Teachers Sports Day

Today my classes started at 8:40am. Normally they start at 9:00, and I get there at 8:30. Also, the classes were only 40 minutes long instead of the usual 45. All of this was so that classes could end at 2:05, so that by 2:30 teachers sports day could begin.

I was given the choice between teaching my afterschool class or participating in teachers sports day. It was my intention to do the afterschool class. It seemed like the path of least resistance, and the choice that my head teacher wanted me to choose. But my other main co-teacher helper woman suggested that I should do the sports activity to get on the good side of the other teachers at the school. That seemed like a good enough excuse for me to not have to teach the afterschool class which is 90 min. instead of 45 though I get paid for two overtime periods at 30,000 Won per period for 60,000 Won per afterschool class (hmm maybe I should have chosen the afterschool class), so I had them sign me up.

I was signed up for jump-rope and badminton. The jump rope competition was quick, and our team won. I was one of the two rope spinners. Most of my co-teachers were the jumpers. It was quite strange seeing them bobbing up and down in unison in front of me, especially with the knowledge that any mistake on my part would be taken quite seriously. Competition in Korea is intense. They take things very seriously. Anyway, I didn't count, but I think the five or six teachers collectively jumped more than 30 times, which was several more than the second place group. They were all quite pleased. I think I won a prize, but I didn't get it.

Next, badminton. I was assigned randomly to a science teacher (female) whom I had never met before. She, and everyone else, was decked out in their expensive workout clothes (Koreans take everything very seriously, remember, and this means if you are going to work out, you'd better spend a hundred dollars on a specially made workout shirt - it has been said that Koreans are the best dressed hikers in the world for instance - it's quite similar to the REI aesthetic in the northwest, except they take it very seriously). So I was in my Khakis and dress shirt. And I was wearing my school slippers. The surprised look of disappointment on the science teacher's face was unnecessarily conspicuous.

I won't bore you with the match point for point details. I think the final score was 21-10. We had the 10. She was frustrated but friendly. It begs mentioning that they must spend a lot of time playing badminton. I doubt that any comparably fit selection of American teachers could last even as many points as I did. They take everything very seriously here, remember.


-Richy.