Well it is the season!
So here is a pic that I saw on the great photo blog by Anamboy
Hmmm . . . I wonder what the bad boys get?
Well i have been a little quiet on the blog side of things lately as I am coming very close to the end of my contract and visa as well here in Korea.
Lately my life has consisted of hunting for jobs and fretting about what to do if I don't get one.
Unfortunately so far nothing on the job side has managed to pan out. There was one that I was hoping to get but unfortunately that didn't work out so now I am in the pool for the EPIK program here in Chungnam. So fingers crossed that the recruiter can find me something located in Cheonan.
What does that mean in the short term. Well I was always planning to take the time off from the end of December until March 2009 when the new school term starts, but I was hoping to line something up so i could get my visa changed over. Now though I am going to fly back home on the 27th of December and see some family and friends for 2 weeks around new years and come back on a tourist visa. My parents are really excited about me coming home and so am I. This time Amy is coming too, but only for the first week as she still has to work after that, unlike me!
When i come back I have organised what they call an officetell in the downtown of Cheonan to live. With the money I have saved and the money I will get at the end of my contract I should have enough to live comfortably until I am able to get into another job around March. And if I can find a job. Well I will deal with that when the time comes.
That's all I got for now. I will post some pictures of my new place a bit later but at the moment it is time to get back and teach some more kiddies
So I know this is a little late but here is a picture of the 첫눈 or first lot of snow that we had for this winter here in Cheonan. This was taken on Tuesday, November 18, 2008
So my computer died for the second time with the same problem.
Fried a memory module on the graphics card it seems. Happened once as soon as I got here and then again on Friday, November 22. First time it was still covered by my DELL warranty but this time it wasn't so I was expecting to have to fork out some serious cash to get it fixed. But when they gave it back to me last Wednesday the happily told me "no charge" as it was a recurring problem.
So now that i have a PC and some time again hopefully I will be able to put up some new posts.
Be good computer. Don't die again please.
Yes I am still alive, and I intend to keep this blog going too it is just the last few weeks have been so flat out that I haven't had the chance or the will power to sit in front of the computer and write anything.
However it seems like things might be starting to settle down a bit now so hopefully in the next week or so there will be some new posts.
Like some of the following.
- A post on my new favorite day of the year. Pepero Day!!
- My first Halloween . . . . in Korea
- Luke and Renee's Wedding and my trip back to Australia.
- And hopefully some news on the job front as my contract is up in December and I have no intention of renewing here. Please, please, please let that school cal me back.
Anyway that is all for now. More coming real soon.
So back in June we had a long weekend celebrating Korean Independence day and Amy and I decided to go to Busan on the other side of Korea for the weekend.
Busan is the second larges city in South Korea with a population of approx 3.66 million and covering 763 sq km. It is port city located on the south east of the peninsular. Busan lacks the more cosmopolitan feel that you get in some of the other cities of Korea and the skyline is noticeably different with many high rise apartments and building that what I would have expected to find in such a large town. The whole place seems a little rougher than other similar cities but I found that it also has a charm of it own if you want to get away from all the hustle and bustle of places like Seoul.
Here is a slide show from my Picasa web album
Busan Trip 2008
We had a long weekend so we wanted to take the early KTX (Korean Bullet Train) on the Friday morning. Unfortunately we left the booking of the tickets till a little late in the episode so all we could get was first class. Actually they didn't really cost that much extra and it turned out to be a very very comfortable trip down there. All in all the trip took around 2 hours and we got in to Busan station at around 8am.
Once we got out of the station and got our bearing we decided to head down to the Jagalchi fish market to take a look while it was still early and all the fish were still fresh. It was starting to get warm at this time of year and the idea of walking round later in the day when it got hotter didn't really appeal to us. After a bit of a look at all the fresh and sometimes still wiggling fishies, we headed to Gukje Market to have a look but because it was so early everything was just opening so we somewhere to get some breakfast. While at breakfast we managed to organise some accommodation (yeah we kinda left everything until the last minute) and then headed up to Busan Tower to take in the view.
Because there was a lot of places that we wanted to see in Busan but we really didn't have any way to get around we decided to jump on the Busan tour bus. It cost 10000won for the day, and had two circuits. One went to the south going to Taejongdae and one going north to Haeundae. If anyone is heading to Busan I would recommend it as it heads to most of the good spots around the town. On the Friday we did the South circuit and went to 53 squares, Taejongdae and a few other touristy places. After we did those it was about time to call it a day so we headed to our Hotel. To be honest I don't remember that much about it. It was clean and quiet but nothing very special.
