What's Next?

Originally this blog entry was entitled, ‘The Devil You Know’ and I explained my decision to stay in Andong one more year despite different run-ins I’ve had with my boss. But just 2 weeks ago I found out that I will not be renewing my contract with Sky English, and will instead be flying home the 1^st of December!

It’s funny the way things work out. I had made my peace with staying in the world’s most boring town for another year when my boss called me to his office after work one night, and more or less told me either I sign a 2 year contract (without a pay raise) or we go our separate ways in a month. Well, I’m no sucker! No way was I going to agree to that ridiculous ‘offer’ so I jumped at the chance to come home!

For the most part, I really love my job. I love the hours, I love the kids, I love that I work with such a diverse range of skills and abilities. The only thing I haven’t been too happy with is my boss. He’s a nice guy, and on a whole, I generally have the final say as to what happens in my classroom. I’m not micro-managed, which I definitely appreciate, and my assessment of students is often taken into account. But there are times when I feel I’m being taken advantage of, even manipulated, and it often involve my pay check, which of course is a sore spot. And then there was my trip to China. My contract states I get 10 days of paid vacation time, but I never did get paid. Mr. Shin told me those 10 days also included Christmas and other holidays so I had already used my vacation time without ever actually having taken a holiday! And since my contract didn’t specify the difference between holiday and vacation time, I figured I would chalk it up to a cultural misunderstanding, as what happens when living abroad, and was determined to rectify this problem in our future contract.

Well, all these things, and then the assertion that I need to sign a 2 year contract without a pay increase, made it really easy to give Mr. Shin my notice and start planning my next adventure! And honestly, even if my pay rate only increased by 100 bones a month, that would have sufficient for me, but he was unwilling to budge, and apparently, neither was I. Plus a 2 year contract, no way, no how! It was hard enough for me to settle on staying of just one more year. From my perspective, I’ve been a model employee. Students and parents like and respect me and in the 13.5 months I’ve worked here, I’ve never taken a day off work (aside from the forced quarantine I went through when I had the Swine flu.) Not one day! I went to work with a horrible sinus infection and refused to adhere to the doctor’s orders of bed rest just so I could reach my goal of working one full year without taking a single day off. And I did it! And then some!

So I’m not feeling particularly loyal to Mr. Shin or Sky English Academy. Which is fine. One of the most important lessons I’ve learned since I’ve been here is how fleeting life is. Nothing is permanent, not even things you can’t conceive would ever change, like race or gender. And so, with that, I am ready for the next chapter!

And what may that be? Well, I’m giving myself one month. I have one month to find gainful employment in the U.S., and if I do, great! I’ll stay stateside for a spell, at least until I figure out my next step is, or what graduate program I fancy, and if I don’t find work, I’m just gonna apply for teaching jobs. Somewhere. Anywhere. Now that I have experience with a wide range of students (3 – 19) I’m confident I can land almost any ESL job. Korea has been invaluable for that! I mentioned in my last blog that one way I’ve grown is by developing professionally, which is so true, and now I’m not financially limited to just Korea. Before, Japan was out of the question because the cost of living was so high, but now it’s a realistic possibility. So yeah, even if I don’t get a job at home, I get to see everyone for the holidays, visit with the friends and family I’ve missed so much, and then take off for another adventure! Seriously, the woes of my life!

And I suppose here is as good a place as any to make my list of demands. And as what so often happens, someone else has said it best. Here is an musician I jut LOVE and ADORE! Her name is Danielle Ate the Sandwich, and she was a rather prolific youtube presence and following. This song is appropriately called, 'Bribes.'

A Year Remembered

Holy guacamole Batman! Can you believe I’ve been in Korea for 1 year?!

I know it’s hard to believe! Part of me wonders if there is a cosmic space-time continuum thingy happening on this side of the globe, because, seriously? 1 year?!

It made me think of the song, ‘Seasons of Love’ from the Broadway production Rent:

Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes Five hundred twenty-five thousand moments so dear Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes

How do you measure, measure a year?

In daylights, in sunsets In midnights, in cups of coffee In inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife In five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes

How do you measure, a year in the life? How about love? Measure in love Seasons of love

Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes Five hundred twenty-five thousand journeys to plan Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes How do you measure the life of a woman or a man?

In truths that she learned Or in times that he cried In bridges he burned Or the way that she died

It’s time now, to sing out Though the story never ends Let’s celebrate Remember a year in the life of friends

Measure your life in love

This songs makes me want to quantify the last year, and being a big fan of lists and all their glory, I did just that!

Books I read this year:

1. ‘The Brother’s K’ by David James Duncan
2. ‘Timequake’ by Kurt Vonnegut
3. ‘Middlesex’ by Jeffrey Eugenides
4. ‘The Last of the Really Great Wangdoodles’ by Julie Andrews
5. ‘The Last Time I Wore a Dress’ by Daphne Scholinski
6. ‘A Separate Piece’ by John Knowles
7. ‘The Alchemist’ by Paulo Coelho
8. ‘Brinsger’ by Christoper Paolini
9. ‘Out of the Dust’ by Karen Hesse
10. ‘The Giver’ by Lois Lowry
11. ‘Gathering Blue’ by Lois Lowry
12. ‘Magyk’ by Angie Sage
13. ‘Wicked’ by Gregory Magquire
14. ‘Slaughterhouse-Five’ by Kurt Vonnegut
15. ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ by Harper Lee

And for about a year now, I’ve been slowly picking away at ‘A Peoples History of the United States’ by Howard Zinn. One day I’ll finish it, it’s just not the kind of book you get lost in is all...

