To anyone interested, I've started a new blog chronicling my exploits teaching ESL in Saudi Arabia.
www.canadianarabiannights.blogspot.com
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
Friday, October 18, 2013
Aftermath
It's been more than a year since I have last written in this blog. I thought maybe I would never have cause to write in it again, but perhaps there is someone out there who is interested in this ESL teacher's fate.
The last three months of my Jinju experience were not exceptionally notable, at least not as far as I care to remember. I took up playing soccer with other foreigners on Sunday. I went for long walks along the Nam river until it got too damn cold. I hung out with Scott Gaines and Erin Burke, and sometimes got drunk with big groups of weygookin. I never finished my model, or solved the Rubik's cube. I sold my motorcycle for a paltry sum. I walked out of the country will a sizable nest egg, and spent two weeks in Cambodia.
Cambodia was an adventure. It's a beautiful country. Go, if you can.
My plan upon coming back to Canada was to become a paramedic, and just do that forever. I wanted to buy a car and stay with my parents while getting my training. Alas, it was not to be: it became apparent after only a few days that living with my parents would not be good for anyone's mental health.
It took a month to find a place in Vancouver. I had a great time during this period. I couched hopped, and caught up with friends--though some one them may have been a bit strained by the time I found a place of my own. I drank a lot. I was generally blissed-out. I took long walks and smoked. My brother's slack made me feel more comfortable about my place in the world. I made plans with a good friend and tattoo artist to get a new tattoo.
I moved into an old house in Mount Pleasant. I had three roommates: a severely introverted 30 year old artist, who worked at a trendy cafe/bakery on Commercial drive, and two young, transient New Zealanders, who moved in at the same time as me. They got the upstairs suite, and I got the shitty corner room in the main level with cracks in the walls. There was a spacious back yard that was almost completely taken over by blackberry bush.
I did some tutoring, bought a big TV and a playstation, and made up for lost time. I started hanging out with an ex-girlfriend from university and hoped we would get together (we didn't). I bought a machete and reclaimed the back yard. It took a long time. Dama, the moody artist thought I was crazy for doing it. I found a lot of interesting things in the blackberry bush: a rotten picnic table, planters, pots, a composter, lots of garbage, a rotten wooden ladder, and many other delights. Thus began my first experiments in gardening.
I found a bike frame on Craigslist, got the rest of the parts together and put together a speedy little single speed. When I wasn't tutoring (which was most of the time) or working in the back yard, I was riding around. I bought a 10 week yoga pass and did yoga three or four times a week.
Eventually, I needed to make some money, as what I was spending was far exceeding what I was making tutoring. Luckily, my uncle was able to help me get a job working up in Mt. Milligan--a mining construction site north of Prince George. The hours were long, and the camp was up in the middle of nowhere, but the scenery was beautiful, the air was clear and the work wasn't difficult. Someone of my coworkers were really cool. Others were complete fuckwits. I made over eight grand in two months...but sadly, I got laid off after that.
After the second month in Mt. Milligan, I got a job at an ESL school in Yaletown for rest of the summer. The gardeners had assumed everything in the backyard was weeds, and took a weed-eater to everything, so I started again from scratch. I continued doing yoga. The New Zealanders moved out to continue traveling, so I moved into the suite. I started spending more and more time handing out with Dama, who had gotten fired from his job in the middle of summer, and gone on EI. He's an all right guy, but has the bad habit of talking about himself constantly. On the bright side, he helped me decide not to go back to school for psychology.
Working at the ESL school was fun. I had some great students. I did a bit of tutoring, through which I met a Korean girl, who I eventually started dating. I've also been spending a lot of time with a guy and girl who I met through tutoring (they were colleagues). So, between the four of them, I've had a pretty good social base.
I'm really enjoying life right now. I've got a great space, I've got lots of free time, I've been drawing, cooking, working out and playing guitar. I bought a motorcycle and have been enjoying some excellent fall riding weather. My friends are great and my girlfriend is great. Unfortunately, I'm blowing through money far faster than I'm making it, my girlfriend and one of my friends are leaving the country soon, and I don't have much for career prospects here.
So, I've been looking at jobs abroad once again. I'm thinking Saudia Arabia. There, I can save a lot of money, pay off my student loan once and for all, and do a lot of traveling. I can see my buddy Dave in Hungary, and go to France at last!
Whatever happens, I'll write another post in the next little while...
The last three months of my Jinju experience were not exceptionally notable, at least not as far as I care to remember. I took up playing soccer with other foreigners on Sunday. I went for long walks along the Nam river until it got too damn cold. I hung out with Scott Gaines and Erin Burke, and sometimes got drunk with big groups of weygookin. I never finished my model, or solved the Rubik's cube. I sold my motorcycle for a paltry sum. I walked out of the country will a sizable nest egg, and spent two weeks in Cambodia.
Cambodia was an adventure. It's a beautiful country. Go, if you can.
My plan upon coming back to Canada was to become a paramedic, and just do that forever. I wanted to buy a car and stay with my parents while getting my training. Alas, it was not to be: it became apparent after only a few days that living with my parents would not be good for anyone's mental health.
It took a month to find a place in Vancouver. I had a great time during this period. I couched hopped, and caught up with friends--though some one them may have been a bit strained by the time I found a place of my own. I drank a lot. I was generally blissed-out. I took long walks and smoked. My brother's slack made me feel more comfortable about my place in the world. I made plans with a good friend and tattoo artist to get a new tattoo.
I moved into an old house in Mount Pleasant. I had three roommates: a severely introverted 30 year old artist, who worked at a trendy cafe/bakery on Commercial drive, and two young, transient New Zealanders, who moved in at the same time as me. They got the upstairs suite, and I got the shitty corner room in the main level with cracks in the walls. There was a spacious back yard that was almost completely taken over by blackberry bush.
I did some tutoring, bought a big TV and a playstation, and made up for lost time. I started hanging out with an ex-girlfriend from university and hoped we would get together (we didn't). I bought a machete and reclaimed the back yard. It took a long time. Dama, the moody artist thought I was crazy for doing it. I found a lot of interesting things in the blackberry bush: a rotten picnic table, planters, pots, a composter, lots of garbage, a rotten wooden ladder, and many other delights. Thus began my first experiments in gardening.
I found a bike frame on Craigslist, got the rest of the parts together and put together a speedy little single speed. When I wasn't tutoring (which was most of the time) or working in the back yard, I was riding around. I bought a 10 week yoga pass and did yoga three or four times a week.
Eventually, I needed to make some money, as what I was spending was far exceeding what I was making tutoring. Luckily, my uncle was able to help me get a job working up in Mt. Milligan--a mining construction site north of Prince George. The hours were long, and the camp was up in the middle of nowhere, but the scenery was beautiful, the air was clear and the work wasn't difficult. Someone of my coworkers were really cool. Others were complete fuckwits. I made over eight grand in two months...but sadly, I got laid off after that.
After the second month in Mt. Milligan, I got a job at an ESL school in Yaletown for rest of the summer. The gardeners had assumed everything in the backyard was weeds, and took a weed-eater to everything, so I started again from scratch. I continued doing yoga. The New Zealanders moved out to continue traveling, so I moved into the suite. I started spending more and more time handing out with Dama, who had gotten fired from his job in the middle of summer, and gone on EI. He's an all right guy, but has the bad habit of talking about himself constantly. On the bright side, he helped me decide not to go back to school for psychology.
Working at the ESL school was fun. I had some great students. I did a bit of tutoring, through which I met a Korean girl, who I eventually started dating. I've also been spending a lot of time with a guy and girl who I met through tutoring (they were colleagues). So, between the four of them, I've had a pretty good social base.
I'm really enjoying life right now. I've got a great space, I've got lots of free time, I've been drawing, cooking, working out and playing guitar. I bought a motorcycle and have been enjoying some excellent fall riding weather. My friends are great and my girlfriend is great. Unfortunately, I'm blowing through money far faster than I'm making it, my girlfriend and one of my friends are leaving the country soon, and I don't have much for career prospects here.
So, I've been looking at jobs abroad once again. I'm thinking Saudia Arabia. There, I can save a lot of money, pay off my student loan once and for all, and do a lot of traveling. I can see my buddy Dave in Hungary, and go to France at last!
Whatever happens, I'll write another post in the next little while...
Monday, September 3, 2012
I'm Amazed: It's September
Can it really be so? Can it be true that I have a mere three and a half months remaining in Jinju? It doesn't quite feel real. But it is, and so, I feel compelled to exhume this corpse of a blog and write a few lines before I go to bed.
I didn't travel around Korea after Jeju, as I had planned. A couple of days after I got back, my friend Evan from Tongyeong was having a going away party. The Battle of Hansando festival was going on and they were doing the reenactment of the battle. Watching it, I kept thinking about watching the reenactment two years ago, and how I never imagined I would be seeing it again.
Some of the current TY crew.
Japan feels the wrath of Admiral Ye.
One day I went to Sangyessa Temple and hiked up to the water fall. I had come to Sangyessa with Matt soon after returning to Korea, intending to climb to the top of the mountain, but we went the wrong way and ended up bushwhacking it, and nearly getting lost.
