Peanut Butter and Ham Sandwiches
Yummy! I'll take 2!

A few things that occurred today that I thought were worth noting.

First off, let's all give a big celebratory cheer for the first week of English Camp being over--Hip, hip, hooray!!!

Ok, onwards.

So, today's topic was the kitchen/cooking. When I was initially given this topic, I inquired as to what was at our disposal in terms of cooking mechanisms. The only thing I saw in the room was a microwave, so I asked, "So it has to be something that uses only a microwave?" I was then told, "Oh, that's not for use...just for decoration." OK..."So, no cooking? Something else that needs no heat?" "Yes."

I decided at that time to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Koreans don't eat peanut butter, so I thought it was an easy thing to make that is very American and that they don't eat often, if ever. So peanut butter, jelly, and bread was put on the list of things to buy.

Fast-forward to yesterday when we're going through the planned schedule. I'm asked, "How about if we make ham sandwiches?" Fine by me. I really don't care what kind of sandwich we make. So they ask me to write up the ingredients and instructions for the kids. We decide that the ingredients will be as follows: bread, ham, cheese, onions, tomatoes, lettuce, and mustard. I write the instructions for making it and it's like 8 simple lines or something. I'm then told, "Can you make it more easy, like maybe 3 lines...we want them to memorize it." Wha...Ok, but you can only shorten it so much...I mean, I'm giving instructions here. I think my final steps were as follows:

1. Slice tomatoes and onions.
2. Spread mustard on the bread.
3. Add ham and cheese.
4. Add lettuce, tomatoes, and onions.
5. Put the other piece of bread on top.

Which was more lines than they wanted. Since they already had sliced the tomatoes and onions and the kids wouldn't be doing it, I suggested taking that step out to make it shorter...but they really wanted to keep that in. I then said we could just say, "Add ham, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, and onions" all in one step, but then it's just a big list that they still have to remember. Finally they agreed on my steps.

So then one of my co-teachers look at the list and says, "Oh! Where's the peanut butter??" I then had to explain that we don't put peanut butter on ham sandwiches. "Peanut butter was on the 'to buy' list when we were going to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Now that we're making ham sandwiches, we don't need peanut butter." I then thought I made this clear to everyone.

So today the teachers came in with all the ingredients...complete with a bunch of peanut butter. WTF? Did they buy it in case some kids just wanted peanut butter sandwiches? Whatever. So we start the lesson then get to the part where I demonstrate making it. I make it and start to eat it when one of my co-teachers says to me, "Emily! You forgot one thing!" Then proceeds to hand me the peanut butter. Hahahahahaha!!! I just waved my arms and said, "No, no!" with a disgusted look on my face. However, when the kids all file through to make their own sandwiches, half the kids are putting peanut butter on theirs. I can't think of anything more disgusting than adding peanut butter to the sandwich we were making. Peanut butter and onion? Peanut butter and mustard??? After the first class I again told them that Americans don't put peanut butter on this kind of sandwich, but come sandwich making time, everyone was adding peanut butter. The funny thing is, they all seemed to like it. Whatever...

Also funny was that I ended up having to eat the ham sandwich I ate during each class. So by lunch time I had already eaten 2 ham sandwiches. Then they asked me what I wanted for lunch (we've been ordering food for lunch each day). I said I wanted nothing and they were all shocked. I'm like, I've eaten 2 sandwiches...I'm full. To them, sandwiches are a snack, I guess.

So then I was explaining to one of my co-teachers how I went in to the immigration office last week to extend my visa (since it expires on the 21st and I'm here until the 1st). I told them how I had to extend my working visa until the 31st, but since I fly out of Korea on the 1st I needed to go back to the immigration office on the 30th to get a 1 day tourist visa extension. Which is a huge pain in the ass, btw.

A little later in the day that co-teacher approaches me and says, "I talked to Ms. Shin (the vice principal) and she said that's it's ok if you leave a day early on the 31st so you don't need to get another visa extension." Uhhh... I then explain to her that I need to because my flight is on the 1st. She says again, "Well, you can leave early, so you don't need an extension." At this point I feel like bashing my head against the wall. Again, and slowly, I explain, "I already bought my plane ticket. It's for the 1st. I NEED to get the extension or I'll be fined when I go through customs." I'm then told to just call and change the day of my flight. They then seemed shocked when I said I think there'd be a fee..."But it's 2 weeks away!" Yeah well, they don't like you to switch crap around. So I guess I'll call and see, but honestly, I think I'm just going to keep the same flight. I mean, it's only one day difference and everything is already planned and stuff. Plus, the in flight movies for August are really crappy and I was realy looking forward to seeing "An Inconvenient Truth" on the plane...which starts in September. But hey, if they want to let me take the 31st off anyway to pack and stuff, that'd be great!

More teachers were finding out that I wasn't renewing my contract. They are really sad about it, especially this one teacher who I don't even talk with that much. It's kind of weird. Since almost all the teachers are female, they really aren't happy that my replacement is apparently a guy. Even though he has blue eyes.

Anyway, that was my day. I'm going over to Elissa's tonight to help her eat the rest of her food (she leaves next Wednesday for her Trans-Siberian train trip through China, Mongolia, and Russia and onwards into Eastern Europe). I think we're going to watch Ewan McGregor's 'Long Way Round' because they go through a lot of those countries and I'm obsessed with it.