Rakhi: I have been doing a lot of teaching this week. It's really good fun. Some of the kids are a bit of a handful but as they are so competitive i've realised that it's a good idea to split them up into teams. There are four teams in each class and if students are good they get a point for their team. If they are bad they lose a point, the winning team gets a stamp at the end of the class. Strangely, it really works, the little blighters are desperate for stamps! From this coming week i'll be starting teacher's classes and special classes. Tomorrow, I have to go through the same interview process as Joel to select my special students.

On Wednesday this week I had my first real language barrier problem. I was taken out for dinner by some of the teachers from my school (which was absolutely delicious) and as we were leaving, myself and another teacher popped to the loo. The toilet was some proper high tech toilet seat with loads of buttons around the rim but I thought nothing off it. Anyway, I went to flush and realised that the signs for the buttons were in korean. I tried my luck and pressed one of them. To my horror a jet of water was squirted into my face! I tried to move out of the way but the stream was rebounding of the door and back onto me. I didn't know what to do and could't work out how to turn the thing off and in the meantime I was getting drenched. I decided the best thing to do would be to vacate the cubicle as fast as possible. I manouvered my way around the jet, opened the door, and slammed it shut behind me. But, water was leaking out from under the door. Highly embarrassing-I didn't want the other teachers to think of me as a stupid foreigner! I had to go back in and try to work out how to turn the thing off. I opened the door and manouvered my way past the jet again, but it was so forceful that I was still getting soaked. I pressed as many buttons as I could and eventually the thing retracted. Thankfully the teacher in the next cubicle was taking a while and I managed to sort myself out a bit. I dabbed myself with toilet roll an tried to make myself less 'wet-looking!' The teacher reappeared and asked if evrything was OK. 'Yes' i replied sheepishly and told her I would wait outside! I don't think she suspected anything but if she did i'm sure she had a good laugh. I know I did when I recounted the story to Joel!

I really have to learn more Korean!