Funny Co-Teacher's Comments

I've got dozens of these.

Mrs B (filling out a form about me): UK is your country.
Me: Ireland.
Mrs B: It's the same as UK.
Me: Are you Japanese?
Mrs B: ...

Me: ...so a lot of people in the UK think the domestic car industry should get the same kind of protection as the Korean car industry does in Korea. Big tariffs for foreign cars and stuff. So they-
Mrs B: Many people hate Korea in your country.
Me: No, it's not really about that, they just think UK car manufacturers should get the same protection Korean car makers do in Korea-
Mrs B: They envy Korea's success. They are wish that Korea will fail.
Me: No, it's not about Korea specifically-
Mrs B: Korea stands alone. Hahahahahahahahaha!

Mrs B: Why don't you marry your girlfriend?
Me: She doesn't want to get married.
Mrs B: Because you make so little money as a teacher?

Me: Mrs B, you're very argumentative.
Mrs B: No I'm not! I don't think so!

Me: ...so a lot of people in the UK think the domestic car industry should get the same kind of protection as the Korean car industry does in Korea. Big tariffs for foreign cars and stuff. So they-
Mrs B: Many people hate Korea in your country.
Me: No, it's not really about that, they just think UK car manufacturers should get the same protection Korean car makers do in Korea-
Mrs B: They envy Korea's success. They are wish that Korea will fail.
Me: No, it's not about Korea specifically-
Mrs B: Korea stands alone. Hahahahahahahahaha!

hahaha! Great stuff. Rather than saying, "Many people hate Korea in your country," it would have been more accurate to say, "Many people know nothing about Korea in your country except that the North is crazy and the South has to put up with the North's madness."

hahaha! Great stuff. Rather than saying, "Many people hate Korea in your country," it would have been more accurate to say, "Many people know nothing about Korea in your country except that the North is crazy and the South has to put up with the North's madness."

She's actually a good laugh but she has a bit of an obsession with industrialisation. What's particularly funny is that she just comes over to my desk apropos nothing and starts spouting off about it:

Mrs B: Korea became industrialised in 50 years. It takes UK, Germany, Europe 300 years. So Korea did it, oh, so fast.
Me: Because the UK and Germany had to invent all of the industrial procedures from scratch. Korea could just buy them ready-made.
Mrs B: You show a lack of basic understanding.

hahaha! Great stuff. Rather than saying, "Many people hate Korea in your country," it would have been more accurate to say, "Many people know nothing about Korea in your country except that the North is crazy and the South has to put up with the North's madness."

She's actually a good laugh but she has a bit of an obsession with industrialisation. What's particularly funny is that she just comes over to my desk apropos nothing and starts spouting off about it:

Mrs B: Korea became industrialised in 50 years. It takes UK, Germany, Europe 300 years. So Korea did it, oh, so fast.
Me: Because the UK and Germany had to invent all of the industrial procedures from scratch. Korea could just buy them ready-made.
Mrs B: You show a lack of basic understanding.

She sounds brilliant. I think I wouldn't be able to tell if she was joking or not which is often how I like my conversations. In your shoes, I'd suddenly become very nationalistic and compare countries frequently too. "Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, Alexander Graham Bell, etc etc. So many famous British geniuses. It's such a shame there are no real famous Korean geniuses. It must be because Korea has no geniuses."*

You've got to play them at their own game.

* I'm not a nationalist and would never say anything like this except in jest or to play Mrs B at her own game.

I did try and play her at her own game once:

Mrs B: many foreigners are violent. But not you... maybe.
Me: Choi Seung-hui killed lots of people. And I think U Beom-gon killed more people in a short time than anyone ever.  (Funnily enough I'd just been reading about U Beom-gon for the first time the day before.)
Mrs B: Choi Seung-hui was corrupted by the western society. How can you know about U Beom-gon?!? U Beom-gon... very bad. I think he used American weapons.

I did try and play her at her own game once:

Mrs B: many foreigners are violent. But not you... maybe.
Me: Choi Seung-hui killed lots of people. And I think U Beom-gon killed more people in a short time than anyone ever.  (Funnily enough I'd just been reading about U Beom-gon for the first time the day before.)
Mrs B: Choi Seung-hui was corrupted by the western society. How can you know about U Beom-gon?!? U Beom-gon... very bad. I think he used American weapons.

She's great at turning things around using that peculiar brand of faux logic. Keep 'em coming!

I have had two of my co teachers say "shit" in the middle of class, and ask me if this is the correct phrase.  I kindly and cautiously say, "No...." without trying to laugh.

hahaha! Great stuff. Rather than saying, "Many people hate Korea in your country," it would have been more accurate to say, "Many people know nothing about Korea in your country except that the North is crazy and the South has to put up with the North's madness."

She's actually a good laugh but she has a bit of an obsession with industrialisation. What's particularly funny is that she just comes over to my desk apropos nothing and starts spouting off about it:

Mrs B: Korea became industrialised in 50 years. It takes UK, Germany, Europe 300 years. So Korea did it, oh, so fast.
Me: Because the UK and Germany had to invent all of the industrial procedures from scratch. Korea could just buy them ready-made.
Mrs B: You show a lack of basic understanding.

