'Misconceptions'

Chapter 3: 'Misconceptions of Me'

Chapter 3: 'Misconceptions of me'

[My First Break]

For the first time in about 3 weeks, I had finally been given a day 'off'. Another reason why I came to Korea was to shadow a teacher. My fallback, I guess you can call it, has always been to be an international teacher. I mean teaching people in general seems pretty cool, but teaching in a foreign country seemed even more exciting. So on scheduled days, I could miss work to go to a local high school and shadow an english teacher. So today, I would be taking a day off from being an SBS intern to go an shadow.

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I approached the high school a little nervous. I had never been to a school outside of the states. Even from the outside you could see visible differences between American education and Korean education. There wasn't a playground or even swings. All there was was one big soccer field and some steps to sit and watch. Only a handful of kids actually played soccer during breaks between classes; most just hung out with their clique and played on their smartphones. What shocked me the most was the way that the students treated their school. They acted as if they were home. They wore their house slippers and brought pillows and blankets. I later learned that most students made themselves comfortable in school because most didn't leave campus until late at night because they would be studying all evening. I found that to be a little extreme, but when I walked into class, I learned that it did indeed make a difference. 16 year olds were speaking so eloquently. Their mathematics was more advanced then the mathematics being taught to 16 year olds in America. These kids were genuinely smart, but more than anything else, they were humble about it. They helped one another in class and worked to become even better. This mentality impressed me. Finally, my teacher entered. The class all rose and greeted her in unison. After, she introduced me to the class and they greeted me the same. This feeling of overwhelming respect was so abnormal for me but I liked it. My teacher taught me all types of ways to garner attention from the class without seeming needy.

"You just have to show them that you deserve and demand attention. That way the moment you open your mouth, they will all become quiet."

"But won't you come off mean?" I questioned.

"Well first off, your not here to be their friend. Your here to teach them. With that fact in mind, they need to know that to learn they must listen. If they aren't here to learn they need to leave, not disrupt. That's unacceptable."

"Ok...I understand" I said obediently.

"You can bring this mentality into the real world as well. Respect makes the world go around. With respect you can achieve anything. Treat others the way you would want to be treated."

That line stood out to me. Respect. Growing up I had little to no respect. I always did what I was supposed to in the hopes that I would garner some type of respect, but nothing. People around me just took that to be the type of person I was. A perfectionist. That prevented me from making many friends. Most thought I didn't know how to live, that I was just about the books. Guys thought I was too uptight and a bookworm. But in Korea, that was a norm. Girls, and guys, were expected to behave that way, anything else was considered 'abnormal' or 'taboo'. I liked that fact. It made me feel like I fit in-- there was a place for me in Korea. I suddenly felt like this was the place for me. Like I could flourish here. The country was my oyster so to speak.

This also brought light to another fact. First, I had always been so reserved because I had no one. I had lost out on so much; so many opportunities. I mean look now. I have this extremely handsome and talented man flirting with me and trying to get to know me, but instead of returning the interest,that is secretly there, I just blow him off. There is a chance that he may be interested, why am I giving up on it when I don't even know what can come from it. Maybe it's time for me to have a romance. Do I not deserve it? I think I've done enough to deserve someone to treat me well.

Thats it. I will take more risks. I only have one life to live and I can't waste it being a cookie-cutter just because it's what I had been doing all my life prior.

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The shadowing session had ended, and I probably learned more than I had intended to, but it would all come to use very soon. I will once again be at the SBS studio tomorrow preparing for the next round of Inkigayo performances. I will more than likely run into Minho. This time I will treat him the right way. I refuse to treat him like a fancy celebrity, but I will treat him a little bit nicer. I won't let my old ways of being reserved and cold become a common 'misconception' of myself here in Korea. I refuse.

----Chapter End----

The couple will become real next chapter. I just had to set up the characters and root 'misconceptions' that will be the base of the relationship. Look forward to some upcoming scandal as well... Thanks for the reads and follows. Recommendations and constructive criticism are always welcome (: