Culture Clash at the Talent Show

On Thursday, Melodie's school had a talent show. This was good news because she didn't have to teach any classes all day and got to enjoy a free show. Some of the acts, like the traditional drum players, magicians and orchestras were good and others had to be blogged about.

The performers at the show all take part in Saturday club activities and were on stage with their respective clubs. All of the handicapped students in the school found their way onto the stage together and Mel's co-teacher whispered to her: "That's the handicapped club". No kidding. I wonder if they were allowed to join the soccer club or guitar club if they wanted to or if they were just forced to be grouped together in this handicapped club. They were fashionably dressed in German costumes and proceeded to perform a yodeling song. The star was a student Mel affectionately named "ship-pal", which means both the number 18 and the word "motherf***er" in Korean. The girl screams this word at the top of her lungs through most of Mel's classes. That's one way to earn a nickname. Yodel-ay-ee-hoooo!

After the handicapped yodelling was over, the school's soccer stars took the stage. They just did some coordinated passing tricks which aren't nearly as notable as the perks they get because they are soccer prodigies. Because Korea loves soccer and these kids are in training to possibly turn pro at the sport they don't have to wear the school uniform jacket, they are excused from attending most classes, and they act like complete assholes with their teachers and get away with it. What are the odds that these kids are all going to become soccer stars? Oh well, at least they're pretty good at kicking a ball around. Who needs science, English and math when you're good at kickin' a ball?

But it was the last act to take the stage that was really shocking. As the four girls stepped onto the stage let me describe their clothes, and keep in mind that they are probably only 13 or 14 years old. They had on black stilettos, ripped fishnet stockings, black mini skirts, black make up and lipstick and a loose fitting off-the-shoulder shirt that showed off their bra straps. They performed a k-pop song while grinding the air and just generally parading around the stage in a really inappropriate way. Basically, the only thing that was missing was the pole. Nobody in the audience saw anything wrong with this at all. In Canada, a student would expelled and the teachers would be fired, but here the teachers smiled and clapped along to the music. As they left the stage and the boys in the front rows drooled and smiled like they'd just won the lottery and Mel turned to her co-teacher and said, "Well, I bet they just got a lot more popular".

It was time for lunch, and lunch at a Korean school cafeteria is always very red. Food is usually pretty spicy here, so it's important to have a pile of tissues and a supply of water close at hand when eating. Mel is really a trooper and has resolved to eating most of the lunches that are served to her (some of the stuff she describes sounds like something out of my worst nightmares- if I worked there I'd have to pack my lunch everyday). Mel's school cafeteria has recently moved into a new building where the students and teachers eat together, and it has gotten a lot louder as a result, but most importantly- the water supply has nearly been cut off! The one water cooler is now on the opposite side of this massive room. Koreans often eat all of their meal before *maybe* having a drink of water at the end but this is clearly abuse for a foreigner.

Starting Monday she's taking a Nalgene bottle to work. She can handle rude soccer stars, yodeling handicaps and trampy 13 year olds, a lack of water during a kimchi-based meal is uncalled for!