Amanda Takes Off...

Tonight's class was essentially pointless, though I am glad I showed up for Korean reasons.

It was pouring rain and something was going on with the schools, so only ten of us were there. We warmed up and did individual poomse work for 40 minutes, when the boys then told me to change so they could prep the studio for tomorrow's test. I looked at the clock and said, "but it's only 8:40."

Goalie looked at me, said, "Wait a minute," and left. He came back and told me to go talk to Master, who was still downstairs. He came back and told me to go downstairs. I went downstairs and found Tired Guy and Blue helping Master with something. He explained that they were prepping the studio for testing and told me to do 고려 until 9:30.

I only know 8 steps of 고려. I couldn't do it for 45 minutes straight, so I mixed in some Pal Jangs and photography. I'm glad Master walked into the studio when I was in the middle of 고려!

"Cleaning" the studio. I love the expressions I caught on their faces.

Coverboy loves vacuuming doboks.

I call him Coverboy...

...for a reason.

They were throwing wads of newspaper (used to clean the mirrors) around while Coverboy was riding the vacuum across the studio.

These guys were actually doing work. Brave's Brother, standing in the window, was trying to find the studs to hang the testing banner on. Goalie, moving in the background, was helping. The guy in the middle, whom I don't have a nickname for? He was watching the younger boys ride around on the vacuum.

Once this kid got going, momentum took him to the closet. I'm surprised he didn't trip over the junk on the floor, actually.

Master came up to the studio to dismiss the younger kids and help put the finishing testing touches on. He watched me do the first 8 steps and told me to make my movements bigger, and to keep my kicks to a three count to give myself time to get my hands in the correct position. We got going about 기 again and I asked if it was the same ki as in kiyap. Yes. What about kibun? He said no, but we looked it up in my dictionary, and it is the same Chinese character, which is really interesting to me.

Before class I got the boys to help me with a speaking activity on my homework. I was supposed to ask them if they could do various sports. Brave's Brother and another boy just answered everything with yes or no. Goalie showed up after I'd told them it was homework and couldn't figure out why I was asking him those questions. Later Tired showed up. He was by far the most helpful because he offered longer answers. "Yes, but I'm not very good."

Yesterday I told Master I wouldn't be working today because I had to go to Labor again to report my employer again for being late on my pay again. When I was downstairs, he asked what happened.

"Labor에 갔아요. 그리고 일했어요. 원장님 화가..하다?" I went to Labor, and then I went to work. My boss...to be angry?

"화가 나다," Master corrected me.

"화가 녔어요. '왜요? 월요일 돈이 있을거예요,' 라고 했어요. 하지만 믿—" My boss was angry. She said, 'Why? Monday I'll have money.' But I don't be—

He tried to finish my sentence, "못 믿어요?" You don't believe her?

"네, 믿지 않아요. 하지만 내일 일야하..." No, I don't believe her. But tomorrow I must wor.... I scrunched up my face in confusion.

Master helped me, "일해야 해요?"

"네! 일해야 해요!" Yes! I must work.

Blue grinned at me. I sighed and said, "라고 했어요, 지 않다, 해야 해효!" Heck yes! I had just managed to fit in direct quoting, a new-to-me way to negate a sentence, and the must/have/should/ought verb ending in my speech. I needed some help, but the fact is, I've learned all of those things in the last 4 weeks or so and haven't gotten to use them much yet.

Later I somehow managed to work "smokes cigarettes" into a story I was telling. That's one of my new vocabulary words.

On the subway ride home, I did my homework. I must say, this lesson's homework was a bit annoying. How many times do I need to write "X [does not] know how to play soccer?" Three apparently. Much more repetitive than normal.

Some guy a few years younger than me was standing near me (I was sitting) and he very nearly rammed his elbow into my ear several times. Then he started talking to me while he friends were trying to keep him upright. "Seonsangnim!" I ignored him, but we all got off at the same stop. He kept trying to get my attention while his friends tried to stop him. "Seonsangnim!"

I had an imaginary one-sided conversation in Korean in my head. "What? Why are you yelling at me? Are you drunk? Yes, I can tell. Well, sleep well tonight. You'll be sick tomorrow."