Communication is key

com·mu·ni·ca·tion /kəˌmyunɪˈkeɪʃən/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[kuh-myoo-ni-key-shuhn] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–noun 1. the act or process of communicating; fact of being communicated.
2. the imparting or interchange of thoughts, opinions, or information by speech, writing, or signs.
3. something imparted, interchanged, or transmitted.
4. a document or message imparting news, views, information, etc.
5. passage, or an opportunity or means of passage, between places.
Biology. a. activity by one organism that changes or has the potential to change the behavior of other organisms.

Communication has been quite the roller coaster for me over the last few weeks. It comes and goes in various forms and with either brilliant charm or passionate disaster. Here are a few communication blunders and triumphs.

My coteacher is now sick and I think she caught it from me. But I place the
blame entirely on her because I did not ask her to stick her face 3cm in
front of mine when she spoke to me. If only she knew I could still hear her
from more than 4cm away, she'd be in perfect health. Lesson learned, eh? Also, even female strangers I'd met 8 seconds before would get really close to me and often clasp my arm in hers...and that sort of immediate intimacy freaks me out. Males in particular do not hold back in terms of being affectionate with their friends. They will hold hands with one another, walk arm to waist like it's no big deal. It's a bit weird coming from a society where every little gesture propagates homophobia. But I admit I do like it and think it's cute.

I befriended the daughter of my coteacher's friend, who speaks very minimal English. We had planned to go see a movie, which I thought was clever so that we didn't have to talk. But seeing how it was a Korean film with no subtitles, we thought against it and just walked around. It was tough at times to find things to talk about but we did our best with pointing and circumnavigating that I think we created a small bond. She bought me a gift and I bought her strawberries. And we took sticker pictures together.

Students love to flatter me:
"Miss Kue so beautiful!"
"Miss Kue so pretty! NO she's wonderful. NO SHE'S UNBELIEVABLE!"

Student: Do you have a boyfriend?
Me: No, I don't.
Student: Why? You so beautiful!

I also think it's funny when adults ask me if I have a boyfriend, and when I say no, they ask if I plan to. That must be the reason I've been single! I never PLANNED having a boyfriend. I'm going to work on a blueprint tonight.

I enjoy how the word "maybe" is used for every uncertainty. "So did you just go to the bathroom?" "Eh...maybe." *nod* "Where did your parents go?" "To the store maybe."

I have a "coteacher" that knows NO English, so it had been frustrating working with him. No communication is automatically miscommunication. I had to use another English teacher as means of communication--whew! Ended up coming up with a good teaching arrangement conducive to both our teaching plans.

2 older male teachers always say "Good morning!!" to me when they see me and then always start bursting with laughter at their English like it's the funniest thing in the world. This has happened already over 30 times. And the laugh has not changed. NOT EVEN JOKING. It was cute the first 15 times but now it's getting annoying. Come on, is it really that funny to say "good morning" in another language when you do it every single day?

I am getting very used to bowing. Most of the time I am not even sure, so I just bow just in case. It's helpful to watch and wait until I have eye contact with someone and then as they start to bow I will do it with near automatic reflex so that it looks natural (as if I was going to bow anyway).

I wish I did understand more Korean, though. One reason being I would like to sit in classes and watch how subjects are taught in Korean. Secondly, I know people around me are always talking about me. I just wish I knew WHAT they were saying (regardless if it's good or bad). Also, not verbally communicating with teachers throughout the day makes things not only frustrating, but boring...so I get tired very easily.

I'm getting tired of saying "hello" and "hi" a million times a day--it may be the only lick of English I'll remember upon my return home.

This may not really tie in, but it's been bugging me lately. Many Koreans I know chew SO loud. I really can't stand it. One in particular is always making these dry mouth noises so I have to try to think of something to talk about. They also chew gum louder than I thought possible. I went home and tried it for myself, just to see if it was actually quite liberating...but I tried so hard and couldn't even get it to their level. It's just a big pet peeve of mine. Yes, the mouth opens. But it also closes.

Last but not least, I am now Bonghwa elementary schools' official Human Tape Recorder, HaTeR for short.