I started maedeup classes at the maedeup shop here in Suwon last Friday. Nan, my chilbo teacher, was so cute. I was unsure of which bus stop to get off for the shop and I was going to have Rocketman look at his Korean bus stop app to see which stop was closest to the maedeup shop but Nan insisted that she show me.
So on Friday, I stopped at Nan's to pick her up and we set off to the bus stop. She linked her arm through mine (I'm still getting used to that) and we waited, arms linked, for the 65 bus. We were getting a lot of looks as we stood there but Nan didn't seem to mind. We got on the bus and counted how many stops which was three.
We crossed the street and walked to the maedeup shop. Nan made sure I was fine and left. The maedeup owner who is also my teacher is fullblown ajumma. She is loud, opinionated and stubborn. I gave her a copy of my maedeup book as a gift and to show her some of the knots I already knew. She then took out a maedeup book and I let her know which knots I knew and which ones I didn't.
I got to sit in one of the only two chairs in the shop. She gave me some cording and said "test." I freaked and asked her if she was serious. She was and said "dorae." I made a dorae which was more difficult than normally for me because my hands were shaking. She had me do four knots and then she seemed satisfied that I wasn't bluffing when I said I do know some maedeup, quite a bit for that matter.
She got some more cording and began to demonstrate a new knot I hadn't done before. She did know a little English so I stopped her and asked if I could videotape her making the knot. She shouted loudly, "NO!" Unfortunity, that is one word I never hear in South Korea because most of the Koreans really want me happy so they never say no to me. I gave her a puzzled look and said, "YES!" Her "no" was even louder this time.
I told her that I go home and the next day I have forgotten how to make the knot. She said, "no video," practice. I do practice! When I took maedeup the first time, I would practice every day 10-12 hours a day. It was a losing battle but one I did not give up on. During the course of the two hours, I asked her at least four time and was refused each time.
The picture above is the cording for my homework.
This is my homework and guess what? See that bottom knot, I don't remember how to make the whole thing. I'm going to try but I'm really not sure and if I had been allowed to video her making the knot, I could look at that video and seem what I had forgotten.
She also asked me how long I had taken lessons when I was in Korea last time and when I told her two years, she was shocked I didn't know every knot. Su-Mi, my old maedeup teacher, was patient with me and made sure I understood what I was doing.
This whole videotape deal is a big deal to me. I'm paying a lot of money for these lessons and being able to videotape versus what I did in the beginning which was to draw each step is very important. It will also be a deal breaker if she doesn't let me do it.
Maybe she was as nervous about teaching a foreigner as I was although she didn't show it. It may look like I don't like her which isn't the case at all. She has her way of teaching and probably doesn't appreciate this waegook telling her what to do. I am going to have my Korean friend, Hannah, talk to her about the videotaping and see if she can get anywhere with her. Hannah is quite a pistol in her own right.
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