First Day of School!

Yesterday was my first day of school. I was quite nervous as I approached the building, hoping they would understand my attempts at being polite. It turns out everyone was great! It was a teacher meeting day so there were no classes. However, there were many students present who were participating in various after-school activities.

The students in the hallways all looked at me in shock and disbelief. Some were friendly and said hello, others gazed at me in bewilderment, and a few took one look at me and ran the other way! I walked into the kingergarten class to introduce myself and all of the students literally screamed. One girl even started crying at the sight of me! Apparently I am working in a lower-income school, and many of these young kids have never seen a foreigner before.

The staff was all very friendly and enthusiastic about my arrival. Many want me to help them work on their English skills, which I will be glad to do. For lunch, the entire staff went to a sushi restaurant where we proceeded to feast on various dishes of fish and octopus. The principal even poured me a shot of soju as a gesture of his kindness. I poured him a shot in return, and all of the teachers chanted, "Ohh, good manners!"

During lunch, a teacher and I had a nice cultural exchange! I explained to him the difference between "hot" and "spicy," then he attempted to teach me how to use chopsticks the correct way (something I am still struggling with).