So it happened. I was warned about it, but it didn't help. It was the first day of winter and it is going to be horrible.
I've been told that it feels like a warm autumn day until winter hits and then you just wake up and it is freezing. That day was today.
It was a high of 8 degrees Celsius (48F) with a low of -1C (30F) when I got off. One of my kids had the balls to tell me that the news said it may snow.
This is mid November and I do not understand this. I am woefully unprepared for this. I may have gotten myself in too deep.
The sky is grey, the air is cold, and the wind is piercing every layer that I have put on.
Sweet?!
Monday, November 17, 2008
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
So I know it has been a while and the posts have been sparse. But, I have been busy! I have been to two islands, one national park, and North korea; all in two months. Just the break down on that is a different adventure every two weeks.
So what fills the off time? That is mostly runs to areas of Seoul or the greater Incheon area. Keep in mind that around 24 million people live in this area, around half the population of the Republic of Korea. These trips are noted not by "Let's go to Seoul," but rather, "Let's go to Bupyeon, Bucheon, Iteawon, or any of the other areas so big to be their own city." So I can be and have been busy just getting to know my surroundings.
I will keep you posted with pictures and recaps when I can find some down time.
So what fills the off time? That is mostly runs to areas of Seoul or the greater Incheon area. Keep in mind that around 24 million people live in this area, around half the population of the Republic of Korea. These trips are noted not by "Let's go to Seoul," but rather, "Let's go to Bupyeon, Bucheon, Iteawon, or any of the other areas so big to be their own city." So I can be and have been busy just getting to know my surroundings.
I will keep you posted with pictures and recaps when I can find some down time.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
The First 24
So, on September 7, 2008 I began my journey to the branchise I'd be working at. This is the first 24hours.
Not so much dangerous, but telling of my future in K-town was my first night in Incheon. I finished training in Seoul at 5pm and was in a car at 7:30pm head to the school to meet the other teachers and staff. As is custom when a new teacher arrives, the Korean staff took everyone out to drinks and dinner; drinks being the operative word. The temporary teacher, that was covering my classes in between the teacher I'm replacing and when I got there, is some sort of a hot head and alcohol doesn't help. So as we were all migrating between venues and he got into a fight were the cops were called. Everyone had had a few too many and I was no exception; throw in my full work day at training, the hour and a half car ride and partying as hard as I could, I was in no mood to see where this was going. So everyone ran off from the cops (Korea has a no fault policy where whoever throws the first punch/isn't hurt as much is in trouble regardless of the motive and that can also mean any foreigner vs. Korean fight = foreigner going to jail). So with the combination of booze, no sleep and being in a city I've never been with and people I just met, I should have known this wouldn't end well.
Needless to say I didn't end well. I got separated from everyone and I couldn't find my way back home. I wandered the street looking for my hotel or the office until I was too tired to continue. I made base camp on some stoop near a 7-11 and slept until a guy yelled at me to move (I guess that is what he said as it was in Korean). I finally found my way to the motel (~8am), but I still couldn't sleep as I was only going to be there a little longer until I went to my first apartment and I don't have a departure time. This is where I note that the motel is a love motel and the bed was freaking me out.
The picture to the right is the love motel. These are cheap accommodations for just what the title insists/encourages. In Korea many people live with extended family until and after marriage, so if alone time in necessary, these motels are the sanctuary. These are also cheap enough to throw a foreigner in for the night.
The temporary apartment (~11am) they put me in was a hell-hole only slightly better than the love-motel. The bathrooms here are all wet, so the shower, sink and toilet are in the same place and everything gets wet when you use the shower. I forgot to take a picture of this one, but I don't really need to remember it. The u-joint in the sink just emptied into the drain on the floor, so my socks got wet when I tried to brush my teeth.
Now by 8pm I'm in my current quarters and life is good. This really set the stage for the future perfectly.
Not so much dangerous, but telling of my future in K-town was my first night in Incheon. I finished training in Seoul at 5pm and was in a car at 7:30pm head to the school to meet the other teachers and staff. As is custom when a new teacher arrives, the Korean staff took everyone out to drinks and dinner; drinks being the operative word. The temporary teacher, that was covering my classes in between the teacher I'm replacing and when I got there, is some sort of a hot head and alcohol doesn't help. So as we were all migrating between venues and he got into a fight were the cops were called. Everyone had had a few too many and I was no exception; throw in my full work day at training, the hour and a half car ride and partying as hard as I could, I was in no mood to see where this was going. So everyone ran off from the cops (Korea has a no fault policy where whoever throws the first punch/isn't hurt as much is in trouble regardless of the motive and that can also mean any foreigner vs. Korean fight = foreigner going to jail). So with the combination of booze, no sleep and being in a city I've never been with and people I just met, I should have known this wouldn't end well.
