Working

- Part 1 of The Double Post Monster -

(continuing from my last post)
Simplifying things so you will understand why I titled it "Sore arms and a happy heart"
유진 wouldn't go to sleep during nap time, and as I have become his favorite person to take advantage of due to my gullible heart, I carried him around for a. very. long. time. to make him happy/fall in love with me further (muahaha).
Wednesday was also the day the volunteers began trying to speak with me to learn more about where the heck I came from. Part of our simplified Korean conversation was while I was carrying 유진 around. They first started talking about how cute he is, then pressured me into confessing that I like him best (지훈 still has a special place in my heart though...), and then to their current mantra about how much he loves me/we are great together/I should take him with me to the States this next week when I leave (holy toilet paper, I am leaving in a week). 유진's overflowing love with his giggles and smiles and hugs has truly filled up my sort of lonely heart. Really. This summer I think I hugged a person once, and high-fived a few times with my film crew, and that was the extent of my physical affection. 유진 and these babies are making me really appreciate human contact and making me feel really happy. It's just what the doctor ordered! ;)
Later that day (still Wednesday) a bunch of us Harvard/Ewha folk went to hang out by the Han River where there are lots of trails and strips of grass to hang out on and little light/water-work shows to watch. As I hadn't done a full regular work-out I started doing some of the basic tumbling/gymnastics on the grass and climbing a tree. Where that energy came from... 몰라요...

The next few days my arms were very tired from: a) moving bed/bed parts, b) supporting 2012 babies, c) carrying 2011 babies, d) gymnastics, e) climbing trees, f) eventually returning to the basic exercises.
Yes.

Okay. I really wish I could record every single thing that happened at work Wednesday to today, but since I'm sorry you have to read about my entire summer anyways and I don't think I would finish writing so much before bedtime, this is a going to be a very inadequate Sparknotes version of the highlights of my past five days at the nursery.

- 유진 and my relationship has grown a lot, to the point that I can tell what he wants most the time and he actually crawls over to me to complain sometimes instead of the head volunteer ladies that are basically the babies mothers who have been with them every day of their lives. When 유진 won't go to sleep, the volunteers just give him to me like, "okay. Whatever. He's your problem now since he's beyond us." Then 유진 looks at me with a triumphant gleam in his eyes then his tiny little hands cling to my apron and he smiles and I forgive him for being a complete brat that should be asleep. Every day when I wave bye to the babies, he stops what he's doing and almost sprint-crawls to the elevator, while all the other babies just wave happily.
I've gotten closer with all the other babies too. They recognize me when I come in each day and remember things that we've shared. In particular ever since I fed 정우 his mush he has treated me completely differently. (Food is power after all)

- Every time a volunteer learns I go to Harvard, they are confused first, then make eyes at the other volunteers, and then, as their opinion of me has changed, I am treated in various different ways.
Good ways:
Most the volunteers take my general incompetence in stride and just smile while I do things wrong and make big, helpful hand-gestures and slow-Korean/English-talking until I do something more acceptable. I am really thankful for their kindness and patience, they make my day worthwhile, along with the babies magic of course.
I have not been asked to clean the rooms since my first day.
Even though it was barely raining today, I was stopped from leaving unprotected and lent an umbrella.
Not so nice ways:
Some of the older volunteers (who fortunately have only come in a few times while I'm there) completely ignore me - which is quite understandable. If I had been working somewhere every week for a couple years, then some being who claims to be cool because they are from Saturn (a foreign place meant to be analogous to the US in Korea) and some big-name Saturn College for mysterious smart/rich/spoiled aliens (... Harvard) that really doesn't give them any qualification to be at my workplace, I would give that alien a cold shoulder too, especially if it was expecting special treatment while actually just getting in the way of my work. BUT. But. But but, some of their behavior is actually rude. In a way I cannot ignore.
Like after 도진 drooled I went over and cleaned him and the floor around him up briefly but definitely adequately, then one of the student volunteers came over and cleaned him up like I hadn't done anything at all. Multiple times. While I'm sitting right there, with a rag full of drool still in my hand, and 도진 very clearly no longer has anything on his face that needs to be wiped off. That only happened one day, but it really shocked me. I went and sat away in shock for a while and just watched everyone because I felt so unwanted. Thankfully I haven't had to work with her since that day. She was really competent with the babies, so I could tell she had been working there for a while.

- Things I find funny:
The Ewha student volunteer aprons all look the same. Yellow with a heart in the middle. And right above that fluffy pink heart, embroidered with care, is the word "Booby".
I try my best every day not to laugh when I see those aprons.
Thankfully my apron is plaid, with some embroidered Korean that I don't understand.

재환. 재환. The little devil, 재환.
This boy is amazing. He is the most impatient of them all. He's started learning to climb out of his crib because no one is helping him out of it when he wants. If he sees a baby being fed some crunchy cereal thing that he want as well, nothing will stop him from obtaining that. He climbs over the other babies. Then screams and cries or smiles and guilts you into giving him some treats too. He is extremely observant if it concerns something he desires. He understands how all the doors and drawers open, and height is the only thing stopping him from opening everything and walking out on his own. He will without a doubt be the first to walk. Instead of constantly craving the volunteers attention, he will go by himself in a corner and train. He stands up, balances as well as he can, falls down, gets back up, and tries again.
The time I feel like we really bonded was when I helped him train balancing and helped him "walk" across the room.
Even though he doesn't offer much love and affection, he is and endless source of entertainment. And he has a killer half laugh/smile combo. ;)
Future lady-killer/con-man, I'm telling you.

- 2012 baby development
Today 준혁 was determinedly rolling and finally crawling! Poor 준회 still is so confused and frustrated about crawling. We tried to help him, putting one arm in front of the other and pushing his feet, but then he just balances on his stomach and extends his arms and legs as far as he can off the ground, without moving anywhere. Then after several attempts and losing breath, he starts crying in frustration.
The two boys have a really amazing relationship. They can spend quite a while just staring at each other. They "talk" to each other. 준혁 tried to pat 준회's head (but really just hits him). And if 준회 is laughing while lying on his back playing with the dangly toys, 준혁 also starts laughing (even though he was complaining a moment before and still doesn't have any toys to play with) as if seeing 준회's joy makes him happy as well.

Alright. That's most of the highlights of work. Also... I heard that a very special guest will be coming for "community service" tomorrow, but since I don't want to get your hopes up along with mine, I won't say who it is until I find out if this is reality and not some dream. ;)

Thanks for reading part 1!
- 성냥개비