Big Changes

Big changes is a challenging title for this post, because I'm not sure it completely encompasses the recent situation. The short story here is that our contract was mutually agreed upon to end early and that we have returned home to the states. The longer version is a bit more complicated and extensive, however.

Moving to and living/working in Korea can be a bit of a gamble and you can't always be sure that you're going to get a good deal. In our case, things were okay on some fronts, but not others. I think things ended up working out in our favor, but things were rather stressful and hectic there for a time. Due to this reason there were updates that weren't made, which I may retroactively add at a later time.

As far as our hagwon was concerned, our director was kind of shady from the start. Friendly most times, but she was not without her ulterior motives. Passive aggressiveness was not uncommon, especially when she wasn't pleased with something related to us. Despite having a conversation initially about health insurance where we said yes, we wanted it, she did not actually get us health insurance (in the contract); she was not paying into pension, which is illegal (also in the contract); we lived above the school and she was taking extra money from us by way of utilities; she owed me more than 2 million won in overtime pay and then later said I was a liar and that the overtime pay rate was lower than I had calculated (in the contract at 20,000 won per hour). In short, there was a lot going on.

All of the above culminated into a confrontational situation after I confronted her about her trying to skimp out on the flight costs that had been reserved. She didn't like the numbers, so I presented her with more and included the words "illegal", "labor board" and "lawyer". She didn't like it much at first, but then she must have realized that she was in way over her head and we had a very touching conversation. By touching I mean that she said that the trust is broken and she's sorry about the health insurance and the pension (which she also "mistakenly" thought we said "no" to when we apparently said no to the health insurance) and that it's better to just end things. She wanted us out by the weekend, so we rushed to book flights home in 2 days time and we managed to swing that somehow. She actually paid for things she wasn't obligated to pay for (part of the severance and the flight), but I think I made a point and she realized that she can pay us what we're owed and try to make things right, or we can cause a whole lot of trouble for her.

So what happened? We completed ten and a half months at the school and got sent home early. After more than 25 hours of travel by car, bus, and plane we made it back to the states. It would have been nice to complete the contract, but I think we came out on top overall. Needless to say, having a terrible hagwon owner can really make a person's life hell. So please use caution. I'll try to post later about some steps you can take and other info that I've learned.

In closing, we have arrived back home and some things have been kind of different to readjust to. Zach and I will be both posting updates about our experiences upon returning, which has been its own unique experience as well.

If I packed back then, what I knew now...

I have to apologize for not updating lately. It's been difficult to get into the mood to write and of course there's that whole life piece that's going on too. Okay, and I will admit to doing some gaming off and on too.  I have been active in other online circles though and one of them has been engaging in some talk and discussion with other soon-to-be expats. That's where this post comes in because I pulled it from a response I made about what things you should remember to bring with you.

As far as images go the one above is one of my favorite places to shop in Cheongju called Anipop. I figured since I'm talking about packing and whatnot, an image of things that will be sent home from here is slightly relevant at least. Anipop has lots of cute things, many geared toward children, but I love that there are things here and there that are from Studio Ghibli (think My Neighbor Totoro or Howl's Moving Castle for those unfamiliar with Ghibli) and a variety of Japanese imports, but many distinctly Korean things too. Many of them are finding their way home in my suitcase or being sent by Korean Post!

Rambling about my consumer habits aside, this is my updated list of things I would recommend bringing to Korea now that I've actually been living here for 9 months and have a better idea of what you really do need. In retrospect I feel like we did well enough with packing to get here, but there are some improvements that could have been made. You can't very well have knowledge from a future you haven't lived yet though, so we did what we could. Thank goodness for family that was able to send us things we found extremely useful and comforting as it helped us both a great deal.

All that said, the following is pulled from the response I made previously about the subject. I may do some editing as well if I find that there are things I've forgotten.

I thought that I was pretty well prepared when we first came here, and I was. There are some things I wish I had brought along though, in addition to what I already have. I also have to add that I’m a rather tall woman (for being in Korea) with long limbs and fairly large feet (5'9" and shoe size 9 1/2 or 10 US) and that has made things tricky too. 

As far as things I have that I'm glad that I brought is deodorant. I’m not sure I've even seen much deodorant, if at all. Next time I got to Homeplus I'll look and see if they even have it. 

Oops, I almost forgot this one! It's a good idea to bring any painkillers (Tylenol/Advil, etc.) that you might need because it just makes life easier. I would also HIGHLY recommend bringing any cold/flu medications from home that you prefer as going to the pharmacy can be tricky. I was so ill with constant colds and actually ran of out Tylenol/Dayquil/Nyquil in a few months. Things are foreign here— by that I mean the viruses and bacteria and I would anticipate that you're going to end up with colds or whatnot. Kids come to school sick and that means you'll probably catch stuff too. 

I’m glad that I brought toothpaste from home because I’m just not a big fan of the kinds I've tried here, though that’s really a personal preference. You can get things like Listerine pretty easily though. 

A towel is a good thing to have because you may not be able to find and/or make it to a store as soon as you might like. I would also recommend shampoo/soap/conditioner/personal hygiene items. We even brought a roll of toilet paper each, since we just weren't sure, even though we didn't end up actually needing them. 

Converters/adapters for any electronics you may have are a must. It's much easier to bring one or two with you rather than needing to find the nearest Hi-Mart or something to find something that will work and let you use your computer/phone/tablet/e-reader/etc.

