Amanda Takes Off...

I wish I could come up with pithy, interesting titles.

Class was good tonight. Master got there and detailed to Cocky what he wanted done. Then he started approaching me. (We were all sitting on the floor, waiting to start class.) I said, "바빠요?" You're busy? He nodded, "I'm sorry." I shook my head, he didn't need to apologize.

He's pointed to the wall at something that was still covered in paper. "Amanda, Chuseok, you know Chuseok?" I nodded. Of course I know the holiday. A little later in the conversation I realized it wasn't making sense. In Korean I said, "Master, 추석? October? Food?"

He shook his head. "출석, you know?" Chulseok? I shook my head and he rattled off three names including mine. Ah ha! Attendance!

Turns out Master's got a new toy. The box on the wall is some sort of new thumb print scanning attendance device. He thinks it should be working by the end of the week.

A thumb print scanning device? For a taekwondo studio? Big Brother Master's watching...

Class itself was fine. I worked on blocks, stances, and did some of my forms while the boys practiced their sit ups, push ups, squats, and front kicks. Master is having some sort of physical fitness test for everyone. When I asked what was on the whiteboard yesterday, he explained what was going on. Before I could even ask when it was, he said, "Amanda, you...not student. No do it." Fine with me. Heck, I wouldn't mind doing some sort of test as a baseline, but I don't think I should be held to the same standards as a bunch of 17 year old kids. Or at least not in the same time limit. Call me a wimp, I'm OK with that.

During the break, I showed the kids who made the top of the GlimpseAbroad article the article and their pictures. The boy was so excited he kept giggling. Everyone else asked to see the article and although none of them could read it, they smiled and said, "Good job, Amanda." Crybaby Gold Medal Girl was squealing over the fact that she was on the front page. I loaded that photo to my Cyworld page and told them both to "scrap" it.

During the break I studied some vocab words on the bench while the boys did some weird soccer-related game that I can't figure out. One person would kick the soccer ball against the wall and run away while the next in line ran up to kick it back to the wall again. Eventually this including sending someone to stand against the wall, back to everyone else, while they all aimed for him. Brave got stuck being the ball target for most of it, and I thought Oh how sweet, out own private version of "The Lottery."

I hated that story.

I was so amused by the game that I ran to get my handphone (I didn't have my digital camera with me). The closet was locked. I knocked and someone knocked back. "누구세요?" The door opened and I saw Late Boy and Tired Guy snuggled up on the floor, draped over and under all of the coats and clothing. Our changing closet is really very small and they took up the whole floor. "왜?"

Late Boy yawned, "Oh, so tired. 피곤해요, Amanda."

Right then Cocky called us back to start the second half of class. Drats, I was going to get a picture of them together, two sleepy peas they were. Cocky looked at them, "왜?" (I am convinced that "why" is one of the most frequently used words in oral conversation.)

During the second half of class we did a lot of kicking practice and there wasn't much screwing around without Master around. I was paired with the girl who's really more into her handphone than anything else. I couldn't remember all of the kicks we were supposed to do so I walked up to Cocky. "Front kick and roundhouse kick. What do we do next?" He said two kicks, and one I didn't know so I guessed it was an ax kick. I demonstrated an ax kick and he said, "Yes." We did back kicks with one of the guys holding a body sized target. I kicked him hard enough that he stepped back several times and the older boys clapped for me. "Amanda! Nie-suh!"

Backtracking a bit, I got to class early and found Grin's Brother there. I asked him to do me a big favor. He looked skeptical but agreed. I asked him to read the first story in my Once Upon a Time in Korea reader while I recorded him on my iPod. He did. Now I have a three-minute taping of a native reader reading it at a normal speed. Awesome!

After class Grin's Brother looked at me and said, "Oh, hungry."

I nodded, "나도, 밥 같이?" Me too. Dinner together?

I'm not sure how inviting Grin's Brother out to dinner turned into eating with Cocky, Blue, and Crybaby Gold Medal Girl (Cocky said something about Grin's Brother waiting; I wasn't sure if he meant someone was waiting for GB or GB was waiting for us, I guess it was the former), but that was fine. It was originally only Cocky, Blue, and me. As soon as we sat down Cocky said that he saw my name on the board for my Il Dan test, and he's going to take me out for my test. He offered to take Heidi out with us. I shook my head, "아니요..."

Crybaby showed up then, she needed a bag from the studio and Cocky had the keys. They left, and Blue tried to explain. In Korean I said, "Her bag is in the studio." He nodded, and I briefly explained what happened in Hong Kong. I didn't go into many details because, well, I don't have the verbal ability and because, well, I didn't really want to.

When Cocky got back (this time with Crybaby in tow, which was OK with me), he mentioned bringing Heidi out again. Blue shook his head and whisper explained what happened. Cocky asked if Master knew. I said no, "Shhh..." They agreed to keep quiet.

Dinner itself was great. I decided what to order on my own—no help needed, I found what I wanted on the menu—we all ate off each others' plates like normal, and the owners kept the sides flowing. Nearly all of the conversation was in Korean. Often they'd try to say something in English and I'd clarify in (albeit often broken) Korean. We talked about school and what Blue and Cocky want to be (they're both 19, they'll go to University next year and now they're legal to drink, so that was exciting to them). Blue wants to be a businessman, Cocky wants to be a bodyguard. Cocky is starting a part-time job on weekends as a grocery store clerk and that's why he'll have money to take me out. He wants to take my to Outback Steakhouse. (Koreans love taking foreigners there.) Crybaby is testing for her third poome the same time I'm testing.

I mentioned that my mom and stepdad are coming to visit in May and they'd get to meet the people at the studio. Cocky joked, "We'll go to Outback Steakhouse! OK!"

I said I was thinking of taking them to Jeollanam-do and Jeollabuk-do. Blue said he was from there. I wasn't sure if he'd said he was from the south (nam) or north (buk). I said, "Nam? Buk?"

"아니요, 통일." No, Tongil. Tongil means "reunification" and is the name of our studio. "Nambuk" is the name of Master's Brother's studio.

I looked at him, a grin playing on my lips, "그래요? 맞아요?" Really, is that right?

He laughed and I asked my question again, this time using the whole name of each province. Turns out he's from the north.

Blue asked about my glasses and said something or other about 고양이. In English I said, "Did you just call me a cat?" I was half-joking. I had understood them—they'd said I had cat's eyes because my eyes are green and blue instead of brown "like Koreans."

I've never been told my eyes are like a cat's eyes.

On the way out the door, I said to Cocky, "Outback is expensive, Cocky." He paused and then said, "Lunchie!"

Fair enough, lunch it is.

Yes, there was some English used, but I didn't have to reach for my digital dictionary once tonight. And that felt great.