It was a good little hike. It was raining, but that ended up being a good thing, since it would have been too hot otherwise. Near the falls was a hermitage. I decided to take a look and ended up having tea with a monk named Il Yong. He didn't want me to take a picture of him, so I took a picture of the view instead.
Here's the view from the Hermitage. I wish I had a better camera, camera skills, because it was
a much nicer view than this picture makes it seem like.
Coming back to work hasn't been so bad. Actually, it's kind of nice to have something to do. I'm really having a hard time trying to fill my time. I bought a model kit. I started working on a Rubik's cube. I've been watching to many movies. Unfortunately, the teacher with whom I share a room at the elementary school has moved on--she was super good to work with.
All in all, my life is merely drifting on. I've been taking a break from worrying about the future and I've been feeling pretty peaceful the last couple of days. I hope it continues.
I didn't travel around Korea after Jeju, as I had planned. A couple of days after I got back, my friend Evan from Tongyeong was having a going away party. The Battle of Hansando festival was going on and they were doing the reenactment of the battle. Watching it, I kept thinking about watching the reenactment two years ago, and how I never imagined I would be seeing it again.
I meet my untimely fate at the hands of a Korean spear man.
Some of the current TY crew.
Japan feels the wrath of Admiral Ye.
One day I went to Sangyessa Temple and hiked up to the water fall. I had come to Sangyessa with Matt soon after returning to Korea, intending to climb to the top of the mountain, but we went the wrong way and ended up bushwhacking it, and nearly getting lost.
It was a good little hike. It was raining, but that ended up being a good thing, since it would have been too hot otherwise. Near the falls was a hermitage. I decided to take a look and ended up having tea with a monk named Il Yong. He didn't want me to take a picture of him, so I took a picture of the view instead.
Burilpokpo
Here's the view from the Hermitage. I wish I had a better camera, camera skills, because it was
a much nicer view than this picture makes it seem like.
Coming back to work hasn't been so bad. Actually, it's kind of nice to have something to do. I'm really having a hard time trying to fill my time. I bought a model kit. I started working on a Rubik's cube. I've been watching to many movies. Unfortunately, the teacher with whom I share a room at the elementary school has moved on--she was super good to work with.
Mi Hye, hard at work.
All in all, my life is merely drifting on. I've been taking a break from worrying about the future and I've been feeling pretty peaceful the last couple of days. I hope it continues.
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Jeju
Earlier this month, I went to Jeju for a few days with my sister, who also teaches ESL in Korea. We landed in Jeju city and went to a couple of museums there. We stayed in a hostel called "HK Korea", which I would recommend to anyone travelling on a budget. The next day we took the "Dong-il Ju" bus along the east side of the island and went to the lava tubes, which were pretty cool. Here are a couple photos:
These little guys are everywhere in Jeju. I think they are supposed to promote fertility.
Going down...
Inside the cave.
No, it's not mud, it's lava rock!
I know, this picture is a bit confusing. The camera is pointed at the ceiling.
This is the last shelter before the top. Unfortunately, we weren't allowed to hike to the top, because we arrived too late in the day (we got there at 1:30, and were half an hour late). So we had a snack and started back down. To make it to the top, you should arrive at the mountain no later than 10:00!
We were able to check out this cool crater lake though...
...and this lookout point.
Even though we didn't make it to the top, we had been on the trail for over six hours by the time we got back to the bottom. The next day we decided to muck around Sogwipo for a bit and then check out Jungmun resort, where we went to a "Ripley's Believe it or Not" museum (not very Korean, but super fun), and a lame chocolate museum.
This is from Odelgae in Sogwipo.
This is a really cool waterfall in the theme of the lava pillar at the end of the cave.
No, it's not a choco pie, it's a lava raft!
After the lava tubes, we intended to go to a reconstruction of a folk village, but we ended up missing the stop. What we should have done was climb up the picaresque sunrise peak, a crater on the east coast. Sorry no photo! We eventually ended up in Sogwipo, on the south side of the island and stayed in another great hostel called "Backpacker's Home". The next day we decided to hike the big mountain in the middle of the island: Hallasan.
Here is a roe deer I caught nibbling some grass.
Even though we didn't make it to the top, we had been on the trail for over six hours by the time we got back to the bottom. The next day we decided to muck around Sogwipo for a bit and then check out Jungmun resort, where we went to a "Ripley's Believe it or Not" museum (not very Korean, but super fun), and a lame chocolate museum.
Kelsey. Somewhere at Jungmun resort.
After that we pretty much just went back to Jeju City and took the ferry back in the morning. I think I could have spent another couple of days there. If I were to do it again, I would have rented a scooter, for the trip, which my friend Carl insists, you can do.
Saturday, June 9, 2012
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Ups and Downs
I've been laying in bed for a while, sleep isn't coming and my mind is unsettled. So, I suppose it's time to write.
Last time I wrote, I left off mentioning that I was severely depressed. I've been having a lot of ups and downs since coming to Jinju. Sometimes it feels like I shouldn't be here--like living in Tongyeong was the real experience and this is just an after-thought. At such times I feel a hungry ghost--lost an unable to move on.
Other times, I feel elated. I feel complete in my solitude--and yes, I feel like I have stepped outside time, and the pre-ordained path on which my life is supposed to unfold, but therein lies the beauty of it. It's easy to mention that you're feeling depressed, because people empathize, but I don't expect people to understand the ecstasy that sometimes overcomes me. People expect solitude to bring sadness and depression, but they often don't realize that it can bring profound experience as well.
When someone asks me what's new, I could tell them--last night, lying in my bed, I pushed past the babbling of my own mind and for two hours floated on the bliss of pure existence. But even as I write this I can imagine my father reading, and on his face is the tight grin that he wears when he thinks someone is full of shit, but believes it's better off to patronize them. I'm sure he's not the only one making that kind of response.
If I mention that staring into a mirror, noticing the imperfections have multiplied I begin to feel my age, and that it makes me think of death. My parents worry--and they take me seriously. But if I mention that after wrestling with that depression, I see that by making a shift from equating self with body, to self as consciousness, I begin to feel an incredible lightness and that the more insubstantial I feel, the more joyful as well, they will not take me seriously.
In other news, I went to the EPIK orientation in Seoul, a little while ago. It was six days long, and better than having to teach class (although, it did eat up a weekend). Spring is coming, and I'm thinking about buying a motorcycle. I have still not completely adjusted to the early mornings, and vow, in the future to avoid work that requires me to get up early at all costs--I have accepted being a late riser, even if the rest of the world cannot. Also, I still haven't gotten completely comfortable teaching elementary school.
Last year I felt like my experience in Korea was an adventure and an incredible opportunity to re-invent myself--and I did. This time, it's more like I'm the same old Brady I was before... just in Korea. My goal in coming to Korea the first time, and again when I departed the second time was to figure out what I was going to do with my life long-term. But now I'm more unsure than I've ever been. I really have no idea where I will be five years--not physically, nor mentally. It's by turn menacing and exciting.
Last time I wrote, I left off mentioning that I was severely depressed. I've been having a lot of ups and downs since coming to Jinju. Sometimes it feels like I shouldn't be here--like living in Tongyeong was the real experience and this is just an after-thought. At such times I feel a hungry ghost--lost an unable to move on.
Other times, I feel elated. I feel complete in my solitude--and yes, I feel like I have stepped outside time, and the pre-ordained path on which my life is supposed to unfold, but therein lies the beauty of it. It's easy to mention that you're feeling depressed, because people empathize, but I don't expect people to understand the ecstasy that sometimes overcomes me. People expect solitude to bring sadness and depression, but they often don't realize that it can bring profound experience as well.
When someone asks me what's new, I could tell them--last night, lying in my bed, I pushed past the babbling of my own mind and for two hours floated on the bliss of pure existence. But even as I write this I can imagine my father reading, and on his face is the tight grin that he wears when he thinks someone is full of shit, but believes it's better off to patronize them. I'm sure he's not the only one making that kind of response.
If I mention that staring into a mirror, noticing the imperfections have multiplied I begin to feel my age, and that it makes me think of death. My parents worry--and they take me seriously. But if I mention that after wrestling with that depression, I see that by making a shift from equating self with body, to self as consciousness, I begin to feel an incredible lightness and that the more insubstantial I feel, the more joyful as well, they will not take me seriously.
In other news, I went to the EPIK orientation in Seoul, a little while ago. It was six days long, and better than having to teach class (although, it did eat up a weekend). Spring is coming, and I'm thinking about buying a motorcycle. I have still not completely adjusted to the early mornings, and vow, in the future to avoid work that requires me to get up early at all costs--I have accepted being a late riser, even if the rest of the world cannot. Also, I still haven't gotten completely comfortable teaching elementary school.
Last year I felt like my experience in Korea was an adventure and an incredible opportunity to re-invent myself--and I did. This time, it's more like I'm the same old Brady I was before... just in Korea. My goal in coming to Korea the first time, and again when I departed the second time was to figure out what I was going to do with my life long-term. But now I'm more unsure than I've ever been. I really have no idea where I will be five years--not physically, nor mentally. It's by turn menacing and exciting.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Time Off and Back to Work
It's been a long time since I've posted anything...
