I should not be doing this for one co-teacher of mine can get me because of this. But nonetheless, my blog is all about the winter camp so I might as well include this next person I will write about in it. Plus, he is also one of my favorite students. Why not?

To begin with, there are not much of comedic scenes I can remember this student is involved with as to that of Yeong-Hoon and Paul but there is so much to tell about him.

Oh, I take that back, there are some hilarious kid stuffs he is involved in. Fighting! Yeah, fighting a lot! Being 15 years old (oh, actually, 14 for that is Korean age), he should be in the right mind not to fight much anymore especially when it is about trivial stuffs but I agree that once provoked, one can never tell what can really happen.

Troubles? Yes, he is always in trouble. He is the apple of Luke’s (Hong Seon Jeon) eyes, therefore, our head teacher too. He is probably good in fighting and has I guess some preference for younger and smaller kids. Haha, that’s why he always gets in trouble.

Enough of the bad side because I believe he has a lot of good ones too. He is my favorite student because he is smart and intelligent. I really feel sorry for my class because I have listening with him and Seok (my other favorite). Our class should have been a conversation class instead because we do more conversation than listening. I call our class a free talk one because we can talk about anything from movies to history and even personal lives. And Ji-Sung is an expert when it comes to those aforementioned. I don’t necessarily ask him or prompt him to narrate his personal stories and stuffs but he is the one who initiates all of that. Other stuff that I like about him is his interest in books and movies especially Spiderman, Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings. He insists he is Aragorn. Okay, I rest my case. In fact, when we had our little shopping tour in Glorietta, all of the other kids bought clothes, toys and kid stuffs, but he just bought a pen and a Harry Potter book.

One thing that made me interested with this kid is because of his reflective personality. One can see how difficult adolescence is once you know this kid. He is always insecured. I cannot call it an inferiority complex because he is not an introvert and unpopular. Their group in the camp is actually the “bossy type” but I still think he has a lot in his mind about growing up. He always asks people if he is good looking, if he is smart (which is true) and if people like him. And most of the time, I am cornered with all of these questions. One time, Seok was sick so I often go to their room for check-ups when he asked me, “Why do you love Seok?” I was speechless. This kid is no kid at all. He knows the truth when he sees one.

   Just like Rain/Bi’s name in the now famous GMA koreanovela “Full House”, Justin is Yeong-Hoon’s English name that he agreed upon. Simply to recall how he got this name, he was, I think, then very disappointed for he still doesn’t have an English name. All of his friends have one— John, Tony, Harry, Yuda. But Yeong-Hoon, then being very quiet (for he doesn’t know how to speak English) still hasn’t thought of a name to use. So, we suggested names like James, Joseph, etc. But he appeared to be unsatisfied and unhappy, so we assumed he doesn’t like our suggestions until ida, suggested Justin (it was her brother’s name). Then,Yeong-Hoon suddenly nodded.

   Anyway, the whole point of this entry is his name. not only the origin of his name but the spelling of his name. You are probably wondering what is the relevance of the spelling. It’s simple, uncomplicated and normal. And why do I still focus my entry on his name? Well, because Yeong-Hoon had also been famous for his quirky butt-spelling scene. One of my co-teachers asked him to butt-spell his name. If only words can vividly describe how he did it! Aaarghh! Totally, totally, absolutely, definitely, completely, very, very funny.

                        Jeyyyy, Yuuuuu, Esssssuh, Tiiiiiiiiii, Ayyyyyy, Ennnnnnuh

   This kid can do it all. Well, almost, for he cannot speak English well. But mind you, Yeong-Hoon is one kid to remember. He might appear as the stereotype of a 10-year old boy who loves physical games, but this kid knows when and where to do it, and to whom he will do it. Crazy explanation, perhaps this story will help you understand what I mean.

   Yeong-Hoon is a one-kid circus show. He runs like road runner, eats like Tazmania, punches like Manny Pacquiao but his tumbling and dolphin show are incomparable.

