Diary

Earlier in diary this girl wrote, Teacher I don't know many word But I use my phone (dictionary)."

To much avail, this was the last paragraph...

"Now I again sick. It's little fever and nasal mucus. I don't want sick very very much."

Hope that nasal mucus clears up for ya!

K-Pop star needs to be popped in the face!

Take a look at this article.

Summary: A Korean song writer went on a twitter rant because a black boxer posted something about basketball star  Jeremy Lin. Everyone is praising him right now but black basketball players do what he does every day and don't get the attention.

Jenny Hyun then got her fingers a tapping, posting a series of tweets basically saying the black race should be abominated. Unsurprisingly, she received a series of threats and people making noise outside her house and harassing her (which she probably deserves).

Her far less than apologetic apology to the "Black Community" sounded like a plead not to hurt her. She made it clear that she wasn't sorry and didn't want to take back anything she said but please, don't hurt her. "...remember that violence is not the answer."

While I'm not black, this was extremely offensive to me. I feel like it's the equivalent of a white person saying, "Think of how much room there would be on Earth if all the Asian people were gone."

Where was her PR rep to advise her not to upset a race?

I'd like to hear your thoughts on this! (Although my only thought was, "Wow.")

Hearing vs. Understanding

What my students hear compared to what they understand is often completely different. Some students listen very well and try to understand and comprehend what I say. Other student's don't really care and perhaps make up dialogue in their head like I do when Koreans talk. This is how today's conversation in a class of 13 third grade boys.

What I said:
Me: "Where do kangaroos live?"
One Boy: "Australia!"
Me: "Yes! Good job! Kangaroos live in Australia."

What they heard:

Me: "Please impress me and shout out all of the names of countries you know in English!"
One Boy: Australia!"
Twelve other boys: "USA! France! England! Spain! Hawaii! Uzbekistan! (really...) Africa! Canada! Saudi Arabia! Palau! Ghana! China! Korea! Japan! India! Brazil!

And I stand back and wait for five minutes until they've gotten all of the countries out of their system. I don't even feel the need to correctly inform them that Hawaii isn't even a country. Neither is Africa.

Toothpaste

There are a few American necessities that I require in Korea. This thought came to mind this morning as I was pushing desperately on an empty tube of toothpaste, trying to get the last dollop. At home when toothpaste got close to empty it went into the trash can. I could simply get in my car and drive to Wal-Mart to get some more. Or if you're a hoarder/couponer (one in the same to me) you could take one from your stash of fifty from the storage room. This isn't so in Korea.

These are the types of toothpaste I've received in Korea as gifts... green apple toothpaste, bamboo toothpaste, pine needle toothpaste (no joke), pH balance toothpaste (do you need to balance the pH levels in your mouth?) And perhaps I've received others too. I typically re-gift it to Korean friends and coworkers.

I simply can't live without American toothpaste (Aquafresh Extreme Clean Whitening if you fancy sending me some...). For the past week every time I brush my teeth I break out this contraption thing that pushes all the toothpaste to the top, then I have to take it off so I can fold the top edges in. Then I squeeze like mad with both hands until a little sliver produces onto my toothbrush (which I'm hoping I don't knock into the toilet). And then I repeat this process at night too. You see, I'm down to one more tube. Must. Conserve. (That's what I tell myself as my toothbrush falls into the toilet. That didn't really happen. Today...)

Toothpaste and deodorant are two things that I refuse to compromise with. (Koreans don't wear deodorant because they don't sweat. Again, no joke. So I can't get it here. I wear the Dove pink stick, fyi.) Since shipping is so expensive though, I try my hardest to find Korean alternatives to the products I use. I can get some "luxury" items here like Listerine mouthwash, Venus razor blades and Korea has recently started selling my favorite face wash from home (double the selling price but I still buy it...). Korea also is superior when it comes to some products.

For example, wrinkle cream. Korean women don't have flawless skin until they're 60 because of good genes (well, partly...). First one must make sure, then check with the sales associate, then whip out their cell phone dictionary to double check again with the associate that it isn't whitening cream. But after that the product is great. Twenty-five and no sign of wrinkles! Oh wait, I'm 23 still (my Korean age is 25 now...)! But you get my point.

Sadly tonight I must start my final tube of beloved toothpaste which I will cherish until my next care package comes. And then I'll put on my fancy wrinkle cream!