Rain.
I love it when it rains and was especially ecstatic the day it rained in Korea. To commemorate the occasion, I decided to purposely leave my umbrella at home so I could thoroughly enjoy walking in the rain. Imagine my dismay when my co-workers told me that the rain in Korea is so polluted that it is more like acidic rain and it could actually harm me to go about without an umbrella.
English.
My English abilities are slowly fading and I find it increasingly difficult to articulate myself in English. During my breaks, I've been assigned to edit textbooks and the simplicity of the grammatical errors have me racking my brain in frustration.
Church.
I went to Jubilee on Sunday with Fred and Sharon and literally forgot that I was in Korea for the entire service. I was a little taken aback by the number of 교포s and foreigners speaking English without a Korean accent, but it was nevertheless a welcome relief.
Work.
My 학원 must be the worst 학원 in the history of all the 학원들 in Korea. It's just my rotten luck that I didn't even know how bad I had it until I spoke with Fred and Sharon and we compared our working conditions. It's funny how bad they feel for me, but it's not funny when I realize that I'm stuck with this place for at least the next few months. It has been exactly thirteen days since I began working here, and I knew I hated it from day two. It's amazing to see how with each passing day, something new happens here to warrant an even greater feeling of animosity.
Anyway, here's something fobby:
Teacher: "Bad times."
Student: "침대 시간?"
Teacher: "Bad, not bed. 나쁜 시간."
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Korea...
...has been thus far a crazy experience, stretching me emotionally, physically, and definitely financially. I believe these past 11 days have been some of the hardest in my life. I have moved three different times, have heard more people having sex than I ever want to hear again, and have some of the world’s craziest bosses.
Anyway, I am slowly adjusting and things are better. I met Fred for lunch today and was unbelievably glad to see someone familiar who I didn’t have to front with. His 학원 and mine are so different it’s not even funny.
It’s crazy to be in Korea while the Virginia Tech thing is going on… it’s been interesting to hear the responses of my Korean co-workers but at times like this, I feel an even larger cultural disparity and I wish I was back in Los Angeles witnessing firsthand what Korean-Americans are going through. Maybe it’s just my co-workers, but all I’ve been hearing are very superficial comments about how “싸이코” the guy was and how his picture makes him look like a “변태.” But again, the co-workers who are making these comments are the abovementioned crazy people. I’ve also noticed that most pictures and interviews being portrayed are Caucasian people… something that’s been sort of bothering me because I feel like there is probably a significant number of equally distraught Korean-American students affected by this. But maybe I’m being biased.
My weekend plans will be shopping at the famous 동대문, working, going to Costco (I’m very excited about this one), and possibly checking out a church with Fred and Sharon. It’s nice to have plans.
...has been thus far a crazy experience, stretching me emotionally, physically, and definitely financially. I believe these past 11 days have been some of the hardest in my life. I have moved three different times, have heard more people having sex than I ever want to hear again, and have some of the world’s craziest bosses.
Anyway, I am slowly adjusting and things are better. I met Fred for lunch today and was unbelievably glad to see someone familiar who I didn’t have to front with. His 학원 and mine are so different it’s not even funny.
It’s crazy to be in Korea while the Virginia Tech thing is going on… it’s been interesting to hear the responses of my Korean co-workers but at times like this, I feel an even larger cultural disparity and I wish I was back in Los Angeles witnessing firsthand what Korean-Americans are going through. Maybe it’s just my co-workers, but all I’ve been hearing are very superficial comments about how “싸이코” the guy was and how his picture makes him look like a “변태.” But again, the co-workers who are making these comments are the abovementioned crazy people. I’ve also noticed that most pictures and interviews being portrayed are Caucasian people… something that’s been sort of bothering me because I feel like there is probably a significant number of equally distraught Korean-American students affected by this. But maybe I’m being biased.
My weekend plans will be shopping at the famous 동대문, working, going to Costco (I’m very excited about this one), and possibly checking out a church with Fred and Sharon. It’s nice to have plans.
