Korea - Still Strange, Still Oddly Endearing

Our school's second semester started on Monday, which means that I get new 3rd graders. Something that always strikes me about Korean kids is that they're so small! There are two reasons for this: 1) Koreans are generally smaller people than Westerners (Men are generally about 5'6"-5'8", Women are 5'0"-5'4"), and 2) Koreans have a special way of counting age.

When a child is born in Korea, on the day of his or her birth, the child turns one year old. So, a one-day-old child here is called a "one-year-old". All Koreans celebrate turning one year older on the same day (Lunar New Year - Usually sometime in February). So, if you have a kid on the day before Lunar New Year, after the Lunar New Year he/she will be counted as two years old, even if they're only 2 days old. So, though my new third graders are "9 years old" in Korean age, that makes them really about 7.

By the way, in Korean age I'm 24. Soooo weird. Where did 23 go? I was never 23. I turned 22 in July, came to Korea and suddenly I'm counted as 24!

I don't want to be 24 yet :( I think I have a Peter Pan complex or something..."I won't grow up!"

I got a new co-teacher on Monday (a BIG answer to prayer!!!) and she's so nice! Her name is Yu-Sun. Sometimes we just talk and talk about our lives...she is 40 (Korean age...) and just had a baby. She talks to me a lot about how difficult it is to have a baby when you're older; she also has a 14-year old daughter who gives her grief, so she's got a lot to talk about these days. I love it that she feels comfortable enough to talk to me. She is always so surprised that I can understand her even though her English isn't that good. I'm like, "Lady - its my job. I do it everyday."

Some of my former 6th-grade students came to visit me on Friday after school. Emily, Sunny and Anne came to tell me that middle school is NOT fun and that they want to come back to elementary school. I said "Well duh." Sarah came back to get her penpal's email addresses...so, Mom or Christine, if you get an email from your penpal, it is authorized :) I asked them if they have a foreigner English teacher at their middle school, and they said yes, that it was a man with a ponytail from Washington. I asked them if he was as cool as me, they said of course not, so I gave them some candy and then they left...I miss them :(

Today I spent with Hil, Eddy, Ruda, Alicia and her boyfriend Eric. We had lunch at a Japanese place in Yongsan then Ruda and I had to pick up some kids Bibles and other materials from a Christian bookstore for Sunday School. In the midst of everything we decided to try some Korean food that none of us had been brave enough to try on our own: beondegi.


Beondegi is basically roasted silkworm larvae. There are street vendors everywhere that roast the little buggers right up on the street corner. Traditionally its a children's food. Now, here's something about Korean food: 95% of Koreans love all types of Korean food. There really aren't food preferences here; everyone likes everything. However, the main exception I have heard about is beondegi. And when you can find Koreans that strongly dislike a certain Korean food, you know it probably leaves something to be desired. Like a piece of gum.

So we think, why not try it together on a sunny Saturday? We bought a whole cup of it and each ate one. The reactions varied from unpleasant facial expressions to Eddy wretching in the street. "I just lost Fear Factor," he said when he returned. To me, it wasn't too bad. I thought it tasted a bit like roasted soy nuts. Lots of protein. Nice earthy taste. They did kind of explode in your mouth though...and that wasn't at all pleasant.

But it's not like it was the first bug I've eaten. I'm not sure I should be bragging about that.

Hopefully I'll get Hil's video of it up soon. But for now, it is past my bedtime :)