Never a dull day

Not a day goes by where I dont have 1 moment that stuns me, makes me want to burst into laughter or stop dead in my tracks and figure out what the hell just happened (and its usually 3 or 4 time a day).

What happened this week;

- Morning tea in the staff room is one of the main places where I get a nice little suprise. After first class, something it placed on the table in the middle of the room and everybody stops their work and digs in. The options have been quite interesting; steamed potatoes, 3 types of capsicum (they call paprika), hard boiled eggs (it was the monday after easter. Not the type of easter egg im used to) and rice cakes (not the hard wafer type rice cakes back home, but actual cake made from rice). When someone puts orange or nashi pear pieces on the table im actually disapointed.

- I left almost a full litre bottle of water in the fridge of my school on wednesday. I figured it would still be there, untouched, when I returned on friday. I figured there was enough brown water for everyone else. On friday, I open the fridge. The water was there, but it was half finished and had what looked like rice bubbles floating through it. The water had been stained slightly grey and the rice bubbles were bobbing up and down. Can't explain that one.

- When ive introduced myself to my classes I ask if the students have any questions. This is usually pretty entertaining because as one of my co-teachers, Mr Lee, explained, Koreans like to ask very personal questions to strangers. I dont think of many of them "personal", more so "strange". For example;

• Whats your blood type (This was the FIRST! question I was given in one class. I had to admit I didnt know, and the teacher thought it was weird I was unsure of it)
• Whats your ideal woman (After describing it is funny, smart and pretty, I had one girl try and convince me she was all of these things)
• How tall are you (Again I don't really know, but you can look at me and see how tall I am)
  

I get the "whats your age", "are you married", "do you have a girlfriend" everytime, and these arent ridiculous questions, but they arent what you would expect or even answer to students back home. A funny thing about the age question is that in Korea, you are 1 when you are born, not 0 like in Australia. So im actually 25 in Korean years. Ive been trying to make jokes about girls not liking this system but I dont think anyone has understood me yet.

- Everyday at school is a good day. The children love me, are so behaved and respectful to teachers and I cant do anything wrong. I walk down the halls and I hear cries of "Jay-Kob!" and kids frantically waving at me, or I have a trail of 10 kids walking around me wanting to shake my hand or hay hi. Ive been thinking or comparing my self to a rockstar at school, but I now know thats not true. 14-16 year olds dont act like this for a Mick Jagger or Nikki Six. I think im more like a popstar, somewhere in the Justin Timberlake or Zac Efron mold.