Summer School for Smart Students....

When I was in elementary school, my school held summer school for those students who were behind in their academics. With all the cuts to education, I am not sure if this type of program still exists. In Korea, summer school still exists, but it is for a much different student population. The brightest and most gifted students attend summer classes for an additional two weeks. I had only ten classes over this two week period with all gifted students, with the exception of one class. The gifted students translated their attendance cover sheet for me and it roughly was labeled summer class for smart students. I did not ask my "low" class to translate their title for two reasons 1) there is not enough English comprehension on their part or Korean on my part to have that conversation 2) did I really want to know that their class was probably labeled as sumer class for students with no talent. I have tried extra hard with several students and have been informed by their classmates, in front of the student, "she has no talents." Anyway, this entry is becoming very serious and depressing and it suppose to be light-hearted and fun, so I will post a few of the students essays. These essays provide me with lots of laughs, but more importantly an insight into the thoughts and opinions of Korean middle school girls.

The first prompt was that the students are on strike and they are detailing their "negotiations" with the respective parties.

**There are several mispellings and use of wrong words....I am posting their essays as is with no corrections.**

To sister

From your sister re: the strike is on

Im not happy with how you are acting me. I wont be supplying you with many cookie. Before I go back to give cookie. I want to you to give me the following.

1. Don’t yell at me

2. don’t hit me

3. don’t tease me

4. don’t cry at next brother

I hope you like rice because you won’t be getting many cookie from me

Your older sister'

** Ree seester this reminds me of our pickle incident...bahahaha love you, your little seester*

To study room principal

From your student

Re the strike is on

I am not happy with how you’re make me studying. SO listen up. I m going on strike. Before I go back to studying. I want you to give me the following.

1. Don’t speak ill of abuse

2. Don’t hit us

3. Don’t talk be idle

4, Don’t stay of of this. This is none of your business.

* I think she is actually unhappy with abuse, because she is getting hit with the stick, but I think "don't talk be idle" is my new favorite saying, and I think she would like whoever to stay out of her business!*

** A few negotiations of a student to her mother.**

Don’t treat me as a silly girl

The freedom to wake up and sleep any time I like.

**I think her "don't treat me as a silly girl" is a really mature statement.

**The next is one a student wrote to herself, and like all of us she is of course her worse critic.**

To myself

From me

Im little worried with how I am spending times these days. SO listen up. Im going on strike. I wont let myself to become lazy and not good tempered. SO follow these

1. Write all the homework in your planner

2. Plan a day certainly and very careful

3. Always smile

4. Be positive

5. Think one more before you talk

6. I understand because Im sick these days and tired of busy vacation days but I hope myself to do the best I know Im trying well but I want myself to try just little more.

**This one is a few of the negotiations of a student to her English Academy. many of the girls go to Hyein Middle School until 5pm, and the straight to English Academy until 8 or 9pm.**

I don’t want to submit my cellphone: its my privacy

I want to eat in glass. I am a growing girl So I need to eat much hungry.

**Obv she meant class not glass, in Hangul the G and the C are often interchangeable.**

Another prompt: While digging in the dirt, I found an old lamp. I started to wipe off the dirt off, when, suddenly s genie appeared and promised to grant me three wishes.

Some of the following are whole essays while others are excerpts.

I thought very long time finally I said three wishes to genie. Well, one is I want to be a richman. I wish I would be a millionaire. Genie nodded his head and he said “You can say two wishes too. I know I know and another is everyone likes me, then I wish I could be superstar ha ha ha !!! Genie laughed at me, but I was very happy so I couldn’t see he laghed at me. The other is I wish I would be the most beautiful person in the world. But when I said last wish I wake up the dream. All is my dream, so I was vain.

**I love that she realizes she is very vain....lol**

I said “I wish I would go to BigBang’s house Genie said “wait…Hum…they are in Japan. I cant send you the other country sorry I said “hum then

**Obv this student never finished, but I love her sarcasm with the response of the Genie.**

One wish: Hum…I wish I would meet Jesus so I want to know my name write in life book if my name don’t write in this book I will live kindly and help poor people.

