Here in Korea, I once watched from the 6th floor office window as a man collapsed on the street and went into convulsions. It was horrible and I felt helpless. Some people from nearby businesses eventually helped him and an ambulance arrived 15 minutes later, but I wondered what I could have done if I'd been down there.
I can call the ambulance (in Korea you dial 119), but I couldn't give the ambulance directions, and I don't even know the Korean word for help. Could I have done anything? Well, I was put to the test...
The other day I was returning home late. I got off the subway and headed toward the escalators to get above ground. Suddenly, a man coming down the escalator fell. He fell and didn't move. In slow motion, I watched as the escalator carried his limp body downward.
Nobody else was doing anything. So a Korean man and I rushed forward. He grabbed the man's arms, I grabbed the man's legs, and we pulled him off before he could get caught in the dangerous spikes at the bottom. The Korean man then carried the unconscious man to a bench. And at that point, I left, there didn't appear to be anything else I could do.
I'm glad the other guy was there, because I don't know what I would have done after that. I hope and pray that the man is okay.
On a happier note. I had my speaking students write questions. Joy asked the question, "If a fortune teller told you that your grades were coming today, what would you do?"
Annie answered, "I would eat some strange food so I would get sick. Then I would tell the teacher 'I feel sick, I must go home.' Then I would get my grades. If they were good, I would give them to my mother. If they were bad, I would tear them up. Then if my mom asked, 'Where are your grades?' I would tell her that because I was sick, my friend got my grades and my friend saw that they were good and was jealous, so she tore them up."
Joy immediately replied, "Annie's strategy will not work to my mom. My mom knows everything."
We all laughed.
Wendy then asked Joy, "What would you do if you were a beggar?"
Joy answered, "I would live on the subway and people would laugh at me. Then I would say, 'Hey, I made you laugh, so give me some money.' And I could be famous and appear on a TV show."
I hope I haven't ruined my students. Maybe they are getting too creative.