I wish I could see a picture of Mrs. B.

You need to make these into comic strips.  They are brilliant.

The music teacher at my school and I do weekly language exchanges. Last week, I taught her some phrases about health/sickness. Yesterday, I saw her in the hall and casually asked: "How are you doing today?"
Her face fell and she responded sadly: "I'm suffering from diarrhea for 2 days." I laughed, but then explained that we don't normally tell other people about those problems.
Today, when I asked her: "How are you?"
Her face lifted and she replied proudly: "No more diarrhea!... But today I'm suffering from constipation".

Well, at least she's putting the expressions into use.

Yea, all the sweet potato that my co-teacher just gave me is on my comp screen now... awkward

I'm an African American woman here teaching in Korea.
Once my Ct once said to me-

CT  " oh, I teach with another woman like you, she looks just like you.

Me "oh wow, really?"

- Then I saw the girl... the only thing we had in common was skin color ( not even that we were the same color)

 ... other than that ... NADA!

-I guess all black people look alike here lmao

Nothing to worry about, any non Korean people will get the same.

I was told I looked just like Leonardo DiCaprio. I'm 0% Italian and look nothing like the guy, but I am a white person.

my co-teacher and i were talking about our respective schooling backgrounds the other day. i told her that i learned french when i was in school which prompted her to ask me:

"can you french well?"

i couldn't stop laughing!! 

I did a lesson comparing working hours of different countries.

I said that Koreans work far more hours than European counties such as the Netherlands but, relatively speaking, get paid a lot less.

My co-teacher seems to get really defensive and in our final lesson on this topic she tells the class,' This is ironic considering the Netherlands has such a big problem with suicicde'.

I was thinking WTF?

I've got dozens of these.

Mrs B (filling out a form about me): UK is your country.
Me: Ireland.
Mrs B: It's the same as UK.
Me: Are you Japanese?
Mrs B: ...

Brilliant, absolutely brilliant......... you are a legend.

Dear Koreans, hysterical laughter is not an appropriate response when someone is telling you how they hurt themselves, especially when the story is not at all humorous.

Teacher notices me limping.
"What?" pointing.
"I hurt my foot."
"Why?" meaning how.
"Climbing Hallasan."
"Wahahaha! Yesterday?"
"Saturday."
"Wahahaha!"
"Yeah, it's sore."
"Wahaha!" walks away laughing.
Thanks  ???

here's a fun conversation I had with my head co-teacher last Friday (apologies for the length though):
I haven't spoken to /seen him since before the end of last semester, which is give or take 4 months. He's a really nice guy, but he's just never around. Anyway, I know it's high time he should have asked me if I want to renew my contract with the school (they all seem to like me, I usually like them; it's a good place), so I decide to stalk him out first thing and get some answers, seeing as we had Sports Day last week and I figured he'd be easier to find.


Me: "Hi Li! How are you doing?"
Li: "Oh, you are here today!" (because I don't normally come to school on Friday, sure. And thanks for telling me about sports day and my canceled classes)
Me: "Yes, I wanted to ask you if EPIK has sent any information about me renewing my contract with _(this)_ school. I heard from some other foreign teachers that their schools have been asking them about renewing."
Li: "mmmmm, EPIK?"
Me: "Yes, I think they may have sent paperwork?"
Li: "Paperwork? Oh! Yes! I sent the paperwork back. I got paperwork, hmmm, maybe one month ago?"
Me: "Um, what did you tell them?"
Li: "Oh, I told them you did not want to come back! ^^"
Me: "um, but I did want to stay another year. If the school wants me to stay of course..."
Li: "Uh??  :o"
Me: "Yes, I like teaching here, I'm getting to know the students better and better, so if the school still wanted me I was hoping to stay."
Li: "But you said, I thought you said you did not like the students?"
Me: "What? No! They can be trouble at times, sure, but overall they're good kids."
Li: "But you said in conversation that you did not want to stay one more year!"
Me: "Um, I don't remember any conversation like that." (remember, I haven't even seen him since last semester, let alone talked to him. BUT, for his sake of saving face, ) "Oh well, it must be a miscommunication. But, um, if the school would want me to renew, maybe you can change the paperwork?"
Li: "Oh, uh uh [the 'yes' noise]! I will call the POE. Maybe they can fix the problem."
Me: "I'm sure they can, there's still plenty of time before the next term."

He naver's something and says POE doesn't 'open' until 9. No problem. We chat briefly about Sports Day (since it's my first time seeing one), and he goes out to cheer his homeroom on, disappears around 9:05, and comes back out 20 minutes later.

Li: "I called the POE and they said maybe it will be no problem."
Me: "Ok, great, thank you. So, sports day seems to be really fun for the students! When I was a student, we didn't have anything like this."
Li: "I think maybe you changed your mind from our conversation earlier this month."

one of my co-teachers kept saying bender bender. no idea what she was talking about. she asked me if i had seen a bender on highways or on streets. then i realized she was trying to say vendor.

when talking with coteachers about going to daegu for the weekend from gwangju:

"daegu and  gwangju don't have many communications"

O_o i figure it means either 1) people don't often travel between the two cities or 2) people from the two cities don't like each other....