Hi everyone!
Time for some news updates.... There are quite a few plus some pictures. Lazy-Bones Andrea has FINALLY uploaded her hundreds of pics, so be prepared for an onslaught this week.
Re my irrational excitement about holiday plans...allow me to explain....
A week ago, I had reached my 2-month mark here in Korea. I was not prepared for the effect this would have on me. At orientation, we were warned about the various stages one experiences here. (Actually, when I was reading up on working in the Middle East, similar points were made.) Basically, I'm talking about culture shock. First, you experience the 'Honeymoon Phase' where everything is absolutely wonderful, exotic, new, etc, etc. Yes, you all know I went thru my honeymoon phase already, from reading my earlier emails. The next phase is 'I hate this place!'. After approx a month, I began to experience a bit of 'I hate it here!' Now this was simply due to many little things not going my way. I had to remind myself on a daily basis that I am not in SA, but in Korea; that this is the East, not the West; that things ARE and WILL be done differently here. As efficient as some things are here in Korea, there are also those things that seem to take forever. My INTERNATIONAL bank cards were not working here. Now bear in mind, I am in a rural town. There's only one type of bank here, which has is origins in an agricultural co-operative! Before my first payday, I had to track down special INTERNATIONAL ATM's whenever I needed to draw cash. That meant a trip into the city. Thereafter, there were a few other little setbacks, like getting a cell phone and internet tv and pc set up at home. (Most of the tardiness was thanks to my MALE co-teacher. Need I say more? Us girls know that men can be oh so limited, and can only concentrate on one thing at a time....Now add to that, the foreign aspect, that I couldn't exactly blow my top with him, also, I have to s-p-e-a-k s-l-o-w-l-y, so throwing an Andrea-tantrum really wouldn't benefit me much except to maybe establish myself as a crazy foreigner in everyone's eyes! (As you can tell, I am learning patience and tolerance and self-control in Korea!)
Well, thankfully, things were eventually sorted out. Then a week ago, I tried to book my plane ticket to Thailand, online. Yet again, I felt snubbed by Korea, as they wouldn't accept my SA mastercard. Being in a rural town, I would have had to take a day's leave to travel into the city to go the Korean Air office, or the airport to book my ticket! Also, when I had walked into a travel agency to enquire about booking - when I was in the city - no one could speak English! In addition, one of my co-teachers was in a bad motor accident, the airbag saved her life, but her skin reacted badly to the chemicals in the airbag. So she was off work for 3 weeks. The substitute was ....aaargh! another man! This guy could hardly speak English (English teacher!), and he had a bad attitude. He caused me so much stress and caused damage in the class attitudes by joking with the naughty students, making derogatory comments about English etc while I was teaching. I was FURIOUS but said nothing, but the kids apparently could read my face, cause when my lovely female co-teacher returned to work, they told her that I was angry with the sub. Just goes to show, hey? Kids pick up on EVERYTHING! In addition to this fascinating week, I was having to deal with the Western Cape Education Department regarding releasing my pension funds to Old Mutual. Each party had a different story to tell me. I spent about 6 hours making INTERNATIONAL phone calls to get things sorted out. A few of those hours included being on hold for interminable lengths of time, thanks to people not being at their desk, not knowing how to transfer a call, not knowing the correct procedure in the event of a specific problem e.g. "Ok, just hold on...I don't know...let me see if I can find the guy who...." Ya well, enough said.... you get the picture. I eventually decided to remove some stress from my life and just gave up on my holiday plans to Thailand. Decided it was going to be much easier to just travel around Korea in the midst of summer vac when the entire country heads for the beaches, and roads are choked with travellers.
After one particularly rough morning encounter with the sub, I went to my desk, and for the first time in my life, put my head on my desk at work, and just cried, from sheer frustration and anger (quietly, of course.) Suddenly random people starting sending me messages and chatting on facebook, and Barry (Dianne's friend) phoned me. When I heard his familiar SA voice, I just started bawling again. This resulted in one of my colleagues calling me to her desk where she played Susan Boyle's audition on Britain's Got Talent for me. Now for those of you who've seen it, you can understand why it would make me cry yet again. Also, the gesture was so kind and thoughtful. She was trying to cheer me up. Then again, eventually everyone heard that Andrea was feeling homesick and had been crying, and I was subjected to staying after school for a special dinner which my co-teacher arranged for me. Everyone was making such an effort to cheer me up, and all I wanted was for the day to end and go home to disappear under the duvet! That was really a rough, rough time. I missed you guys like you wouldn't believe.
Then, a week later, on Monday morning, my Korean friend and colleague, Kim Gyo Lim (the one whose parents had invited me for a weekend), told me she would like to join me on my trip to Thailand! Problem solved! She found even cheaper tickets than I did, which also just happened to include a free trip to Hong Kong. She booked with her Korean credit card, which really made things soooooo much easier for me.
Hence, my irrational excitement. So, we shall head out to Hong Kong on August 8th for 2 days/nights of hectic city nightlife, then off to Bangkok, then finish off island hopping - longtail boats, tons of Thai massages and spa treatments..... hmmmmm. After all the stress, something to look forward to!
I think I am now moving into Phase 3: Acceptance. I have finally started thinking about what I'm going to do next year, once my contract here ends. Did some research re teaching English in Czech Republic and looked at some other options. Basically, it made me realise that I have a very good deal here in Korea. Excellent accommodation - which is free - , wonderful colleagues, some really special and beautiful students (not gonna find that kind of respect everywhere!), great pay, minimal teaching hours..... Do I want to give up a good thing so soon? Who knows? I might feel differently in a few months' time.
For now, though, I accept and enjoy what Korea has to offer me.... good and bad, highs and lows.
There's loads more news....but let's save that for tomorrow :)
Lots of love,
Andrea
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