Amanda Takes Off...

Last week I was told I count my money like a Westerner.

In Korea, money is folded in half and counted facing the counter's chest. Sort of like this. (I took several pictures, but it's still hard to see. However, I don't feel comfortable asking anyone else to count money for photos.) Imagine the money really folded in half and you've got a better idea.

They count money like this in Japan, too. After you count out what they want, you peel off the bills on the outside of the stack. Usually, you hand money to people using two hands, the left hand supporting the right hand, or the left hand under the right armpit, depending on the level of the person you're giving money too. Also, if it's money in the form of a bill or paycheck, you usually give the money in an envelope rather than just handing it to someone.

In the West (or America at least), we tend to hold a stack of bills in the left hand and count them out to the right hand.

And who does that shirt belong to? (It didn't seem this bright in person...) Why, Good Man, of course!

We met today and saw Ocean's 13 together. I haven't seen 11 or 12, but I enjoyed this flick. I know it's unrealistic (you're going to get a Chunnel boring machine—both of them actually—into Las Vegas without anyone noticing?) and over-the-top, but isn't that the point? I thought the ensemble worked well together and I was amused by the subtle humor. The way Clooney and Pitt interacted was great.

At one point one character asks another "Are you in yet?" while the character is trying to hack into a computer. The other answers, "I hate that question." I was the only foreigner in the theater and almost choked. Of course, nobody else got it.

Samsung had some handphone product placement and anytime Samsung was mentioned all of the Koreans in the theater started whispering. "Samsung! Samsung!" Yep. I'm in Korea.

After the movie, I grabbed a few groceries at Kim's Club and Good Man ended up carrying 2 kgs of potatoes around in his backpack for me. "You have potatoes in your backpack!" I'm not sure why this was so funny. Maybe I've been hanging around sixth graders too much.

Also talked about the death penalty, Bush's refusal to respect a subpoena, Michael Fay getting caned, Guantanamo Bay, and Cheney shooting someone in the face.

Somehow these things were all directly related to each other and I got really worked up.

"We have three branches for a reason! Checks and balances! Hello!" "I'm not going home until Bush is out of office at least. Look at him, rewriting the Constitution... 'Ooh, I don't like that part, scritch-scratch..."' "We whine about hitting a kid with a stick and how that's inhumane and yet we execute people?" "I've watched enough crime shows to know that if the police don't immediately investigate someone shot in the face then something weird is going on." "Oh, since it's Cuba—you know that awful country we're not allowed to travel to?—it's not US soil and we can do whatever we want? What sort of logic is that?"

It was nice to talk politics again...

Good Man Laughs At Me

Sixth Grade Boys

After school today, while I was walking to the bus stop, these boys swarmed around me. I adore my sixth graders, these boys especially. They aren't the smart boys, they aren't the eager boys; they're the somewhat difficult but funny and enjoyable to teach boys.

Sixth Grade Boys at Heart

Walking home from the subway station after taekwondo, I came across a group of men. Staring. Though you can't see it in this picture, they were watching a soccer game on TV.

Speaking of games, we started tonight's class sitting in a circle, playing a word game. Someone said a word and you had to start the next word with the last syllable of the previous word. Everyone was very helpful, because I needed the help! I did think of some words on my own. Annoyingly, I thought of lots of words when it wasn't my turn! One of the boys was trying to make a 동 word and I said, "동동주!" (Dongdongju is a fermented rice beer that I really enjoy.) Master burst out laughing and gave me a thumb's up.

I explained that we had a similar game in English that went by using the last letter. Master had us play that for a while. It was nice to get to help everyone else.

Class was fine, it was a test night, a very casual test night since none of us are officially testing soon. When I got there, everyone laughed at me. I was dressed in a black shirt, black skirt and bright red Spiderman socks. "Oooh, Spiderman!"

A nice day...

I went to class tonight. It was a good class. An exhausting class, but good. The more interesting class was Tuesday night, however. That class I spent the whole time asking and answering questions. (I didn't even end up putting my dobok on.) I was asking about a digital camera and finding a taekwondo class for someone I know. I was answering questions about where I'd been.

I haven't seen NewSabumnim in weeks. I saw her and she said, "Amanda! Long time no see!"

We switched to Korean. "I know. I'm sorry. I've been busy."

"Yes! Dating!"

I couldn't see Master, but he wife was in the doorway. She giggled and I blushed. "Yes...that's right." Dang Master and his big mouth. Dang me and my big mouth for telling him the truth as to why I haven't been in class...

NewSabumnim went into quiz mode. "What's his name?... Is he taller than you?"

"Yes."

"How old is he?"

"Twenty-seven."

She slapped my shoulder and nodded, "Oooh! One year younger, very good in Korea for the woman to be older."

"What does he do?"

"He just graduated. He's looking for a job."

"Is he cute?"

I blushed harder and nodded, "I think so. And he's very smart."

NewSabumnim broke out laughing and looked at Master's Wife. "I want to know if he's cute and tall, she wants him to be smart."

I changed the topic quickly. New Sabumnim was wearing a cast of some sort. Seems she did something to her hand while practicing self defense, so she won't be teaching class for a while.

Then I went up to the studio, where there were very few students. The hand thing must be going around because Brave's Brother was in a cast and Ghost's finger was in a sling. Ghost looked at me and said, "Where have you been, Amanda?"

"I have been busy. Tuesday I had a 회식 [coworker outing that often involves liberal amounts of soju]. Thursday I had to meet my old hogwon boss. She's crazy!" Ghost laughed and I continued, "And then I had a date. Friday I was busy."

"And last night?"

"Oh. I had a date."

Brave's Brother and Ghost rapid-fire questioned me. "Is he Korean? What's his name? Does he speak English? Is he handsome? Is he tall? Does he have big eyes?" (What? They wanted to know what his eyes were like—what sort of eyelids he has.)

I answered all of their questions and Brave's Brother said, "Hey! Everyone! Amanda has a boyfriend! And he's Korean!"

I had no way of explaining that there's been no boyfriend talk yet. "He's not my boyfriend."

Ghost grinned and gave me that matter-of-fact look that made him my favorite kid in the studio. He patted my shoulder and nodded. "He will be."

Good Man and I went out tonight. We caught a concert at EBS Space.

EBS is the national education channel—think Korean PBS. EBS Space is made up of a lot of little places to hear live music, see art exhibits, and the like. The concert venue is really small, something like 150 seats. It's intimate, and neat. I was the only foreigner there, no shock.

We saw 뉴에이지 피아니스트 전수연&데이드림 (New Age Pianists Jeon Suyeon and Day Dream). It was really enjoyable, even though I couldn't understand most of their chattering between songs. I also got to hear a Korean instrument, the 해금 (haegeum). It was a string instrument that sounded a bit like a goose! It was beautiful sounding though.

Then we wandered around until we found ice cream. I got my favorite—a My Mother is an Alien cone.

When we went our separate ways on the Green Line, Good Man gave me a sweet peck on the cheek. In the middle of the subway platform! On the Green Line! (Seoulites understand. The Green Line is one of the busiest lines in Seoul at all hours of the day, perhaps even the busiest). I tell you, from my viewpoint, that is damn near scandalous behavior in South Korea. Especially since I'm white.

Let's hear it for non-traditional men and scandal!

Well, weekend trip was canceled. Had a very nice weekend despite that.

Here are the expressions that made my week.

"We're more into exporting [babies]."

"It's an excursion."

"I am very lucky."

"You count your money like a Westerner."