Dinner, A Missing Child, and Farewell Speeches

Having not ever been part of any ladies sports teams (or any sports teams for that matter), the high-rising oestrogen level at the dinner table tonight was beyond that that I've previously experienced.

Despite the layers of food that kept appearing, the evening took a distinct downturn when a mother phoned to complain that her child had walked home alone at the carelessness of the kindergarten teachers. Whether the teacher on duty really had seen the supposed older brother, or whether the child really did brace the streets of Seoul alone, or whether some lies were told along the way, the blame had to placed somewhere. There followed a good half an hour of silence around the table as the director was forced to listen to the reprimands of the distraught mother.

So whether it was the previous atmosphere, or emotions generally running high, or the end of year sadness, there was barely a single teacher out of the twelve females present who didn't fight the tears as they thanked everyone for a wonderful year. Despite the earlier angst filling the room we managed to leave on a happy note, with previously unformed friendships peaking as four teachers, myself included, will leave the school. I didn't manage to say my proper goodbyes at graduation due to a mix-up with speech giving, so I was glad to have had my chance to thank my co-workers for inviting me into their family. I was also glad I wasn't the first to shed tears.

I was not, however, glad to have acquired this fish bone in my throat.