The next day we decided to hit the tour bus again to do the north route this time to go to Gwangan Beach which has a view of a particularly famous bridge which we also crossed later in the day on our way back to the station. After a nice walk along the beach and a bit of a rest and a cup of nice coffee form one of the many coffee shops dotting the foreshore we jumped on the tour bus again and headed for Haeundae beach which is said to be one of the nicest beaches in Busan. When we got there we were pleasantly surprised to find that that weekend was also the Haeundae Sand Festival. There were a number of professional and amateur sand sculptures, some of which were really amazing. They also had a number of band playing on a nice outdoor stage and all and all made for a really nice day. After a bit of lunch we also had a look at the Busan Aquarium which was situated under part of Haeundae beach. The Aquarium was really quite huge, but because f the crowds by the time we got out of there we were pretty beat and it was almost time for us to head back down town and catch the train home. We caught the tour bus once again for the final part of the route which took us across the bridge we could see from Gwangan beach. The view from the bridge was quite spectacular especially as it was getting close to sunset by the time we were going over it, however because we were unable to stop on the bridge I was not able to get any photos that did it justice.
Back at Busan station we arrived within plenty of time for train and grabbed a coffee and some snacks while we waited and just watched the people go by. We took the KTX on our return trip as well but this time we were in cattle class rather than first. But to be honest it was still a very comfortable trip.
Busan is a lovely city and I look forward to getting a chance to visit it again. However I think that it is somewhere that would be better to visit in the warmer months as I think the winter months would find the city quite cold and gray.
A blank looking blog was a little boring so I am making some updates to the look and feel.
Started with a free template and will continue to make some changes untill I am happy with the results. Hopefully it will turn out ok.
So it came to my attention today that me and many of my workmates are on the verge, if not already past the point of burnout. I don't think that this is an uncommon thing in the ESL world, and seems particular common here in the private language institutes here in Korea.
I believe that this is due to the way that these practices are run and the mentality of how Expat teachers are to be treated. Recently I came across this interesting post at Scribblings of the Metropolitican drawing comparisons between current Hagwon contracts/visa and a term of 17th-century European indentured servitude. There are some very scary comparisons between the two.
Here is an interesting little snippet talking about burnout from this Korean Herald article.
I think that most of the reason that I and my co-workers are feeling burned out is due to the hours that are expected of us. Given that even that if you are sick you are still expected to be at work. In fact before I arrived one of the current teachers slipped on the wet tiles in front of the toilets and came down hard on her arm. Her arm hurt but she went back to class. Come lunchtime the director took her down to the hospital, turns out her are arm was broken. Little later with new cast on she was led by the director to school and straight back into class. Not even a day off and didn't miss a lesson.Burnout is a risk in any profession, but especially in teaching. I suspect that the rate of burnout is higher still for people who are teaching in a foreign country. I can't help but look at the guys who are teaching week in and week out - the hagwon teachers who go not only without the four months of holiday enjoyed by university lecturers like myself, but also sometimes teach eight or more hours a day - and wonder how they stay sane after a couple years of it.
In fact, I suspect a lot of people don't, or cannot, and this might be one reason why they either leave so soon, or begin teaching as if they'd been hired off the set of a George Romero movie.
Time off helps prevent burnout. Being in a foreign country usually doesn't help, at least not in the long term, as the petty annoyances compound. Morgan was living in Britain for a lot (but not all) of his ESL career, but many expat teachers have done it all abroad, and have been doing it for years. I don't know that they complain more than teachers in similar situations in their home countries - though that would be hard to test; probably fewer teachers back home blog as publicly or as honestly as many expats do here, since it's riskier in the West. Still, judging by the mockery and ranting one sees in foreigner-hangouts, expats probably do whinge more both online and offline.
Why they choose to remain abroad when they are unhappy is an interesting question, and there are probably a bunch of issues at work there - economics, in some cases; lethargy or inertia; masochism in a few cases; perceived or real lack of opportunities in their home country; and almost certainly much more.
Most days the time between the start of our first class and the end of our last class is more than 10 hours. However because the actual teaching time ( even after the 5 min breaks between classes are removed ) comes to around 6 hours the managers think that is more than fair. Sure we sometimes get a class or two off during the day, but then when that time is filled with other activities such as phone teaching and writing evaluations it is hard to do anything but still be at work. I have tried lately to get out of the school for every break I can which mean that I no longer stick around for the free lunch with the kinder kiddies. But even that hasn't made a huge difference because I am unable to do anything really useful with that time because I always have to be back at work after that break.