I had most of February off. Lucky for me, my middle school did not ask me to desk warm, so I had two weeks of straight time off. Thinking back on it, I don't know what I did with most of my time, although, I did enjoy myself.
I did manage to do a couple things of note. I went to Tongyeong one weekend, which was, of course incredibly nostalgic. Before I arrived in Jinju, I thought I would never be back there, but I've been back three times since I've gotten here (I think). It's very strange being there. Living there seemed to be a lifetime ago, or it seems like it was someone else's life. Three or four people I knew happened to still be around--either returning briefly, nearing the end of their initial contract, or continuing a renewal. While I was there, I bowled (nostalgia), drank (heavily) and I hiked the most beautiful hike full of familiar views, which eventually dumped me out near my old apartment. (mega nostalgia).
I had most of February off. Lucky for me, my middle school did not ask me to desk warm, so I had two weeks of straight time off. Thinking back on it, I don't know what I did with most of my time, although, I did enjoy myself.
I did manage to do a couple things of note. I went to Tongyeong one weekend, which was, of course incredibly nostalgic. Before I arrived in Jinju, I thought I would never be back there, but I've been back three times since I've gotten here (I think). It's very strange being there. Living there seemed to be a lifetime ago, or it seems like it was someone else's life. Three or four people I knew happened to still be around--either returning briefly, nearing the end of their initial contract, or continuing a renewal. While I was there, I bowled (nostalgia), drank (heavily) and I hiked the most beautiful hike full of familiar views, which eventually dumped me out near my old apartment. (mega nostalgia).
The second thing of note I did was go hiking in Jirsan, with my old friend Matt, who now lives in Sacheon. Matt has been here for a couple years now. I like hanging out with him because he has a great disposition, and he is in his mid-30s, so I don't feel old around him (although pretty unfit). I took the train to Hadong and met him there. We lost the trail pretty early on, and stupidly decided to bushwack it up the mountain for some three hours or so...never making it to the top, sadly. The nice thing about the (mis)adventure was that we rested a couple of times in parts of the forest where people didn't really go, so there was this incredible stillness--just birds chirping and calm.
The third and final thing I did of note was go to Musangsa temple for a temple stay. I was keen on going because last time around, my temple stay was...not a real temple stay. Last year I made it up to Haeinsa temple, and I stayed a night there but I didn't get to participate in any of the monk activities. This time, I got a more genuine experience--doing the chanting and the 108 bows, and the 2 hours plus of meditation per day. I was surprised at how good the food was. This was, by the way and international temple, so all of the monk spoke English. Curiously, about half of the monks were younger than me, and the other half, older.
Although the experience was good, all-in-all, I didn't like the idea of making such a big deal about enlightenment. I like it was some grandiose thing that can somehow be attained, through endless hours of meditation, and 100 day solo retreats...as if you could somehow build it. Actually, I think these things are helpful, but somehow, it seemed a forced. One woman had just taken her vows at another monastery and had returned to Musangsa to live as a nun. She had to do 3000 bows in one day, as part of the process! My legs felt like ground beef after 108.
I've been back at school for about a week and a half now. I've at my middle school, new teachers have joined and I lost my old desk in the teachers room. I now hang out all day by myself in the English room, which gets a bit lonely.
I've been back at school for about a week and a half now. I've at my middle school, new teachers have joined and I lost my old desk in the teachers room. I now hang out all day by myself in the English room, which gets a bit lonely.
I've started at a different middle school, which I will be teaching at the other 3 days of the week. Right now, it's causing me an incredible amount of stress...namely, because I'm not sure about how to construct my lessons. I know there is a CD to follow, but it doesn't fill enough time, and I'm not sure what else to put in, that isn't going to take too long, and is going to be relevant to the lesson, and is going to keep the student's attention, etc.
This time around, it's an entirely different experience. Actually, my co-teacher at the elementary school asked me if I was having culture shock. I told here I was here for a year previously, so no, I wasn't....but I think I am.
Truth is, I've been incredibly depressed this last week...to the point that I'm thinking about leaving.
Truth is, I've been incredibly depressed this last week...to the point that I'm thinking about leaving.
Saturday, January 21, 2012
My Five Year Plan
Well, it turns out that for me, getting complete orthodontic treatment will take up to three entire years. I am not willing to stay in Korea that long. Actually, although I'm disappointed that I will have to put off getting orthodontic treatment yet again, I am kind of happy that I won't be here for two years, after all.
I'm not passionate about teaching ESL. The job is not very difficult or stressful. Sometimes it's a lot of fun, but it's not rewarding. Most of the kids really don't give a shit about learning English, and that's a big part of why.
I've been watching a lot of videos on Youtube from supposedly spiritually enlightened gurus such as Mooji, Eckhart Tolle, and Adyashanti. I don't know why they have to adopt silly names after becoming enlightened. I've been reading a book about Ramana Maharishi, too. Truth is, I know that at least some of them are genuine, because I've had the experience of being in the state that they are talking about. It's a bit of an obsession, getting back to it.
The point is, that there is a strong pull within me to eschew the worldly life, and become a monk or a hermit, or a wandering hobo. At odds with this pull is the one that wants to go back to Canada and get started in a career before I'm fifty, for Christ's sake.
A good number of teachers here are my age or older...but most of them are younger. The age thing is starting to feel like an issue. Like I'm running out of time. For most people, teaching English abroad is sort of a fun thing to do when you're young, before you figure out what you REALLY want to do. I don't want to get stuck doing this for the rest of my life because I don't know what the hell else to do with myself. I'm 30 years old, and I've got no career, I'm still single and I've got nothing but $24k in debt and a mouth full of crooked teeth.
I think about that, and I wonder what the hell I am doing here.
But then there is the spiritual side of me that says, "none of that really matters, so just fucking relax already."
Honestly, I would like nothing more than to run off an join a Buddhist monastery but for three things: I don't want to follow dogmatic monastery rules (like going to bed at 9PM and getting up at 3AM, shaving my eyebrows, and bowing to a Buddha statue 108 times every morning), I would really like to fix my teeth, and I feel an obligation to pay off my student debt.
So here is my 5 year plan:
-Finish my contract here, and take distance psychology courses.
-Go back home, get a full time job, start ortho treatment, and go to school part time (more psychology courses) for a year, apply for master's of counseling psychology, and have my current loan paid off.
Then
A) Work part time, go to school full-time for 2 years, become a counselor etc.
or
B)??
Okay, so it's more of a "4 year plan", and it's not bulletproof. But who knows, maybe I'll just say to hell with it all, and run off to Tiruvannamalai, never to be seen again.
I'm not passionate about teaching ESL. The job is not very difficult or stressful. Sometimes it's a lot of fun, but it's not rewarding. Most of the kids really don't give a shit about learning English, and that's a big part of why.
I've been watching a lot of videos on Youtube from supposedly spiritually enlightened gurus such as Mooji, Eckhart Tolle, and Adyashanti. I don't know why they have to adopt silly names after becoming enlightened. I've been reading a book about Ramana Maharishi, too. Truth is, I know that at least some of them are genuine, because I've had the experience of being in the state that they are talking about. It's a bit of an obsession, getting back to it.
The point is, that there is a strong pull within me to eschew the worldly life, and become a monk or a hermit, or a wandering hobo. At odds with this pull is the one that wants to go back to Canada and get started in a career before I'm fifty, for Christ's sake.
A good number of teachers here are my age or older...but most of them are younger. The age thing is starting to feel like an issue. Like I'm running out of time. For most people, teaching English abroad is sort of a fun thing to do when you're young, before you figure out what you REALLY want to do. I don't want to get stuck doing this for the rest of my life because I don't know what the hell else to do with myself. I'm 30 years old, and I've got no career, I'm still single and I've got nothing but $24k in debt and a mouth full of crooked teeth.
I think about that, and I wonder what the hell I am doing here.
But then there is the spiritual side of me that says, "none of that really matters, so just fucking relax already."
Honestly, I would like nothing more than to run off an join a Buddhist monastery but for three things: I don't want to follow dogmatic monastery rules (like going to bed at 9PM and getting up at 3AM, shaving my eyebrows, and bowing to a Buddha statue 108 times every morning), I would really like to fix my teeth, and I feel an obligation to pay off my student debt.
So here is my 5 year plan:
-Finish my contract here, and take distance psychology courses.
-Go back home, get a full time job, start ortho treatment, and go to school part time (more psychology courses) for a year, apply for master's of counseling psychology, and have my current loan paid off.
Then
A) Work part time, go to school full-time for 2 years, become a counselor etc.
or
B)??
Okay, so it's more of a "4 year plan", and it's not bulletproof. But who knows, maybe I'll just say to hell with it all, and run off to Tiruvannamalai, never to be seen again.
Saturday, January 14, 2012
The Orthodontic Conclusion, Etc.
A fair bit has happened since my last entry. I brought in the new year in Busan, I taught my first winter camp, I enjoyed the first, and longest leg of my vacation time, I visited Tongyeong, and I have come to a resolution about orthodontic treatment.
