South Korea

Ah, soju, how I love thee, but where to begin? I’ll write about what I know, because what I remember isn’t much. Soju is described by its aficionados (and their number is ample) as “Korean Wine.” It is sometimes fruit flavoured and pleasantly decieving, but is most often clear and thus strong smelling. Bottles of soju can be purchased in a variety of sizes but is most commonly found in 500 mL format. What’s more, to illustrate how some cultures are far more advanced than us, soju can even be purchased in handy, lunchbox-sized … wait for it … tetra packs! Recess never tasted so good.

Did I mention that it packs a 21% punch? And the fact that it’s mainly consumed in shooter format? To boot, it is in fact rude to refuse a shot of soju if offered by your host; especially if the latter is female, older, a co-worker or, well, Korean. I hope everyone’s getting the picture. Nightly, businessmen can be seen stumbling along Korean streets, hand in hand with their officemates, dragging their sorry briefcases and slurring asses behind them. An interesting, but pitiful sight. Stories abound of fights, vomitting and persons passed out in the middle of the street, helpless, holding up traffic for all to bear.

That’s the darker side of the stuff, but in moderation (or a tad more…), fun times are promised. Luckily for me, I prefer beer to wash it all down, so I’ll do just fine. Let me end the soju stories at that, but I can somehow foretell they’ll rear up their ugly head sometime in the very near future.

S*

Each week, The Toronto Star interviews Canadian expats to see what it’s like living abroad. This weekly feature provides great insight to life abroad that you might not find in the ESL forums which are strewn with complaints, rants, more complaints and reasons not to get off your couch and experience something different. The article, ‘Canadians Abroad - Koreans Friendly -and Blunt’, gives you more of the positive and less of the negative, which is very refreshing to find.

Q: Do you feel like an outsider, and how do you cope?

A: I feel more like a minor celebrity … Korea is a very homogenous culture so everywhere I go, kids gawk, shout and wave from school buses. Adults, too, are usually eager to strike up a conversation and hone their English skills. It’s very flattering. And refreshing.

Q: What have you learned living abroad?

A: I cannot even recall a time or place when I’ve been the recipient of so many random acts of kindness … I hope – if nothing else – it’s the one thing that I bring back to Canada … I hope it’s contagious

. Read more..

(thanks Kevin)

Is it possible to sign a contract for less than one year?

Some Schools will allow you to do this, but usually only if they are desperately in need of a teacher. It is not good for the students, nor appreciated by the parents, to have a new teacher for their kids ever few months, which is why this is not regularly practiced. You will also not receive the full benefits (plane tickets, severance pay, etc.), that are offered in the one year contract.

Is it possible to extend my contract for another year after I am done my first year?

Yes it is. If you want to stay with the same school, you will not have to leave Korea to get another visa.

I just finished my one year contract – can I transfer to a different school without getting another visa?

No, you can’t. You will need to take a visa run, usually to Japan, to get another visa with your new school. There are only two cases where you don’t have to leave Korea to get a new visa: One is if you re-sign with your school and the other is if your school files for bankruptcy and you have an offer from another school.

How do I get out of my contract if I don’t like the school that I am currently working for (therefore breaking my contract)?

You will need a letter of release from your current school. With this, you will be allowed to work at another school, but you will still have to go through the visa process again.

Who will buy my plane ticket for me?

The school will pay you back for your plane ticket about two weeks after you arrive in Korea. In the past, schools would buy tickets for their teachers in advance, but some people took advantage of this and took the free flight to Korea without ever showing up at their school, which is why teachers are to buy the ticket first now.

Am I allowed to take on side jobs or work part-time for another school while I am working for my school that I signed a contract with?

The short answer is no. In your contract, it will state that you are not to work for anyone other than your school. In some cases, schools will allow their teachers to work part-time elsewhere, but this will require some paperwork for both schools and they are usually not willing to do this.

Am I allowed to stay in Korea for a little while after I am finished my contract or do I have to leave the country as soon as my visa expires?

You are allowed to stay in Korea for an additional 30 days if you report to the immigration office and make them aware that you are doing this. You will need your passport, alien registration card and your plane tickets that specify which dates you will be leaving. Note that it will be illegal for you to work during this period.

Hey everyone, the following are responses to two largely questioned topics.

i. Teaching Kids:

I am responsible for eleven classes, taught twice each, weekly. Class sizes range from three to thirteen students. I am accountable to my school between the hours of 2 and 8:30 p.m., Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. Monday and Thursday evenings, I teach until 9:30. The staff consists of six teachers: four Korean female teachers (Katie, Joy, Gene and Ivy), one American female teacher (Marin) and myself. I am currently teaching children from the ages of six-ish (?) to somewhere close to fourteen.

At times, I feel like I’m babysitting which — for those of you who’ve never had the pleasure — sucks, at the best of times. Other times, seeing students comprehend the lesson, their eyes lighting afire with understanding and knowledge, fuels the rest of my day. Unfortunately, the latter are often the ones given later in the evening. Oh well, I’m finding my groove and the kids are (hopefully) starting to like my style and respect my authority.

ii. “The Scene” or more interestingly “Things I Did Today”:

Unfortunately, I have to admit that geographically, the curtains are closed on this local party scene. For all intents and purposes, Seoul is the place to go for, well, everything. Nevertheless, slowly, I have begun to explore my local environment, tasting and absorbing what it has to offer. I’ve found that a quick jaunt outside of my quiet suburb takes me to some rather interesting strips of restaurants, businesses and markets, complete with droves of people circulating, out and about.

