Confusion.

My office is a confusing place. Teachers and students and random parents run amok between the desks and tables and rolly chairs. Korean is the primary language...as is expected and when English is spoken...well it catches my ears. Generally it's students asking for candy...or a teacher with more essays to give me...or a student waiting for me to ask him the same questions I've been asking them for the last three weeks (that's another story for when I have more time).

But. There is one teacher who speaks very little English...and when he does speak it it's only when he is 'slightly' inebriated. He's big and scary and has the whole militant PE teacher thing going on. Really nice when you aren't in his way...but the students make sure not to press his buttons.

And every once in awhile he tried out his English. He started to say 'good morning' to me and, lately, I will hear him saying "ok, ok" when he is on the phone, or talking to students, or anybody really. I had actually started to get used to it a little bit.

But nothing stays the same in Korea.

Today, just as I was becoming content with the slow spread of English through the school (which is becoming obvious with the delinquent kids actually speaking in full sentences instead of the one word questions: 'candy') everything changed.

The PE teacher had asked for something and sent that person away with...

"Arigatou"