"All-oh-way"

Today was the first day back from summer vacation. There were so many students who were still gone, that our classes were about half their normal sizes. One of my classes, a class of 3, didn't show up at all, so I had a free period :)

I started off my day with my one-on-one class with Clinton, the Director's son. We normally go to a restaurant and chat, but because of the weather, we stayed at the school today. We found an empty classroom and started our "class." The purpose of this class is to give Clinton a chance to practice his English in a more laid-back, realistic setting. We just talk about whatever comes up in conversation, with no real curriculum to follow. I correct him every now and then as he is speaking, and I respond to what he says. It demonstrates a realistic conversation and gives him the chance to practice phrases and grammar.

Somehow we got onto the topic of our favorite foods and drinks. Clinton told me that his favorite drink was juice, so I asked him what kind of juice he liked the best. He struggled to come up with what kind it was. He couldn't explain what fruit the juice was made of. He told me it was green and felt slimy, but it tasted really sweet. I guessed all the green fruits I could think of which were grapes, apples, honeydew, kiwi, and pears. He kept shaking his head and tried to describe it. We ended up cracking up about this "fruit" for a good ten minutes before we finally gave up. We moved onto other topics, and before we knew it, our class time was up.

We wandered into the lobby, and I asked Darren what fruit Clinton was describing. He told me, "It's just like America. All-oh-way. You know?" I told Darren that "all-oh-way" wasn't anything American. We went back and forth, trying to convince each other, but it was pointless. Finally, Clinton pulled up a photo on the computer, and guess what it was?? Aloe. ("All-oh-way" is how it looks like it should be spoken because of the Korean vowel sounds...) Geez. Well I told Darren that aloe is definitely not a fruit, and I've never heard of aloe juice. I told him that we break off pieces of the aloe plant for burns and put it on our skin for healing. Darren's response: "Yes, yes, same. But we drink, too." :)