Back in Korea

Since I am back in Korea, I thought that I would give an update on my status here. I had a great summer back home and on my way back to Korea, I was lucky enough to stop over in San Francisco for a few days. My most memorable experience from that trip would be riding a bicycle to and across the Golden Gate Bridge. It is quite a long bridge, and windy up there too!

I began teaching on September 3rd. I am living in a new city, called Gimje. It is located about a 30 minute drive from my former city, Jeonju. It is a small city by Korean standards, hosting only 100,000 people. No Western food here, McDonalds, KFC, Outback, TGIF's. I need to go to Jeonju for that!

So far, I have had a mixed feeling of being back here. My apartment is great. It is new and much bigger and cleaner than my last one. However, the location is a bit of a drawback. There are only two apartments where I live. It is a 2 story building, with the apartments on the 2nd floor and a 24 hour fish restaurant (and Soju tent, aka drinking place) downstairs.

My work has been pleasant, but busy. I have had to develop curriculum for many different level students ranging from grade 5-9. I also need to plan according to their ability level, which in public school is usually widespread. My total teaching time is 22 classes a week. This turns out to be a lot less time than my last job because the classes are only 40 minutes for elementary students and 45 for middle school students. There are also delightful bonuses in the public school system. Standardized tests, sports days, assemblies make for time off and I've already enjoyed a random day off during my second week.

The Bad News: The downside to my experience so far has been my lack of support from my employer. It is such a large school board that I kind of get lost in the mix. Doing something as simple as calling the gas company to have hot water to cook and shower is not so easy. It took me almost a week to have that done. Internet, phone and cable came even later than that. I was also required to pay for my flight to Korea up front and I was told I would be reimbursed within a week after my arrival (which was August 26th). I was also to receive $300 in a settlement allowance to buy necessities for my apartment. The first week came and went and it is a month later, with not a penny (or won in this case) from the school board. My patience is beginning to wear thin as I have taken out loans with more people than I feel comfortable with.

This job also requires me to have some method of transportation as I need to drive to 6 different schools throughout the week. Some of these schools are in very rural locations and take 30 minutes to get to. One of my clases has only 3 students! And it's a mix of 5th and 6th grade! I sort of "inherited" a car from a friend who is no longer in the country. It has been a little bit of a money pit thus far, with repairs, gas expenses and paying the taxes up to date. I would like to have some kind of reimbursement for this expense that I would not otherwise have if I did not have this job, but I will not keep my hopes up as it is difficult enough to get money that is already owed to me.

The Good News: I have settled into my apartment and have all of the comforts that I need. I also now have a Korean driver's license, which also allows me to operate motorcycles up to 125cc's. My classes have books and plans in place and there is a 5 day weekend this weekend! I also hope to be buying my new motorcyle in the near future so I can use the car only as a last resort when the weather is bad. This should keep its costs low and keep me out of trouble (since technically it is stolen and uninsured).

I hope to post pictures in the near future. I am at school now, so I do not have access to them. I hope everyone is well at home and I hope you will continue to read this blog as I continue my second year in Korea. Look for pictures and another update soon!