After School Activities - Dan

So after school yesterday there was a party with the school faculty. We all left at 5pm and drove to a near by restaurant. The place had an open floor concept, with separate private rooms in the back. My school had reserved a room for all of us. There were about 30 people all together. The tables were low to the ground with pillows alongside. We all took our shoes and coats off and sat down. There were a few people already there and were cooking food already. In the center of each table was a round grill just like in the picture below. The servers brought uncooked meat and one person was in charge of the grilling. As the food became cooked each person took as they pleased. On the rest of the table there were other foods like Kimchi, salad and more Kimchi. There were also many dipping sauces for the meat. We ate grilled beef, pork, ribs and duck. Earlier in the day Grace had asked me if I ever had duck before and I said no. I had thought she said dog at first and was shocked to be asked that. After a few minutes of being on different pages I explained I heard dog not duck and she cracked up in laughter. She said there was no way she would ever eat dog, and I said good.
Anyways dinner was coming along nicely. I sat next to a man who wanted to practice his English and asked me several questions. The men all asked me if I wanted some Soju. Soju is a sweet potato vodka. I tried the cheap version and then the better stuff. It tasted like a sweet type of vodka. It was good and easy to drink. It's a Korean tradition when offering to take a shot with someone that the one who offers, hands there shot glass to the other person. Then they pour and the receiver takes the shot and then hands the glass back and fills it up again, and the other person takes a shot. It's a way showing respect and welcoming the other person. Next thing I knew I was being offered a few shots back to back to back. And towards the end of dinner I shared a shot with my principal and two with my vice principal. I just know that this would never happen back home. Everyone was so nice and I got to learn a lot about Korean culture. I talked to many teachers and I was asking Heather if this was an annual party. She responded with no they do it at least once a month. I was like, wow! Once a month! The dinner was completely informal even though the setting was rather formal. People talked and got along so well. The majority of the teachers at my school are in there twenties, so everyone is fairly young. It makes for a fun environment.
After dinner we all continued the party at a karaoke lounge. There karaoke lounges consist of different rooms you can rent out that have a karaoke machine, seating and a few tables in the middle. On one wall next the machine there was a giant flat screen to watch the words, with music videos in the background. When I got there the principal and vice principal were already going at it, with some Korean pop song. It was so funny how they got so into it. They told me to pick a song and get up there. I felt a little pressured but chose a song and grabbed the mic. I chose "Oh Darling" by the Beatles and started wailing. I was so good that the vice principal started a Daniel, Daniel, Daniel chant. LOL. I had so much fun. There was more Soju and beer to go around and this was all on a school night. The Soju was only about 13% alcohol and was equivalent to most wines. So when you take small shots it does not hit you as hard. But let's just say that it hit some harder than others.
My principal was a little wasted. He kept hugging me and saying thank you (he must have loved my signing). Heather later translated for him and he said I reminded him of his youngest daughter's situation. She is currently living in D.C. and working for the government or something. Regardless I just know that it's not too often you can have that kind of fun with your principal and co-teachers. The night was getting late and a few teachers drove me home where I found Latanya asleep. I was sorry that she missed all the fun because I know she would have loved it. Maybe next time.
Well as for today it's been normal. I did some teaching and Kate my other co-teacher used a song for her class to help with the English learning. It was "As Long as You Love Me" by the Backstreet Boys, classic 1997. It was certainly entertaining to hear the sound for four different classes three times each. I should have sang that song for karaoke. LOL. One more thing. I had this curry soup today at lunch. It was awesome, just add some rice and it was heaven in my mouth. Until next time.
Dan