I went to Busan with Matt to bring in the new year. We met up with a couple other foreigners and played beer pong. From that point on, I was really, really drunk. We went to a casino, where I didn't gamble, but watched ridiculous Korean girl dance routines, inconveniently placed in front of the only exit. I'm really surprised they let us in in the first place. One guy kept pointing to a sign that said "no drunks". Also, here's a fun fact about Korean casinos: they don't let Koreans in. Supposedly Koreans are known to have gambling problems, and thus are prohibited by the government from gambling.
I got way too drunk, and wondered what the hell I was doing with my life.
The first winter camp, at Jeong-Dong elementary school went swimmingly. I had a lot of fun, and I think the kids did too. I look forward to working at the school in the future. Next winter camp begins for me next Monday, this time at the middle school. I'm looking forward to that as well.
I've spend most of this week sleeping off a bad cold, which I probably contracted partly from acclimatizing, and partly from smoking a half a pack of cigarettes on new year's eve. However, I did find time to make it down to Busan to investigate a dentist who does invisalign. Turns out that the treatment was possible for me, but it would not fix my overbite. I the dentist recommended instead, a a kind of braces that go on the inside of the teeth (liminal braces) called "incognito". Unfortunately, those kind of braces are made in Germany and are made out of gold. So the treatment would have cost about ten million won ($9,000). Although I have 4k stashed away for this purpose, my parents might be willing to contribute, and the dentist offered to knock off 10%, that's still several thousand dollars I would have to come up with. Plus, I would have to go out to Busan every other weekend.
So I decided to opt in for traditional braces and get them in Jinju. I'm not too excited about this. Lately, I haven't been too hot on the idea of staying here for two years, either, especially since I will be 32 coming out of it. I've been thinking critically about Korean culture lately. It's the collectivism--the cultural tendency of Koreans to unthinkingly conform. My first year in Korea was kind of like living in a bubble. I didn't have a TV, I didn't speak the language, and I was too impressed with the newness of everything to be judgmental. Now I have to watch myself.
I've been continuing with my Korean lessons, but I'm beginning to wonder more and more if I really want to learn the language, anyway. Some foreigners teach in Korea for years without picking up much more than "nae" or "anniyo". I would really like to come out of this with a skill, but right now my passion for learning Hangeul is beginning to wane.
But it's looking like I'll be here for 2 years. So as of now, I hope to walk out of here with 3 things: Straight teeth, no student debt, and fluency in Hangeul.
That's it for now. Talk to you again soon.
I went to Busan with Matt to bring in the new year. We met up with a couple other foreigners and played beer pong. From that point on, I was really, really drunk. We went to a casino, where I didn't gamble, but watched ridiculous Korean girl dance routines, inconveniently placed in front of the only exit. I'm really surprised they let us in in the first place. One guy kept pointing to a sign that said "no drunks". Also, here's a fun fact about Korean casinos: they don't let Koreans in. Supposedly Koreans are known to have gambling problems, and thus are prohibited by the government from gambling.
I got way too drunk, and wondered what the hell I was doing with my life.
The first winter camp, at Jeong-Dong elementary school went swimmingly. I had a lot of fun, and I think the kids did too. I look forward to working at the school in the future. Next winter camp begins for me next Monday, this time at the middle school. I'm looking forward to that as well.
I've spend most of this week sleeping off a bad cold, which I probably contracted partly from acclimatizing, and partly from smoking a half a pack of cigarettes on new year's eve. However, I did find time to make it down to Busan to investigate a dentist who does invisalign. Turns out that the treatment was possible for me, but it would not fix my overbite. I the dentist recommended instead, a a kind of braces that go on the inside of the teeth (liminal braces) called "incognito". Unfortunately, those kind of braces are made in Germany and are made out of gold. So the treatment would have cost about ten million won ($9,000). Although I have 4k stashed away for this purpose, my parents might be willing to contribute, and the dentist offered to knock off 10%, that's still several thousand dollars I would have to come up with. Plus, I would have to go out to Busan every other weekend.
So I decided to opt in for traditional braces and get them in Jinju. I'm not too excited about this. Lately, I haven't been too hot on the idea of staying here for two years, either, especially since I will be 32 coming out of it. I've been thinking critically about Korean culture lately. It's the collectivism--the cultural tendency of Koreans to unthinkingly conform. My first year in Korea was kind of like living in a bubble. I didn't have a TV, I didn't speak the language, and I was too impressed with the newness of everything to be judgmental. Now I have to watch myself.
I've been continuing with my Korean lessons, but I'm beginning to wonder more and more if I really want to learn the language, anyway. Some foreigners teach in Korea for years without picking up much more than "nae" or "anniyo". I would really like to come out of this with a skill, but right now my passion for learning Hangeul is beginning to wane.
But it's looking like I'll be here for 2 years. So as of now, I hope to walk out of here with 3 things: Straight teeth, no student debt, and fluency in Hangeul.
That's it for now. Talk to you again soon.
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Winter Camps and Orthodontics
I've been working for less than two weeks and already I have days off. It's a little weird getting my vacation time at the start of my contract, but that's the ways they want to do it, so why the hell not? I'm getting my vacation days in chunks, interspersed with winter camps.
I've decided I'm going to get orthodontic work done here in Korea, which may or not mean that I will be here for two years. Right now I'm looking into Invisalign, which is a new kind of orthopedic treatment, which uses invisible plastic trays that you can take out to eat, drink and brush your teeth. Even if I am a candidate for that kind of treatment, which I understand is quicker than with conventional braces, the treatment schedule may go on past my contract term.
It turns out that trying to find an English speaking dentist in South Korea that does Invisalign, or it's cheaper Korean equivalent, is quite challenging. I have asked for the help of both my recruiter and my co-teacher. I have been scouring and posting on online forums, and today I even did some personal investigation by going to clinics in Jinju. So far the official report is that there are no orthodontics that do the Invisalign treatment in Gyeongnam Province. I suspect, however, that there is at least one or two people doing it in Changwon, and I'm sure there are orthodontists doing it in Busan (although technically, Busan is it's own region).
My research has turned up the website of a practitioner in Seoul who offers the treatment, but I've read one positive review of the office and one bad. Also, it's in Seoul, and I get the impression that the pricing of this particular office is on the higher side. So, I'm going to look into it a bit more before I make an appointment, but it's still my only lead a week or ten days from now, then I'm going to make the journey to Seoul, and try to get the treatment started before February.
I've got four more days off after today and I'm not sure how I'm going to spend them. My best Jinju buddy is out of town, so that sort of closes off my portal to the Jinju social scene. I'm going to try and get a hold of my buddy Matt in Hadong and see if he has any thrilling plans for New Year's Eve. I'm going to look into what's going on in Tongyeong as well. I wouldn't mind going to Seoul or Daegu for New Year's Eve, but basically, if I'm not stuck in my apartment, I'll be happy.
I'll yet y'all know how it goes.
I've decided I'm going to get orthodontic work done here in Korea, which may or not mean that I will be here for two years. Right now I'm looking into Invisalign, which is a new kind of orthopedic treatment, which uses invisible plastic trays that you can take out to eat, drink and brush your teeth. Even if I am a candidate for that kind of treatment, which I understand is quicker than with conventional braces, the treatment schedule may go on past my contract term.
It turns out that trying to find an English speaking dentist in South Korea that does Invisalign, or it's cheaper Korean equivalent, is quite challenging. I have asked for the help of both my recruiter and my co-teacher. I have been scouring and posting on online forums, and today I even did some personal investigation by going to clinics in Jinju. So far the official report is that there are no orthodontics that do the Invisalign treatment in Gyeongnam Province. I suspect, however, that there is at least one or two people doing it in Changwon, and I'm sure there are orthodontists doing it in Busan (although technically, Busan is it's own region).
My research has turned up the website of a practitioner in Seoul who offers the treatment, but I've read one positive review of the office and one bad. Also, it's in Seoul, and I get the impression that the pricing of this particular office is on the higher side. So, I'm going to look into it a bit more before I make an appointment, but it's still my only lead a week or ten days from now, then I'm going to make the journey to Seoul, and try to get the treatment started before February.
I've got four more days off after today and I'm not sure how I'm going to spend them. My best Jinju buddy is out of town, so that sort of closes off my portal to the Jinju social scene. I'm going to try and get a hold of my buddy Matt in Hadong and see if he has any thrilling plans for New Year's Eve. I'm going to look into what's going on in Tongyeong as well. I wouldn't mind going to Seoul or Daegu for New Year's Eve, but basically, if I'm not stuck in my apartment, I'll be happy.
I'll yet y'all know how it goes.
Monday, December 19, 2011
Public School for the Win
I'm beginning to realize how much good of a deal working at a public school is. If anyone out there is thinking about teaching in Korea, but doesn't know if they should choose a public school or a private academy (hagwan), let me tell you, public school is the way to go. The following comparisons are based on my year at a private academy based on the ECC model vs. teaching public school in Sacheon.
First off, your class sizes are larger, but you have a Korean co-teacher working with you at all times. This basically means that if there are discipline problems, you have someone to take care of it. Also, if the students don't understand something, you can get them to explain it to them.
