Tact

I never know if I write stuff or not. I think about it but don't remember if I actually do it, so if this is a repeat, sorry.

I have never been known to have much in the way of tact. My way with the English language and my easy at putting my foot in my mouth is infamous. But here in Korea, I pale in comparison to their tactlessness.

My co-teacher will come up to me and introduce a student, "This is Kong, the students call him "Horse" because he looks like one, isn't he ugly?", or "This one is called "Pig" because he's so fat. Isn't he fat?!" I am not sure how I am supposed to answer these. I try to be diplomatic and say how handsome they look or how athletic. My co-teacher had another teacher tell her she looked like a hospital patient because she didn't wear any makeup. I think it's because she has a huge head. I was told that I have monkey legs because they are hairy. I am just wondering how they reacted to my brother who is many times hairier than me.

Another Korean was teasing me about how we think of our pets as part of the family. You should see the way they treat their pets here (when they aren't eating them)! Most are little tiny things that they dress up in outfits and dye their ears and tails blue and pink. Maybe they just like to humiliate them before throwing them in the oven.

We did an exercise this past week where I would give them a situation and they tell me what they would do, for example; if you were Georgey Bushy, what would you do? I had to teach commit suicide to every class. I also asked what they would do if they were invisible, after that I had to tell them the difference between women's restroom and women's shower room (like in a spa). Thank g-d they aren't Japanese, who knows what perverted answers I might have gotten.