniforms as our costumes. (No, I don't normally wear my dobok with socks, one slipper, rings and my watch on.)

I introduce you to the Supermodel, the Rugby Player, and the Taekwondoist.

On the way to the studio tonight, I ran into Ghost and another studio kid (whose name I don't know) on their bikes at the stoplight. I dipped my head between them and they said, "Oh! Amanda! Hi!" I said, "Tae kwon do?" They said, "Ah, Survivor...um..." I said, "돈?" The other kid said, "Yes! Money!" The other people at the stoplight were just staring at us.

I had a belt test tonight. I only did my form, no sparring. Master made me do it a second time, but unlike my Worst Belt Test Ever, it wasn't because I did a really awful job. I've been having problems ending my form at the same place it started. I asked him about it Tuesday night, but I guess I didn't entirely understand his response. He told me to change one stance and voilà, it worked! He said, "Look." I loked at my feet to find them firmly planted exactly where they should be and said, "Oh! Wow!" He just grinned.

I stopped at a stationary supply store and managed to get some more of my printable business cards/flashcards. I also bought some delicious spicy kimchi mandu from a shop on the way home. Minor events, but new shops I haven't dealt with and I was able to make myself understood quickly; that was neat.

After class I asked Master about two words he uses a lot, 앞으로 (the front, I figured this from the name of some stances but wanted to double check) and 뒤로 (back, backwards, behind). I wrote them in my notebook and Master said, "Amanda, no, no."

He wrote the letter ㅍ on the board. I write it like I write the Roman numeral II. I do the vertical strokes, then the horizontal ones, top to bottom. Korean stroke order for that letter is top horizontal stroke, vertical strokes (left one first), bottom hoizontal stroke. I laughed and said, "I know, but it's hard." I wrote the ㅎthe correct way (top horizontal line, bottom one, circle) and said, "Korean." I drew the circle first, then the lower horizontal line, then the top one and said, "Me." Master just wrinkled his nose at me and said, "No! No!" I laughed. I mimicked that it took me forever to start writing the letter ㅐ correctly. I wrote it like the English H for a long time. Now I do it correctly, left vertical stroke, horizontal stroke, right vertical stroke. I'll probably never write an English H correctly again.

Master is not one to talk about writing. It's taken me months to figure out his semi-script style of handwriting. (Seriously though, learning the correct stroke order makes reading his handwriting multitudes easier and it's less confusing when I'm spelling—or having words spelled—on my hand.)

* Cocky Guy's dad works for the organization that owns our school and he's how I found the studio.