T.V. show’s I’d never seen before, but kinda dig:

• American Idol
• The Mentalist
• Criminal Minds
• Sex in the City CSI : Las Vegas
• It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia
• 30 Rock
• True Blood

Movies I saw that stuck out over the year:

• Avatar
• Perfume
• Alice and Wonderland
• How to Train Your Dragon
• The Reader

Songs I’ve learned on the guitar:

• ‘I’m Yours’ by Jason Mraz
• ‘No Pressure Over Cappuccino’ by Alanis Morisette
• ‘Between the Bars’ by Elliot Smith
• ‘A Little Less Conversation’ by Elvis Presley

Ways I’ve grown this year:

• Personal autonomy
• Professional development
• Financial freedom
• International travel
• Personal revelations and identity
• Cultural awareness
• Reconnected with long-lost friends
• Found inside myself a (sometimes) limitless reserve of patience

I definitely forgot some things I could add or make new lists about, but regardless, you can’t deny this was one hell of a year! A serious coming-of-age year! I got so much done, and still, it feels like I loafed about more than I’d like to admit!

And during the moments that things weren’t so novel and new, but frustrating as all get-out, thanks to everyone who supported me and spoke kinds words of encouragement. Even hearing about the mundane and ordinary things your life was comforting! There were some definite moments when I needed a good friend, and what do you know? I had 10 good friends! One time that comes to mind is when I called Sheena just to cry about how frustrating public transportation is while I was sick and stuck at the bus station for hours upon hours. Talk about a good friend!

I’ve mentioned my beloved cousin Adam before, the one who is serving his LDS mission, and in an email I sent him once I said that it’s kinda remarkable how being separated from the people I love and adore makes me feel even closer to them. It also does wonders for the ego. I learned that proximity only gives the illusion of control, and really, whether I’m in Kathmandu or Ogden, people get sick, people have birthdays, people grow close and apart, and proximity has little barring on any of it. It’s been so rewarding to continue developing important relationships that make my rather unremarkable life, well, remarkable.

So for that, and everything else, thanks for being apart of my journey.

Visa Frustrations

In case you don’t know, in order to work in a foreign country legitimately you must have a work-visa. In my case, Sky English Academy sponsored mine with the Korean government, which was issued before I left the states but didn’t take into effect until I entered the country on October 8. Well, my year is just about up, so my boss and I filled out the appropriate paperwork to extend my visa before my time lapsed. Or so we thought.

I got caught in a crazy loophole. See, my alien registration card is valid for one year, and that’s the piece of identification I use regularly. And because my work-visa is stamped inside my passport, I rarely see it. Well, apparently my work visa is only good for 51 weeks and not a full year. This is what happened:

I entered Korea on October 2, and naturally I had to go through Customs. But when the lady inspected my passport she referred me to the Department of Immigration because even though my alien registration card was current, I had missed the last day to enter Korea on my work-visa by one day. ONE DAY! If I had entered Korea on October 1 none of this would have been a problem.

So I’m waiting at immigration with all the other poor saps that got pulled aside for one reason or another and finally I speak to someone. They tell me I can’t legally work in Korea now and confiscate my alien registration card. They also said the only way I can re-enter Korea is on a tourist visa, which is good for 3 months. An inner battle started to rage inside my head, the last thing I want to do is perpetuate a fraud on the Korean government, but all my things are in Andong and I’m expect to work in 36 hours. So I tell them what they wanted to hear. I was issued a new visa, one that’s intended for sightseeing, and left the airport.

Side note. My plane landed at 9pm, and the last shuttle bus from to Seoul is at 10, but because I had to talk to immigration, I missed the shuttle by 3 minutes. 3 MINUTES! The result was a an hour and a half cab ride that cost $140, as opposed to the $9 bus ticket. Seriously? Seriously!

I spent the night at Val’s and took a bus to Andong the next day. I mentioned before that my journey from Shanghai to my apartment took 37 hours, and I tell you I was a mess. All I wanted was to get my laundry done for the next week and sleep in my own bed, which eventually happened, but holy cow! It was so exhausting!

I got to Andong Sunday night around 7pm. I needed some fabric softener and food, so I went out and when I came home my boss was waiting for me. He was eager to send my passport to the immigration for my visa extension, and when I told him my alien registration card had been impounded, he looked at me blankly. He was with my co-worker who speaks Korean and English, so luckily I had a translator, but I could tell he was dumbfounded as to know what to do next.

In order to teach English in Korea I had to bring my original degree from Westminster, but because people have been forging diplomas, the government now requires confirmation from the school. Having been informed of this new policy, Mr. Shinn sent a request for this weeks ago, but it never came. This, combined with my immigration status, means I have to get a new work-visa instead of an extension, which is a serious pain in the butt!

The long and the short of it is, in order for me to get a new Korean work-visa, I have to leave Korea, fly to Japan, and visit the Korean Embassy. That’s right! I’m already here in Korea, but I have to leave and go to the Korean Embassy! Which is so ridiculous for so many reasons, including, embassies in foreign nations are considered a little country in itself. If I was accused of a crime and faced some horrific consequence, all I would have to do is find an American Embassy and it’s like I’m on USA soil. And assuming the U.S. wouldn’t extradite me, I’d be completely safe from foreign policies So going to Japan to visit the Korean Embassy is like going to Korea. EXCEPT I’M ALREADY IN KOREA! Seriously the most ridiculous thing ever!

As it is, we’re waiting for all the paperwork to come through in order to send it to Japan, so when I go to Japan, literally all I do is make an appointment and give them the number of my file, and they glue the new work-visa in my passport. I don’t have to do anything else because it’ll all be finalized before I even get there. But I have to do it in-person. Talk about red tape!

I don’t know if this makes it any better or not, but apparently the U.S. has the same stupid policy. I swear, it’s bureaucracy like this that legitimizes the Republican Party!