Six months, time to take stock...

Well, it's been a little over six months in Korea now and to mark the occasion, I've decided to make a couple of lists. The first, all the things that irritate me about being here. The second, all the things I love about being here. So, here they are (and the lists themselves are in no particular order):

The Bothersome

1) The dreadful missing of my friends and family. Random talks on messenger and occasional emails just aren't enough. I need to be able to sit in a room with my people. This is easily the hardest part about being here.

2) Inconsistent working conditions. I really would like to have a job where my daily schedule isn't randomly shifted on me at the last second as well as a job where I get paid in full and on time. So far, they haven't missed giving out any actual money, but I've only been paid on time once, and that was the first time. And what's with taking away our photocopier? How can a school survive without a photocopier? I just don't get it.

3) Smart-ass students who refuse to put in any effort. I realize this has nothing specifically to do with Korea, it is a general teachers lament, but I include it here because I doubt I would be teaching if I were not in Korea.

4) Bizarre text books that have me teach the students such interesting sentences as, "Fasten your pants," or, "Take off your pants." I find the pants obsession a little concerning. Some other examples of strange things I am forced to teach are an entire chapter dedicated to the proper usage of the word "mustn't," a unit that has the students tell me detailed instructions on finishing a level in a video game, and various words such as "cardiogram," and "filet mignon." That last one isn't even English! Grr. I could go on and on about the text books, really, but I'll stop there.

5) The inability to walk around town without some random person, usually a middle/high school boy, yelling "Hello!" to me. At first it seems kind of funny, but after six months of it, it gets quite irritating. I suggest that everyone at home yell, "Anyeong haseyo!" to every Korean they see. Those of you in Vancouver could be a little busy.

6) The food, while good, can get a little redundant after a while. This would probably be less of a problem if I were in a bigger city with better access to food from elsewhere, but I'm in Miryang and all that is available is Korean food, pizza (which pales in comparison to what is available at home) and McDonald's (which is the same everywhere, except that here, they don't have breakfast). I would love to have a good caesar salad (or any salad that doesn't consist of shredded cabbage topped with thousand island dressing and ketchup), or a falafel, or good Mexican food, or Indian food, or a turkey dinner, or...

7) The beer sucks. It's weak (4.5%), it doesn't taste all that great, and it's not all that cheap in comparison to beer at home. That said, I still drink it.

8) The unavailability of certain products such as deodorant and my brand of shampoo (well, not so much my brand, Head & Shoulders, but the specific kind I use which has selenium, not zinc). I'm told that deodorant is available in the bigger cities, but that it is prohibitively expensive and I highly doubt my brand (Tom's of Maine, calendula or scentless) will be among those shipped in. Decent toothpaste is also nonexistent (why would anyone use pine flavoured toothpaste?). I brought supplies of each of these, but they are starting to dwindle. I may request a care package soon...

9) My apartment still sucks. Laura and I cleaned it on the weekend, making it livable for the first time since sometime before I arrived, but the computer room is simply an awful place to be (too hot in the summer, frozen in the fall/winter), the kitchen still features a toilet, and the walls are still covered in water stains and full of bugs. It is not a pleasant place at all.

10) Korean music is terrible. I've explained it all before in previous posts, though, so I won't elaborate further.

I'm sure I could come up with all sorts of other things if I really wanted to, but I think these ten items cover the major irritations I have with being here. Now, onto the good stuff:

Things That Make Me Happy

1) Meeting Laura. Sure, she's from Canada, too, but I doubt I would have met her there. Since we met, my time here has become far more enjoyable, so much so that we're both thinking of staying for another year. She has made what some might have considered a questionable journey worthwhile and more.

2) I'm making decent money here and don't have to pay rent which makes it actually possible to pay back my student loans. If I were at home, I don't think it would have been possible.

3) The food is good and cheap. I know, I complained about it in the above list, but I do like Korean food and it is so very, very cheap.

4) The textbooks, while being mostly stupid, do offer up some amusing bits. My personal favourites are the sentences that sound like euphemisms. Last week I got to teach the sentence, "He eats the big sandwich." I want to work that into a conversation somehow. Here are some samples of how I may try to do so: "Hey, do you know Tony?" "Tony? Pfft. That guy eats the big sandwich." Or, "Hey, did you hear what happened to Tony?" "Yeah, I heard he ate the big sandwich last night. So sad." Or lastly, "That Tony guy, wow, he sure eats the big sandwich, if you know what I mean..."

5) The students who laugh and ask questions and want to show you the things they made at their real schools and who just seem happy to learn stuff. To me, they are the lone redeeming quality to teaching. I would like to have more of them, or have at least one in every class. Sadly, that is not the case.

6) The ease of traveling across the country. Train or bus will get you anywhere in South Korea cheaply and within 8 hours at the most. Can't say that for home, can you? It makes exploring so much easier and completely possible on weekends and for those of us without a car. Even within the cities, it is easy to get around. Buses are common and fairly simple to use (if you have a guide book, anyway) and taxis are extremely plentiful and quite cheap.

7) The people are generally quite friendly and they want to make you happy. Makes for good hospitality.

8) The scenery, when not being bulldozed, is quite beautiful. The mountains are steep and the valleys are narrow. Not much flat land here. It can be quite beautiful.

9) I'm in a band! I have attempted this at home before, but nothing ever came of it. It actually is a functioning band here. It is so much fun and my guitar playing has improved immensely since joining. Wheeee!!!

10) The experience in general is great. I love just being able to experience a different culture, try to figure out how to interact, see all the interesting things, hear the stories and histories, and learn the language (which is coming slowly, but I have mastered the alphabet and am able to read things with increasing quickness. Now, if only I could understand what I'm reading... I also don't understand spoken Korean in the least. I can pick out a word or two here and there, but I'm a long way from being able to carry on even a halting conversation).

So, those are my lists. The urge to come home battles constantly with the urge to stay for another year. Right now, I'm leaning towards staying. I will be home in the summer though, August by the looks of it. I wanted to come in the winter at some time, but I haven't been able to save any money due to my excessive student loan payments. Laura and I want to make good long visits with everyone and I really want everyone to meet her (and she wants to meet everyone, too). Anyway, that's all for now. Onto the next six months...

Guy