ok, maybe I'm a little worried now...

Lacey mentioned the possibility of my hagwon claiming bankruptcy. I forgot about that guy.

So many people are coming and going that I honestly don't know how they're managing to keep all of the classes covered. Or how they're hoodwinking new teachers to enter such a tumultuous environment (OH! That's why Rebecca wasn't allowed to sit in the staffroom at first!). If the school does close, they could easily claim that there simply is no money to pay me with. And that's not allowed.

But again, besides vaguely witnessing this weirdness, my job is fine. I know what do at work and it's pretty simple to do. Hours are good, students are awesome, pay is on time (so far).

Apparently, the director is a manipulative, insecure knob who is chapping everyone's ass...but thanks to a lovely language barrier, I don't catch his wrath by saying something he doesn't like and I can't hear any of the things he says, either (or most of the things said about him). But I can see all the comings and goings.

Time to contact my recruiters (who will likely say everything is fine) and bully them in to telling me how to deal with bankruptcy/wage issues. And basically let them know shit's going down. But calmly so director doesn't swing his laser beams over on this way.

Beyond that, not much to do yet.

Also: the Immigration hotline # is (on a cell) 1345 (then 3 for Eng)

p.s. Korea Highlight.

I see a lot of public urination.

This would be why. (click to enlarge)

[ Source ]

But today, I was just impressed. There was a man sitting on the steps coming out of the subway. Coming out of his pants was a catheter tube and the urine collection bag sat on the steps in front of him. 

Well played.

some something

By the end of this month, every single staff member in the English department that was here when I arrived in December will have left. Plus the manager and two math teachers in the near future. More may be on their way out, but my rumor hearing ability is limited.

Time to look up how to file for that unemployment I've signed up for. I don't know how they'll manage to keep the school afloat when 2/5 teachers (at least) are leaving from 2/3 departments (at least). If classes have to start being cancelled or parents start to think "uhm, why is all of the staff leaving? clearly something is wrong. maybe my kid goes to a different hagwon. perhaps the one of the other 2 in the same building...." Well. The hagwon will be forced to close. And I will have no idea until I try to come in to work one day and the doors are padlocked shut.

Again, all of this is said with an air of practicality. I know how to get my wages ("labor board" is "노동위원회" in Korean), will soon learn how to get the insurance, and the rest is just annoying logistics.

Oh, Korea.

In other news, it's getting warmer by the day (haven't worn my underarmor in ages!) and some outdoor playtime is scheduled before work on Friday. Also, Korea's independence day is this Tuesday so that's another day off. Korea has like a bajillion (approx. 14) holidays every year. It's badass.

I should be lesson planning...I should have since 2:30pm, but it's hard when you're vaguely aware that the school's entire curriculum is going to be changed probably sometime in the next week or so. But it's unlikely that the littles' books will change (this is an "elc" school, so the littles have to use "elc" books. It's a franchise thing) and the Free Talking curriculum 1. takes ages to prepare and 2. is up to me. Ok. I only teach 1 class today and there's time yet. Ugh, the Kjasa boys are so over me/English. Anyway, I'm a bit bolstered, so I'm off. weeeeeeeeeeeeee.

Stephanie is best. Great weekend. Moar later possibly.

Students are awesome today. Should be doing a thing.

...trails off....

HOOTY HOOOOO!

I WENT TO HAEUNDAE BEACH THIS MORNING WEARING A MONGOLIAN FUR CAP AND PAJAMAS AND I CLIMBED ON ROCKS WITH LIZZIE. best.

Also: touched the sea, discovered a pile of salt (FROM THE DAMN SEA) and licked it (to see if it was, in fact, salty), and found dragon claw barnacles. it was sunny. made plans to swim in the ocean for the first time in my life (that I can remember) this summer. Then I ate Nangmyun (ice noodles) which tastes like Korean summer and bopped on home for a shower. AH SO GROOD. ahhhhhhhhhhh.

p.s. THIS guy. yesssssss.