I have bought these issues up with the managers previously after some nasty scheduling for their Summer Program however they did not see my point. The simply said that everyone else is doing similar schedules so it shouldn't be an issue. I was quick to point out that just because everyone was doing it doesn't make it right, but that didn't go down so well. Considering all of the teachers here have only stuck around due to factors outside of work i wonder what is going to happen when they get 3 brand new teachers at the end of the year as all the current expat teachers contracts are up and no one is going to renew.
Current they have asked me to stay on until the end of February. The have pitched it to me as the fact that then I can go strait from there to a school job at the start of the new school year in March, however i know that the reason is because it looks very bad for them if none of there current expat teachers are going to stay on until the kindergarten graduation. As of yet i have told them i cannot make a decision until some of the new job are posted after I get back from my trip to Australia at the end of October. But currently I don't think I want to work there past my contract. I just want to put off telling till after my holiday because that hope that I will say yes keeps them somewhat manageable at the moment.
All that I know though is that my next job is going to have to have some set working hours.
So while i was on my extended little lunch break today I was browsing through a couple of blogs written by other Expats in Korea (The Marmot's Hole) and I stumble across these articles that were published in on of the English editions of the newspapers here in Korea (Korean Herald).
These three articles particularly cover why it seems so many Expats complain, why Koreans get so defensive and things Expats can do to fend off discontentment.
The first article titled Why do expats here complain so much? was written by T.K. Park who is the editor-in-chief of www.askakorean.net, which covers the reasoning behind why many Expats living in Korea find the need to complain about . . . well pretty much everything. Don't get me wrong. I know that I and everyone else that is staying in another country will sit down at one stage or another and have a good rant about their lot in life. Its health. Everyone needs that release and it helps people get their minds clear and gain some perspective on things. However there are times that you come across people that do this constantly and without regard for the feelings of those (native and expat alike) around them. Sometimes this is due to burnout (see a coming post) or it could be just the nature of the person or the fact that they did not really put any effort into researching where the palace that they were planning to live. For example, one girl I met in Japan three days after I had arrived complained non-stop for the first half an hour that we were talking when we first met that she hadn't eaten anything since getting off the plane. This was due to the fact that she didn't like fish or rice and why couldn't she get any normal food in this country . . . um Hello! Rice and fish are the staples of the diet in Japan. Why did you come here again?
The second article titled Why do Koreans get so defensive? was written by Rob Ouwehand, who's blog can be seen at www.roboseyo.blogspot.com. This article covers what he sees as some of the cultural and mental aspects of why do Koreans take criticism of Korea so poorly. This is a very good piece that gives you something to think about before you open your mouth and have your rant. There are some people that I would particularly love to show this piece to but am not quite sure how to give it to them without seeming rude.
The third and final article of this series titled Fending off discontentment was written by Gord Sellar is a Canadian science-fiction writer and teacher who has lived in South Korea since 2002 and who's website can be found at www.gordsellar.com. This article covers some ideas to help expats engage more in Korea and fight of the need to bitch about everything that happens. This piece is probably what i feel is the most useful of them all and echos some advice I was given by some people I met in Japan when i first moved there. I find that where ever I go the people who are having the best time and getting the most out of their time there are those that actively engage with people who live there. I have found that the Expats who always hang out with the other Expats, drinking and making no attempt to learn or experience anything from the culture from where they are staying and actually meet other people are generally the ones who end up feeling unhappy or bitter about their choices of where they went and what they are doing. Not only while they are away from home but also when they return to their own country.
I believe that these three articles should be almost required reading for someone living or thinking of moving to a foreign country to live. After having lived both here and in Japan and come across the same interactions between the expats and the natives, I believe that these articles touch on some very important issues for both sides that would help make things easier all round if taken into consideration next time they open their mouth to have a good old rant.
On another note.
I will be heading back to Australia for a week from October 15th through till the 21st as I will be going to Luke and Renee's wedding in Melbourne on the 18 on South Melbourne beach.
Damn I still need to write a speech. If anyone has some damning evidence on those guys please feel free to send it through to me.
So it turns out that blogging isn't really my thing. I wanted to get this site done up so that I could keep all my friends and relatives up-to-date with what is going on with me but I am about as good at that as I am at sending the good old mass email to everyone while I was in japan.
