Brimming Hum

This post will not be a very uplifting one I’m afraid.  My brother-in-law’s school has gone belly up, and this is my last week of work there.   It has been coming for some time, I guess, and I suspected he was having problems getting ends to meet–he is not really the business management sort either, and that hasn’t helped–but I never expected it would come so soon.  Reality hits hard.  I’ve gotten pretty attached to some of the long term students there over the past couple of years, so it’s going to be difficult to see those doors close for good.

A photo of one of my students school bags is appropriate for the occasion:

Yeah.  I know.  You see what the dog is doing too,  right?  And yes this is a kids bag, and yes someone should have spotted it during the manufacturing process.  But no.  This is just one example of the million or so cultural and linguistic boo-boos that you can spot on any given day living in Korea.  People seem blind to this sort of stuff, for some reason.  I find it interesting actually.  Most of the English you find in Korea when written on things is just decorative and without meaning.  “Brimming Hum” is a typical example.  It’s called Konglish (Korean English), and some of it is hilarious.

Some of my favorite students:  Jaiyup, Jaiyung, and Gunnu.  It’s likely I won’t be seeing them anymore after this week.

I told them that they are 40 years late with the peace thing, but it falls on deaf ears.  Bye-bye guys.  You’ve all come so far, and I wish we could continue, but that’s life I guess.  (Note:  you can see the offending bag in this picture too, next to the paper cups).

It’s a Rabbit.