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.

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.

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 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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

Class Change

I've got exactly six minutes to write this, if I want to keep to my proper schedule.
Fortunately, no one really gives a damn if I am writing on my blog or "lesson planning"

My classes just got shuffled around big time. The kindergarten kids graduated, so I lost my first two classes (of 7 year-olds) and acquired a bunch of five-year-olds in their stead. Some of my kids were really upset about the change, which made me feel good. I'm sad to let those classes go, but on the other hand, they were a big headache!

Other than that, I just got over another cold, and have vowed not to drink until the last weekend of April.
There is another belt test on in a week and a half, and most importantly, I have only 37 working days left!! HAHAHHHAHAHHHAH!!!

Rejoice! Spring is Approaching!

It's nine degrees outside today, and it feels like spring. The expanses of gravel that broke up Pyeonjin circle road are now freshly covered with blacktop. So my scooter ride to work is five minutes longer, but now i get to weave back and forth through turns, go up and down hills, and enjoy the countryside and the ocean, without the annoyance of traffic on my way to work now.

I at last finished slogging through Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance at about three in the morning. And ever since I've been feeling positive and optimistic. I'm going to book my flight sometime tomorrow. I've decided I'm going to fly into Thailand and spend a month traveling around.

There is going to be another belt test in a month and a half. I've decided to step up my training by going to the MMA gym five days per week. If I cannot get my black belt, I will at least get my red.

I hope the coming spring is putting a smile on your face too. 

Teaching days left: 47

Trying Not to Think, Swallow

I'm back at square one, philosophically--and I hope to stay there. I decided it was time to embrace the advice that you cannot find enlightenment by searching for it. So I stopped mediating, and now I try my best not to think philosophically. I feel like a body-builder who has decided to stop lifting weights and stop eating at the same time.

I dragged myself to the gym last night and my ultimate reward was getting my neck crushed by Alex the Ukrainian killing machine. It still hurts everytime I swallow. The warm latte I'm drinking is doing little to help.

The question of what I am going to do when my contract is finished was a mere itch a couple weeks ago. Now it is more like the soreness in my throat--by turns barely noticeable in the background and severely uncomfortable and distracting. Ultimately, what it represents is the larger, question of "what the hell do I want to do with my life, anyway?"

I still don't really know, and worse, if I were to try to solve it I would just get caught up in the kind of philosophical trap that I am trying to avoid. How do people make decisions about anything?
Well there is a bit of sun left, so I might as well enjoy it.

Happy Weekend, Broken Machine

Yay! It's Friday and I've just finished my last class of the week! Dear. God. This. Week. Dragged.
I'm a little ashamed to say I broke my relative sobriety by drinking twice during this work week just to make it through... and soon it will be off the gym to get my ass kicked.

I really hope that my long out of commission washer will be fully operational when I get home. After a week of trying to get a hold of my landlord to look at the thing, he told me the motor was burnt out, and I should inform my school, since they own the thing. So, after another week of trying to get 'David' to get it fixed or replaced, he tools around with it a bit and tells  the engine is burnt out. Brilliant!

This weekend I hope to go to one of the islands. Since I am entering my final stretch, and am not sure when I will be employed after this, I'm trying to save about half of my paycheck each month, which for some reason is proving fairly difficult.

In other news, my sister Kelsey is following in my footsteps and has arrived in Jeonju to begin teaching English here herself. She picked a good city--the maekolli there is delicious.

Mirry Quits, Morgan Gets Screwed

Well, it's Monday afternoon and I am back at work. Yesterday I applied with Katimavik to be a project leader. Hopefully, I will hear back from them soon. I am becoming anxious to book my plane tickets so as to get a fair rate, instead of waiting until the last second and getting screwed.

Mirry--the kindergarten director and Korean teacher with the most seniority quit.
She is also the person who interviewed me for this job. She had been planning to quit for a while, I understand, but her baby has a serious medical  problem, and I think that helped quicken her exit.

In other news, it looks like they are trying to screw Morgan out of his airfare, because he signed a contract with another hagwan, to begin after his contract here.

I better get at it--I've got student evaluations due in two days, and I want to review my contract.

Changing Seasons, Peers.

Yay! It's Friday once again. One more day of classes, and I will be able to enjoy glorious respite from the mind-numbing monotony that is my job. Despite the fact that I have told my students many times that I am not a  babysitter, that is pretty much what I am. I am a high-paid exotic babysitter. They do the work, and 90% of the material comes out of the book. I am essentially there to make sure that they don't speak Korean or beat the piss out of each other.

I'm not sure what I will do this weekend. Evan is having a birthday dinner in Okpo tomorrow, so that's a good excuse to get out of town and eat some non-Korean food for once. There is also an abandoned amusement park there, so I'm going to try and go early to check it out. Maybe I will go to an island on Sunday--the weather is starting to warm up, and the temperature is perfect for hiking.

