Teaching English is an interesting experience. It puts me into a small room with several students and demands that we speak together. We are not allowed to stare. We must talk. And the more diverse the people in that room are, the better.
The simple fact of the matter is that they're not usually normal—and I mean that in a completely complimentary way! In fact, I'd be disappointed if my students were normal. (Besides, I suppose I'm not entirely normal either. But that fact should remain off the record...haha! And as cliché as the question may sound, I must ask: what is normalcy anyway?)
My favorite people in Korea are the most “abnormal” ones. They are the ones who force me to inwardly laugh and outwardly look pensive and say, “Hmmm...that's an interesting point. Tell me more.” When I write my New York Times bestseller someday, these people will be main characters in my novel. Here is one such example:
Mr. Lee is a retired professor of ag engineering and one of my favorite students of all time. I tried to call him by his first name, but I simply couldn't make myself do it. I think that when he was born, his mother must have called him Mister. His personality just commands respect like that; there's no way of avoiding it.
Mr. Lee sounds like an encyclopedia when he talks. For real. I don't know many people who share such a fondness for multisyllabic words. It is rare to come across a person who can truly sound 100% intelligent in a second language, and it is even more rare to come across a person who sounds 100% intelligent and can lecture about any subject at the drop of a hat. That is Mr. Lee. I know he is preparing to “lecture” when he squints his eyes and starts to rub his thumbs together in a circular pattern. In fact, I have learned a great deal about wetland ecosystems and rice paddy fields from him. The only topic he finds confusing to discuss is the non-scientific topic of love. His recent comment to me regarding love went something like this: “I am not sure what to say. One must commonly think rationally about life, but it seems as if such an approach cannot be applied to this topic.”
I am convinced that I ought to just let him teach the class. That way I could start sleeping in in the mornings. :)
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Hi Alice,
Just got back from a week in Arizona in the hot dessert. It was nicebut good to be home to the changing colors, even if it is in the 30s. Mr. Lee sounds wonderful. what a great experience for both of you to be able to discuss everything. Only a few weeks until I return to Czech for 3 months. I can't wait. You must be about half done with your stay. What plans do you have for the rest of your life? Dee
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