And now I'm at work. Had 7 classes yesterday and in comparison, the 3 classes I have today feels like having a small sleep. Wrote up lesson plans that were surprisingly easy to make with Robot Teacher (Rebecca--the littles can't say her name). On Fridays I work until 10:10pm but I don't have to come in until 3:30pm. And my last class is a couple of AWESOME kids. Then playing some DAMN darts with my friends (I'm really good alluva sudden. yessss).

Oh, 1 or 2 more teachers are leaving. Seems that someone in the administration is a bit of a bellend, but it shouldn't really affect me (according to the staff) because Bellend can't speak English and my job description is radically different from everyone else's. However, won't be at all shocked if I get fired and I'm not worried about it. Gonna keep doing what I'm doing and if shit goes down, I've got unemployment insurance from the government. I have a small theory that this new program is a PR measure to counterbalance the slew of shady hagwon happenings. That nonsense can really leave you with a bad taste in your mouth and even put you off Korea altogether if you're not careful (see: Dave's ESL Cafe). It's all very silly to me and the most I worry about is the pain in the ass the paperwork and moving would be. In all honesty, this job is lovely for me and kind of shit for the Korean staff. That happens a lot, I think. I feel a bit sheepish about it most of the time, but at least I know I haven't drifted off into some distorted sense of entitlement. I've heard/read some disgusting whingy expat rants before and boy am I glad to not be that guy.

I AM GOING TO GWANGJU THIS WEEKEND TO PLAY WITH STEPHANIE AND MEER. chocolate, tea, movies, pizza, all day breakfast, fancy samgyeopsal. yesssssssssss

I love my life. Loads.

Miss family, though. Internet at home Monday. THEN LET THE SKYPE / MAGIC JACK CALLS FLOW FORTH. Noah will show me his all Christmas toys again (for the 3rd, 4th, and 5th times at least) and Ally and Tyler will wing their super long limbs around. Mom will make that sarcastic face and Dad will tell a story. BEST.

Things That Are Awesome

• I only teach 2 classes today.
• I've been paid and have paid out as much money as possible to as many people/institutions as possible. Not everyone's been got to, nor in full, but it feels good to get in something. And there's nothing to be done about this nastiness for a whole month. Relief. Also, now I have a pretty good idea of just how little I can get by on and not sending money home every month is just stupid.
  
  Also, I want to take a moment and thank the people that helped me get home, get back to Korea again, and make it to my first paycheck. ......I started making a list and it got very, very long very quickly. Which means that I'm a lucky, lucky girl. Everything in my life is a gift. Badass.   Thank you
• The weather is facking gorgeous and it smells like spring.
• My nemesis has returned to Korea! And the arm wrestling rematch of ages is this Friday. I've done 1060 (to date) push ups in preparation. I hope I win.

Ok, enough playing about. I do teach 6 classes tomorrow and the sun is shining, so make some hay or whatever.

Ah, Simchah!

Poor Jin has a stomachache so this period's free talking class is cancelled. It cracks me up that I have single student classes, but I enjoy them very much, so I'm not complaining. It would have been 5 classes in a row, so this breaks things up nicely.

Anyway, just a few notes...

Uhm, the manager was fired. She's the 3rd person to be fired since I got here. That's disconcerting. Fortunately, I just signed up for unemployment insurance, so if I am fired, I'll receive a month's pay to find a new job here. It would be a pain in the ass, but not worth panicking over. So I can just truck right along, trying to do my best. Which means this blog entry is almost over.

My 5 day vacation was AWESOME. Also, I met a hilarious retired gangster (the father of a friend). Anecdotes to follow. He will be referred to as Zuko.

Life is good.

Gotta get to it!

-T

Wenvin Pictures!

Kevin took most of these pictures and then I STOLE them, bwahaha.

Ah! Cuttlefish!

Wendy and I playing a horse riding game! She went backwards on the track while I ran into a fence the whole time. Grood times.

