Why students should never know where their teacher lives
Wednesday, April 6
I spent last weekend fairly determined to do nothing productive or healthy. One of the consequences of traveling around the country to see the friends I hadn't seen in a while is that I was away from Cheongju and my remaining friends here for a few weeks. I got to miss them.
I went out Friday night. It wasn't anything too ridiculous or out of the norm; it was a normal Friday. Amanda and I went to Pearl Jam.
Pearl Jam is the homeliest of the handful of foreigner bars and it also serves the most decent food. This is something I do not know for sure as I have not indulged in any of the food at Buzz or MJ's, but Pearl Jam burritos trump Road King Burritos. These things become important to a guy.
We played Jenga until my burrito arrived. By the time I had finished my food (maybe 45 seconds after the plate was put before me; I was hungry and I had the shakes) we were joined by Gavin, Robyn, et al.
We drank, talked, and joked our way from Pearl Jam to MJ's.
The only thing I really like about MJ's is decent popcorn, and a 2 hour happy hour with 2,000won gin and tonics.
My opinion of the place rises in warm weather after the roof deck is opened and you can hangout in the fresh air above the city. The weather in Korea is warming up but the roof hasn't been cleaned and it still looks like it has been hit by a series of tornados.
I left in control of my senses at around 2am. Not too late all things considering. I could have gone to bed and woken up to a glorious gray and misty day and done something productive in the morning.
I didn't.
I went back to my apartment and played Xbox with my friends and drank some soju I had in my fridge. I went to sleep at 5am.
Still, not horrible.
What is horrible is being woken up by pounding on the door.
I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and decided to do nothing. The most serious thing at my door at the early hour of 1pm was a repair man or somebody else on official apartment business. The knocking came again. My apartment was a disaster anyway. I had been trying to get rid of things the past week and with the clothing and general clutter I looked like a hoarder.
Most likely scenario was the ever common Jehovah's Witness; a scenario I didn't really feel like dealing with. The worst case scenario would have been ---
"THOMAS TEACHER!"
Oh shit.
It was Ji-Huan.
Hearing his voice startled me, but there was no reason for me to be bothered. He knocked again and shouted my name, with the addition of "teacher" despite my current state of hiding, hungover, in my own filthy apartment waiting for a 10 year old to go away.
He shouted again. Everytime the boy says my home, including in school, he says it with this manic crescendo at the end. Usually I think it is funny.
Eventually I heard Ji-Huan begin to turn my door knob. It was ever so slowly and subtly but it made a distinct sound.
"That sneaky ... little... ohdeargod." At this point I realize two things:
1. I am butt-ass naked.
2. I forgot to lock my door.
Several scenarios went through my head and none of them ended without one of us being traumatized or in jail. I stopped breathing for a few seconds. I might have prayed. Anyway, in those few seconds I decided my only plan of action was, if he came in, to spring up with my blanket open and in front of me, wrap him up, and push him right back out the door. With a bit of luck he would think it was part of a game and even if he didn't I was ok with the idea of Ji-Huan being a little confused for a few minutes.
To ruin the story he turned the handle and walked away.
On Monday he told me that he came by to my apartment to visit and I told him I had no idea what he was talking about.
I went out Friday night. It wasn't anything too ridiculous or out of the norm; it was a normal Friday. Amanda and I went to Pearl Jam.
Pearl Jam is the homeliest of the handful of foreigner bars and it also serves the most decent food. This is something I do not know for sure as I have not indulged in any of the food at Buzz or MJ's, but Pearl Jam burritos trump Road King Burritos. These things become important to a guy.
We played Jenga until my burrito arrived. By the time I had finished my food (maybe 45 seconds after the plate was put before me; I was hungry and I had the shakes) we were joined by Gavin, Robyn, et al.
We drank, talked, and joked our way from Pearl Jam to MJ's.
The only thing I really like about MJ's is decent popcorn, and a 2 hour happy hour with 2,000won gin and tonics.
My opinion of the place rises in warm weather after the roof deck is opened and you can hangout in the fresh air above the city. The weather in Korea is warming up but the roof hasn't been cleaned and it still looks like it has been hit by a series of tornados.
I left in control of my senses at around 2am. Not too late all things considering. I could have gone to bed and woken up to a glorious gray and misty day and done something productive in the morning.
I didn't.
I went back to my apartment and played Xbox with my friends and drank some soju I had in my fridge. I went to sleep at 5am.
Still, not horrible.
What is horrible is being woken up by pounding on the door.
I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and decided to do nothing. The most serious thing at my door at the early hour of 1pm was a repair man or somebody else on official apartment business. The knocking came again. My apartment was a disaster anyway. I had been trying to get rid of things the past week and with the clothing and general clutter I looked like a hoarder.
Most likely scenario was the ever common Jehovah's Witness; a scenario I didn't really feel like dealing with. The worst case scenario would have been ---
"THOMAS TEACHER!"
Oh shit.
It was Ji-Huan.
Hearing his voice startled me, but there was no reason for me to be bothered. He knocked again and shouted my name, with the addition of "teacher" despite my current state of hiding, hungover, in my own filthy apartment waiting for a 10 year old to go away.
He shouted again. Everytime the boy says my home, including in school, he says it with this manic crescendo at the end. Usually I think it is funny.
Eventually I heard Ji-Huan begin to turn my door knob. It was ever so slowly and subtly but it made a distinct sound.
"That sneaky ... little... ohdeargod." At this point I realize two things:
1. I am butt-ass naked.
2. I forgot to lock my door.
Several scenarios went through my head and none of them ended without one of us being traumatized or in jail. I stopped breathing for a few seconds. I might have prayed. Anyway, in those few seconds I decided my only plan of action was, if he came in, to spring up with my blanket open and in front of me, wrap him up, and push him right back out the door. With a bit of luck he would think it was part of a game and even if he didn't I was ok with the idea of Ji-Huan being a little confused for a few minutes.
To ruin the story he turned the handle and walked away.
On Monday he told me that he came by to my apartment to visit and I told him I had no idea what he was talking about.
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