You have to be at your public school for a half hour longer...but you get a proper lunch break of one hour. At my hagwan job last year, we had 10 minutes to cram down our lunch and then get back to class.
English teachers at public schools are usually expected to teach 22 "hours" per week (an hour of class time is actually a 45 min block)...or less (I'm not sure what the final number will be for me). I only had to teach 6 hours per day at the hagwan, BUT that constituted eight 40 minute classes, (two back to back and then a 10 minute break).
In public schools, you don't have to do time consuming student evaluations or mark tests. Instead, you make your own lessons--which is great, because you have enough time to do it, and it prevents things from getting boring. In the private academy, they don't want to pay you for lesson planning, so to maximize profits, you just "teach" students repetitive lessons out of the same damn book day after day. Also, the classrooms in public school are equipped with a giant media screen and mini cinema. In the academy, you only have a whiteboard.
Finally, instead of dealing with an evil, money-grubbing director, your go to person in public school is your Korean co-teacher, who listens to you, helps you, and is not even a little bit evil.
Other perks include: getting a decent apartment instead of a rat-hole, getting far more days off, getting extra money for working at extra schools (this doesn't mean you do any more work) and being secure in the knowledge that your employer isn't going to fire you at the last minute to avoid paying you your contract completion bonus (this didn't happen to me, but it's happened to a friend), or otherwise try to screw you to save a buck.
The only reason to choose a hagwan over public school as far as I'm concerned is that it allows you to sleep in and main your night-owl lifestyle, if that's your deal.
First off, your class sizes are larger, but you have a Korean co-teacher working with you at all times. This basically means that if there are discipline problems, you have someone to take care of it. Also, if the students don't understand something, you can get them to explain it to them.
You have to be at your public school for a half hour longer...but you get a proper lunch break of one hour. At my hagwan job last year, we had 10 minutes to cram down our lunch and then get back to class.
English teachers at public schools are usually expected to teach 22 "hours" per week (an hour of class time is actually a 45 min block)...or less (I'm not sure what the final number will be for me). I only had to teach 6 hours per day at the hagwan, BUT that constituted eight 40 minute classes, (two back to back and then a 10 minute break).
In public schools, you don't have to do time consuming student evaluations or mark tests. Instead, you make your own lessons--which is great, because you have enough time to do it, and it prevents things from getting boring. In the private academy, they don't want to pay you for lesson planning, so to maximize profits, you just "teach" students repetitive lessons out of the same damn book day after day. Also, the classrooms in public school are equipped with a giant media screen and mini cinema. In the academy, you only have a whiteboard.
Finally, instead of dealing with an evil, money-grubbing director, your go to person in public school is your Korean co-teacher, who listens to you, helps you, and is not even a little bit evil.
Other perks include: getting a decent apartment instead of a rat-hole, getting far more days off, getting extra money for working at extra schools (this doesn't mean you do any more work) and being secure in the knowledge that your employer isn't going to fire you at the last minute to avoid paying you your contract completion bonus (this didn't happen to me, but it's happened to a friend), or otherwise try to screw you to save a buck.
The only reason to choose a hagwan over public school as far as I'm concerned is that it allows you to sleep in and main your night-owl lifestyle, if that's your deal.
Saturday, December 17, 2011
What I Know About Trent Grindle
My predecessor's name is Trent Grindle.
I know this because they haven't changed the name tag on the footlocker where I store my boots, when I go to teach at Yongnam Middle school.
Trent has a master's degree and lives in Winnipeg, Manitoba. I know this because he wrote about it in one of the power-point presentations that he made for his students.
I know that Trent was liked by at least one student, and loved by at least one woman. I know this, because while plugging in the TV, which he conscientiously unplugged (along with all of the other appliances), I saw a battery behind the set. I looked under the TV stand to check for more junk and I found two small folded paper envelopes. Inside one was a note from a student named Cho Min Ji wishing him a "Happy Christmas". In the other is a note from a someone named Sylvie. She loves him, and he is her favorite person in the world.
Winnipeg is the capital city of Manitoba. According to Wikipedia, it's a twin city to Jinju, although it has almost seven hundred thousand people, compared to Jinju's three hundred fourty thousand +. Winnipeg is very cold in the winter; much colder than Jinju. I know because I went there one winter for the National College University Press Conference. My first girlfriend was from Manitoba (though we me in Ontario). She hated it when I called Winnipeg "Winterpeg," but it's a fitting name.
Although I've never met Trent, I know that he is a good teacher. I know this because he left notes, and created a ton of materials, which he conscientiously left on the English teacher's computer in Yongnam.
I've been wondering why I came back to Korea, just as I was starting to rebuild a life for myself in Vancouver; just as I was starting to etch out a place for myself. But now I'm back, in a new city, where I don't know anyone. I've taken over Trent's job, and I've taken his apartment, but his name is still on the door of the shoe locker, his materials are still on the desk, and little remnants of his life in Korea still cling to the apartment.
I know this because they haven't changed the name tag on the footlocker where I store my boots, when I go to teach at Yongnam Middle school.
Trent has a master's degree and lives in Winnipeg, Manitoba. I know this because he wrote about it in one of the power-point presentations that he made for his students.
I know that Trent was liked by at least one student, and loved by at least one woman. I know this, because while plugging in the TV, which he conscientiously unplugged (along with all of the other appliances), I saw a battery behind the set. I looked under the TV stand to check for more junk and I found two small folded paper envelopes. Inside one was a note from a student named Cho Min Ji wishing him a "Happy Christmas". In the other is a note from a someone named Sylvie. She loves him, and he is her favorite person in the world.
Winnipeg is the capital city of Manitoba. According to Wikipedia, it's a twin city to Jinju, although it has almost seven hundred thousand people, compared to Jinju's three hundred fourty thousand +. Winnipeg is very cold in the winter; much colder than Jinju. I know because I went there one winter for the National College University Press Conference. My first girlfriend was from Manitoba (though we me in Ontario). She hated it when I called Winnipeg "Winterpeg," but it's a fitting name.
Although I've never met Trent, I know that he is a good teacher. I know this because he left notes, and created a ton of materials, which he conscientiously left on the English teacher's computer in Yongnam.
I've been wondering why I came back to Korea, just as I was starting to rebuild a life for myself in Vancouver; just as I was starting to etch out a place for myself. But now I'm back, in a new city, where I don't know anyone. I've taken over Trent's job, and I've taken his apartment, but his name is still on the door of the shoe locker, his materials are still on the desk, and little remnants of his life in Korea still cling to the apartment.
Thursday, December 15, 2011
I Have Returned!
Well, I’m
back in Korea, and am beginning another year of teaching. The familiar sights
and sounds inspire more comfort than nostalgia. There were some large prints of
photos on the wall, coming out of the arrival gate in Incheon International
Airport, and two of them were of islands off of Tongyeong. Seeing them made me
smile. Oddly, it feels like home.
I’m now in Gimpo Airport and am waiting
for a jet that will bring me to Busan, where I will meet my recruiter, Alistair
and drive to Changwan. The only thing threatening to spoil my mood is the
nagging voice in my head telling me that I’m getting older, and that I should
be starting a career back in Canada, instead of fucking around down here. I
turned 30 years old two days ago and now that I’m in Korea, I’m suddenly 31.
Despite these pestering thoughts, I
know all ready that I may be here for at least 2 years. I’ve decided to get
braces while I’m down here, and figure it will be better to complete the
treatment before I come home. I’m guessing that it may take longer than a year.
I’ve also been considering trying to pay off my student loans completely in the
next two years…which is possible, but it won’t leave me with much in my pocket
after those two years are up.
On the bus between airports, I had the
thought, that I shouldn’t have been in such a hurry to leave Tongyong in the
first place. After a bit of a reflection though, I remember how I felt at the
end of my contract, and I needed a break. Nevertheless, I’ve been lazy these
last few months, and I am looking to forward to being busy and engaged in
something again.
I think more than anything, I’m looking
forward to having my own space again. Living with my last roommate was good for
the most part, but we were sharing a space about the size of an average
bachelor suite. It was tough to concentrate there because Nick was in the habit
of playing video games during the day, and the TV dominated our tiny common area.
At night he was usually at work, and I got into the bad habit of playing video
games for hours on end in the evening.
Well, it’s time to start fresh, yet again, and I am very much looking forward to it. I am happy however, that this time I will already have some friends in the area when I arrive. Here’s hoping it’s a good year!
Well, it’s time to start fresh, yet again, and I am very much looking forward to it. I am happy however, that this time I will already have some friends in the area when I arrive. Here’s hoping it’s a good year!
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Soon I Shall Return
A fair bit has happened since my last post. I got my interview with EPIK, but to my surprise, was not accepted. For a couple of days I was not sure what I was going to do, but I found out that there were other options besides EPIK for getting into public schools. I have since secured a contract working for a public school in Sacheon in Gyeongsangnamdo, not far from Tongyong, where I taught last time.
The interview I had with the recruiting company I chose to represent me for EPIK went really well, because I was open, and honest and treated the interview like a friendly chat and I think I failed my EPIK interview for the same reasons.
