Week 6

Six weeks have passed, and it feels like 60. This week the last group of 15 year olds for this term came to Le Freaky Camp. The week was summed up by the question asked by the leader of this place to all the students at the closing ceremony - 'So, did you have lots of fun?'. The response was a muted 'yes'. It's such a painful question! The leader always begins his speech with 'TGIF' and asks the kids if they know what it means. They never get it...so he has to tell them. It means 'Thank God it's Friday'. A nice way to send them off. He may as well just say what he really means - 'We are all happy it's Friday - now piss off home'. I know for a fact that's what the Freaky Bunch think.

During this week...

Big Friendly American Pete still says to all the kids at the start of the week 'You are all gonna have FUN' ('fun' is said in a very slow, deliberate way....emphasising this is mainly what they will experience here). In his class that I have to sit through, (it's about the clinic and pharmacy) this week, after he told them what 'stress' means, he added some info he had found out that morning...that 'stress is the highest cause of suicide in Korea'...and quoted some figure. Nice one Pete. You sure know how to perk the kids up. Lets hope that figure doesn't rise before the end of your lesson, eh?

In the 'Sports English', Pete got the kids to play volleyball outside...which they didn't want to do at all cause it was very hot. But before the volleyball was the 'egg toss'. They throw eggs to each other until one pair are left with an unbroken egg, and so are the winners. This they seem to like...apart from one kid who got completely covered in egg. He went to wash it off, and then returned for the volleyball. But the poor kid realised he still had egg on him, so walked off towards the tap to clean it off. But BFA Pete said he couldn't...and yelled at the top of his booming voice 'get back over here shithead, or I'll knock you down like I did yeaterday!'. It was quite a shock to hear those words come from the mouth of such a competant teacher who in no way puts the heebiejeebies up me or any of the kids. After the fun was over, BFA Pete told me that the same kid had defied him the day before, and he knocked him to the floor. For all his promises of 'fun', BFA Pete does lose his temper a bit too much. He also asked me if I imagine what the girls will look like in a few years time. I think I have got to know this chap as much as I want to. It's clear that there is something not quite right, as he was in tears on Thursday evening because the kids were leaving the next day. He is a man of the cloth as well, which might explain a lot.

It's only one week now before the 72 young Korean Elementary School teachers (mostly female) come here for 'training'. The amusing thing to me is that Ellena (the supervisor from Canada) is more concerned that we cover ourselves in case they complain that the course is no good! If they complain about 'blah'...then we will tell them 'blah blah'. But I am looking forward to it, as for the first time I can actually do some teaching...but the others are bricking themselves...and understandably so. The freaky Korean/American girl said she is worried because she 'can't give adult students candy to make them happy'! That is true my dear...you must teach them well. Use the Force.

It seems I might be giving the game away a bit, as the other teachers don't seem to talk to me so much now. I saw BFG Pete in an internet bar the other day, and some kids said 'hi' to me, but ignored him completely. He turned to me and said 'does the whole fu&$ng world love you?'...which was amusing. At the start of the week he told the kids he used to work in a hogwan (an evening school for kids - after they have already been to school all day), and he anounced that 'all the kids LOVED me' (as in him...they loved him). Why would someone say that? He continues to make the 'I love you' sign that is used in sign language as well...and keeps showing it to the kids. I will have to learn the sign for 'stay away' so I can give them a warning. This guy should not be working with children. I do keep an eye on him when he is around the kids. I don't like the fact he acts and dresses as a doctor when he is doing the 'clinic' lesson. He doesn't need to use a stethascope on the kids...but he does. He still beleives he is a real doctor. I have decided to talk to the manager of this place before BFA Pete realises I know what he is all about. At the moment he trusts me, but I can't keep smiling and nodding for much longer.

Korean/American freaky girl complained to the managment this week as one kid had use the 'F-word' in her class. You can hardly blame the poor sod. What's amusing is that the F-word flows out of her mouth like a dog with a big dribble problem most days of the week.

Margaret, an older Korean lady who is nice but in a world of her own most of the time decided to quiz me about 'why I do not follow God?' I tried to change the topic, but she persisted. I had no choice but to answer her - so I said that I thought that it's possible early man might have looked up to the skies when there was a storm or bad weather, thinking there must be something up there making it happen...and this thought was continued and eventually people said there is a God up there; I also said religion causes many wars - George Bush even thinks God told him to attack Iraq! Margaret looked somewhat taken aback, and eventually said to me that she hadn't thought about it as much as I had, and walked away. This is the same lady who said to me a few weeks ago that she 'cannot live without God'. Oops. Sorry Margaret.



The weekend finally came, and I once again seized the chance to get away from Gongju...and went to a larger city called Daejon where a friend of mine is teaching. It's not far away...only 40 mins by bus. The evening was spent drinking lots of beer and playing cards, or rather, gambling. I had never really done serious card gambling before, and the pot often went up above 10 pounds (to me that's serious). It proved to be a very successful evening, and after 4 hours of hard concentration and cunning play, I made a healthy profit of 5000 won (2 pounds and 50 pence).

The next day was not nice. I felt quite ill, and had a headache which lingered on and on. My friend, Colin, suggested going bowling, which I thought might be a good idea so I could try to forget how ill I felt. But bowling was closed, as there was a tournament on...so we agreed to go with the Lonely Planet suggestion instead...and visit an amusement park. It wasn't the best choice on such a day. It's been a while since I had been to one of these places, and I imagined it might have a big wheel or something, but nothing too strenuous. I, for some reason, said there was nothing that I wouldn't go on anyway. I did really believe that, but that was before we got there. What I saw when we arrived made me feel really bad. Unfortunately, Colin really will go on anything. When we got in, the park looked like it had been there for 100 years, as did all the rides.

I don't really want to think too much about what happened over the following 3 hours, but I can safely say the following: a rollercoaster that goes upside-down 4 times (and shakes a bit too much), a log flume, a big thing with arms that swings people around wildly and at great height, and a black hole roller coaster that scares the crap out of you cause you are in Korea and have no idea what its going to do (cause you can't see a thing), does not cure a hangover. It just makes it worse. But dodgems are fine, if you avoid collisions. I am not religious, but I did pray that the extreeeeemely tall thing with seats on either end was not working, and by the time we got to it, it was closed. I had already screamed like a girl on 4 of the 5 others, and maybe once more when avoiding a head on the dodgems. Just looking at this last one made me scream, much to Colins bewilderment. He did mention to me that I had screamed on some of the other rides, which was unessessary. However, I DID go on everything (that was working), and now feel fine and brave (it is 2 days later).

Tomorrow is my birthday...which coincides with a national holiday here. I don't think its just for me... it's constitution day too. I will avoid as many people as I can and have a nice day.

That's it.