As I look back at a few of my previous posts, I realize that the newness of all of this Korea stuff has worn off and I am a veteran now...well sort of. The little things that I thought were so weird when I got here are second nature to me now. Recently, many things have happened, but I am not going to give too many details about all of them. I just want to mention a few. First, I was moved into a new apartment where my old coworker had lived and moved out. It is quite a bit smaller than my original place but at least it has hot water, no mold, and no cockroaches unlike my old place! Yuck! Although I have found a few spiders and even a centipede crawling across the wall. Still, soooooo much better than cockroaches!
I had to make the hard decision of whether or not I was going to stay another year in Korea, and as you can see, I chose to stick it out a little while longer. The process of looking for a new school to work at is such a stressful one. Sure, you have recruiters, but they are interested in fast turnovers. The faster they set you up at a school, the faster they get their cut in the finder's fee. They could set you up at a place a million miles away or at a terrible school. I went to an interview with a Canadian guy who owned a hagwon (private academy) and was married to a Korean woman. He was absolutely crazy! He wanted 8 references that he could call! 8!!! I don't even know if I have 8 friends...haha just kidding! He made me do an on-the-spot demo class in front of him with no kids. Most awkward thing EVER! Lol! Can you imagine me up there with pretend children? "Now Billy, please sit down. Susan, what is the answer to #6?" Luckily, I did not choose to work for that guy. I eventually decided to stay at the same hagwon that I worked at my first year. They treated me well enough and I knew the routine. Plus, I wouldn't have to move any of my stuff and I would be guaranteed a raise and a few other perks. Although my boss was a little crazy herself, I thought it would be best. Later I found out that our newest Korean teacher would become our new boss and owner of the school; definitely an upgrade in the boss department!
A new contract meant negotiations. I asked for a one month vacation between contracts and I was granted this request. I was also given a raise, full covered health care, 2 mornings a week off, and fewer classes. Did I mention that they really like me at this hagwon? For my one month between contracts, I made a trip back to the States where I had an absolute blast! It was great having a one month vacation with a decent amount of money and no work! Oh! By the way, while I was back in the States, I was trying to tell my brothers and uncle about this funny Korean commercial with a super catchy jingle. I was trying to sing it for them but wasn't doing so well! You will see why! I found the video and am posting here!
When I got back to Korea from my vacation, I started school back up like I had never left. I think the kids were really excited to have me back because they didn't really like the girl that was subbing for me. I found out later that my co-workers didn't really like her all that much either.
I also jumped right back into my social life. My best Korean guy friend / "brother from another mother" invited me to go out to a language exchange party. If you don't know what this is, don't worry, I had no idea when he first told me. It is a social get-together where people (Koreans and foreigners) can go to speak English to each other for practice. Of course, many people use it for the wrong reasons, including theft! I left that night without my wallet, bank cards, hospital card and appointment id information, about $60 in cash and most importantly, my ID card that is required to be able to work in this country. Needless to say, I was not happy! I was even less happy when I found out all of the complications that come with trying to get all of that stuff replaced. The ID card required a morning trip to Seoul with lots of paperwork. I am actually still waiting for that to be replaced and my wallet was stolen almost a month ago. It should only take a week to get an ID but apparently the card company is backed up and they said I could come back in a month to pick mine up. BLAH!! The bank cards weren't any easier to replace. I have 3 different bank accounts here (don't ask) and had to get three different cards. The first 2 were fairly easy, but the third was awful. It actually took the girl 2 days to get me my card. From what I understood, when I first signed up for that account, I used my passport number. Later, it was changed to my ID card number but was entered incorrectly by the bank teller. She had to move my money through 3 different accounts in order for it to finally work. Whew! Glad all of that is over!
My hospital card is still an issue. I didn't think that could hurt me by not replacing it right away so I still haven't done it yet. I have an appointment on the 12th for a biopsy to see if I have cancer anywhere and I will get a new card that day. When I first went to schedule an appointment for this procedure, they told me the price and I freaked out a little. They told me it would cost almost $300! Now that may not seem like a lot to many of you and really it isn't that much for a medical procedure, but it seemed like a big number to me at the time. I instantly called my mother and asked her if she would do some checking in the States to see what it would cost to have it done there. Then I remembered that I have full coverage on my health plan and almost slapped myself in the face. What was I thinking?
I recently went to my first Korean wedding which wasn't as different as I though it was going to be other than it was Catholic. Catholic weddings are a little long and there is a lot of chanting...very weird! The food afterward was fantastic though.
Right now is rainy season, so it is really depressing because everyone has to stay indoors a lot. The other day I was outside just for about 5 minutes total on my way to work and I showed up with drenched clothes. It was awful! I am definitely looking forward to the nicer weather that is hopefully to come!
Until next time...
There are slideshows of pictures below!
ReplyDeleteI think your page looks amezing! good job! This is Hector btw!
ReplyDeleteGreat read, Keaton. I didn't have to watch the commercial, though. All I had to do was look at the wall color and the phone number to know which one it is. although, I found it to be cute the first 10,000 views. Now... hmmm. What are you doing for Chusok? I will be catching up on unpacking my 30+ boxes from China and writing curriculum. If you wanted to swing by here or me swing by your place, let me know.
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