Amanda Takes Off...

[Note: You are spared photos and Korean because I'm not using my own computer. I don't want to load and edit photos on my friend's computer and her computer refuses to type Korean characters.]

Tonight we played soccer in the studio. I usually love playing soccer, but when we were playing rock, paper, scissors to decide who was out (five-man teams, but only four playing), I volunteered to sit out, saying in perfect Korean, "I'm taking medicine, so I'm tired."

(I'm on some knock-you-over cold meds that the ear, nose and throat specialist gave me. I'm supposed to take the medicine three times a day, but I couldn't function if I did.)

Master wrote the letter of recommendation for me.

He explained that he used his father's name instead of his own on the letter. His father is president of our studio and Brother's studio. Also, his father is president or vice-president of the provincial taekwondo association (I thought it was the city association). Furthermore—and unknown to me until tonight—his father is a member (or something) of the city's PTA or school board (it doesn't translate well, so I'm not sure).

Although I'm not applying for a job in my studio's city, it will look better coming from his name. (I would love to live a five-minute walk from my studio like I did when I found it; I would not love teaching my studiomates.)

So Master called his father and asked if he (Master) could write the letter and use his father's name on it. His father agreed.

I took the letter to Friend Who Knows These Things (who I'm staying with). He read it. "Wow."

"What does it say?"

After telling me, he flicked the letter. "Yeah. This was a great idea. This is perfect."

I was unsure of what Master would write, since he's never seen me teach. I didn't consider that everyone else in the studio is a student of some kind and he sees me interact with "my boys" and Ghost Little Brother and Cry Baby Gold Medal Girl and the whole lot of them in every class.

I was touched. Long ago, when I was worried about being misunderstood or not being able to express myself in Korean, one of my good friends in America said, "You two understand each other. You know his character, right? Don't worry so much about it. He sees you."

It's always interesting to discover the "you" that someone else sees.