little helpers

today i had my first jeju persimmon. jeju is known for their persimmons and their tangerines...
both are just delightful.
except i didn't know how to eat it, so when they gave it to me at lunch i just smiled and nodded and hoped when the time came i would be able to observe and follow (which i do a LOT of).
i didn't need to worry about that though...
so i asked my co-teacher how i was supposed to eat it. "do i just eat it like an apple?" she nodded then said something to the teacher next to her and they both laughed. (that happens a lot... somehow i always feel like i'm the subject of jokes between teachers. it doesn't really bother me.)
anyway... i'm going to bite into this thing when i hear a loud "NO!" coming from my other side. i look over and one of my students is staring at me and holding his persimmon. he points at the little stem thing on the top and motions for me to pull it off. so i do. then i ask (with gestures) if i am then supposed to bite into it. he shakes his head violently and gestures that i am supposed to break it in half. at this point every student at the table is staring at me (picture looking down a long lunch table and seeing about 20 korean 5th graders all leaning in and looking at you...). it's actually pretty hilarious. so i laughed. then i pulled it apart and looked to him to tell me what to do next. he motioned for me to suck the fruit out of the peel... so i did.
and it was delicious.
and all the children watched me while i ate the whole thing.
thank you child. you helped me immensely.
**i would just like to add that my co-teacher (jenny) is my favorite and would never try to trick me. i think she just didn't understand when i asked her how to eat it...*

praise the Lord for persimmons and helpful students!