I was a little surprised when I saw that the person interviewing me was younger than I was (she looked to be in her early 20s). I remember thinking that it was odd that they would give someone who clearly didn't have much experience with this sort of thing with such an important job. Upon reflection, it makes more sense. There wasn't any real dialogue in this interview: just her asking stock questions and me answering them. I suspect she had a list of acceptable answers and just followed the criteria given to her.
A warning to anyone trying to get a job through EPIK: don't try to be funny or quirky or philosophical. Just answer the questions as you think they want you to answer them. Ask them to clarify their questions if you're not sure how to answer and hopefully they will lead you in the right direction.
This failing of the interview turned out to be a blessing in disguise. After about a day of personal reflection, I decided to go on Dave's ESL website, and it quickly became apparent to me that EPIK wasn't the only way to get a job at a public school in South Korea, especially if you want to teaching in the southern provinces. After going through one recruiter that didn't seem to know what the hell she was doing, I found Korean Horizons, which was able to get me a job for the following month. In fact, because I went through Korean Horizons, I will get to start a month and a half earlier than I would have going through EPIK, AND, I will be working in the province that I wanted to be in.
So, if you're following this blog, expect the updates to be a little more frequent. And if you didn't pass your EPIK interview don't give up! There are other options out there.
The interview I had with the recruiting company I chose to represent me for EPIK went really well, because I was open, and honest and treated the interview like a friendly chat and I think I failed my EPIK interview for the same reasons.
I was a little surprised when I saw that the person interviewing me was younger than I was (she looked to be in her early 20s). I remember thinking that it was odd that they would give someone who clearly didn't have much experience with this sort of thing with such an important job. Upon reflection, it makes more sense. There wasn't any real dialogue in this interview: just her asking stock questions and me answering them. I suspect she had a list of acceptable answers and just followed the criteria given to her.
A warning to anyone trying to get a job through EPIK: don't try to be funny or quirky or philosophical. Just answer the questions as you think they want you to answer them. Ask them to clarify their questions if you're not sure how to answer and hopefully they will lead you in the right direction.
This failing of the interview turned out to be a blessing in disguise. After about a day of personal reflection, I decided to go on Dave's ESL website, and it quickly became apparent to me that EPIK wasn't the only way to get a job at a public school in South Korea, especially if you want to teaching in the southern provinces. After going through one recruiter that didn't seem to know what the hell she was doing, I found Korean Horizons, which was able to get me a job for the following month. In fact, because I went through Korean Horizons, I will get to start a month and a half earlier than I would have going through EPIK, AND, I will be working in the province that I wanted to be in.
So, if you're following this blog, expect the updates to be a little more frequent. And if you didn't pass your EPIK interview don't give up! There are other options out there.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
It Begins Again
I've decided to go back to Korea and teach another year. This time, I've decided to work for EPIK, the public school program in Korea. So begins again the hell that is the application process...actually, I've been doing the application process for a while now, and I just haven't written about it because I've been paranoid that someone from my work would find this blog and get me in trouble. (They don't know I'm going.)
Now that I'm totally committed to doing it, I don't care very much if someone from work happens to stumble across this blog now. I mean, the job I'm at is fine, I'm getting paid substantially more per hour than any other job I've had in my life...but technically, I only work 15 hours week. I probably spend another 15 hours per week reading the young adult novels and otherwise preparing. So, I figure worst case scenario, I'll just coast along on my savings until February.
Anyways, I've been preparing documents. Today I had to make a request for a second criminal background check. Now I understand the need to make sure the people that are applying for a visa are not criminals, but I've never committed a crime, so the fact that I had to pay $70 in the first place was pretty annoying. I think if your record comes back clean, you shouldn't have to pay, or at least get a discount. The criminals should pay for that shit. Also frustrating, you have to wait 2-3 weeks to get it back. What the hell are they doing that it takes 3 weeks to process? What kind of morons do they have processing these things? Are they allowed to use computers?
My current recruiter said that I probably wouldn't be able to use my first criminal record check, because it had the name of my previous recruiter on it. I had to switch recruiters, because it turned out the first recruiter didn't know what EPIK was. So, I had to change it, but no one could tell me what to put in the field marked "Name of Agency or Organization." My new recruiter said that if I should put anything in that space, it should be "EPIK". At the police office, I asked the lady whose job it is to process criminal background checks for a living what should go in that space, and she told me to phone the Korean consulate. The person at the Korean consulate whose job it is to deal with criminal background checks had no idea, and told me to ask my recruiter. On the advice or lady #2 that works at the police office whose job it is to help people fill out CBCs, we decided to just write "Visa application" in that space.
So now I've spent $140 on a piece of paper that doesn't say anything. I asked my Korean conversation partner what the process was like in Korea. He said that he couldn't remember exactly, but it cost no more that 10,000 won (about $9) and took about half an hour.
Now that I'm totally committed to doing it, I don't care very much if someone from work happens to stumble across this blog now. I mean, the job I'm at is fine, I'm getting paid substantially more per hour than any other job I've had in my life...but technically, I only work 15 hours week. I probably spend another 15 hours per week reading the young adult novels and otherwise preparing. So, I figure worst case scenario, I'll just coast along on my savings until February.
Anyways, I've been preparing documents. Today I had to make a request for a second criminal background check. Now I understand the need to make sure the people that are applying for a visa are not criminals, but I've never committed a crime, so the fact that I had to pay $70 in the first place was pretty annoying. I think if your record comes back clean, you shouldn't have to pay, or at least get a discount. The criminals should pay for that shit. Also frustrating, you have to wait 2-3 weeks to get it back. What the hell are they doing that it takes 3 weeks to process? What kind of morons do they have processing these things? Are they allowed to use computers?
My current recruiter said that I probably wouldn't be able to use my first criminal record check, because it had the name of my previous recruiter on it. I had to switch recruiters, because it turned out the first recruiter didn't know what EPIK was. So, I had to change it, but no one could tell me what to put in the field marked "Name of Agency or Organization." My new recruiter said that if I should put anything in that space, it should be "EPIK". At the police office, I asked the lady whose job it is to process criminal background checks for a living what should go in that space, and she told me to phone the Korean consulate. The person at the Korean consulate whose job it is to deal with criminal background checks had no idea, and told me to ask my recruiter. On the advice or lady #2 that works at the police office whose job it is to help people fill out CBCs, we decided to just write "Visa application" in that space.
So now I've spent $140 on a piece of paper that doesn't say anything. I asked my Korean conversation partner what the process was like in Korea. He said that he couldn't remember exactly, but it cost no more that 10,000 won (about $9) and took about half an hour.
Friday, September 23, 2011
Not Quite Beyond Beyond Advanced
The purpose of this entry is to air my ongoing frustrations with my old employer at Beyond Advanced, Tongyong, and to offer a stark warning to anyone thinking about going to Korea to teach in a Hagwan.
Despite my greatest hopes that I would never again have to deal with my boss from hell at Beyond Advanced, that black-hearted dragon is still a source of difficulty in my life. And I thought putting the Pacific Ocean between us would have solved that malady for good. Oh poor, naive me.
I had just spent the whole of July and August trying to get information on my deposit return, and the reference letter said director had promised me. Despite never actually coming out and saying, "no" (creating great confusion), she has, by increments made it clear that she had no intention of ever writing me a reference letter. But I did succeed in getting my deposit back...after 15 email, or so.
Now she is refusing to give me documentation of my hours. This means, that when I decide to go back to teach in Korea, I am less likely to work where I want to work, and if I get hired, I'll take a pay cut.
If you happened to stumble across this blog after typing in "Beyond Advanced" or "Tongyeong," Do not work for Beyond Advanced! In addition to not getting a documentation of your hours, expect having to deal with BS like: not getting proper training, not getting feedback, getting yelled at for asking questions, being denied support to punish unruly children, getting a crappy apartment, having no time to lesson plan, teaching eight classes per day, having to work extra hours working on student evaluations, very possibly getting whispered about behind your back, and having to fight for your damage deposit three months after leaving the country.
Despite my greatest hopes that I would never again have to deal with my boss from hell at Beyond Advanced, that black-hearted dragon is still a source of difficulty in my life. And I thought putting the Pacific Ocean between us would have solved that malady for good. Oh poor, naive me.
I had just spent the whole of July and August trying to get information on my deposit return, and the reference letter said director had promised me. Despite never actually coming out and saying, "no" (creating great confusion), she has, by increments made it clear that she had no intention of ever writing me a reference letter. But I did succeed in getting my deposit back...after 15 email, or so.
Now she is refusing to give me documentation of my hours. This means, that when I decide to go back to teach in Korea, I am less likely to work where I want to work, and if I get hired, I'll take a pay cut.