I have good excuses why I don't update this as often as I should but really no one cares about that so I should just pull my finger out and start trying to update this at least once a week. I have a few half written blogs sitting here that i will put up soon. And I will endeavor to update this blog a little more often.
Truly!
Ok so i know I have been over here in Korea for a little while now and I think it is time that I said a little something about the food. First of all I find that I almost never cook over here. That is something a little different from back in Australia where I would cook almost every night.
It is not that i can't cook over here. I have a nice, albeit little cramped, kitchen in my apartment. I can find most of the stuff to make a decent meal even though sometimes it takes a bit of running around if I am after specific non-Korean foods. And when i think about it it is not as if I don't have enough time.
It is not that i can't cook over here. I have a nice, albeit little cramped, kitchen in my apartment. I can find most of the stuff to make a decent meal even though sometimes it takes a bit of running around if I am after specific non-Korean foods. And when i think about it it is not as if I don't have enough time.
But here it is just cheaper and easier to eat out. It isn't all that expensive to eat at home. Most things in the supermarket are as cheap or a little cheaper than at home however to eat out and have a decent meal is just as cheap if not more so.
Example.This little spread is something that I had a little while ago with my friend after work. What you can see there is some pork that we are cooking on a central hotplate, a spicy tofu and vegetable soup (I like to call it volcano soup because as soon as you eat it your eyes start bleeding due to how hot it is) and a bunch of other side dishes like salads, bean sprouts, kimchi and some other stuff that looking back on I am not sure I can identify. Oh and of course a bottle of Soju to was it all down.
Now the pork was limited but there was more than enough for the two of us to eat our fill. Add to that all the side dishes of which we could get refilled for free and it ended up being a very nice meal. Total cost for two people . . . 20000 won or a bout A$20.
And I've been told that there are lots of places you can get the some for cheaper but i know that place has good food.
And there are heaps of things around like this. I can think of three or four places that I can stop on my way home from my local pub to grab something not too bad to eat.
I can get meat on a stick. Even though it might not sound all that good it can be as yummy as a kebab after a few cold ones. Basically there are heaps of little shops out there that you can go up to and buy s freshly grilled or fried skewer stick heaped with pork or chicken or a few veggies. Topped with any number of yummy sauces. And two of those can make a decent meal. Total cost . . . bout $3.
All in all food here is cheap, tasty, for the most part healthy and easy to get. I think that you would only have an issue if you find yourself on a special diet or are a vegetarian or something like that.
Anyway folks that is all from me for now. I'll have something more soon I'm sure.
Well i am in Korea and have been for a while but totally forgot about this lovely little blog that I set up and never got around to using. So it about time that I start I think. Coz as many of my friends would be able to tell you I am hopeless when it comes to keeping in touch by email and things like this and some people still want to know what has been going on. So this is quite a nice little alternative as I can update it at my own pace even while I am at work . . like right now.
So where to start.
I am in Korean. South Korea to be accurate. I'm in a smallish city called Cheonan about 80km south of Seoul. The nice thing about Cheonan is that it is away from Seoul but because it is connected by the Metro rail line you can get to Seoul in about an hour on a comfortable train for about A$4.
I arrived here on December 27th and right after that the snow started and it was cold as . . . well it was really cold for the first month or so but now spring has sprung and everything that was dead or looked dead and gray over winter has sprung to life again and all the mountains are green and full of life.
I am working for a Hagwon (private cram school or kindergarten) and that is not too bad but the hours have changed since I first started to make what should really be a 6 or 7 hour a day job to something more like 9.5 to 10, sometimes even longer. So that is a bit poo but it could be worse.
I live in a little apartment not even a minute walk from my school. It is pretty basic but not as small as I expected and very comfortable now that I am all set up there. The folks that I work with are all really nice and friendly and we all get on pretty well. Even the bosses are nice enough people but they do have their moments which can be seen from the fairly high Korean staff turnover.
I have started to try and learn Korean however it is no where near as easy as I thought that it was going to be when I first got here. The writing and alphabet is easy enough but the rest of it . . . well I know I should be studying more often and trying to use it when I can. But to be honest it is easy enough to get around here without it.
Other than that everything here has been good so far. As i am already coming up to being here for six months i am starting to look at if i want to stay here for longer. My initial contract is only for 12 months but if I am going to stay here longer I don't plan to stay at this school. I would rather work at a public school somewhere in this area. In fact I am looking into my options at the moment as the new school year starts in September.
Well that should catch everyone up to what I am doing so far. I will be putting some more stuff up shortly so enjoy.
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