   First up, is his “tumbling show” I, together with a co-teacher (Ida) was in Yeong-Hoon’s room to catch a glimpse of the kids who, at that time, were busy with, I don’t know, probably playing chess or other toys. And there was Yeong-Hoon, busy jumping up and down the beds (too bad for the maintenance staff of CEC, the mattresses were ruthlessly mistaken as trampolines). I was watching him, and then Ida and I just laughed at how cute he looked while simply jumping and talking at the same time. Then, he noticed us noticing and looking at him, so the more he jumped. Afterwards, I asked him to do and show me a tumbling for I saw him do it before with other kids. He made one. Ida and I laughed. He made another one. We again looked and sounded amazed and entertained. He did it again. And again. And again. Over and over again until we laughed our hearts out. Then, he even called me and said “Eloisa, uuh (pointing to his self), uhh (made a tumbling gesture), seben (probably a tumbling style). Then, bursts of laughter again. Joon (an older student) entered the room, looked at Yeong-Hoon, then at us and asked me, “Teacher, you find this funny?” (he, most likely, think the whole act is weird and lame) and I said, “Yes!” In my mind I just thought, he probably doesn’t know that for me, Yeong-Hoon is happiness.

   The dolphin show on the other, was another of Yeong-Hoon’s circus-like performances. I was watching the kids by the pool in Batangas when Yeong-Hoon made numerous slides and dives that caused splashing of water and made a lot of other kids’ faces frown and looked annoyed. I was holding a detachable hula-hoop at that time (for it was used in the previous game) and it suddenly sparked into my mind, why not dare him to dive into the hole of the hoop like a dolphin in a dolphin show. This kid, being “pasikat”, thoughtlessly jumped off the pool and prepared to do what I said. So I held the hoop and he jumped through it. Of course he made it perfectly. He did it over and over again. Just like how you play the hula-hoop, he went round and round and round.

Apiyore 
 YUDA's Apiyore!

in tagalog, meaning, Bastos

Mostly used by Yuda (Shin Dong Hun) and Harry (Lee Jong Wong). Kids would normally but emphatically say this when my co-teachers and I would rush into their rooms and bid them goodnight with our famous and irresistible flying-kisses.

I also often heard this word during our stay in Batangas for we watched them in their trunks while they swim in the pool.

“You very bad teacher”

Dong Gyun always say this while playing scrabble especially when I, or any teacher, places a word and gets a very high score from it. This saying is another term for “teacher, make me win”

Oh, shet, my head

Seon, aka the rock, is the author of this phrase. I first heard this from him while I was still his teacher during Day one. Our head teacher made rounds in all rooms and gave the kids their pocket money. Seon, at that time hasn’t seen what Philippine money looks like suddenly uttered “Oh, shet, my head” I asked him why he said that and he replied “uhm, this (pointing to his money) small" (korean money is very big and wide). I suppose not only in amount (they were given 1000 bucks) but also in size. The next time I heard Seon say this was when the other kids were given the time to make a collect call to their families in Korea. Seon, after having his turn showed a very disappointed but still smiling face (can’t really graphically explain) and said, “Oh, shet my head, my mother went to ski” Talking about Korean motherhood. Tsk,tsk,tsk.

Pishy room

I often hear this from Ji-Sung and Seok for they always insist that I take them to pishy room (a term for PC room). I never thought Korean kids can be so pushy and demanding that I (and my friend) end up secretly bringing them there. One thing I realized, because of our pavoritism when it comes to students, it only shows how we are easily pooled.

Finishee & Changee

I thought Koreans don’t have the letter f and that is why they usually have a "p and f defect" in their speech. But who cares, I just love this term. It reminds me of my “ee” moments in college when it became a trend to add “ie/y” in every word or name you say. Thing becomes thingie, etc. My name Eloisa had become eloisy. Ah! I don’t even want to recall everything. But Koreans use the term “finishee” when they are finished in anything that they are called or asked to do and “changee” when they need to change their clothes or sub a person playing in a soccer game for instance. I suppose this comes from the syllabic nature of their language.

Jepp-uh, Dennis-uh

Just like what I said about the syllabic nature of Korean language, kids have the tendency to put a vowel when your name ends with a consonant.

Juggule

Translated as “do you wanna die?” The infamous Korean word that kids just love to use. I highly recommend Yeong-Hoon for the one who habitually makes use of this.

