Need to vent

This harkens back to when I wrote about how Koreans don't know when they are being rude in English. I understand there is a language and cultural barrier. I, also, understand it can be easy to touch my nerves sometimes. With that said I can't shake this.

My co-teacher comes into my class after. As I'm leaving to go to lunch, she approaches me and asks for help on a sentence her friend sent her. The usual, can you look at this? of course I can. She does this often, occasionally to the point of annoyance (like when she calls twice at 7-8 am on a Saturday morning to ask me). I help her out by explaining how each sentence works. She thanks me and calls her friend to tell her what I said. I'm in a hurry to eat lunch so I gesture to hurry up. She hangs up the phone and begins to walk out the door. She abruptly stops next to the trash and picks up the plastic covering for 500 sheets of paper. With a scowling face she let's go in an upset, bitchy voice, 'I am really, really angry. You put this in the trash. It goes in the paper.' No joke. 'AH, this makes me so angry.'  ....Really?

'Actually, it's plastic.' I reply with a joking smile. 'Sorry. I thought it was trash-----.'

'PUT IT IN THE PLASTIC THEN.' Wow. All the while my other, new co-teacher is standing next to her helping her with the trash gestures and facial expressions. That was enough for me. I was already on edge from my worst class of the week (Thursday's 308 class).

'Ok. Well, take this.' I try to hand her the lock for our office door. She doesn't take it. 'Fine. Here.' I put it on the ground and storm off.

Instead of going to lunch I went to cool off. I made some copies and walked around. It didn't help me. I sat close but not with them at lunch. It would have been better to either sit with them or completely away from them. Because when they speak in guarded, Korean tones I can only help but be paranoid that they are talking about me. They laugh a little here and there then look at me. I'm just as upset, now, as I was before.  I am going to skip out early today.

I don't think I've ever been scolded about something so meticulous after being thanked for something. What happened to the gracious attitude? It struck me as insanely rude and completely disrespectful. So, what did I do? I responded by being insanely rude and disrespectful in return. What a baby I am. I reacted to a 5 year old child's scolding by acting like a 5 year old.

I think I need to write this off as what it is. Koreans have no idea when they are being rude to you in English. I'm still gonna spank an ajuma before I leave Korea.


I think I am upset enough to change my blog's name to 'Uncovering the mysteries of F.O.B.s' like some kind of backwards 19th century anthropology exploration.


...Go figure....today's 'Teacher's Lesson' was 'seeing red, hit the ceiling, caught red handed and the all important, LOSING YOUR COOL' perfect timing. I avoided all those types of questions concerning 'when do you lose your cool?'