Swine Flu Fashion

Last week, 60 plus students in my school were out with the swine flu, so for the past two weeks we have all had to wear surgical masks. It's pretty obnoxious and can be extremely difficult to keep myself from tearing the thing off in complete frustration as I attempt in vain to use my muffled voice to keep the attention of 45 sixteen-year-olds who are currently in the throes of Korean senioritis (it hits early here because of the amount of pressure put on where a student goes and how hard they work in highschool). Nonetheless, since the school principal makes at least three announcements a day reminding students to wear their masks, and all the other teachers are very strict on enforcing the mask-at-all-times rule, I know that I must, at the very least, try to set a good example by wearing my own. If I thought it would make a difference I might cite that the "CDC does not recommend the routine use of personal protective equipment, such as ...surgical masks, for protection against influenza exposure." But, alas, this is not home, and it would not, so I've resigned myself to my fate (I just love to be over-dramatic :P).

There is one small factor that does make the mask requirement a little more tolerable. Being that we are talking about middle school students in Korea-- the land of Hello Kitty lovers and all things cutesy-- it is obvious that plain surgical masks would never do. Plus, since the students are allowed to purchase their own masks rather than wear school issued ones, the masks provide them with their only chance to assert their individuality through fashion in a school where they are all required to wear the same uniform and the girls are all made to wear the same layerless bob and cropped bangs that the boys very disdainfully refer to as "the Choji cut." Thus, mask designs range in everything from pig snouts and whiskers to faux Burberry to wildly creative doodles drawn on with magic marker.

Although I couldn't take pictures of my own students in their masks, and these people don't look nearly as cute or as hilarious as my kids, the photos below give a bit of an idea of what I get to look out at as I try to conduct class everyday.



At least I have a mask of my own to hide behind when I can't help but burst into silent laughter at the sight of them. Sometimes it's the little things that brighten my day.