“He went to the hospital!” he or she would say, and follow up with an ambulance noise. Usually the syllables ‘bee’ and ‘woo’ were used in conjuction to make such a noise. Then, everyone in the class would laugh.

And then, to my astonishment and quite often on cue, said student, who apparently went to the hospital, would come running through door, probably panting from sprinting up the stairs to our Hagwon.

When I first heard them make that joke way back when, I thought it was clever and funny. What’s funny is that I hear it every time, still, and the students still all laugh.

And, when I do hear it, I know they’re simply late.

September 27th, 2006 | Life