Realistic or Modern Tossed Salad - Y2

[Verena]

Vulcan followed the boys outside and looked around, not quite sure where to go at first but luckily, there were plenty of people heading for the same direction so he assumed this was the way. Jomar was jogging next to him and while Vulcan too kinda enjoyed this sport, using it mainly to keep himself in shape, now he resisted following his roommate's motion. When Elijah's phone soon appeared in front of them, Vulcan slowed down his pace and read what it said, soon giving its owner a nod regarding helping him with the schedule. With him walking in the middle, he decided to quickly type in his two phone numbers first, then handed it over to Jomar for him to do the same.


Not long after that, they could finally see the school. It was a pretty huge building for such a small town but Vulcan assumed there weren't really all that many other schools around so that one must hold all the teens in the area. The only thing he disliked when looking at it from the outside was its few windows. He loved sitting next to those and simply stare out when a class bored him. But then again, maybe he was just looking at it from the wrong angle. When they entered, he decided to head straight for the office to get their schedules and go to their first class, which he assumed was starting very soon. Once again he followed the rest of the students going that same way in order to avoid getting lost in the large building. Then, in front of their destination, as he had assumed, was a pretty long line of people standing outside and waiting for their turn in picking up their needed documents. He was sure those papers had been scanned and emailed to each one of them but he didn't quite remember getting one so waiting in line it was.


@CoconutLeaves @PenguinFox

 

[Aato]

The second floor wasn't as crowded with students, so traveling the hall wasn't as inconvenient as it had been when they first entered. He led her down the hall to a bench and sat. "So, how are you feeling about things? We should compare schedules." He didn't realize she was holding his hand until he moved to shrug off his bag to be more comfortable. Aside from a slight confusion of when that had happened, he didn't think much of it. He gently slipped his hand away and continued to move his bag from his shoulder. He then held his paper up next to hers so they could look at them.


@Ami the breadling

 

[CoconutLeaves]

Jomar took the phone from Vulcan and placed his US number, Philippine number, and added his skype address. Once he returned it to Vulcan he was amazed at what he saw. The school looked quite different from the old, neglected, public school of his. Once he saw the long student lines, he took out his notebook and checked the notes regarding their classes.


"Hey Vulcan, do you think you know where this can be found?" Jomar asked as he showed his notes to his roommate while leaving a wide space for Elijah to see.


@Vulcan @PenguinFox

 

[The Fluffiest Floof]

The second floor wasn't as crowded with students, so traveling the hall wasn't as inconvenient as it had been when they first entered. He led her down the hall to a bench and sat. "So, how are you feeling about things? We should compare schedules." He didn't realize she was holding his hand until he moved to shrug off his bag to be more comfortable. Aside from a slight confusion of when that had happened, he didn't think much of it. He gently slipped his hand away and continued to move his bag from his shoulder. He then held his paper up next to hers so they could look at them.
@Ami the breadling

She looked at the papers, but didn't even act like she understood them. They looked different from the ones she knew. They seemed similar, which she took as a good sign.


(Didn't see you posted. Also sorry for the short post, don't really know what to write.)

 

[Aato]

(*It's okay.*)


He looked over the papers then pointed between the two. "It looks like we don't have our first class together, but we have the second and third, then the fourth we don't. That's not too bad. We'll see each other half the day, then." He nodded then looked up from the paper. "Do you want me to walk you to your first class?" He offered.


@Ami the breadling

 

[The Fluffiest Floof]

(*It's okay.*)
He looked over the papers then pointed between the two. "It looks like we don't have our first class together, but we have the second and third, then the fourth we don't. That's not too bad. We'll see each other half the day, then." He nodded then looked up from the paper. "Do you want me to walk you to your first class?" He offered.


@Ami the breadling

Yuki made a small jump every time they had a class together and frowned a bit every time they didn't. Then, as he offered to walk her, she nodded shyly and took his hand again.

