This month, I'm doing a spot of extra work on weekend afternoons to make a bit of pub money. It's a pretty sweet job - I sit in our coffee shop and chat to people! This is the coffee shop:
The commercial shops pay English Village for a teacher to spend 3 hours talking to their customers, and advertise it as a "Free Talking Program". I chose to work in Tom n Tom's because I lurve their coffee and tea (they have about a thousand varieties) and I figured, well, it was extra money anyway, so if I spent it on Green Mint Mocha with extra cream, who was to know? I hadn't been told that the owners of the shops are so pleased to have us there, they shove food down our throats. Thank goodness I'm not working in the burger shop hey? At least tea is good for you! Although on Sunday, Mr Kim the Big Boss found out I hadn't had lunch and pressed upon me (it was tough) a bag of honey butter bread...
I really love my job (and not just because of the free calories). I have a little table in the corner where I install myself for the day, and a sign that I place on the table which says
On Saturday it was a tough day though. First, I had to actually reach the cafe. Now, I live pretty much right above it. I exit my building, cross the road, walk down a flight of steps, cross the main street and there's the cafe. Easy, right? Hmm. Saturday was around 27 degrees, and hot weather in Korea means "Family Day Out". As I walked down the steps, I was mobbed by a mob of tiny Koreans, shoving their passports at me and demanding that I "sign please!" I dutifully made my mark for the kids on the pink pages. Cameras and camera phones too made an appearance, and I posed for several snapshots - a pale foreigner now making the traditional peace sign in a hundred family albums across Korea! I felt like a celebrity! But without the nuisance of Hello and Glamour magazines! Clean celeb-dom! Hooray for me!
Hmm.
Soon after reaching the coffee shop (two minutes late due to my little fans), eyes came peering round the door and an excited whisper started up. Three of the bravest came marching in, brandishing their passports, but when I picked up the pen and looked at the page, there my exotic name was, already on the page, decorated with a smiley and all! I told the disappointed faces that I'd already signed their books, and they ran off in search of new blood. The second time it happened, I just signed myself as Sarah and reflected that here was proof that to Koreans, we all look the same! My sense of celebrity is now tarnished by the fact that really, they don't care who I am - only that I look different! :)
The commercial shops pay English Village for a teacher to spend 3 hours talking to their customers, and advertise it as a "Free Talking Program". I chose to work in Tom n Tom's because I lurve their coffee and tea (they have about a thousand varieties) and I figured, well, it was extra money anyway, so if I spent it on Green Mint Mocha with extra cream, who was to know? I hadn't been told that the owners of the shops are so pleased to have us there, they shove food down our throats. Thank goodness I'm not working in the burger shop hey? At least tea is good for you! Although on Sunday, Mr Kim the Big Boss found out I hadn't had lunch and pressed upon me (it was tough) a bag of honey butter bread...I really love my job (and not just because of the free calories). I have a little table in the corner where I install myself for the day, and a sign that I place on the table which says
"Free Talking! *TEACHER* 13:00 - 16:00 every day!"
and then I wait for Korean visitors to come and chat to me!On Saturday it was a tough day though. First, I had to actually reach the cafe. Now, I live pretty much right above it. I exit my building, cross the road, walk down a flight of steps, cross the main street and there's the cafe. Easy, right? Hmm. Saturday was around 27 degrees, and hot weather in Korea means "Family Day Out". As I walked down the steps, I was mobbed by a mob of tiny Koreans, shoving their passports at me and demanding that I "sign please!" I dutifully made my mark for the kids on the pink pages. Cameras and camera phones too made an appearance, and I posed for several snapshots - a pale foreigner now making the traditional peace sign in a hundred family albums across Korea! I felt like a celebrity! But without the nuisance of Hello and Glamour magazines! Clean celeb-dom! Hooray for me!
Hmm.
Soon after reaching the coffee shop (two minutes late due to my little fans), eyes came peering round the door and an excited whisper started up. Three of the bravest came marching in, brandishing their passports, but when I picked up the pen and looked at the page, there my exotic name was, already on the page, decorated with a smiley and all! I told the disappointed faces that I'd already signed their books, and they ran off in search of new blood. The second time it happened, I just signed myself as Sarah and reflected that here was proof that to Koreans, we all look the same! My sense of celebrity is now tarnished by the fact that really, they don't care who I am - only that I look different! :)
No comments:
Post a Comment