**This was interesting take of the Book Of Life, and that she needs to earn her spot by good deeds, but only if she hasn't made her way into the book yet.**

So I told Genie my wish. Ummm.. First, I wish if I could be magic.” Then I was be witch. And I made many things I wanted so long time. Genie asked me second wish. SO I toldhim, “Second wish If I would know my future. My wish is end. Thank you. 10 years later, as ever I can magic and see my future. But I comprehend my wish is foolish. I’m in pain I saw bad futures. So I find genie again and said “My last wish is here! Return me again. I comprehend commonness is true happieness. Then, I return again 10 years ago mine. I think it is real happieness.

** I do not know know if "commonness is happieness" is a Korean saying/belief or if she created this on her own. Either way, I think it is a beautiful concept, even if its extremely idealistic.

The Korean English teachers gave the students these prompts, and it was my duty to correct them. Ay! Ay! Ay! (in the words of Mrs. Dayadurham) I felt so bad making all those red marks. However, it was fun trying to decipher the meanings of many of their bizzare sentence structures.

Living in Flats in a High Heel Country

I like shoes…I mean I love shoes…really I am completely obsessed with shoes. More specifically HEELS! It’s possible that I have owned a pair of almost every color in a 64 Crayola box. Unfortunately for my shoes, their life span in my “hands” or in this case I guess feet is always a very short one. I become obsessed with my new additions and wear them non-stop. I also must trudge along with the grace of an ogre judging from the damage done to the heels. But, there is no excuse for ugly shoes, so I continue trudging, and frequent DSW as much as someone else may frequent the grocery store.

By this point, you are considering skimming over the rest of this entry or just stopping all together. I mean you came here to read about my adventures in South Korea, not my obsessive shoe consumption, but alas I am about to explain the connection to my life here in SK.

So in the United States, I live, eat, and breathe in high heels while a majority of my friends and coworkers prefer their lives on a much less steep incline. Before I moved out of 1057 E Jefferson, I threw away about 10-15 pairs of shoes who had a date with the dump. I use them, abuse them, and then toss them in the trash. (be thankful you are not a pair of my shoes) I left several pairs of heels at home, and only had room for three pairs, two pairs of boots, one pair of tennis shoes, one pair of hiking shoes, one pair of flats, and three pairs of flip flops in my suitcase. Now, I would have gladly forgone the 7 pairs of shoes without heels (one pair of boots has heels), but the other shoes were going to be necessities for our active lifestyles.

I arrive in South Korea, and it was like I had stumbled upon my version of heaven. Random but not so random note: if you have not seen What Dreams May Come starring Robin Williams then a) you have no reference for each person’s heaven being specific to that person b) you must go rent it NOW, its one of my favorites! Everywhere I looked: Heels! Heels! Heels! Women were wearing heels walking to and from work, grocery shopping, and even hiking up the mountain.

So my first day of school, I put on my new(ish) silverish/gray heels (not disco they were classy and satin) and headed to school. My school is about a 20-25 minute walk, and in heels probably much closer to 30. Well uneven sidewalk and drivers who regard traffic signals as optional are not the kind of friends a girl in heels want to have. My beautiful heels were ruined by the time I had trudged to school. This loss was extremely excruciating, because my momma had bought me these shoes after Delilah had chewed up my purple ones of the same style.

Therefore, my life 3 inches closer to the sky ended, and my life 3 inches closer to the ground began. I have been living, eating, and breathing in flats, flip flops, or my mandated school slippers. Now it is my heart aching instead of my feet. Longingly, I gaze at the women’s shoes and drool in front of the store windows as I pass in my flats.
If you are thinking, “just go some heels already so we never have to read such a depressing entry again.” Well, I too, have spent countless hours thinking this same thought. If only…….I did not have a foot phobia :/

In Korea, they have a saying that the “customer is king.” Therefore, they wait on you hand and foot! So in this situation, there would be lots of their hands touching my feet. They would help me put the shoes on my feet and also help me take them off. One of two things has to happen before I can go into a shoe store. I either learn enough Korean to say please do not touch my feet, and insult them for refusing their help, or I overcome my foot phobia. That’s why next English Korean exchange with the music teacher, I will be asking her how to say “don’t touch my feet!”