4:15

Friday afternoon, 4:15

Half an hour till I could go home.

Half an hour till I could get out of the school and into the fresh air.

Half an hour till my weekend began.

Half an hour till I had freedom.

Half an hour till…ring!...ring!

“Day-bid, uhh…please go to third grade. Class 3-2.”

Damn! What did I do? “Okay…what do they want?”

“Uhh, uhh. Just go. Not…bad.”

I walked to class 3-2. I hope this is quick. I wanna go home. What could they possibly want? Class 3-3 teacher saw me coming down the hallway. A big smile on her face, she excitedly motioned me to come quickly as she slid the door open for me.

As I walked into the classroom I immediately recognized that I had just stepped into another one of those bizarre, yet unforgettable Korea moments.

“Ahh! Day-bid!!! Come come! Mani tisayo- eat eat!!”

Four female teachers in aprons kneeled on newspapers on the floor in the middle of the classroom, hovering over two portable gas grills, barbequing up some meat. The desks were pushed together and five or six other teachers sat at them. The table was covered with an impromptu Korean Barbeque feast: lettuce for wrapping the meat, red pepper paste for seasoning, rice, sesame leaves, garlic leaves, tangerines & coffee for dessert and, of course, that potent Korean liquor- soju. Liquor? In a school??

“Day-bid! Sit down! Here!” The school manager handed me a tiny paper cup and poured me a shot of soju. I respectfully turned my head and covered my mouth as I downed it in “one shot” and then returned the favor. Liquor in school? Sure, why not? Americans are too uptight anyway.

I then spent the next hour stuffing myself with the delicious samgyeopsal meat (essentially thick bacon meat) wrapped in various leaves- lettuce, sesame, komchi- and washing it down with soju. Not that I like soju. It actually tastes like rubbing alcohol, but, in Korean culture, if someone doesn’t have soju in front of him, you’re supposed to fill up his shot glass. And they always are supposed to return the favor. Seeing as how Korean men love to drink and they were not only my elders, but my bosses, I was filling a lot of shot glasses.

Having spent an hour enjoying the meal with my colleagues, I decided it was okay to excuse myself and go home. Luckily, I was able to cleverly keep my soju consumption to a minimum and I walked home with just the hint of a buzz. Enough to make me smile at the generosity and kindness of Koreans, as well as the bizarre situations we sometimes walk into.