Very Special Students

This is Jasmine (on the left) and Olivia (on the right). We became very close during the five months of their course. Jasmine and two other women in her class took me hiking way back in October, when everything was still so new for me in Korea. One day she went out of her way to take me to check out a pool here in Suwon. I couldn't (and still can't) speak enough Korean to get information like the hours, cost, and nearby bus stops, so she spoke to the gym staff for me.

In her good-bye letter she wrote "I'll have many kinds of good memories because you are the best foreign friend I've ever known."

Olivia went out of her way to help me get adjusted and feel comfortable here. The first time was when she asked me if I needed any kitchen things because she was cleaning out her apartment and wanted to get rid of some things. She explained that she'd studied in Canada years ago and remembered that it was hard just to get set up in a little apartment for a few months or a year. So she gave me some plates and glasses.

Later she introduced me to a colleague of hers named Marty, who's also an American teacher. I think she hoped we'd start dating. That didn't happen, but he's been a good person for me to know. He's lived and taught in Korea going on ten years now, so he was able to tell me a lot about living and working here.

And, finally, Olivia even provided me with some spare buttons when I showed her how mine had come off of my winter coat. We're more or less the same age, but she took care of me like a mom (note to my own mom when she reads this: you're still number one).

She wrote "You try to respect our culture and our situation. You are the kindest person I've ever met....You also have lots of humor." (I wanted to show this to a couple of my exes!)