Korea is a pressure cooker of sorts. It's like a clockmaker wound up the entire country, and then walked away, and let it run itself. Stress levels are increasingly high today, with the parents of the students coming in to watch a lesson. I am hoping that my students speeches eat up a a chunk of the time tonight.
The rain pounds harder and harder by the minute, slapping and slashing everything within sight. The tender hands of the clouds waste stampede on the roof like the hooves of horses. A sound like the shaking of a plastic bag. Nature clapping and applauding itself for the spectacle that a thunderstorm truly is. In my thoughts the synapses pulse and explode in florid colors, exposing the deeps alleyways of thought to the light, and the end result is more than frightening. I am seeing all of the inconsistencies in this country.
The rally was replaced last minute with a parent visitation and inspection of the classroom. I was terribly nervous. I just need a hiatus from the perpetual teaching and last minute planning. When we were preparing for this event there was most definitely a dash of animosity in the air. I spent the entirety of the afternoon preparing speeches with my students, and I felt as though their speeches were assembled.
The event went very smooth, and many of the parents approaching me and shook my hands- some even attempted having conversation with me. I father wearing very flamboyant black and white checkered dress pants made small talk with me. His son, Kim Bo Ram Chan is a very talented artist. In Korea the family name is said first. So in this case, his last name is Kim, and his first name would be Bo Ram Chan. It was enlightening to experience how respectful and gracious Korean parents are for their teachers. I opened the room up for questions, and the parents chuckled as if I was fickle or jesting. I entertained the thought that in America you would have parents talking and debating for hours. It was awesome teaching in front of the parents, it was stressful, but worth it even more.
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