St. Pat's with Ex-Pats

So I spent my first St. Patrick's Day in Korea, and was not disappointed at all. But let's go in chronological order.

On Friday night, the teachers at my Jungchul campus went to dinner and then to a noraebang. You know how when your boss takes you and your co-workers out and everyone is civil for awhile? Then, as soon as the boss leaves, it gets fun?

Well, that's how it is here. When Sunny was with the group, everyone was talking about work, and I mostly felt annoyed. But as soon as she left, it turned into a really fun time.

Of course, we had to get up reasonably early on Saturday because Tim, Vicky, Vicky's friend, Chong Wa and I went to an area near Seoul for a St. Patrick's Day festival.

Vicky saw St. Patrick's in New Zealand, but she said nothing really happened besides a few people wearing green and drinking.

But this was a great festival. It was almost all foreigners, with only a few Koreans sprinkled in. But here's why that's good. People actually said "excuse me" or apologized when they bumped into you. And everyone was socializing and having a fun time. They didn't whole themselves up with their group and ignore the world.

It was in a little closed off park area, much like market square. There was also a big pavilion there for bands. They had some Koreans playing traditional Irish music and even some Korean step dancers. We also got a free cup of Guinness and got our faces painted for free.

To top it off, they had a Korean U2 cover band that literally rocked the party. These guys were actually very good. Yes, I was surprised.

All four of us really had a great time. We had such a great time, in fact, that even though the others had tentative plans for the evening, they decided to keep our party going.

So after the St. Patty's festival, we got some dinner, the headed into Hongdae to keep the celebration going. It was a really great night.

The girls left around midnight, and Tim and I stayed maybe an hour later. I also spent way more money than I usually like to. But it was a celebration and a special occasion. And it turned out to be a great weekend.

Back to school on Monday, I found out my schedule was changed. I have four classes Monday and Tuesday, five on Wednesday and Thursday and seven on Friday. That sucks. I like having another day with four classes, but I never want a seven-class day. It's just brutal. That means my classes run from 2 to 9 p.m. non-stop. It's better than staying later though, which I think is partially what we were trying to avoid.

Also, I finished my second Korean study book. I have another book that is a little more advanced that I'm ready to move onto. I also can still work on all my vocabulary. But that's all coming well. Especially because I could help translate for Tim during his date with Vicky's friend.

Since I just passed six months, I'm going to add a big post soon with my first half observations. Also, I have a bunch of pics to add soon. Hopefully I can do the pics tonight. Until then, stay safe and I miss you guys!

The Sharon Herald Story

Here's the link to the story in the Sunday, March 1 edition of The Herald in Sharon, PA. The story was written by Courtney Anderson. Enjoy!

It Keeps Adding Up

I feel like my blog has become my own personal forum for my complaints, but I want to be honest with you guys about everything that is happening. I've never been one to sugarcoat situations, and I'm not sure if I'd even be able to here.

So the bad things first.

After one of the teachers -- and one of my friends -- was fired two weeks ago, we were all upset. The company's reasoning was that the economy was bad. Well, the rumor now is that they're hiring another teacher. And our enrollment hasn't dropped if my call test lists are any indication. My calling duties increased by 14 students. Hmmm. Interesting to say the least.

My boss told me that the one adult I teach on Thursday really likes me, and wants to have me for more full classes. Well, my boss, Stacy, said we couldn't do that because it's just one guy in the class. she suggested me teaching him for 30 minutes, three times a week, rather than 50 minutes only one time a week.

I said that sounds fine. But then she dropped the bomb. She said one of those 30 minute sessions would be Friday at 8 p.m. But since I have a class at 8 p.m., she wants to push that class to 9 p.m. So I would be teaching from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday. I begged her not to do it. I never came straight out and said I refused, but I'm hoping she changes her mind before I go in tomorrow.

The thing is, I will refuse. I'm not working until 10 p.m. any night. Especially not on a Friday night. I would sooner quit and go back to America. That sounds rash, but the job is tedious enough getting out at 9 p.m. There's no way I can stay until 10 p.m.

