Making Pictures

Several of my classes this week (I have 3 that use the same beginner's book) were given the assignment, mirroring a page in their text, of drawing a picture and then constructing sentences based on the picture.

The assigned picture was of a room in their home (here almost always an apartment).  They were to draw the pieces of furniture in the room.  So, living room = sofa, tv, chair, etc.

The sentences we were practicing followed the format "There is a sofa next to the window." (Target language = prepositions: in, on, under, by, next to, in front of, behind).

Normally I do not do pictures in class, as they take up too much time.  However, once in a while, for variety and because the students enjoy it and because they might think I am not a total slavemaster, I relax and allow them a bit of creative spirit (ha ha . . .).

Anyway, once I got them started on the pictures, one student looked up at me and asked/queried, "Kimchi refrigerator?"

I didn't quite understand, so I replied, "Spelling?"

The student gave a small shake of his head and responded, "Picture, ok?"

Ah!  He was asking if he could put a kimchi refrigerator into his picture.

I laughed and said, "Yes, ok.  In America, no.  In Korea, yes.  It's ok."

A refrigerator was part of the book vocabulary, but kimchi refrigerators are unique to Korea, so he was being both correct and polite in asking if he could include one in his picture.

Kimchi refrigerators are special appliaances meant to store kimchi long-term  in the house.  In the old days, or maybe I should say 'traditionally', kimchi was stored in clay vessels, and it actually still happens a fair bit today.

(The Korean star, Psy (of "Gangnam Style" fame), has advertised modern kimchi refrigerators.)

Anyway, the brief episode served to remind me that I am indeed a teacher of English in Korea, for where else would I be asked by a student if including a kimchi refrigerator in a picture was ok?