I had a very nice and quiet birthday. It was most definitely not the dance floor party of last year, but it was still a great birthday. My students, especially, made it extra special.
The first birthday incident was pretty hilarious...No, REALLY hilarious.
I was gazing out my classroom window at the beautiful mountains that surround Geochang...
Then I noticed one of my students getting out of his car in the parking lot. Next, I saw my student walk over to a nearby dumpster and glance bothways over his shoulder.
I immediately thought, "Surely he's not going to...ARGHHH!!!!"
I shielded my eyes and ran screaming away from the window as my student unzipped his fly and proceeded to urinate in public!
Student's car and dumpster
I then noticed the time was two minutes past the class' start time, and there were no students to be found, which was really odd. Then I heard them talking in the hallway, which prompted me to open the door irritatedly. Then one student walked through the doorway and turned off the lights.
All I could think was, "Are they drunk, or have they just lost their minds?!?"
Then a student emerged carrying a chocolate cake, topped with lit candles! It was so sweet, especially since they are all twenty and thirty-something men. I'm not implying that men are not thoughtful, but let's just say women tend to get more excited about these kinds of things. (Personal opinion! Don't get your matching couple-wear panties in a bunch!)
And who, might you ask, was carrying the cake? None other than Mr. Pee-in-the-parkinglot Magee! And you KNOW he did not wash his hands! I just tried not the think about it as I ate my piece.
This is the cutest part. The cake was actually a pyramid of 20 Lotte Choco Pies with candles on top. They all get 'A's for resourcefulness.
My camera was on the fritz, so I do not have an actual picture of the choco pie cake. :(
That night, I had an appointment in Daegu, but unbeknown to me some other students had planned a small surprise party for me. My absence did not stop them, however. For at 8am the next morning, I heard a knock at the door. I thought it was my neighbor and coworker Sarah, so I answer the door with my body and hair wrapped in towels. "SURPRISE!" I was three of my female students with cakes, snacks, and a cards. I told them to bring everything to class, and we would have the party there. (It was still technically my birthday for four more hours) But they refused to leave until I blew out in the candles, wrapped in a towel in my doorway!
I think it's safe to say that I am lucky to have such a great group of students, public urination aside!
Grammatical mistakes included (some even misspelled their names), this was VERY sweet! And, yes, that says "Dookie." He is not one of my students, but I am assuming that he got the name from an athlete. The students have much difficulty grasping the concept that the name printed on a jersey is an athlete's family name, not given name.
After work, I met up with some of the Geochang waygooks for dinner and drinks, then had an extremely relaxing weeking with beautiful weather!
Hello, 30! It's great to be here!
