Agnes asked me to meet with her yesterday at noon because she had to talk with me.
The meeting started off boringly enough, she was discussing the next month's lesson. We're starting a new book next month, books from which I must teach all the kids and books which Agnes hasn't ordered me yet. She said she won't be ordering the books for me until Monday. I'm supposed to start teaching the lesson on Monday -- bookless it seems. Which is right up to par for Agnes. At least she's consistent in that respect.
Then she got on the subject of what I do in my free time and who I'm friends with. The night before, my Korean friend, Skanky, had dropped something off for me at Talking Club. It was about 10 p.m. and I was sending some emails. Skanky actually chose that name for himself. I can't actually remember his Korean name. He chose "Skanky" because, well, he is. He gets around. Skanky owns a private music academy in Dangjin.
Anyway, he and I were talking in the Talking Club front room and Agnes comes walking in to Talking Club. She was at a funeral earlier that night, but apparently the funeral was over. Skanky and Agnes knew each other and I knew that. A couple weeks ago, I was out having drinks with Skanky and my friend, Bennie, and I was discussing Agnes. Skanky said he knew her and she was quite a pain in the ass.
Ya don't say?
So last night, the three of us (Skanky, Agnes and I) are standing in the front room of Talking Club, Agnes and Skanky are speaking rapid-fire Korean and I'm just standing there feeling the tension and feeling quite awkward.
After Skanky left, I asked Agnes is she knew him. And she fires back. "Yes! I know him!" She's clearly very pissed off. Then she leaves.
Fast forward to yesterday and she said I can do whatever I want during my free time and be friends with whomever I want (gee, thanks). Then she brings up drug use and I'm like, "What the?" I told her, "I can assure you I'm not taking drugs." But what the hell does that have to do with anything? And she said, "Oh I know that, I know." She then said that it was unacceptable to have a man alone with me at Talking Club while we were unsupervised. I literally had to bite my lip to keep from laughing. She said she was worried what people would think of her and her business if they saw a man going into Talking Club at night, after hours.
That did not even occur to me. She said she was also concerned that he would look around and see how the school was run. Right, like she has "trade secrets." He owns a music academy and she poorly runs an English academy. I don't see how that's related.
I laughed, told her obviously our cultures are vastly different and explained to her that he was just dropping something off for me and that was it. She asked if next time I need a male friend to come to Talking Club for any reason and it's at night or I'm alone, if he could just stay outside the building or she would need to be there. Otherwise, I would need to give her my key to Talking Club. You bet, Agnes.
It didn't make me mad, it just made me laugh. It has been SUCH a learning experience living in South Korea.
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