She also said I should pick two days a week to stay later to do call tests. No way. If she wants me to do call tests on top of teaching, she needs to schedule me accordingly, so I have time during the day to do it. Don't try to give me responsibilities above and beyond what I'm supposed to do.

Okay. here's some happier news. This weekend was pretty good.

On Friday night, Vicky and I just totally relaxed in Guworldong. We just went out, got dinner and a few drinks and relaxed. We weren't with a big group or doing anything crazy. It was nice.

On Saturday, I went to play football with the Westerners, and we went into Seoul in the evening to Hongdae. It was the new guy's birthday and we wanted to show him the place where many, many westerners go to party. Matt has been here for a week, so far.

I've only been to Hongdae to go to clubs twice in my six months here. The first time was on my second night in Korea. The second time was last night. My 6-month anniversary was on March 5, so I put about as much time as possible between the two trips.

I've been there during the day to eat lunch and hang out, but the club scene isn't necessarily my thing. We had a good time, though. Vicky and two of her friends even met up with us. the only bad thing is that the buses stop running at midnight, so we had to leave kind of early in the night.

That's it for now. Yet another Pittsburgh team is destroying people with me out of town. The Panthers just wrapped up that sweep of UConn. Let's hope they hold to the theory of Pittsburgh teams winning when I'm not around.

Also, Korea lost to Japan in the World Baseball Classic. Well, lost is being kind. They got destroyed. The score was 14-2 and ended in the seventh inning because of the 10-run mercy rule. Hahahahahahahah. Koreans everywhere were depressed. On the other hand, the US beat Canada. No surprise there.

Have a good week, everyone!

Recruiting Frenzy and Endless Hours

I do complain frequently about the amount of work here. Mostly because I didn't have as much at home. Well, it wasn't so much that. It was more that when I got it done, I was done. There was very little of the extra junk that work typically involves.

But here, they abuse the Korean teachers. The bosses made them sit in for the PELT exams two Saturdays ago, even though they did nothing. Then, they had a two-day workshop this most recent Saturday and Sunday. It was, by all accounts, a total waste of time.

On Friday night, I went to Guworldong with Vicky and Cindy. I assumed we'd turn in early because they had to get up at 8 a.m. Saturday. Well, I was wrong, as I usually am in Korea.

We got Burger King (which I've been craving for months), went to a hof and then went to a singing room. The singing room was sweet because it had these full-body cat and dog costumes. I, of course, put them on. Why wouldn't I?

On Saturday, I played some football with the Westerners. As everyone knows, I don't like football too much, but it's worth it to spend time with those guys. I wouldn't say I'm sick of Koreans, but frustrations from work and social life make me want to take a break with my own guys. There's so much less stress involved with them.

On Saturday night, Vicky came to hang out. We had to do a little shopping. Then, we ordered some food and just rested. She was dead from the night before.

On Sunday, I decided to be totally lazy and do absolutely nothing. I had planned to write e-mails to a large number of people. I'm sorry I'm being such a sloth about it. There's no excuse for me putting it off. I just get tired and resist putting any effort out. I apologize and will return numerous e-mails soon.

I got a text Sunday afternoon saying we had to be at the school at 10 a.m. Monday (today). I, obviously, wanted to know why. So I asked for more information. I was told that the public schools were back in session today, so we would be recruiting outside of them.

Typical academy behavior to not give you any information until the day before. So because I was bothered by this, I asked for extra pay to do it. My head teacher agreed. I decided that I will now ALWAYS ask for extra pay. I'm tired of being pushed around.

Of course, that leads to another non-information issue. I got a text Friday from a student at our Songdo campus saying he came to meet me, and he would be back Monday. Well, I had to ask him why, because no one else said anything.

He said he would be in an essay contest, and Sunny (our vice president) said I would help him with it. Well, no one told me that I would help him with it.

