I have some cute plush bendy-snakes. I bought them for 3 bucks each at a stand outside the Korean Folk Village some weeks ago. I have been keeping them at my desk at work. One is lavender and the other is neon green.
My younger students stopped by my desk earlier today and arranged them in an intertwined way over the cubicle divider. "They are couple," one girl explained. All Koreans know the Konglishism "couple" – even 8 year olds.
"I see," I said, thinking nothing of it.
Later, I was sitting at my desk, and a 6th grader (about 12) named Sangjin came by. He studied the snakes with a sort mock shock or disgust on his face.
"Teacher, what is … happening?" he asked, gesturing at the snakes.
"My younger students did that," I explained. "They said they are a couple."
Sangjin nodded sagely. "Teacher," he said, with a pregnant pause. "I think that is very serious."
He got the intonation exactly right, too, dropping his already-changing voice a near-octave on the word "very."
I doubled over, laughing.
[daily log: walking, 4.5 km]