"Excuse Me, Sir?"

Before another week begins, I simply must report a humorous experience that occurred of late, before I forget.

Vickey and I had planned a Pepero Day outing in Itaewon. Pepero Day is a Korean holiday similar to Valentine's Day and is held on November 11. It is believed to have been created by Lotte Mart, a major department store in Korea, as a marketing strategy for their most famous dessert--the Peppero stick--a chocolate stick covered in almond slices.

Due to our different schedules, we agreed to meet there for our Mexican lunch. Well, I arrived much earlier than she did, so I decided to wander around town.

Shortly after exiting the subway station, I was tapped on the shoulder and heard a young man's voice say, "Excuse me, sir?" I wasn't sure whether to laugh or keep walking. I decided to stop. I lowered my hood (I was bundled up because it was a frigid day) and looked. There stood beside me a tall, young Korean boy.

"Are you alone?" he questioned me.

Having learned since childhood to never answer that question with a "Yes, of course, I am," my immediate yet honest response was to say, "No. I'm meeting someone here."

Well, he introduced himself, and eventually I came to the conclusion that he was harmless. A sixteen-year-old from southern Korea, he had come specifically to Itaewon in Seoul for the first time to practice his English with foreigners. And I, the lucky one, was the first foreigner he had ever spoken with--ever. We walked and talked for maybe ten minutes. His English actually was quite good. I mentally placed him at an adult level 4 or 5 out of the 6 levels taught in our language school. His word choices were amusing at times, though.

He boldly declared, "I'm awesome. Don't you think I'm awesome? You know, there are handsome people and awesome people. And since I'm not handsome, I'm awesome." I never answered his question, but giggled a bit inside.

He asked me where I was from, and once he discovered that I was from the USA, he was shocked. "Why did you come to Korea when you're from the greatest country in the world? I want to go there."

He explained to me that his father wouldn't let him go, but I soon ascertained why. He said that he doesn't like to study and that he doesn't do well in any subject in school except for English because he likes it. I told him that going to the USA is expensive, so if his father knows that he's not going to study there, then he knows that it would be a waste of money. Yes, I was blunt with the kid, but someone had to be.

I also told him, eventually, that if he really wanted to improve his English, here was a tip: "You don't call women 'sir.' 'Sir' is for men, and 'ma'am' is for women." He deeply apologized, and I assured him, "It's ok. You didn't know. Now you do."

"You're a good teacher," he said. "Thank you."

Finally I told him I was going back to the subway station to wait for my friend. It was bitterly cold, and I was still sick, so I didn't want to walk around outside anymore.

Nonetheless, that was an experience I can't forget.