Chapter 55: "Curiouser and Curiouser..."

The weird times just keep on coming with a new addition to the Boring Middle School Class. Now there are eight, and I have to say, it's a little intimidating. Mostly because they're all my size, all at least 14 years old, and their English levels vary quite a bit, but all of them fall under the category of "Not so good." But the boss says he'll switch the class up soon, maybe next month, because the levels among the students are just too different.

So much for nice weather, too. Tonight we expect a low of 39 degrees. Where on earth did that come from, I have to ask. Two weeks ago I was still using my AC. Now for the first time since about March, I am going to venture out with my hat and gloves. I feel a little stupid, but I feel cold more. This does not bode well for the coming winter of South Korea, which I will be here for. It's still October, and already we're getting the hardcore Texan winter.

At least we seem to be done with typhoon season.

A weird story: last night I was taking a cab home, and every once in a blue moon, you get a driver who speaks decent English. My driver's English was fairly good, and we were making some conversation. He asked me what part of the US I was from, and I said Austin, Texas. Then I said it was about three hours from Dallas, because who outside of the States knows where Austin is....

He goes, "Ah!! Texas!! Amber *wordwiththickkoreanaccent*!"

I didn't understand the word after Amber, and I was like, what on earth....So I asked him to repeat, and he did, it still sounded the same. I thought maybe he was saying an actress from the show Dallas, which I've never seen at all, so I had no idea. Then he repeats it again, and it's Amber Alert. Ahhhh.....I said, "Yeah yeah, for when your child has been kidnapped." And he agreed heartily.

It was lovely that we'd come to a mutual understanding of this aspect of Texas....but weird. Of all the things Koreans know about Texas, this has definitely been the weirdest. And a little creepy, driving in a cab at 2 in the morning, and talking with your driver about a system of recovering kidnapped children...