Teachers Day

Picture, of me, courtesy of Patrick Duce, who is sadly leaving Korea in under 10 days.

Thursday 15^th May was teachers day in South Korea. I wasn’t too sure of what the day entailed. It turned out that not much was different to the normal routine of 9-5:30 of boundless fun teaching the cutest kids on planet earth. What was different was the entourage of gifts, cakes and generosity from the kids and their enthusiastic mothers. I received the following.

· 50,000 won voucher.

· Clinique for men set. Includes large bottle of aftershave and cream.

· Aveda – bar of soap

· The Face Shop – creams

· Aromatherapy set from a Korean department store

· A mug

· A red rose

· A few roses in a gift set

· A freshly made cheese cake

· Clinque for women set. Slight mistake on behalf of the mother. Not a problem though. I wear make up and am interested in anti-wrinkle cream. Joke.

· Clarins for men – après shave lotion.

· And finally, some whitening cream. Again I believe the mother made a mistake here.

The above personal gifts were accompanied by numerous large cakes, packs of biscuits, rice cakes, candies, homemade food packages and vitamin drinks. All were scattered around Kids Herald school. Every corner you turned there was another inviting calorie laced snack reluctantly hovering its way into your mouth.

However, I've saved the best till last. Don’t get me wrong I’m very grateful and was very happy to receive all these gifts, even more so as I had run out of a decent smelling aftershave and also my Dove soap had just turned into a pea sized incompetent bar of soap in the soap dish.

Leena. You have all met her and heard her opinions on international relationships, and also seen her advice for me on matters such as dating. Her gift was a letter. Self produced, self written and given with love. Word for word I regurgitate.

Dear Toby teacher.

Hello, toby teacher!

Teacher, I’m sorry. I spoke Korean everyday!!

And thank you, teacher. Teached us, and gave only 1-2 pg of workbook H.W.

Teacher, today is teachers day in Korean. So you can do any thing whatever do you want!

I’m very sorry, and very thank you.

Thank you, teacher! Buy!

From. Leena

My favourite part is the buy/bye slip up. Thanks Leena.

I mentioned above that the parents were enthusiastic and generous in their giving of the gifts. The last week has also seen some confirmation that, some of, the mothers are also very unreasonable on some certain matters. Sean left in non-smooth circumstances. A difference in opinion between Sean’s mother and everyone else on planet earth gave her, the motivation to wrongly and unreasonably, in one way of another, blame Christine Teacher for Sean’s departure. Also, my co-teachers Anthony and Silvia face loosing one, possibly two, of their kids due to more unsavoury and tasteless thought processing by mothers. But I’m not here to pass judgements on any mother. Mothers are very special people and have their own rights when it comes to their own little ones. Mothers are biased, but they have a right to be sometimes. Doesn’t mean we have to agree, but in this case (i.e. IN KOREA) you have to say yes, I’m sorry, you’re right, I’m wrong, let’s move on.

Next on the agenda is sports day. This Saturday brings the annual sporting event of Kids Heralds calendar. Running, jumping and I’m guessing a host of other verbs will make up a sweaty day in the ever increasing Seoul heat. The finale is a choreographed masterpiece by Christine Teacher, no sarcasm Christine (genuine thoughts). It comes in the shape of the song ‘ Hey Mickey, you’re so fine, you’re so fine, you blow my mind, Hey Mickey, Hey Mickey’………………………. I say no more………….