If you happened to stumble across this blog after typing in "Beyond Advanced" or "Tongyeong," Do not work for Beyond Advanced! In addition to not getting a documentation of your hours, expect having to deal with BS like: not getting proper training, not getting feedback, getting yelled at for asking questions, being denied support to punish unruly children, getting a crappy apartment, having no time to lesson plan, teaching eight classes per day, having to work extra hours working on student evaluations, very possibly getting whispered about behind your back, and having to fight for your damage deposit three months after leaving the country.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Thailand Pt.2
It's all done and now I'm sitting on a couch in my parent's basement in Abbotsford, BC, and holy hell, do I feel full of melancholy. Here are the final tales of my journey:
I split with Jaime in the hippy utopia that is Pai, in north-western Thailand. I had signed up for a meditation course online, on the advice of a dive instructor from southern Thailand. I hadn't received a reply, but such was my enthusiasm, that I decided to travel the day's journey to phitsanulok just in case.
It seemed the right thing to do at the time--Jaime was going to go into Laos, and I had decided to stop taking my malaria medication several days before. Also, truth be told, I was getting tired of moving, and I think that Jaime and I were starting to get on each others nerves a little bit from spending so much time together.
On the shuttle bus from Pai, I met a fellow who had told me he had saved a bunch of money by getting his wisdom teeth pulled in a hospital in Bangkok. Since my Korean dentist recommended I get mine pulled, I wrote down the name of the hospital just in case.
So, I got to Phitsanulok, well after the sun had gone down, not knowing a goddamn thing about the place. I got a ride on the back of a scooter downtown and got dropped off at a hotel, which I didn't check into. I walked around for an hour unit I found an internet cafe. Once there I found out that I had not secured a place for the retreat, after-all. Also, had I checked my e-mail before leaving Pai, I would have known that morning. I walked a while longer and got a room in a proper hotel for once. Laying in that bed, I felt the most profound loneliness, which gave way to the intense satisfaction of freedom. The next morning I ate KFC instead of Pad Thai.
I decided that I did not really want to travel to Wat Pah Nanachat in Ubon, after all, and headed for Bangkok, in order to have my backmost teeth pulled out of my head. So, I had to return to the den of vipers, that utopia for frat boys, Khosan Road. I went to the very impressive and very modern hospital, Bumrungrad, to make an appointment. Much later in the day I learned that I did not need to have any teeth pulled, after-all.
Upon that discovery, I thought I would go relax on Koh Chang (Elephant Island) until the end of my vacation, or until I got bored, whichever happened first. I met a fellow on the mini-van to Tratt named Ryan, who happened to have the same interest in contemporary philosophy as I. I ended up going to the same area of the island as he, and that evening, I tried Thai beer for the first and only time during my vacation. I played "bingo" with a Cambodian girl, who was almost certainly a prostitute at one of Kai Bai's many "lady bars".
The next week was, for the most part, uneventful, but very nice. I found a modest bungalow on the beach, and made friends with an Austrian named Martin, who shared my interest in eastern mysticism. I spent my time lying on the beach, reading Steppenwolf and riding around the island on a rented scooter. One day, while Martin and I were leaving the resort to find some dinner, I fell in a hole and had to get five stitches in my leg.
Eventually I made my way back to Khosan road, where I met Martin and a Ukranian fellow. I was conned for a significant amount of money by a Muslim fortune teller. I bought a knife and some other trinkets. I spent my last couple of days in Bangkok far away from Khosan road.
I had to stay a day and a night in Shanghai, where I almost got in to a fist fight with one of the many men on the street soliciting hashish, prostitutes and watches. China is very clean, and there are many beggars (at least in the commercial strip where I stayed). I've never seen such a meticulously planned city.
Now I am home, and it's a bit surreal. I am enjoying Vancouver's cool, moody weather, and the company of my friends and family. I will start a TESOL program in a couple of days, and sublet a room in my friends house. If I don't have a reasonably well paying job here within three months, then I will go back to Korea and revive this blog.
I split with Jaime in the hippy utopia that is Pai, in north-western Thailand. I had signed up for a meditation course online, on the advice of a dive instructor from southern Thailand. I hadn't received a reply, but such was my enthusiasm, that I decided to travel the day's journey to phitsanulok just in case.
It seemed the right thing to do at the time--Jaime was going to go into Laos, and I had decided to stop taking my malaria medication several days before. Also, truth be told, I was getting tired of moving, and I think that Jaime and I were starting to get on each others nerves a little bit from spending so much time together.
On the shuttle bus from Pai, I met a fellow who had told me he had saved a bunch of money by getting his wisdom teeth pulled in a hospital in Bangkok. Since my Korean dentist recommended I get mine pulled, I wrote down the name of the hospital just in case.
So, I got to Phitsanulok, well after the sun had gone down, not knowing a goddamn thing about the place. I got a ride on the back of a scooter downtown and got dropped off at a hotel, which I didn't check into. I walked around for an hour unit I found an internet cafe. Once there I found out that I had not secured a place for the retreat, after-all. Also, had I checked my e-mail before leaving Pai, I would have known that morning. I walked a while longer and got a room in a proper hotel for once. Laying in that bed, I felt the most profound loneliness, which gave way to the intense satisfaction of freedom. The next morning I ate KFC instead of Pad Thai.
I decided that I did not really want to travel to Wat Pah Nanachat in Ubon, after all, and headed for Bangkok, in order to have my backmost teeth pulled out of my head. So, I had to return to the den of vipers, that utopia for frat boys, Khosan Road. I went to the very impressive and very modern hospital, Bumrungrad, to make an appointment. Much later in the day I learned that I did not need to have any teeth pulled, after-all.
Upon that discovery, I thought I would go relax on Koh Chang (Elephant Island) until the end of my vacation, or until I got bored, whichever happened first. I met a fellow on the mini-van to Tratt named Ryan, who happened to have the same interest in contemporary philosophy as I. I ended up going to the same area of the island as he, and that evening, I tried Thai beer for the first and only time during my vacation. I played "bingo" with a Cambodian girl, who was almost certainly a prostitute at one of Kai Bai's many "lady bars".
The next week was, for the most part, uneventful, but very nice. I found a modest bungalow on the beach, and made friends with an Austrian named Martin, who shared my interest in eastern mysticism. I spent my time lying on the beach, reading Steppenwolf and riding around the island on a rented scooter. One day, while Martin and I were leaving the resort to find some dinner, I fell in a hole and had to get five stitches in my leg.
Eventually I made my way back to Khosan road, where I met Martin and a Ukranian fellow. I was conned for a significant amount of money by a Muslim fortune teller. I bought a knife and some other trinkets. I spent my last couple of days in Bangkok far away from Khosan road.
I had to stay a day and a night in Shanghai, where I almost got in to a fist fight with one of the many men on the street soliciting hashish, prostitutes and watches. China is very clean, and there are many beggars (at least in the commercial strip where I stayed). I've never seen such a meticulously planned city.
Now I am home, and it's a bit surreal. I am enjoying Vancouver's cool, moody weather, and the company of my friends and family. I will start a TESOL program in a couple of days, and sublet a room in my friends house. If I don't have a reasonably well paying job here within three months, then I will go back to Korea and revive this blog.
Monday, May 23, 2011
Thailand Pt. 1
I'm in Pai, in the north-west part of Thailand. Half of my month in Thailand is finished, and I got a paranoid premonition that if I take my rented scooter out to watch the sunset from a scenic vantage that I will get smoked head-on by an oncoming car. So, instead of testing it, I'll tell about my the first leg of my trip.
I arrived in Bangkok on the 9th of May. I took a cab out to my hostel, which I had discovered online. It was satisfactory, but sort of out in the middle of nowhere. I met a young English lad name Tom (I think) and we walked around and discovered our environment. Turns out, we were in sort of of a slum, so one of my first impressions of Bangkok was that it was poor and dirty. People were living in shacks, there were myriad prostitutes on the main street, and one lady made a motion with her hand and her mouth and then pointed to her granddaughter, whom she was clutching by the hand. In retrospect it seems obvious that she was asking for charity for food, and I feel a bit bad for not giving her any.
The next day Tom and I took the river boat to Khosan road, which I understand is the main travel hub for all backpackers in South-East Asia. I've never seen filthier water in my life--when we began it was an opaque dark brown, but by the time we made it to our destination, it had turned hard black. Despite being warned, we got ripped-off by a tuk-tuk driver, but eventually we met up with Tom's friend Dougie, who showed us around.
After a trip to Siam square, a huge park with huge lizards, and a tour of Khosan Road, which culminated, for me, in a feet cleaning by fish and a Thai massage, I started back to the hostel. It was only 8 o clock, but I had decided, after a raging 2 week binge in Korea, that I would not drink at all in Thailand. Also, Jaime was going be at the hostel soon.
She was late, but she got there in one piece. I hadn't spent more than a couple hours at a time with my cousin since I was 14, so I wondered how we would get on. I tend to get sick of most people after a couple hours, so it would potentially be a challenge. Luckily, we both turned out as pretty easy-going adults, and have been getting along well.
The next day, we went to Siam Square, Khosan Road and the royal palace along with a couple other travelers that were staying at the hostel. We had a time. I drank quite a few Chang sodas with lime.
I wanted to go to Koh Chang, and then back to Bangkok to meet up with my friend, Yuki, but alas, it was not fated to be, and we took a sleeper train south the Sarithani. From there we went to Krabi and Ao Nong beach. We spent a couple of days just beach-bumming. I was thinking about taking diving lessons on a nearby island, but decided I was happy just chilling out. I was reading Kishnamurti and starting to think about booking a place in a meditation retreat.