 

[Aato]

He was a little surprised when she nodded her answer then took his hand again, but decided he wouldn't read into it. He slipped his bag onto one shoulder, not bothering to break their hold to put the other strap on. "Alright. Let's go." He stood up and adjusted his bag before leading her downstairs again. "All the offices are upstairs where we just came from," he explained, "and the classrooms are on this floor and the third. It's a little bit of a strange setup, but that's what it is."


(*You can decide what subject the class is.*)


@Ami the breadling

 

[The Fluffiest Floof]

He was a little surprised when she nodded her answer then took his hand again, but decided he wouldn't read into it. He slipped his bag onto one shoulder, not bothering to break their hold to put the other strap on. "Alright. Let's go." He stood up and adjusted his bag before leading her downstairs again. "All the offices are upstairs where we just came from," he explained, "and the classrooms are on this floor and the third. It's a little bit of a strange setup, but that's what it is."
(*You can decide what subject the class is.*)


@Ami the breadling

Yuki nodded and as they reached the classroom, she whispered a thanks into his ear. To others, they even appeared a bit like a couple. Surely, rumors would be spread. Yuki entered her class. She would find out it was her Nemesis. Math.

 

[Vitez]

Minjae

Minjae couldn't stop looking out the window after he landed in America. It wasn't because the country was vastly different from his own like it would have been in countless other countries. In actuality, the scenery was similar to what he was used to seeing in his home province. After the division of the Korean Peninsula, the United States kept a military presence in South Korea and effectively 'Americanized' the entire country. Like an epidemic, American culture seeped into the country from its beginnings in Seoul. In fact, many aspects of American life made him feel at home here. It was the subtle differences outside his window that intrigued him, namely that there were hardly any Asians here. Besides that, it felt much like home. Minjae knew that at their core, the countries were vastly different. But it would take some conversations with students from other countries to realize those differences.


Luckily, he was getting the perfect opportunity to mingle with students from all over the world. In fact, he believed he was rooming with an Australian student. They would have something in common at least: both of their home countries were similar to America. Minjae was also aware that he was arriving late to the party, but jet lag was no joke.


The car made an abrupt stop in front of the doors, jolting Minjae out of his thoughts. "Time to think in English" He muttered under his breath as he grabbed his luggage, but that would prove to be harder than he had anticipated. Although he was an excellent English student, Korean and English are so fundamentally different and incompatible he was bound to blunder through the language for the first few days. However, he wasn't too worried. Walking into the doors, he stumbled to his room, getting lost no less than three times. Trying to read signs in English was difficult, but nothing was going to stop Minjae from his goal.


After a few minutes and a few choice words muttered in Korean, Minjae finally found his dorm room. "At least carrying my luggage for that long might build some muscle" he chuckled under his breath, tapping on the door.


OOC This gif pretty much sums up Minjae's personality, if you didn't read his description yet

 

[Aato]

[QUOTE="Ami the breadling]Yuki nodded and as they reached the classroom, she whispered a thanks into his ear. To others, they even appeared a bit like a couple. Surely, rumors would be spread. Yuki entered her class. She would find out it was her Nemesis. Math.

[/QUOTE]
She had told him thank you and parted right after. For a moment, Cortez watched her walk into the classroom before starting on the way to his own. It seemed he had English. During his small trek, he thought about the girl and how odd it was that she had whispered her thanks to him... or, well, it was odd to him. Maybe it was normal in her country to keep things hushed and more on the quiet side. He shrugged to himself. He supposed the reason didn't really matter too much. He did note, though, that her voice in a whisper was quite pleasant, soothing even...


The thought was soon pushed away when he reached the classroom door and could hear the loud hum of voices from other teens socializing before class began. He took in a deep breath and then released it as a slow sigh, readying himself before entering the classroom.