A piece of advice after watching Koreans in Arirang and other movies, when you say this, you should enlarge your eyes and appear mad and scary (like the ones you see in Asian horror films). Koreans have small eyes so if a wide-eyed/big-eyed person does this, he/she will have an advantage over the Koreans.

Sem-sem

Their version of same/the same. This, I don’t know. Maybe aside from their language being syllabic, they just love to repeat syllables. Another proof of my theory is when they call us their teachers, “Teacher,cher,cher,cher…” And it goes on and on.

Jinja/Yearly

The former is used when playing chess. Its English meaning is “really?” The latter is the same usage as the former only that they pronounce really as yearly. So when Tom (a student) reviewed for their spelling contest, asked me what is the difference of yearly from really and nearly. Okay, maybe they have mistaken these three terms as homonyms.

Oppa

 YE-RIN (Khuh is her expression)

I just love to say this word over and over again. It’s like a Greek/Latin term. Op-pa! Korean word for older brother. Kwon Ye Rin (our student who looks like a young Sandara Park) always say this to Tom.

Kang Boung Guan "Paul"

   Koreans love noodles. During the camp, there were only limited number of times when we ate noodles. So, when the wandering and ill-disciplined kids discovered the sari-sari store (which they call supermarket) beside CEC, they always buy noodles and other easy to cook junks. My favorite student, Yeong-Hoon, is one monster when it comes to junk foods. His drawer is continuously packed with chips, cup noodles, chocolates, cookies, bottles of softdrinks (yes, kids buy sodas with deposit and it only shows how wasteful and rich they are) and the famous pancit canton. Good thing, our floor has a designated water dispenser (with hot water of course) that the kids need not go down and have a hard time to cook the packed noodles. The only problem was the kids knew nothing about following instructions that even the Yakisoba noodles were eaten with soup. They just don’t know that they are supposed to drain the noodles with hot water before adding the rest of the ingredients. Not only that, there was this time when the kids (Yeong-hoon and two other) suddenly became hungry that they rushed into their rooms and grabbed the Lucky Me Instant Pancit Canton from their respective drawers. Since the Pancit Canton is bought without a styro-container, they just munched the hard and uncooked noodles and poured the packed ingredients into their wide open mouth. One of the kids who ate, did not eat the preserved ingredients and solely munched on the noodles. But here comes the ravenous Yeong-Hoon and ate what the other kid left (I suppose, for I did not first-handedly witnessed the incident). Next thing I know, Yeong-Hoon appeared to be enervated and seemed to feel nauseous. He lied down and moaned for his mommy. One co-teacher told me “Nasobrahan ata yan sa vetsin!?Probably. Most Definitely. In action, I hastily went to my room for candy or anything to counterbalance his taste. When I came back and gave him the candy, he said to me “ah, ah, ah, teacher, mommy, pon?(he wants to call his mommy through the telephone). If only this kid is sensitive enough, and if only this kid can easily understand English, I could’ve said “Mommy, here? Again, what can I say? Yeong-Hoon taught me how to be a mother.

   My hair was really jungle-like during the camp. I tried to have a room for a haircut even before the camp but I just failed to do so. If there is one thing I regret during the camp is that I didn’t grab opportunity of having a haircut during my free day (which rarely happens). So my usual hairdo during our 3-week stay away from home, either ponytail with a hairclip for my bangs, hairclip with my hair letdown or no ponytail and no hairclip at all (worst, but this only seen after I take a shower early in the morning and before going to bed).

   So when I had the chance to hit the mall during our last day in LB, I didn’t let this one pass. Not again. So at Robinson’s LB, we took the kids (who still have money) out to buy more stuffs they need. I was assigned (well, I assigned myself) to accompany the boys. So I was with Seok (one of my favorite students), and three other kids. While gallivanting around the Department Store area, I spotted this pink headband. I love headbands, especially those with sharp and fine teeth so that I can brush up my bangs/hair finely and strongly. So I bought the headband. While in the counter, Seok asked me what did I buy because he thought I bought a gift for him (I still denied the fact that I already have a gift for him), so I said, a headband.

   Then back in CEC (when we stayed) I used the headband I bought, then Seok passed by and saw the headband. Then he asked me, “Is that the one in the mall?” and I said “Yes”.