In other news, Kasey and Brandon's replacements have arrived. One is a girl from Alabama that apparently has trouble holding her liqour, and the other is a girl from South Africa with terrible grammar. But they seem nice.

I've gotten some response from the directors at Uniworld (the academy that I might be teaching at next), but I'm still not sure if I want to do it. For one thing, I would not be out unitl 9:40, which would mean I would always be late to MMA, and unable to go to Hapkido. So...that may just be the tipping point.

New Teachers, Possible Extention

It's Thursday once again and I have 10 minutes before my first class starts. I like Thursdays because I get to teach in heated classrooms during my first two periods. Also, I only have seven classes today.

For a while I have felt like  my job is superfluous, and that I am little more that a glorified babysitter.
I don't know if I should even try to solve this problem, since I have less than three months left.
I may remain in Tongyeong though. I gave my resume to another school in town, and if they get back to me I'm going to see if a six month contract will fly. From what I gather, my job there would be a little bit more gratifying.

In other news, Arthur's replacement has arrived, so her and her colleague will come out to meet everyone tonight at Thursday night bowling. I told them I would call them and give them the scoop, so I will probably go to the early MMA class.

Lunar New Year

Well, my Lunar New Year break will be over tomorrow, so beginning the final three month stretch.
I would like to say that I have done a lot with my my last holiday here in Korea, but I ate a bad burger last Monday (at school) and had to excuse myself half way through the day. Two days later, I could move around again, which was a big bonus. Sadly I didn't have much strength left for traveling.

In other news, my would-be traveling partner informed me that he couldn't really think about traveling until after the end of the fiscal year in Australia (June 30th), effectively bailing out on our travel plans completely. So, I guess I am faced with the same decision I was faced with a couple of weeks ago.

Decisions

What should I do when I finish my contract? A few months ago I felt almost certain that I would tour south-east Asia with my Australian friend, Ross, but that plan is becoming less rather than more certain as the end of my contract approaches.

The problem is that my would-be travelling companion refuses to give much inclination of where or when he wants to go. I have e-mailed him repeatedly, asking for reassurances—which I have gotten in the form of “yeah, man I’m totally stoked to go”, and the like, but the replies come several days after I send the e-mails, and they always come back without specifics. This is putting me in a really awkward place, and it is staring to get annoying, because it would make my decision a lot easier if the Ross variable was out of the equation.

So, the question arises, should I backpack south-east Asia anyway? It would be a little bit scarier, and potentially not as much fun…but it could also be a lot more rewarding. Jared has expressed interest in possibly taking a trip out this way when my contract ends, and my Japanese friend, Yuki may be travelling in the same are at that time as well. So—it’s getting complicated already.

I should have about ten grand to play with at the end of my contract, so the other option that was bouncing around the inside of my skull was to come straight home, get a motorcycle license, buy a bike, and take it across the country. I’ve always wanted a motorcycle and never had one. Also, I’m reading Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, which has made me anxious to buy one.

So this weekend, I asked for input from my friend. Unfortunately, it has only made the decision harder! Arthur suggested that I do both things. Instead of doing a long and drawn out tour of Asia, I should do a short one, and then go back to Canada and do the motorcycle thing. Not a bad idea, but I would have to save a bit more money to be comfortable with it, and that would mean my last couple months here would be potentially less fun than they might otherwise be.

I was pondering the implications of Arthurs’ plan, when Evan asked when I was leaving. I told her and she commented that Luke was leaving her school, Uniworld at the same time, along with the new teacher, whose parents had just won the lottery, and that I could probably get a job with them if I wanted. I asked if they would be okay with a 6 month contract, and she indicated they probably would.

Now, I told myself I wouldn’t renew in Tongyong, but I can think of several good reasons for teaching at Uniworld for 6 months: the directors are awesome, the apartments are awesome, the pay is awesome (500,000 won more per month than what I am currently making), the job is EASY it would allow me to stay for the summer, the kids aren’t as bratty, it would allow me to save a shitload of cash, avoid the tedium of looking for a new contract, and allow me to get my black belt in Kyeok, Too Ki (Thai boxing/ jiu-jitsu) and hapkido.

Every choice has its benefits and deficits. Going home and buying a bike would allow me to see my family and friends across the country, while fulfilling a childhood dream. Wandering around south-east Asia would allow me to so see a sizable chunk of the world and walk down my path to self-discovery a little further. Compromising would be great, but I would have to like a pauper until then. Staying an extra six months has all over the benefits listed above and more, but Tongyeong will seem even smaller in six months, and I would have to wait that much longer to see everyone back home.

I’m really not sure what I am going to do, but I have a break coming up at the beginning of February and I will use it for some serious soul-searching. Hopefully I will have an answer by the end!