The thing is, I have nothing against helping the students. I want to see them succeed. But I am tired of people volunteering me without my knowledge.

Well, Harry (the student) came today to try to find time in my schedule that we could work on his writing. I, of course, had no openings. My schedule is booked. But I found a creative way to meet him three times a week. I will bring him in when I am teaching other essay classes. That way, I can help him at the same time as my other essay students.

Back to the whole recruiting thing. We went out today in teams to various elementary schools in the area. Vicky, Cindy and I went as a team, and handed out little canvas bags with info about the school in them. The blue ones were for girls and the pink ones were for boys.

First, I thought this was a weird way of advertising. Just standing out in front of an elementary school to approach kids would be highly illegal in America. But when we got there, there were representatives from a bunch of other academies. So this seems to be the common practice.

I think we had a pretty big upper hand because we had the white guy. I'm sure Elias' team experienced the same thing. Parents love the idea that a native speaker will be teaching their kids.

We even had a wave of parents come in today for more information about the school. So I guess it worked for them. And hopefully it'll work for me too when I see a little extra cash.

Sorry to sound so cynical. This culture is sucking a little of the life out of me.

One last thing. Courtney Anderson, a reporter at The Herald in Sharon, PA, wrote a feature on my trip. It was in Sunday's edition. As many of you know, The Herald was my first reporting job out of college and I spent 14 months working there. The story turned out really nicely. Unfortunately, you can only see it in the pay section of their website. So I can't post a link. But you did a great job, Courtney. I certainly enjoyed reading about me!

First Concert

Last weekend was pretty subdued for many reasons, but Saturday stood out because it was my first concert attendance in South Korea.

The week was bad. Not so much for me, but for all the teachers. Kitty's last day was on Friday because the company screwed her out of the last month of her contract. Mr. No apparently told her it was because of the economic issues.

But I doubt getting rid of your longest serving teacher will do anything to help your finances. These students build relationships with teachers. And I would think parents would trust teachers with long records, understanding that it means that teacher is doing a satisfactory job at the school.

Having a bunch of teachers with less than one year of experience wouldn't make me, as a parent, want to send my kids there. Especially considering the price for these parents is outrageous to begin with. I would want seasoned teachers whom my kids could trust.

And what's done is not necessarily done, apparently. Other teachers have had private conversations with the management about their desire to keep their jobs. This has caused a ton of stress for everyone in the office, which has affected me. While my job is relatively safe, compared to theirs, I still get mad to see my co-workers and myself treated poorly.

On Saturday, Vicky and I went with Minji and Songug to Seoul to see a band called Emerald Castle. I guess they're relatively famous in Korea. Their music was sort of like heavy metal Korean. So put two genres together that I don't like and guess the result. I was kind of bored during the show.

The best part was during intermission when another "famous" Korean singer came out and did two Queen songs. And he would've made Freddy proud. The guy had a great voice.

Now, I felt a little bad because I was sitting their uninterested while the girls seemed to be having fun. When we went back to Minji's house, I told Songug that I didn't like the band that much. He responded by saying he hated them! Haha. It was great. I was so relieved. The girls said they didn't like the music much either, but were trying to have fun.

That is my problem over here. I need to just forget about some things and get into the moment. I've become really emotional here and sometimes it's hard to control.

Either way, we had a really fun night at Minji's, just drinking and hanging out.

The next day, we went to get lunch. They ate disgusting Korean sausage and ordered me a chicken soup. The chicken soup was pretty awful. Koreans have found a way to take any food that is delicious in America, and ruin it. It's the way they prepare their meals. It's never satisfying in any way, unless you're satisfied to feel sick and hungry.

This week has been pretty mundane. That's not a bad thing. The recent job stress has exhausted everyone. I'll see my college students tonight, and the weekend is still up in the air.

The teachers, after being forced to observe the PELT exams last Saturday for the whole day, are now being forced to do a two-day workshop for eight hours each day on Saturday and Sunday. Mr. No's cruelness knows no bounds. I used "no/know" three times in that sentence and all with different meanings!

