A teacher forever

New miracles happening here. When more than two years ago I tried for the first time sesame (or perilla, I still don't know the difference) leaves I almost puked. Seasoned, pickled, cooked or raw - it was all the same shit. I tried to describe the taste as something between soap, shampoo and toothpaste. Incredibly the taste is just the same after two years - and I love it. Sometimes I eat more sesame leaves than kimchi during a meal and that says a lot.
Another thing that never changes are the kids. Kang asked me if I am willing to help when children will come for a one day farm experience. Of course I will help, but how? Teaching English. And so it was. And so great it was! My God, in all these years I haven't realized how much I miss teaching. How much I miss kids. Once a teacher, forever a teacher. It really is as I was saying all the time, teaching is not a job, it's a vocation. I have to reconsider my decision that I won't teach again. On the other hand I know how incopatible I was even in the Slovene educational system, let alone how I would look in an Asian one. Surely fired after one week because the kids have too much fun - which is synonim for they are not learning anything. Yeah, Asia has the dumbest education you can imagine. And the sweetest kids you can imagine.
They arrived in the morning with the bus, a few tons of cuteness in all sizes and shapes. They stared at me with open mouths and when they heard that I will be their English teacher for a day they started trembling in terror. When they left it was hard to say who was more sad, them or me. I know for me that I almost cried when they all waved and shouted goodbyes from the bus.
It was not a real English class at all; when they were picking tomatoes I just explained that they are actually picking cherry tomatoes. And some more vegetables and fruits and animals. It was fun for everyone. We were making puffed rice (with persimmon sugar!) together, we had lunch together, we played with Tokki together.
I told you that the farm is huge - an electric mini bus is needed to visit it.

Everyone was posing for the teacher taking a picture - but one sweet smile was only for me.

As hours passed more and more of them were coming spontaneously to me, asking "What name is this?" for different things. I bet another teacher would be correcting them, but the idea was far from me. As many linguists say, the point of communication is the correct interpretation of the message. My point was the pronunciation - Koreans have an awful one. Korean language lacks certain sounds, like "v" or "f" or to end a word with a consonant and a mission impossible is to make them say "si" - it will always sound like "shi". My usual joke with kids is to ask them, while they are sitting, what are they doing. Nine times out of ten their answer is "I'm shitting."
This time I didn't make this stupid joke, mostly because they were never sitting (shitting?) for more than ten seconds.
Playing Korean traditional games.

I was green with envy when a girl fell and bruised her knee because she ran crying to Min Ho (the student) for comfort (not to her teacher!) and then he was carrying her around. Yes, I know I would have been of no use to her - I have to learn Korean and do it fast!
The greatest fun for the kids came in the afternoon when they played at catch the eel. It's not metaphorically speaking. They were actually catching eels with their hands in a muddy pond. For them it was what a mud festival is for rockers. The joy, the fun, the laughter!



To me the cutest was the girl in the pink... err... in the brown dress.

Later they had a shower that didn't change much the colours.

They changed in the classroom and this came out. Sweet as chocolate, don't tell me you wouldn't eat her!

Goodbye kids, I love you and who knows, maybe we will meet again, if not in this life in one of the next.

Sometimes I may write to much about pretty Asian women, risking to be considered a tipical male pig. Be it. But for this time I'll do the opposite, I'll entartain the female readers. If I remeber well which picture from Iwanuma was one of the most "clicked" something simalar awaits this one. Here's your average Korean farmboy.

More about the farm. This is the education center.


One of the rest areas.

The mini store. You can buy persimmon wine, persimmon ice wine, persimmon juice, persimmon leaves tea and noodles. I haven't figured out the last yet.


The wine tastes good. It really tastes like wine and it has 12% of alcohol.
I'm afraid I'm falling in love... what a fool I am.