(*I think we should wait for others to get to class and such before continuing.*)

 

[MatthewChastain]

Mathieu was in his bed sound asleep. The night before he made sure to set a few alarms to get him up in time to get himself ready for school but ended up sleeping through every single on of them. Waking up a good forty five minutes into the school day. He reached around trying to find his phone to check the time. Seeing that he slept through his alarms. He threw his phone down quickly pulling himself out of bed. He mumbled a few curse words in French scrambling around the room.pulling his clothes from the drawers and throwing them on his bed. He stopped for a moment. Going to school late would be..embarrassing to him to say the least. He was better off skipping. But then again,who skips school on the first day? He sighed to himself trying to figure out his best option.


// @Bea

 

[Rat]

//*Has no idea how to do this because where I left off last was the previous day*

 

[Vitez]

Minjae

Hearing no response, he enters the room to find it devoid of people "?? ? ???"

Spoiler

"What time is it?"

He says to himself, checking his phone. "???!"





A Korean frustration expression similar to "Aw man!" or "Geez"

"Late to class on the first day!" Quite literally throwing his luggage on the bed save for his backpack, he dashes out of the room. Unfortunately, in his panic the dorm building becomes quite a labyrinth for Minjae. Similar to a lab rat in a maze, he attempts to find his way out of the building, quite unsuccessfully. The hallways become endless and the few minutes it takes to finally find the exit feel like hours.





Minjae dashes in the direction he remembers the school building was, luckily making the right decision. On his way, he mumbles mostly incoherent chastising phrases in Korean under his breath. Making it to the school building, he turns into the front office. Giving a slight bow, he attempts to talk to the receptionist "??- I mean hello! I am Minjae, foreign student. Very sorry for being late, plane was late. You schedule have? I mean, you have my schedule?" Minjae's mind churns, all the years he spent diligently studying English seem out of his grasp. He internally chastises himself for making the rookie mistake of using Korean sentence order, even a beginner could get that right. While he overthinks his embarrassment and stress, the receptionist hands him his schedule.


Glancing at it, Minjae sees that the class he should be in now is...English. "???..." He mumbles, the irony almost laughable. However, he doesn't laugh, as his culture has taught him to internalize and correct his failure. In South Korea, failure as a student is the ultimate failure, as performance in school determines one's entire existence. He looks up from the schedule and back at the receptionist, his face set with determination. "Thank you." He says as he exits. On the way to his class he whispers a mantra to himself "I will get this right. I will get this right. I will get this right."





Minjae hesitates before he enters the classroom. But he knows he has already missed enough. Opening the door slowly as to not disturb the students whose eyes are intently fixed on their desks, he makes a beeline for the teacher. "I am deeply sorry for being late, my plane arrived late. I am Minjae Paek from South Korea." His eyes wander around the classroom, wondering if any of the other foreign students are present. At the teacher's suggestion, he introduces himself in front of the class.





"Hello! ?????! I am Minjae Paek from South Korea. You can call me Minjae. I look forward to meeting all of you." He bows to the class as is custom in Korea, satisfied with his performance in English. He makes his way to his seat with the work the teacher handed him, hoping that someone will interact with him so he knows he's not alone.

@Aato

 

[Verena]

Vulcan stared at the notes presented to him for a couple of moments before shaking his head in denial. "I'm just as new to this place as any of you are. I really can't help you orientate just yet." he explained and slowed down his pace in order to stay just a couple of steps behind so that Elijah could have a better view over the notes. Vulcan would first have to explore the building, make a photo of the fire escape plan or any other map available to study and only then would he be able to point anyone in the right direction. He had spent most of his weekend walking around town and remembering some places of interest but that was basically it. He had only gone by the school once but never actually entered it until today - something he now regretted as many of the students had already used the weekend to acquire their schedule plans. @CoconutLeaves @PenguinFox

 

[Rat]

Saint Alexander Pierce

He woke up the next morning in a fog, He couldn't really remember what happened the previous night. He sat up and ran his hands through his chocolatey brown mohawk before sighing and getting up to shower, He showered pretty quickly and got dressed in white skinny jeans, a black & grey striped t-shirt and black combat boots with teal laces. He brushed his teeth and fixed his hair so it wasn't quite as crazy looking before pulling out his phone to text Matthieu

Matty <3

me

Good morning babe, Sleep well? I'm exhausted :(

@MatthewChastain
​

 

[MatthewChastain]

Matthieu heard his phone vibrate,quickly walking over to see who it was. He smiled a bit reading Saint's message. He texted him back saying:"I slept alright,I woke up really late though..i might just not go to school today. I don't know. What do you think?"


