When I was your age...

I had to walk to school in the snow.  Uphill both ways!

No, really.  Because of the paths I took to avoid drowning in a snow mound I managed to walk both uphill and downhill (equally difficult in snow) to and from work today.  Needless to say, the second snow day I was hoping for didn't happen.  I woke up dizzy, with a raging headache and one of those pitiful dry coughs, though my nose was running the length of a marathon.  Good times.  This job is the only that I've ever had where sickness is really a factor in how you perform.  So, thinking of calling out when I'm sick is new to me, but I really wanted to nonetheless.  I didn't, because the only replacement for me is Gene, who must come from Cheonju, an hour away.  So, I trudged off to work.

When I got there, the heat was barely functioning (the outdoor intake vents are poorly designed) and the floor was sopping wet.  Luckily, Ian had warned me (my classes start an hour after his on Tuesdays) and I wore three pairs of socks.  We ran out of cold medicine, so I was running solo at work.  I decided to ask the Captain if I could leave one or two classes early.  I was feeling uneasy about walking home in such cold feeling the way I do and in the dark with the already unpredictable Korean drivers in the snow.  I also knew that my voice and energy probably weren't going to last much past a few classes.

She said that she would call Julia and I went about preparing for the rest of my classes.  Thirty minutes into my second class, she opens the door and says that Gene will be here to take my next class.  That confused me, since that wasn't what I had asked for at all.  I didn't want anyone to be called in, that's why I showed up in the first place.  So, Gene arrived and I apologized profusely, telling him that I didn't ask to have my classes taken over, that I simply wanted to leave a little early.  He was completely confused, but he helped me ask Captain if my last class could simply be cancelled, but she said no.  Gene couldn't take the last class, as he had ridden the bus to Jecheon to avoid driving in the snow and the buses back don't run that late.  Gene said that maybe Terry could take that class, but I declined feeling like I'd inconvenienced enough people already.  Gene left and I finished the rest of my classes.  It's amazing how much you take for granted the ease of communicated your needs and wants within your own culture.  I know I won't make the mistake again here.

But, now I'm home, medicated and feeling much better.  Ian picked up some more medicine on his way home. 

Ian had an interesting and mildly disturbing homework assignment returned to him today.  The assignment was to write a story about this picture:

This is what the kid wrote:

"The cat play the guitar.  He practice the guitar.  Ten years after.  He made a band.  This band make a lot of money.  One day, gangster come his house.  Gangster kill his wife and son. He is very sad.  And he suicide.  The end."

Keep in mind that these kids are about ten years old.

I'm going to drink some of the aweseom chai tea my aunt gave me for Christmas.  Good night!