The Funniest Thing That's Not Very Funny But Will Probably Be Funny for You

So I just had a lesson with a teacher with whom I didn't have a previous lesson plan briefing - I relied on the teacher with whom I did converse to relay the pertinent information.  Obviously that didn't occur, because I asked her to write the classes timetable on the board, at which point she sent half the class to get a load of tables.  (This was after me demonstrating writing on the blackboard, no less.)

After I saw the kids coming in with tables, I laughed it off (while crying inside) and asked her to write it again.  The only part of that sentence I don't know in Japanese is timetable, otherwise I would have asked in Japanese and been done with it.  Before you ask; the locals are much like the Germans, one mistake in their native language and often they'll refuse to understand what you're saying.  If they're friends they'll puzzle it out, but in a workplace setting they've got an example to keep (for the children, of course) and won't be seen acknowledging anything other than perfect Japanese, lest the next generation grow tolerant of foreigners.  God forbid.

Anyway, after about five minutes of classroom re-arrangement we were good to go.  At which point I realised that I didn't understand anything she'd written on the blackboard, so had to get her to do most of it anyway (only after me bumbling through about four minutes of attempts myself).

#Edit#  I just found out that Ashton is leaving Saints.  He's leaving with a record of 105 games, 95 tries.  That's an incredible try scoring record, and it near enough a try per game as not to matter.  Amazing.  Unfortunately he's going to South Africa.  Sorry, I mean Saracens.  They're all still SA except for a couple of England players right?

Boy, What a Day

So as has been my custom since coming to Korea, I awoke at 5AM.  My routine is actually surprisingly healthy, as I've a lot of time to prepare food in the mornings.  Today however, I thought I'd push the boat out even further and do my first clothes cleaning; what a mistake.

I'll go right ahead and say it, I didn't check the washing machine outlet.  I assumed it would drain into the drain, which, in fairness, it kind of did.  The problem is that the drain in question was covered by a recessed plastic block, meaning twenty centilitres of fluid filled the recess, while the rest poured out all over the floor in the utility room.  This was happening while I was having a shower, and by the time I'd finished, there was water everywhere.  The room is quite small, and the washing machine is enormous; the resulting pool could have housed any number of aquatic animals.  They would have to be washing machine safe, of course, but I might well have kept an aquarium back there.

So this happened around twenty minutes before I was due to leave for school.  I didn't know whether the utility room was entirely waterproof (it is thankfully) so I started bailing out with the bin, (the only waterproof container I could find) running to the sink and back, getting almost as much water in my flat as in the sink.

So eventually I just gave up, and headed to school.

Sports day was great fun - the Korean teachers (and some children) played the English teachers; (also with some children) but the score was rather unsatisfactory.  I'm talking football now, by the way.  It was a 1-1 draw, and it is only in playing football that we are reminded what a loathsome game it is.

I was initially afraid of hurting the Korean teachers, being somewhat larger than they were - but I need not have feared.  They were throwing shoulders and barges while being nippy around the park.  The whole thing was good fun, and the kids loved it.

After school I had my customary hospital visit, for the health insurance scheme.  I had three blood samples taken, (I didn't pass out or vomit for the first time ever!) eyesight checked, (which was funny, because the woman only knew the numbers 4 and 7, and the letters X and C, so I had a 1/4 chance of guessing correctly anyway) hearing test, blood pressure taken, height measured, weight measured, (85kg, +5kg since Christmas, I think my new target will be 90kg) the pee in a pot test, (for what reason, I don't know (answers are welcomed)) a chest x-ray and a basic dental check.

The whole thing was pretty painless, except of course for them taking all my blood.  One of my colleagues even asked me what the hell happened after I'd come out of the hospital, because my eyes were sullen all of a sudden.  That's what drastic blood loss does to you.  Three vials.  Was that really necessary?

So I came back to the room, drained the utility room (it transpires that a simple bung removing operation was the solution to the flooding.  Wish I had known that earlier!) and am shortly going to take a shower.

After today (27 deg C Humidity unknown, but pretty high) with all the stress and running around, the lesson plans for next week can wait.