An Excerpt from a Personal Email (with permission)

My friend was in the middle of a fairly serious personal crisis when she wrote me this email. She was trying to get the day off work and didn't want to divulge the truth of the situation (knowing it and the likely reaction in a Korean school, I don't blame her). Keep all this in mind, also that she was fine physically when this happened, and I think you'll see why I think it's so funny.

"... especially since the reaction I got at my school this morning suggests I wasn't looking my best. First thing they say is "Oh, you no look good." Always my favorite thing to hear first thing in the morning. So, they insisted I go to the doctor which was awkward since I didn't want to share the real reason [I wanted to go home] and my co-teacher had to accompany me and translate made up things about the frequency of bowel movements etc. Now, the whole school will know things that are not really part of the things colleagues need to know. One shot in the butt and an admonition against drinking coffee later (who does this doctor think he is?) and I am at home with the flu. All in all, it worked out well. I am getting used to being humiliated in this country. How about you? How's the day going?"-Anonymous

I just thought my friend's situation was funny enough that it needed to be shared with everyone. It's the kind of thing that seems to happen quite regularly here due to language barriers and differences in culture.