Needless to say I didn't end well. I got separated from everyone and I couldn't find my way back home. I wandered the street looking for my hotel or the office until I was too tired to continue. I made base camp on some stoop near a 7-11 and slept until a guy yelled at me to move (I guess that is what he said as it was in Korean). I finally found my way to the motel (~8am), but I still couldn't sleep as I was only going to be there a little longer until I went to my first apartment and I don't have a departure time. This is where I note that the motel is a love motel and the bed was freaking me out.
The picture to the right is the love motel. These are cheap accommodations for just what the title insists/encourages. In Korea many people live with extended family until and after marriage, so if alone time in necessary, these motels are the sanctuary. These are also cheap enough to throw a foreigner in for the night.
The temporary apartment (~11am) they put me in was a hell-hole only slightly better than the love-motel. The bathrooms here are all wet, so the shower, sink and toilet are in the same place and everything gets wet when you use the shower. I forgot to take a picture of this one, but I don't really need to remember it. The u-joint in the sink just emptied into the drain on the floor, so my socks got wet when I tried to brush my teeth.
Now by 8pm I'm in my current quarters and life is good. This really set the stage for the future perfectly.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Wow That Was Fast
Well, this whole process went real quick. Don't get me wrong, I started my job search back in February and this is now September, but the actual submitting my resume to the recruiter to being offered a job was fast. I sent my resume on July 3, 2008 and the first offer was made on July 31, so under a month of emails, phone interviews, and negotiations and I have a job offer from overseas.
Nothing was real difficult about any of this. I had to refine my resume (eg. make it look like I know what I'm doing), send in a photo, and write an easy essay from several broad topics (mine was on the U.N.). The first interview from the recruiter was more to pump me up (the recruiter only gets paid when I sign on the dotted line), so that put me on the private school, Korea track in the teach English overseas race. An actual recruiter from CDI contacted me after the Aclipse headhunter forwarded my resume, picture, essay, and recommendation to them.
Here is where the real fun begins. Aclipse staffers were located in New York or San Fransisco, so it was an easy timezone conversion. The CDI recruiter, however, is in Korea, so we are now playing 16-hours-ahead-of-me phone-tag with the possibility of international calling rates. I knew when I was being contacted by them because it was past dinner time and the caller ID displayed UNAVAILABLE. What glee did I have knowing that someone, somewhere very far away thought I was qualified for whatever they wanted me to do and were willing to pay for it! The recruiter was nice and informative and helped to pump me up some more and work out the best offer. Now is as good a time as ever to let everyone know (I didn't at the time) that in 2007 there were 30,000 openings for foreign English teachers in Korea with one 17,000 applicants, so this processes shouldn't be that stressful.
So after working all that out, here I am. I really couldn't believe how easy the process was, but the speed definitely impressed me as well. From the offer on was a definite crunch as well, the visa process, but that too was even quick.
Nothing was real difficult about any of this. I had to refine my resume (eg. make it look like I know what I'm doing), send in a photo, and write an easy essay from several broad topics (mine was on the U.N.). The first interview from the recruiter was more to pump me up (the recruiter only gets paid when I sign on the dotted line), so that put me on the private school, Korea track in the teach English overseas race. An actual recruiter from CDI contacted me after the Aclipse headhunter forwarded my resume, picture, essay, and recommendation to them.
Here is where the real fun begins. Aclipse staffers were located in New York or San Fransisco, so it was an easy timezone conversion. The CDI recruiter, however, is in Korea, so we are now playing 16-hours-ahead-of-me phone-tag with the possibility of international calling rates. I knew when I was being contacted by them because it was past dinner time and the caller ID displayed UNAVAILABLE. What glee did I have knowing that someone, somewhere very far away thought I was qualified for whatever they wanted me to do and were willing to pay for it! The recruiter was nice and informative and helped to pump me up some more and work out the best offer. Now is as good a time as ever to let everyone know (I didn't at the time) that in 2007 there were 30,000 openings for foreign English teachers in Korea with one 17,000 applicants, so this processes shouldn't be that stressful.
So after working all that out, here I am. I really couldn't believe how easy the process was, but the speed definitely impressed me as well. From the offer on was a definite crunch as well, the visa process, but that too was even quick.
Let's Get the Party Started
Okay, I know I have been lacking, but here goes. I'm kicking it in South Korea for a year as a foreign English teacher because I was poor with nothing better to do (guess which was a deciding factor). I'm working for CDI Holdings through the recruiter Aclipse. CDI seems to have their stuff together with hierarchy, course outlines, multiple branches, and future expansion plans; all the things that many other hagwons (private English learning schools) seem to be missing. As far as this blog goes, I want to try and answer as many questions as one would have about living/teaching in Korea so I don't have to respond to as many individual inquiry as possible.
So lets start a list:
- Hiring process
- Work visa
- Renegociating
- Lost luggage
- The people
- The locations
- The fun
Lets see where this goes and let me know if there is anything else you want to know: cck@oddidea.com
So lets start a list:
- Hiring process
- Work visa
- Renegociating
- Lost luggage
- The people
- The locations
- The fun
Lets see where this goes and let me know if there is anything else you want to know: cck@oddidea.com
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