The Korean communication style makes doing my job well very difficult at times. Last week Thursday, December 28, was the day of the Lovely Festival, the kindergarten recital of dances and songs, speeches and plays performed in English. We spent that entire week rehearsing and making last-minute preparations for the big day. In the midst of the week's hectic schedule the teachers didn't create a weekly plan for the upcoming week which we make every Tuesday and send home with the kids on Friday. No one said anything about it so I didn't give it a second thought. We returned to school this Tuesday, January 2, after a four day break and when I sat down to do the weekly plan, I made it for the upcoming week, Jan. 8-12, like I usually do and since I had not been told otherwise. I had no idea that we were going to send the plan for the week of Jan. 2-5 home with the kids on January 2 and that I had to make the plan for that week! So imagine my surprise when, after I completed my portion of the plan and my co-Korean teacher, Penny, finished hers and made copies, I saw that she had changed the dates from the 8th-12th, to the 2nd-5th! I went to Penny to ask what happened and this is what she said :"Yes, but Sandy (our boss) said to change it so that we can give it to the parents this week." What she neglected to tell me was that we were sending that plan home that very day instead of on Friday like we usually did! Was I supposed to assume that? So, not knowing this, I just went about my business, thinking that my job was done.

Fast forward to Friday, January 5th. I am sitting in the office sending an email before my first morning class when Penny arrives, says hello and asks me: "Stephanie, did you do the weekly plan?" I'm thinking, yes, I did a weekly plan, the one I already did earlier in the week, the one we talked about, remember? I said, slowly, "Yes, I did one." Penny replied: "Oh, you did the one that you showed me?" I nodded. " You had to do another one for next week," she informs me, a little too late. Inside, I am quietly seething. Why didn't she tell me this on Tuesday? I heaved a quiet sigh, suppressed an eye roll, and, mustering up my courage asked her: "Why didn't you tell me this?" In typical Penny fashion she didn't answer the question, but said simply, a minute later, "Don't worry, I'll take care of it."

But I wanted to take of it, I wanted to scream! There are times when I've felt like the Koreans I work with try to sabotage my efforts on the job by not communicating directly what they want me to do. But I know it's nothing personal. I get the feeling that Koreans are just afraid to communicate in a direct and straight forward manner with me because they don't want to be perceived as demanding or pushy and want me (and other foreigners) to see them in a good light. But when they don't communicate, the opposite happens. All Penny had to say to avoid this situation was something like this: "Stephanie, please do weekly plans for this week and next week today." I simply cannot assume everything. When I do assume something, sometimes I'm wrong, and I end up upsetting one of my co-workers. This can all be avoided if we speak clearly and honestly to each other. It's what I've found works best--there's really nothing to be afraid of.