Friday, December 11

Do you know him?

I had to quit my little part time job working at a Korean owned after school academy so that I could go to Kentucky for the birth of my second nephew. So, I've been meaning to post this story for a while. I went in yesterday to pick up my last paycheck from there and remembered it:

Tony, a middle schooler who has been in the States for about a year or so, asked me one afternoon, after he found out that I lived in Korea for a while:

Do you know James? He lives in Korea.
(puzzled look on my face)

He's white.

(I start to open my mouth...)

He's a pastor.
Do you know him?

(I ask him if he knows his last name.)

He's married to a Korean.
He lives in Seoul.
Do you know him?

(I tell him that there are probably many white pastors named James who live in Korea and are married to Koreans. I want to tell him that not all white people know each other.)

He has two dogs.
He's kind of huge.
Do you know him?

(Tony is totally serious asking me this question, and he's pretty sure that if he gives me a few more pieces of information on this James guy, I'll end up figuring out who he is. Stories like this are one of the reasons I love teaching.)

3 comments:

Madame Angela Baggett said...

I've had a lot of these since I'm from Canada- do you know my friend John in Toronto? On the other hand, being Church of Christ, I've also had a lot of do you know... and I do! Or have family run into other family or acquaintances in bizzare far off places. So fun. Looking forward to your big day! once we make it through insanochristmas that is!

Unknown said...

Cute story--what a persistent little guy! ~K

Anonymous said...

ha! reminds me of when I've done field visits with Compassion. In Ethiopia, one little girl kept asking me if I knew her sponsor, "John", who was also from America. I told her there are lots of sponsors in America but she was pretty insistent that I must know him!