Then his final words were… with that, you beautiful. My heart melted and turned into pink.

   One of the outdoor trips during the camp was to tour the kids in Manila. So before heading for the Intramuros area, we stopped by Glorietta for them to have an idea of what malls are like here in the Philippines. I was very sad during our mall trip. Sad and mad. Sad, because they separated boys and girls, so I have no chance to accompany Seok while he shops. Mad, because I am with the girls. And I am not that close with the Korean girls. To add how they had tested my patience after trying out nearly all the clothes they see and like.

   The only time that I had spent seeing Seok and the rest of the boys was when we are all inside the bus. I was seated in close proximity to his seat so I can easily look back and point my tongue at him, smile or call his name. It was already 8 P.M. and thank God, we were then near CEC (place where we stay). Seok called me all of a sudden and gave me this piece of receipt from the flying saucer toy that he bought in Glorietta. I, being a sentimental freak, took the receipt with no questions and thanked him. Another student of ours, who was sitting behind us, saw the receipt and asked me what is it for? Then I told him Seok gave it to me and that I am very happy. Maybe Koreans just love competitions. True, because after that, the student said “Me, too!” And he did he give me his own receipt. Hah! Kids!

    But here is the anti-climax arrgghh!!!!

   When I told my sister about the “tale of the receipt”, she being a pessimistic vermin, told me that I just overreacted and misinterpreted Seok’s receipt. She said, the reason why he gave me the receipt was for me to throw it away and relieve him of toil. Ah! Kids! Spoiled brats! But nevermind, I believe the receipt meant something. I’ll hold on to that until the day that I die.

  My friend (Paula) and I became close with the kids from the camp because of how we have suddenly become chocolate and candy factories. We brought and bought chocolates, candies, cookies, chips and other junk foods that kids just can’t resist. So whenever a kid approaches us, it is because he/she will ask “Teacher, candy” And it is not a bad thing after all for at least they remember us when they are in dire need of food.

  Yeong-Hoon, being a kid, obviously is no exemption from this fact. One time, I was having my first class when he went to me and asked for chocolate. I have chocolate at that time but I simply refused to give him some at that moment because it is class time and he is supposed to be hitting on books and not on food. So I said no. But this kid is just too good to know the truth and he is just too smart to remember and memorize the food inside my bag that he insisted that I still have chocolate. He even pointed me to my room and said “Teacher, chocolate inside (gesturing above the divider because I placed my bag on the topmost part of the divider so that they cannot have access to it). Still, I said no more. Because I was busy with my class and lesson, I overlooked him as he entered our room. After a few minutes I just saw him munching on something in his mouth and seeing the chocolate spots on his shirt and hands. Then I rushed into my room and saw the traces of his shoes that he climbed our table to be able to grab my goodie-bag. What more can I say. Kids just love chocolates. And as the ad goes, they melt in your mouth and not in your hands.

  Another chocolate or sweet food related narrative about Yeong-Hoon was inside the bus during our last day to see the kids because we are directing and accompanying them to the airport for their departure. Sad but true. All good things come to end. I was seated near Yeong-Hoon this time and I get to interact with him a lot. So on our way to the airport, he looked to me and said “Teacher, chookoolet?” I do not have any food to give him so I said “No more (in a very pitiful way)”. Then Yeong-Hoon, a real monster for junk food asked once again, “Ken-di?” Then I said again “No more”. Then he still asked “Coo-ki?” My obvious reply “no more”. And Yeong-Hoon’s face slowly metamorphosed into the face of a kid who is about to cry. He covered his face with his hands and widely opened his mouth and pretended to cry. I, being a very good teacher, panicked and looked for something inside my bag. Then I found this tamarind candy (that I know for a fact, most of the kids from the camp hate) but I still took my chances for Yeong-Hoon. So, I gave him the tamarind candy and he inspected it and I assumed he will eat it afterwards. But after some time, he called my attention by smiling while pretending to munch on something in his mouth. He looked like what he is eating is very delicious. But Tom, the student seated beside Yeong-Hoon, reacted and told me the truth. He said, “Teacher, Yeong-Hoon, candy, throw”. Again, what can I say? The kid just loves to act.