In fact, I spent nearly six hours thereabouts, this afternoon, exploring and roaming around UNESCO’s World Cultural Heritage Site: Hwaseong Fortress. Honestly, the geek in me found it pretty damn interesting.

After that, a ton of shopping (new Reebok runners, a power bar, a reading lamp, a haircut, three more plants … all of which were much needed). I even came across a gem of a shop, selling the most excellent and interesting cultural treasures (old masks; framed, tall, Hangeul scripts; agricultural artifacts; and long, wooden character/food “stampers” (like lined-up cookie cutters). I quickly set my sights on two awesome pieces but, unfortunately for me, I misunderstood the price and instead of a lovely mask being 5,000 and the “cookie cutter” thing being 7,000 Won, the gentleman promptly informed me that a “zero” had somehow got lost in the translation and that the prices were, in fact, 50,000 and 70,000 Won, respectively. Ouch. I thanked him as politely as I could and bowed a lot. A shame, really; they were pretty nice souvenirs that would have made superb additions to my digs — as wall art — or even gifts.

That’s it for now. I have run out of adjectives, synonyms and similes.

S*

A collection of Korean superstitions:

The web archive of Rike’s superstition page(because the original page has disappeared) features a list of superstitions gathered by ESL teachers in Korea:

The Number 4
When you go to the store to buy your first set of dishes, you’ll only find sets of five or more. You pretty much cannot get anything in a set of four. This is because the Korean word for 4 is pronounced like the Chinese word for death.

This Kimchi Mamas page on superstitions, and especially the comments that follow, is full of them!

Don’t wear white ribbons in your hair because it is bad luck. White is the color associated with funerals and death.

And some more superstitions from Korea:

There is also a superstition about the Korean magpie (bird). People say: If you see a magpie in the morning, you’ll get good news. In Korean folk songs, there are some stories about this bird. There is a song about this.

If you were wondering what type of digs you will be living in when you get to Korea, here is a detailed video for you. This is a single apartment, which is what most jobs offer these days; it is an ‘Office Tel’ which offers a loft for the bedroom area.

Thanks Kevin!

Yes, I’m eating well. The food is original, tasty and plentiful. Of course, as anywhere, there are dishes to which I’m clinging more than others.

Let’s start with Korean barbecue. When you order Korean food it usually comes with almost a dozen side dishes consisting of fish cakes, pickled cabbage, sweet cucumber salad and shredded beef. Other sides may include sauteed, raw calamari with onions and other vegetables. Most dishes are accompanied by a spicy red sauce. Spicy meat, seafood or vegetable soups are also the norm.

As meat (pork, beef, fish, seafood, etc) is normally the primary dish — cooked on a grill, in the centre of your table — your main ingredient is virtually surrounded by smaller dishes of vegetables (corn, peas), kimchi (spicy cabbage), soup/broth, boiled sweet potatoes, dumplings, rice mixtures, raw vegetables and sometimes even halfed garlic cloves. The list is lengthy and every restaurant serves it’s own version of accompanying side dishes.

Interestingly, meals are often photographed and posted on the storefront or in the menu. When meals are a shared one (e.g., Korean barbecue), prices and volume vary according to the number of persons consuming.

Although just a brief glimpse of one meal, Korean dining remains creative by constantly piqueing one’s curiosity.

Snacking is also the norm, here. Children and adults alike are incessantly nibbling on something. Streets are littered with stalls selling deep-fried everything; from shrimp and pork and sausages to pastries, ramen noodles (many flavours/sizes/lengths) and kimbop (like California rolls). Similarly, fruit and vegetable stalls abound, and corner stores sell every type of sugared treat imaginable. Children do not go without, I assure you.

S*

This is a good example of how you can use your own ideas in an ESL classroom. Connie uses a Geography lesson as a means to make the students speak in class. She then turns the lesson into a game for the students. (Take note of the participation and attention of the class).

Thanks Connie!

This is a little bit different from the Office Tel that is seen below, but it is the same idea.

*Note: If you are applying to a specific position and you are worried that your apartment won’t meet your standards, you can always ask the school to send you some photos; if they refuse without good reason, you might want to forget about that particular school and keep looking.

1. You speak English
2. Because the job that you are in right now required four years of university at approximately $40,000. Every morning when you wake up at 6a.m, you would pay $40,000 not to have to go to work ……
3. …..afternoon schedules
4. Where else are you going to be pointed at and screamed ‘hello!!’ by children on a daily basis?
5. Quick math question: Which is better: 30% tax rate or 5%?
6. Ever eaten Korean food??!!
7. Traveling the world is a lot easier when you have spare money and are already ‘on the road’. Flight to Thailand from Korea – 3.5 hours
8. Because teaching cute little kids English everyday is far more exciting than working for the man
9. Paid flight, great pay, no rent, no brainer
10. Because if you don’t take the chance and do it now, you know you never will.