After Ao Nong beach, we decided to check out Phuket Town, Phuket. It turned out to be pretty unexciting, especially since I wasn't drinking, and Jaime, for the most part, was following suit. I think by this point we still hadn't stayed awake past 11 on any given night. We took a flight out of Phuket and arrived in Chaing Mai quite late. We saw lots of hookers and eventually found a place that was not too bad.
We changed accommodations the next day after Jaime found a place that was only 150 baht/$5 per night. We stayed in Chiang Mai most of the week. We did a jungle trek and stayed overnight in a village with some other travelers. I got leeches on my legs and saw some big spiders. The next day, we did a shorter trek and then four of us split off from the larger group to ride elephants and ride on bamboo rafts. One of the other travelers lit up a joint in the back of the truck that was carrying us. Apparently it's not hard to find here.
On the second to last day in Chaing Mai, I scrapped myself up pretty badly after wiping out on a scooter, but I got my wounds tended to in short order, and decided (for some reason) to walk around in the night market with my gaping wounds occasionally eliciting points and gasps. The next day we went to Pai.
Pai is a lovely little community that is a little farther of the beaten path, but very touristy, despite its location. Today I rented another scooter and Jamie and I went to check out Pai Canyon and a waterfall. I'm relaxing , drinking a lot of fruit smoothies and reading a bunch.
Tomorrow, Jamie and I will split ways. She is going to Laos, and I stopped taking my Lariam about a week ago. So, I am going to Phitsanalok to hopefully participate in the meditation retreat I signed up for. If I don't get in, I will go farther east to Ubon and go to Wat Pah Nanachat and see if the monks will let me stay there for a few days, then go to Khao Yai national park.
Either way I hope to finish my journey chilling out in a beach bungalow in Koh Chang. Let's see how it turns out!
I arrived in Bangkok on the 9th of May. I took a cab out to my hostel, which I had discovered online. It was satisfactory, but sort of out in the middle of nowhere. I met a young English lad name Tom (I think) and we walked around and discovered our environment. Turns out, we were in sort of of a slum, so one of my first impressions of Bangkok was that it was poor and dirty. People were living in shacks, there were myriad prostitutes on the main street, and one lady made a motion with her hand and her mouth and then pointed to her granddaughter, whom she was clutching by the hand. In retrospect it seems obvious that she was asking for charity for food, and I feel a bit bad for not giving her any.
The next day Tom and I took the river boat to Khosan road, which I understand is the main travel hub for all backpackers in South-East Asia. I've never seen filthier water in my life--when we began it was an opaque dark brown, but by the time we made it to our destination, it had turned hard black. Despite being warned, we got ripped-off by a tuk-tuk driver, but eventually we met up with Tom's friend Dougie, who showed us around.
After a trip to Siam square, a huge park with huge lizards, and a tour of Khosan Road, which culminated, for me, in a feet cleaning by fish and a Thai massage, I started back to the hostel. It was only 8 o clock, but I had decided, after a raging 2 week binge in Korea, that I would not drink at all in Thailand. Also, Jaime was going be at the hostel soon.
She was late, but she got there in one piece. I hadn't spent more than a couple hours at a time with my cousin since I was 14, so I wondered how we would get on. I tend to get sick of most people after a couple hours, so it would potentially be a challenge. Luckily, we both turned out as pretty easy-going adults, and have been getting along well.
The next day, we went to Siam Square, Khosan Road and the royal palace along with a couple other travelers that were staying at the hostel. We had a time. I drank quite a few Chang sodas with lime.
I wanted to go to Koh Chang, and then back to Bangkok to meet up with my friend, Yuki, but alas, it was not fated to be, and we took a sleeper train south the Sarithani. From there we went to Krabi and Ao Nong beach. We spent a couple of days just beach-bumming. I was thinking about taking diving lessons on a nearby island, but decided I was happy just chilling out. I was reading Kishnamurti and starting to think about booking a place in a meditation retreat.
After Ao Nong beach, we decided to check out Phuket Town, Phuket. It turned out to be pretty unexciting, especially since I wasn't drinking, and Jaime, for the most part, was following suit. I think by this point we still hadn't stayed awake past 11 on any given night. We took a flight out of Phuket and arrived in Chaing Mai quite late. We saw lots of hookers and eventually found a place that was not too bad.
We changed accommodations the next day after Jaime found a place that was only 150 baht/$5 per night. We stayed in Chiang Mai most of the week. We did a jungle trek and stayed overnight in a village with some other travelers. I got leeches on my legs and saw some big spiders. The next day, we did a shorter trek and then four of us split off from the larger group to ride elephants and ride on bamboo rafts. One of the other travelers lit up a joint in the back of the truck that was carrying us. Apparently it's not hard to find here.
On the second to last day in Chaing Mai, I scrapped myself up pretty badly after wiping out on a scooter, but I got my wounds tended to in short order, and decided (for some reason) to walk around in the night market with my gaping wounds occasionally eliciting points and gasps. The next day we went to Pai.
Pai is a lovely little community that is a little farther of the beaten path, but very touristy, despite its location. Today I rented another scooter and Jamie and I went to check out Pai Canyon and a waterfall. I'm relaxing , drinking a lot of fruit smoothies and reading a bunch.
Tomorrow, Jamie and I will split ways. She is going to Laos, and I stopped taking my Lariam about a week ago. So, I am going to Phitsanalok to hopefully participate in the meditation retreat I signed up for. If I don't get in, I will go farther east to Ubon and go to Wat Pah Nanachat and see if the monks will let me stay there for a few days, then go to Khao Yai national park.
Either way I hope to finish my journey chilling out in a beach bungalow in Koh Chang. Let's see how it turns out!
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Counting Down the Hours
I am nearly done my contract. Hallelujah! I'm not sure if I expected that I would last the whole year, but now, the end is nearly upon me. My plane tickets have been purchased, and all of my ducks are in a row. Soon I will be in Thailand. All I have to do is by some shorts and rain jacket, and book my hostel.
I finish my job on the 2nd of May, but my flight doesn't leave until the 9th. I'm not entirely sure what I am going to do during the ensuing week, but my destinations may include Busan, Gyeongju, and Andong. Of course, I will also be spending a day or two in Seoul.
Am I sad that I am leaving my life here? No. I have made some good friends, but the nature of this work is that people are constantly cycling in and out. So, you get used to the idea that your friends are there one day and gone the next. The same goes with the students, although, I'm not particularly attached to them. There are only three or four that I can really say that I will miss.
I've come to learn that children are like adults, except that they are selfish, emotional, and lacking in reason...well, even MORE than adults are. When I began this job, I thought that the way to teach would be to appeal to the student's faculties of reason, but after countless hours of frustration, I've come to the conclusion that (in general) it is better to treat them like puppies that need training and use the carrot when it is effective, use the stick when it is effective.
That being said, I think that the best thing for children is just to be children--to BE WILD and learn for themselves why they should act a certain way, for them to make up their OWN minds. So, the fact that I have to constantly be suppressing the urge in these children to do what it natural kills me. I don't want to tell these kids what to do, but it's my job to make them get through the material.
On a related note, I had my first drink in nearly two months yesterday. I was going to wait 'till Friday, but I figure I got close enough.
This may be the last entry of this blog....I plan to "clean it up a little" and then make it public after I leave.
All-in-all it's been a great year. I wouldn't trade this experience for anything, but I am damn glad to be finished. I can't wait to go to South East Asia, and I anticipate going home.
I finish my job on the 2nd of May, but my flight doesn't leave until the 9th. I'm not entirely sure what I am going to do during the ensuing week, but my destinations may include Busan, Gyeongju, and Andong. Of course, I will also be spending a day or two in Seoul.
Am I sad that I am leaving my life here? No. I have made some good friends, but the nature of this work is that people are constantly cycling in and out. So, you get used to the idea that your friends are there one day and gone the next. The same goes with the students, although, I'm not particularly attached to them. There are only three or four that I can really say that I will miss.
I've come to learn that children are like adults, except that they are selfish, emotional, and lacking in reason...well, even MORE than adults are. When I began this job, I thought that the way to teach would be to appeal to the student's faculties of reason, but after countless hours of frustration, I've come to the conclusion that (in general) it is better to treat them like puppies that need training and use the carrot when it is effective, use the stick when it is effective.
That being said, I think that the best thing for children is just to be children--to BE WILD and learn for themselves why they should act a certain way, for them to make up their OWN minds. So, the fact that I have to constantly be suppressing the urge in these children to do what it natural kills me. I don't want to tell these kids what to do, but it's my job to make them get through the material.
On a related note, I had my first drink in nearly two months yesterday. I was going to wait 'till Friday, but I figure I got close enough.
This may be the last entry of this blog....I plan to "clean it up a little" and then make it public after I leave.
All-in-all it's been a great year. I wouldn't trade this experience for anything, but I am damn glad to be finished. I can't wait to go to South East Asia, and I anticipate going home.
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