@Bea

 

[Rat]

Saint Alexander Pierce

He was eating a slice of toast by the time Matthieu texted back, He wondered if he should just skip too and be with Matt instead, But he had a lecture today so he really couldn't

Matty <3

me

Good morning babe, Sleep well? I'm exhausted :(

them

I slept alright,I woke up really late though..i might just not go to school today. I don't know. What do you think?

me

I have a lecture today but I could skip after that if you wanted to get lunch or something?

 

[MatthewChastain]

Mathieu picked up his phone to read Saint's text. He texted him back again,this time saying."sounds good,I'll be in my dorm until then. Have a good lecture"


@Bea

 

[Rat]

Saint Alexander Pierce

He grinned at the text before getting his stuff in his messenger bag and heading out the door, Thankfully the lecture was early so he'd have the rest of the day if he decided to skip, He knew he'd get in trouble for it but he really didn't care. He wondered what they'd do after lunch, Maybe go to a movie or something? Who knows, He texted Matt one last time before heading to his lecture

[To: Matty

[i will, Love you cutie ]

//Got lazy about the bbcode @MatthewChastain
​

 

[CoconutLeaves]

"I guess I'll look for a school official." Jomar said as he looked around. He went straight to one table where an older woman was sitting down and he began to ask where his room was. Minutes late, he came out with three printed maps that the woman had given him and handed one to Vulcan and to Elijah.


"I guess this is where I go? " he asked, suddenly becoming nervous. He liked these two and he would have preferred it if they could hang out but they also seemed quite older than him.


@Vulcan @PenguinFox

 

[Aato]

Among the socializing and chatter, Cortez had taken a silent seat and began slipping things out from his bag to prepare for the start of class. He didn't recognize any of the students in this class from the year before. Although, he did recall seeing this teacher in the halls when going around to classes.


Soon enough, the class was prompted to quiet down and the teacher began, passing out the syllabus and some basic information cards to fill out, and explaining things about the class and what they would be doing for the day. He only looked at the paper that was placed on his desk and sigh before picking it up to give it a brief look over. He then began filling out the info card, his hand on autopilot as hism ind wandered. The first day of school was always the roughest and the easiest - you mostly just went over procedures and maybe started a lesson, but the bad part was knowing you had the rest of the year ahead of you. But - he was here for the experience of this and more and was fortunate enough to get accepted into the program again, so, he wasn't going to complain. Plus he always had interesting things to go back and tell his friends and family. Not to mention, he was experiencing what his mother lived through and that was an interesting perspective to think of alone.


Cortez hadn't realized he zoned out until, well, he finally looked up and noticed the teacher was talking. He wondered how much he missed and how long she'd been speaking... He made a small shrug and averted his eyes back to his desk. Whatever she was saying was probably in the syllabus anyway. The only thing that made him look up again was the teacher's pause and the sound of the door opening and closing. An Asian boy entered and immediately made his way to the teacher. They exchanged words before the accented boy introduced himself to the class. Cortez thought that was very 'open' and outgoing of him; being shy, he'd have never pulled so much attention to himself in front of a crowd. 'Minjae,' he repeated in his head to store to memory. The boy then made his way to mingle with the rest of the class, taking a seat among the rest and... Oh. Next to him. How ironic? Well, he supposed it didn't hurt to meet him now as opposed to later.


