Desk Fairies

When I was a kid, I used to love it when I'd come home from school with a plastic baggy containing a tooth I had yanked out earlier that day. I loved the anticipation of going to sleep that night, because I knew that my worthless tooth would turn into a useful treat: usually a piece of chocolate or a shiny silver dollar.

Since I arrived in Korea, I have been able to re-live that experience over and over again. The only difference is, I don't need to go through the process of getting all bloody as I yank something out of my body before it's ready to come out just so I can get my dollar and go to the candy store to buy something that will make all of my teeth fall out someday. Now, all I need to do is leave my desk to go teach a class.

From the very first day at school, I noticed this strange phenomenon where I'd come back to my desk and find that someone had left a treat for me. Usually it's a rice cake or a vitamin drink or a cookie. Sometimes, it's something bigger, like a sandwich or coffee or pens with the school name on them. At first I assumed that the gifts were from one of my new friends, but I soon discovered that they come from all over.

Maybe one of the teachers had an excess of free make-up samples from the store and decided to pass them out. Or maybe the moms of the eleventh grade students wanted to show their appreciation by giving all of the teachers rice cakes at the end of a quarter. Or there simply might be bread rolls left over from the Baking Club's previous experiment. Whatever the source, I like to imagine that there's some little Korean monk with a large Santa Clause-esque sack walking up and down the rows of desks, placing the treats on the desks with tender care and a mischievous smile on his face. I always come back to my desk and say a silent thank you to the little monk man and then open my treat to enjoy it.

Today, however, I would rather not imagine that the fairy is a man. Because when I came back to my desk I found a brown paper bag... filled with PANTY LINERS. (For you men who might be unaware, these are what women use when their menstrual cycle is light)... Is a company advertising their new line of product? Is someone trying to tell me that I'm dirty because I use tampons? Or did a female teacher simply stock up on them when they were on sale and then she unexpectedly got menopause early? I could ask one of my co-teachers, but part of me doesn't want to know.

It's way more fun to just sit here and LOL as I have another blissful "Only in Korea" moment.