Anyway,they'll all be locked up from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on both days, but I'm sure I'll see the teachers at some point. My guess is they're get together for a bit Saturday evening. Even so, a little more rest wouldn't hurt me.

I hope everyone is well!

Sorry about the delay.
Here are the concert pictures!

Debt Like Crazy

Don't worry. I'm not talking about me. I just have your standard American debt in the form of college loans. It's one of the reasons I'm here.

I just want to make a small observation. I ask a lot of Koreans about how they afford their lifestyles. Many are living with their parents, bit those parents own pretty darn nice condo-style homes, at least one car (and in more cases two or three), and they say they pay for their kids to go to college and travel frequently.

I know somethings are cheap over here. But I questioned it because either things would have to be practically free, or the people would all need to making millions (I mean that in dollars, of course).

I was told that credit card and debt issues weren't a problem over here. However, as I told my parents the other day, I'm always skeptical. If a Korean tells you something, you'd better double and triple check it. It's like getting information off Wikipedia. It can be entertaining and somewhat informative, but it's rarely correct.

Well, thanks to the economic collapse, the Korean newspapers have no choice but to run stories about how bad the credit crisis is here.

Here's an article on it.

Of course, read that with a large grain of salt and some Soju. Americans like to complain about their newspapers and whatnot by lumping it altogether as "media", but the Korean media is just so unreliable. Most articles have points written about with absolutely zero attribution.

Anyway, the credit stuff is pretty bad here. The article says people owe 43 million won on average. That equals $43,000. I'm not sure how that compares to Americans, but it's certainly no small number.

Anyway, it's just another example of Koreans telling me one thing that turns out to be the total opposite.

Gifts

Valentine's Day weekend turned out to be a pretty average weekend. While they market VDay a lot like they do in the states, they don't follow it as much.

Of course, there are a lot of gifts and whatnot being purchased, but that's just because Koreans will buy anything if someone tells them it's cool or that everybody else is doing it. The day is only a little bit more special than any other day.

Maybe I'm a dork, but I always really enjoyed Valentine's Day at home and saw it as a good chance to do something special with my girlfriend.

On Friday, I went to Buchon with Dan, Colin and Tim to see Mike, who just recently got back to start his second stint in South Korea. It was my first trip to Buchon and Mike has a pretty sweet place. He has a small bedroom off of a hallway that leads to his living room. He also has an actual shower stall, rather than just a shower that IS the bathroom.

I didn't really experience anything in Buchon, because we just stayed in Mike's place. It's a pretty happening scene, though. I'm sure I'll party there at some point outside. But I'm sure the bars there are just like anywhere else in clone Korea.

I spent Saturday in Guworldong with Vicky. We for some seafood dokkboki, which is as unappetizing as it sounds, and then got some donuts and headed to a singing room. After that, we got a few drinks before heading home. It was a pretty good night, but not much different than a regular night out.

She got me a really cool present, though. I guess this is really common in Korea for girls to do, as well.

You can buy these big boxes that have "love" sayings on them, and you fill them with chocolate candy and pictures and stuff like that. So she got me one of those with three pictures of us. She made about 36 different chocolates with which to fill it. It is one of the coolest gifts I've ever gotten, because I know she put a lot of time and effort into it.

My gift for her was to buy Pittsburgh Pirates hats for us, but they didn't have her size, so it will be delayed until we find them.

On Sunday, I played football with the other Americans and Canadians. Let's just say I needed to get some aggression out. And I don't even like football.

Anyway, we're back onto the normal school schedule, and I'm not nearly as tired as I was before. But the late school ending time is just really annoying.

Vicky and I are going to Seoul this weekend with her cousin and cousin's boyfriend to see a concert and hang out. Check back later for pics and an update. For now, enjoy the pictures of my 100 Days and Valentine's Day gifts.

100 Days and VDay pics