Creepy or Cute?

On Saturday, Jimmy, Brandy, Asuncion and I had a Girls' (Plus Jimmy) Day in Seoul. We had lunch, went shopping, stalked a designer from Project Runway Korea - the usual. While we were shopping in Myungdong, we came across a sight that I have never encountered before. There were multiple people with signs that read "Free Hugs." The signs were in both English and Korean. The people, for the most part, were pretty normal looking. The fourth was a guy that looked like an emo girl but, he was the exception. In other words, they looked like they probably had something else to do other than stand around a crowded shopping area and try to hug total strangers.

When I got home, I Googled "Free Hugs." Apparently, there is a Free Hugs movement going on. According to Wikipedia, the Free Hugs movement started in Australia when Juan Mann (a pseudonym) was depressed and somehow ended up being hugged by a stranger. He found the hug so transformative that he started standing around crowded pedestrian areas of Sydney with a Free Hugs sign. Eventually, he convinced others to do it too and now there are people around the world trying to convince strangers to hug them.

I can't decide how I feel about the Free Hugs. On one hand, it seems harmless and possibly even helpful to lonely people. On the other hand, it's kinda creepy.

Anyway, here are some pictures I took. You can decide for yourself whether it's creepy or cute.

The Free Hugs guy that looked like an emo girl.

Only Jimmy hugged them. The rest of us simply mocked/photographed them.

Three of the four Free Hugs people.



This guy was loud and proud with his sign. He actually posed when I took out my camera.

Adventures in Teaching: Children are Gullible!

I teach an English class where the kids are pretty low level. The focus of the class is a short reading passage (3-5 pages) and several activities that go along with the reading. The kids have to answer questions (verbal and written), write a summary, do vocabulary exercises, etc. Currently, we are reading chapters in a book called Unsolved Science Mysteries. The unsolved science mystery that we read about today is whether humans are alone in the universe or not.

During class, I told the kids that humans are not alone and that I had proof of it. They were skeptical but, I told them that I had Korean government approved proof that aliens exist. That got their attention. I then told them that I was an alien and I could prove it. They were skeptical but, asked to see the proof. I showed them my Alien Registration card.



One student, Sue, said that I made the card myself. I told her to look at the card. I pointed out the government seals and such and she declared the card real. The younger kids began to get nervous. One little girl, Kelly, started to stare at me with giant, round eyes. Kelly then whispered "I thought you were American..." I just smiled at her. One boy, Jihoon, was super excited by the news. He couldn't wait to go home and tell his parents.

It was really funny to see the kids so confused. The younger ones (3rd and 4th grade) were very nervous and starting to get a little scared. The older ones (5th and 6th grade) were excited and eager to figure it out. I decided to end it because Kelly and Michael (3rd graders) looked like they might cry or run out of the room. So, I gave Sue (a 6th grader) an English/Korean dictionary and told her to look up the word "alien." I told her the definition would solve the mystery.

Sue eagerly flipped to the definition and started to read it. All of a sudden, she yelled out "Oegug-ui!!! You are oegug-ui!" (Korean for foreign.) I told her yes and then we talked about the two definitions of alien. The kids thought it was hilarious that I was an alien in Korea. Now, Jihoon wants to come to the US so that he can be an alien too.

Anyone else want to come to Korea and be an alien with me?