Drive-by? Get slapped!

The last 24 hours in the land of kimchi has been an entertaining one.

After work yesterday, I was dog tired and just wasn’t feeling like cooking myself anything.  I went to get some of my new favorite food in the world, Bulgogi soup!  It is delicious, filling, cheap and nutritious.  4 things that are must these days.  I’m getting better at ordering food in Korean.  My skill is limited, but when they have pictures I consider it a winning situation.

I point to the picture of a black bowl full of broth and yummy goodness, and look at the waitress with a smile.  She smiles back at me and places my order, a short 6 or 7 minutes later a sizzling bowl is placed in front of me, along with a plate of kimchi and other sides(they are all free, and I can have as much as I want), and a stainless steel bowl full of rice.

I’m calmly eating and watching the people outside busily walking on the sidewalk, 7pm is a busy busy time in north Seoul.  There are a few police men (traffic cops) out there doing their best to control the cars from plowing over an ajumma, or a Korean on their cell phone.  (I’ve seen more than once an old man or a teenaged kid almost get smoked by a bus because they choose to ignore crosswalk signs.) Whatever, you want to get hit, be my guest.

….I digress……

As the group of traffic cops have a little traffic cop convention, mind you across the street from a Dunkin Donuts, hilarious I know! A McDonald’s delivery man on his moped/bike thing, is zooming down the street at a very high rate of speed.  (Yes, McDonald’s delivers here!)…Wait for it……

…..POW!!! The McDonald’s delivery man smokes the cop!! The cop cuts a flip in the air and lands sitting down!! I choke on my soup holding back a laugh.  The ladies in the kimbob restaurant are freaking out, screaming and crying.  I have no idea what they are saying, but from the sound of it, a baby was just decapitated.

The Micky D’s guy never stopped, hell I wouldn’t either!  The cops don’t carry guns (I’ve checked) but still.  The other 15 bazillion policemen helped the guy up and I looked down at my soup.

I’m shaking from wanting to laugh!!  I just saw some guy on a moped, a moped smoke a Korean cop, said cop flies through the air with the greatest of ease and moped man is never heard of again.  I can’t make this stuff up!

Truly awesome Korea!!

Wait, it gets better!

Today in my last class of day, which also happens to be one of my favorite class, I witnessed another glorious moment!

The kids are maybe 11 or 12.  Pretty cute, and always funny.  I teach them words they’d never learn in a proper English class.  Show them cool videos.  They love me.  I love them.  We get along famously.

It happened during the game I let them play when I have nothing else to teach them.  They stand in a circle and I write 4 words on the board, usually harder words.  But today I used soccer, Optimus Prime and cheeseburger.  It’s Friday, let ’em have some fun! One time they asked if I would write AK-47, and when I did they freaked out.

Anyway, in this class I have 6 girls and 2 boys.  One of the boys I call Mr. Tickle, because he likes to wear a t-shirt with the words Mr. Tickle written on it. And the name fits the kid perfectly!  He is sensitive, a little shy, smart and scrawny.

Mr. Tickle had just lost the game to the other boy, we’ll call him Sam (a bigger boy, who is always jolly).  Mr. Tickle rares back and slaps the shit outta Sam across the face. I see it happen, feel a bubble of laughter and spin around.  I hear “Broooooooooke Teachuh!!!!! Mr. Tickle slap Sam!!! He needs to chill, totally not cool!!! (I have taught them well!)  I squeak out….”I…I saw…..Mr. Tickle we don’t slap our friends! ”  “Sam are you ok”  Sam looks at me with a huge grin…..”hahaha Mr. Tickle slap me hahaha”

Sam is just fine, and Mr. Tickle is now scared he is about to be in deep shit.  I didn’t make a big deal out of it.  Just told them that it’s not cool to slap or hit people.  They all agree and go back to playing the game.

My job might make me tired, and I may need buckets of coffee to get through the day, but it’s moments like these that I’m loving life right now!