Oh, Korean Signage

Arcade Mario Kart! Is it a dream? NO! IT'S KOREA.

Serious conversation (I think about penises, actually) on the subway.

Penis worms! These are food! That I've eaten several times!

We had a theory that they just printed the empty computer template onto this shirt....

Subway art made from coffee cozies

Photo op.

 

Wendy on the beach

The view from Busan tower (I wasn't here...I was at work. But I'll be going with my nemesis soon!)

Moar from Busan tower. The slightly Sydney Opera House-ish thing is Jagalchi Fish Market. It is amazing and has a MASSIVE sushi buffet that we partook in. OH MY GROODNESS. It was the length of a facking football field. RAW TUNA BIG AS M'HEAD. waaaaah.

Wenvin Weekend: Part 1

I'm done teaching for the next FIVE DAYS (I don't know if I've mentioned my 설날 vacation enough times yet) and I've got some minutes before I leave, so a brief rundown of the awesomeness that was Wendy and Kevin's visit to Busan.

Also, [ here's ] Wendy's blog entry that talks about that weekend.

Ahhhhh, them guys. Well, we didn't have any real plans (especially because I had only lived in Busan for 3 weeks), but I looked through Lonely Planet Korea to find some highlights, asked around a bit, and made a plan to get them a place to stay on Gwangalli Beach.

Getting into town AND THEN scouting out a place to stay is a giant pain in the ass, so I ran about for a minute checking rooms and asking prices. AND IT WAS FACKING FREEZING. (That was the weekend my legs got windburnt). So, along the beach near the shiny blue lego buildings are all these fish markets and restaurants, with ajummas (technically married women, but generally [among expats] women in their 40s or 50s) yelling at passersby to buy they damn fish. "Hey! Young lady! We have delicious squid here!" Yes, that 15-year-old girl with all her friends was just waiting to hear about your sweet fishy deals. At any rate, one of the fish-hawkummas asked me if I was looking for a restaurant. I said no, a hotel for my friends and she told me to go around back, not on the boardwalk. "Why?" "Oh, here is veeeeery expensive. 150,000won (about $130)!" "Oh! Thank you!"

Now, Korean people that I've talked to on the street have generally been STUPIDLY kind and helpful and I had reason to believe this might be true. It was 7pm on a Saturday on a famous beach. Supply and Demand say: Shit's gonna be expensive. But this lady lied to me. Behind the boardwalk buildings prices were 60,000-90,000. I tried the boardwalk eventually just to throw it out there as a novel option and they were 50,000-60,00. Damn it, lady. The room we ended up going with had a neat view of fish shops, an amusement park, the ocean AND the double-decker bridge (nts: learn the name of it) that's absolutely stunning at night. It was VERY Korean...oh, you want a view? HOW ABOUT 4 ALL ON TOP OF EACH OTHER?

Wendy and Kevin had a lovely 5 hour busride (no, they did not...it's supposed to be 3.25 hours, but Saturday evening traffic into Busan is a bastard), got their room, and off we went for some weirdass soup.

Time to go home! MOAR later!

Simchah, Simchah, Simchah!

Oh, but life is good. 4 fun classes today with awesome students. Good lesson plans. Five days off, full of reading Roald Dahl and Lloyd Alexander (1. I got these books from the ENGLISH LIBRARY in Busan! AHHHH! 2. You're boring me, Maggie Ats), drawing, painting, (writing a letter to my Oma finally and correcting some writing, let's not forget that), and dicking around with friends. And in just one week, my arch nemesis and arm wrestling rival will return from Thailand and I will SOUNDLY kick her ass. I've done 500 pushups since my shameful defeat two weeks ago (no, really!) and It's So On.

And tonight is a Skype date with Sujin! Woohoo!

Only this video can express my joy:

p.s. I've only just now found out the singer is male. This only heightens my joy. As does his twatty mullet, ㅋㅋ.