Who Knew?

Oh, I think this title is so well title-d. It fits the situation perfectly. Who knew. Why, who did? Well, nobody. Except for my mother, but she didn’t exactly know, more like, she expected. Hoped.

So, remember that post I made where I talked about the Sejong Writing Competition?

Here’s the link: http://sugarsweetlemons.blogspot.com/2012/03/on-top-of-world.html

You know how I said “I don’t think I’m going to win”? Well, I did.

OF COURSE NOT FIRST PLACE. Dang, that’s way too high for national competition. I got ‘Honorable Mention.’

Quite exciting way to find out about it, I had.

You see, after sending the essay for the writing competition, I really didn’t give it a second thought, not that much. I just thought to myself, “Well, I’m not that good at writing, and besides, it’s better off if I vilify my expectations in this so that I don’t get upset whatever happens.”

And I forgot about it. It was totally off my mind.

So, going back, when I sent the essay, they made you give your email, and also your teacher’s email. Your English teacher, because apparently most kids enter the contest via their school’s requirements or something. Of course, I didn’t. It was more of an on-my-own thing.

And so I put my English teacher’s email in, and mine, too.

And these days, with Washington and all, I didn’t really check my email much.

So today, Monday, just another day to drag yourself to school, I went to English class, disappointed that the Graduation Practice had been cancelled, because that would mean we’d miss two periods of class (including English). I plopped myself down into my seat, and listened to my English teacher rant on about his philosophies in life and the way Honors English should not be called Honors English, particularly. It was a normal, boring day for me.

So then, my teacher realized there was a LOT of time left, so he just waved us off and said, “just study for the grammar test,” which is open notes, by the way, so I didn’t study at all. I just sat there, and in the midst of explaining the difference between “Lie” and “Lay” to my friend, my teacher yelled out, “CELINE! WHERE ARE YOU!”

Psh, like the room’s that big he can’t find me.

But I stand up anyway, my eyes all wide and stuff, wondering, What did I do?

He says, “Come over here!”

So as an obeisant student, I saunter over to his desk, which is conveniently located across the room, and look at him all confused, because obviously he isn’t calling me over to give me my vocab test—already got that five minutes ago (got a 100, thank you very much).

He peers at me, like a coup d’oeil, from the edges of his old-man glasses, and says, “Whatcha win?”

And then I’m doubling back, thinking, “What in the world is this man talking about?”

And apparently my thoughts are visibly shown, because he says, “You know, that thing—the Korean thing you entered! Did you enter a contest?”

And then it begins to dawn on me. Korean thing… Contest…

“I—uh, I think so…”

“What’s your last name?”

“Choo.”

“Yeah, you won something!”

At this I look at him, because the truth is finally uncovered in my brain. I won something in the Sejong Competition?

What?!

And then he says something about a teacher wanting to read my essay to the class, how, quote, ‘all the teachers are talking about you.’

And I think, What in the WORLD!

But then again, the world is pretty big, so you never know what to expect.

Anyhow, he says something about me going to the teacher’s room and telling her that I’d like my essay read to her class, thankyouverymuch. (Not exactly in that tone, but I wanted to use “thankyouverymuch.”)

Then, realizing I didn’t know where this teacher’s room was, and that my friend was hovering over me, I said, “D’er… Idon’tknowwhereherroomis. I need someone to help me find it…”

And my teacher rolls his eyes and says, okay, R, you can help her.

And just as I’m about to leave, he booms out to the class, “HEY GUESS WHAT C WON SOMETHING IN A WRITING COMPETITION!” or something like that, and I’m backing out of the room with my eyes wide at the widespread attention suddenly dumped onto my shoulders. I’m not good with public attention, you know.

So R (my friend) and I go to her room, which is two hallways away, so we have plenty of time to think about it. At least, I do. And all that’s racing in my head is:

Whatwhwat? what? what? What? What? WHAAAAAAATTTT?

And then I tell the teacher, let’s call her Miss W, that it would be kind of her if she could read it to the class, but I had to sort of yell it out because she was sitting in the back, and we had entered through the front, and apparently she felt no need to walk over and talk where we could hear each other.

Then, the air conditioning got way too loud (or I was too soft), and my friend had to translate my words and yell them out to her.

Then, still in a What-y haze, I went back to my English class and spent the rest of the time talking/thinking about it.

 

YAYZERS!

Well, anyhow. I would like to post it here so that the memory will stay longer than it might without it being written down and published.

Have a nice day!