"Hello... I'm Cortez... from Cuba," he introduced himself in a hushed voice, "I'm also part of the program." The teacher had finished her last couple of sentences before the interruption and had taken a seat at her desk, leaving the students to continue what they were doing until it was time for the next task. However, the room was still fairly quiet, so Cortez didn't want to make it so obvious that he was speaking.


@Ami the breadling - You can post more about Yuki in class now, if you want.][/size]

 

[Vitez]

Minjae

He leafs through the syllabus, marveling at how different school in South Korea is compared to America. The policies in America are infinitely more lenient, and for the first time Minjae realizes that school here could actually be fun. It wasn't that he didn't like school in South Korea, it was just extremely stressful. After all, performance in school there determined the course of one's whole life, and it came down to one test that decided where students went to college. Education is so important and serious in South Korea that when students are taking the college entrance exam, planes are not allowed to fly over the testing site and most businesses are closed so families of the students can pray for the test-takers. It seems to Minjae that in America, while school is important, it isn't the end-all, be-all. However, Minjae also notices some negatives about the syllabus. It is evident that the South Korean educational system is superior to America's. In South Korea he was learning more advanced concepts in his English as a Second Language class than what is outlined in the syllabus in this English class designed for native speakers.


It doesn't matter... Minjae thinks. I'm here for the experience anyway... He sets the syllabus neatly in the corner of his desk and begins working on the worksheet given to him by the teacher. He is excited that English is coming relatively naturally to him today, with only a few stumbling blocks. He decides it must be a good omen for the rest of his year here. Minjae fills out the worksheet with ease when he hears a voice.





"Hello...I'm Cortez...from Cuba, I'm also part of the program." The boy next to him says in a near whisper. Minjae feels excitement bubble up inside him, incredibly thrilled that there is someone else from the program in this class. In all honesty, he was upset that his plane was late because he missed out on meeting all of the other foreign students before school began.


"Hi Cortez! I can't wait until the day is over so I can meet the whole program...how many classes do we have in a day?" Minjae asks, suddenly itching to get out of school. He had brought wildly popular Korean snacks with him to share with the others, and would search for Korean restaurants near the school as much of his beloved cuisine is perishable. As he thinks about the snacks, Minjae's stomach rumbles. He realizes that he hasn't eaten since before he left South Korea. It seems strange to him that he's been in America for hours but his last meal was in his homeland. Luckily, he remembered to pack some Korean snacks in his backpack to remind him of home. Finishing his worksheet, he slowly pulls out a bag of ???? (shrimp snacks) and opens them without a sound. He developed this silent-bag-opening talent when he used to smuggle snacks into his classes back home. Since food is important to Minjae, this is a skill he's gotten rather good at.


Softly eating the light, fishy snacks, he offers one to Cortez. "It's um...a shrimp...chip?" Looking at the cylindrical snack he decides 'chip' isn't really the word. "It's a shrimp snack. If you like it, you can have more. My treat, from South Korea." He smiles at his newfound friend, hoping for the school day to finish quickly. And it will.

Spoiler

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@Aato

 

[Aato]

Cortez was pleased to get a friendly response from the other boy. He seemed fairly chipper so far and he imagined Yuki would like him. "We have four... 90 minutes each. Lunch is after the next class. Maybe then I can introduce you to my roommate and friend, Yuki." As he spoke, Minjae shifted and reached for his bag, though Cortez couldn't see just what he was doing. He then pulled out a chip bag and opened it, eating a few before offering him one. He carefully took what was offered. "Thank you." From the back, he had already caught the scent of the food, not too strong, but definitely not light, and surely fishy. It somewhat reminded him of the smell of fish food. Being from an island, though, he was fairly used to the smell of seafood, just typically more fresh. Regardless of his bit of skepticism, he popped the whole snack into his mouth, thinking that taking a small bite may have been too noisy. He looked away as he chewed slowly, taking in the new flavors. Well, if he hadn't spit it out already, it must not have been bad. "Bien. I like it," he looked back at Minjae with a little nod of approval. "It's different, but still good. When we get back this afternoon, I'll share one of my favorite Cuban snacks with you." He figured it was only appropriate to exchange. After all, that's what all this was about.


