smile

there have been a few moments, over here-in korea, that have made me smile recently. here are some stories.....

last month, when classes were still in, i had dismissed my class and after gathering up my things and leaving the classroom, i noticed a student of mine waiting in the hallway.

me: "are you waiting for your friend?"
ljs: "yes."
me: (looking to see who the teacher was) "your friend has a difficult teacher. she is a good teacher but she wants her students to work hard."
ljs: "yes. a very difficult teacher."
me: "i'm more relaxed than her. i like my students to relax in the classroom."
ljs: "me too! i like relaxed!"

i thought his "i like relaxed!" response was cute.

then about 2 weeks or so ago, after i had entered my grades, i got a text message. the messaging conversation went like this:

incoming message: (unedited)"Thank you I just check my grades and I find A+ at C.E" (ce is our class title---communication english)
outgoing message: "you're welcome. who is this?"
incoming message: (again, unedited) "Sorry I'm Jinse I'm really happy now!!"
outgoing message: "thank you for working hard in my class. have a good summer."

amidst the complaining and rediculous requests for an A+, there are some thankful students. You're very welcome jin-se!

another day that week, i wrapped up my final class with another group of students. i had no longer said my good byes to them and thanked them for studying with me for the semester, and a student came running into the room. it was the only class he had that day and it was our last one....and he missed it! we all had a good laugh about it.

just a few moments ago i returned from the grocery store. on my way home i ran into a lady who often makes my thursday morning coffee at the local paris baguette (a bread and pastry shop chain) for me when i'm on my way to teach at the preschool. she gave me a huge smile and then reached into her bag and shared 3 plums with me. so sweet of her! fruit is highly over priced in korea (or at least, way more expensive than back home!) and because of this koreans value fruit much more than we do in north america. fruit is seen as a treat and often times a gift in korea. thank you, paris baguette lady!