(*This is random, but because of pronunciation, I always joke with myself when I see the word 세우다 and read it as 'to shrimp' before reading it correctly, hahah.*)


@Vitez

 

[Vitez]

Minjae

"We have four...90 minutes each. Lunch is after the next class. Maybe then I can introduce you to my roommate and friend, Yuki" Four classes at 90 minutes each seems like a cakewalk, especially if Minjae has someone from the program in his class. Checking the clock, he realizes that it couldn't be too long until this class is over. He is excited for lunch, to try new foods, of course, and to meet thin mysterious Yuki girl. Her name definitely sounds Asian, and although it could be Korean, in theory, that name in particular is more popular in Japan, to Minjae's knowledge.





"Where is Yuki from?" He munches. Minjae is not accustomed to completing his work early, as in Korea there was much more work to be done, but it is definitely something he can get used to, he muses. Cortez seems to like his seafood snacks and Minjae beams. The cuisine of Korea is definitely not for everyone. Beyond the BBQ and kimchi is an incredibly spicy, sometimes-still-moving-octopus, fishy-tasting, and fermentation-filled culinary landscape. Minjae is incredibly fond of it though, and his passion for cooking Korean-style knows no bounds. He could daydream all day about exposing the exchange students to all of the delicacies of South Korea through his food, and fostering a love for it in students from all the corners of the Earth.





"Bien. I like it. It's different, but still good. When we get back this afternoon, I'll share one of my favorite Cuban snacks with you." Cortez's words, which temporarily shook Minjae from his daze, added a whole new layer to his food fantasy. Culinary experiences are undeniably a two-way street, and Minjae could not wait to try and appreciate different foods and flavors from all of the countries represented at this small campus.





"I cannot wait! Experiencing all of these cultures is to new and exciting for me." It's true that this program will be a sensory overload for Minjae. Ethnically speaking, South Korea is one of the most homogenous countries on the planet. Many, if not most, South Koreans will go their entire life without seeing an African-American person in real life. As a result, many Koreans get the reputation of being racist but that is not necessarily true. Minjae has always been extremely sensitive and curious about experiencing other cultures, and he can't wait to share the stories of diversity with those back home.


And on that note, the bell rings.





@Aato

 

[Aato]

(*Sorry it took so long to reply. I didn't even realize you had posted last Monday.*)


Cortez noted Minjae's excitement and tried to recall if he had been the same way last year. The school experience wasn't as elating as it had been. He'd actually probably be a little behind when he went back to schooling in Cuba; he'd already be in the American equivalent of college. Then again, there was a lot to still be excited about even in his second year. The Korean boy was very right about meeting new people; you never knew who you were going to meet from where.


Before he knew it, the bell was ringing. The students all rushed out of their seats, placing their sheets in a semi-sloppy pile on the teacher's desk on the way out the door. After putting leftover things into his bag, Cortez stood from his desk more slowly than the other students. He hiked his bag up on his back, then picked up the paper he was to turn in and took it to the teacher's desk.


Once he and Minjae made it out the door, he further explained, "Yuki is from Japan... We have our next class together. She just had math. I told her I'd help her around the school, so I'm going to meet her so we can walk together... Which also means you'll get to meet her soon." He smiled. "Check your schedule. Maybe we'll all have class together next."


It wasn't long before they made it through the hall of bustling children and came to the door of the classroom where Cortez had left Yuki.


@Ami the breadling


(*Sorry if that's a bit loopy. I tried. Have a bit of a headache. You can decide what you want the next class to be or if you even want Minjae to have class with Tez and Yuki. Or... we could always time skip to after school. I think it's safe to say the three of us can make the rules now.*)