Bring a pillow from home. Another thing you don't want to go without because it’s your pillow and you will more than likely find that you need it (and it's nice in the airport too).

I would also recommend bringing a set of sheets for your bed because that is another thing you will probably want right away and not have to wait until you can go shopping.

Hobby-type things to do in the winter are wonderful. It was bitterly cold here over the winter and I honestly just didn't want to go out a lot. It may be different for you, but it’s always good to have reading material/craft/art type things for when it's too cold and you just don’t want to be out in it. 

My other big one is comfort food. I didn't realize how much I would want to have some foods from home until after a while. I would suggest some non-perishable things, things that you like so that you can have a little tasty bit of home with you. There are many Korean foods and snacks that I appreciate, but it's nice to have mac and cheese sometimes or some Reese's cups (your mileage and/or preference may vary) from back home.

Finally, I'm going to stop at clothing. As I said above, clothing is hard for me. Koreans are pretty small and thus finding clothes and shoes has been difficult for me. I know it’s easier to find clothing in Itaewon if you’re in Seoul, but if you're not… well, you had better be prepared. Winter was rough and my family actually sent me some clothing and sweaters because I did not have the capacity for them when I brought my things over. They say you should pack 2 weeks worth of clothing for each season, which is fine, but be sure to bring enough warm weather things (also so you can layer your clothing) to prepare you for below freezing temperatures. Thermal underwear is a nice supplement too. Some schools are also kind of stingy with their heating and will not turn on the heat for a long time or will keep it low. Don’t worry about hats/gloves/scarves as you can find lots of lovely ones here if you like.

The rest of the things are pretty standard that I would recommend, camera/sd cards/little trinkets for the kiddos (they are fascinated by foreign things)/pictures from home/money (I would suggest bringing a decent amount of won along because it may be a month until you get paid)/small things that make you happy are nice too because it's nice to have a reminder of the familiar when things are decidedly not.

Otherwise (unless I think of something else), most things you can purchase here fairly easily.

There's nothing funny about racism. I'm looking at you BOOK.

Remember when you were a dumb kid and you saw someone who looked a bit different?  You couldn't help but stare, because as a child you are socialized to be a jerk.  Well what if there was a book which captured this awkward experience from your past and colored it over about 17 pages?  My friends and readings I would like to present you with "There's Something Funny Going On."

I am not the creator of these images, and that showing the pictures from the books are for entertainment purposes only.  All of the pictures belong to the English Vine Corporation.

Daddy why is the pickle man naked?

The story follows a boy named Henry and his creepy emotionless father as they move to a new town after the father loses his job at the local newspaper.  Thanks Obama.  Henry lived in East Point, and would be moving to a small town in the middle of nowhere named Fort Ridge.  Henry was understandably upset he would not get to spend the summer with his friends sitting around bored playing on their cell phones while sitting next to each other at the mall.

How much is that Henry in the window ARF ARF.

The drive was long and Henry spent the whole time sadly looking forlorn out the back window to all of the beautiful things in life passing him by.  Would he ever beat his old high score in Anipang?  Who would poke the homeless guy at the park with him gone?  What will happen to the slice of ham he hid behind the boiler in the basement?  So many unanswered questions.

God I can't get over how creepy his dad is.

So after arriving and settling in Henry and his creepy father decided to go for a drive, leaving their poor mother to do all of the unpacking.  Jack Daniels is her only company now.  Henry noticed there was basically no one on the street despite it being a pretty nice day outside.  This confused Henry since he was used to a healthy crowd of listless teenagers hanging about doing nothing with their lives except be up to no good.

Holy crap its someone who looks different then me!

Luckily though Henry spied a man who caught his eye.  He looked different then Henry, so Henry immediately jumps to the conclusion that he must be a monster of some sort.  He spends the rest of the car ride telling his father how ugly the man was and how he was probably foreign, you know how those foreigners are.  His father just looked forward, face unchanging as his son continued with his rant.

Who runs like that?  Seriously kid I think you may be the one with the real problem here.

When they arrived home Henry ran inside like a weirdo and his father suggested Henry get a paper route so he has something to do over the long summer stuck in the middle of nowhere.  Henry agreed only replying that he knows real work ethic unlike those lazy "monsters."  Over the next several weeks Henry gets up and does his paper route, until the fateful day that his boss decides to have Henry do a different route in a new neighborhood.

Hey look a cave, lets go spelunking!

While Henry is delivering papers he comes across a cave, and being a teenage boy he decides to explore it hoping to find half drank booze and discarded nudie magazines.  He however finds something much much worse.

Those lazy "monsters" always stealing and using welfare.

He comes across an entire colony of those filthy "monsters" he always hears about on the news.  Playing with objects they obviously stole from us hardworking humans.  Henry was so mortified he didn't even see one of the monsters approach him and ask him if he wanted to play with a doll.  Henry being a rational adult called the poor green boy a filthy monster and ran away.  Who knows what could have happened if he actually tried to be friendly with those types.

You smell like your mother.

Henry rode his bike all the way home and told his father about the incident.  His father told him that he should take a few weeks off from his paper route.  Then his father called his editor and began to write a new column for his old paper.  He decided to all it "My Son is a Crazy Racist, One Father's Grief."  He got his job back (Thanks Obama!) and the family was able to move back into their old house, just in time for Henry to start school back in the Fall.  

Run Henry he followed you back home! Racist.

However on Henry's first day back the principal of his school came in and introduced a new transfer student from Fort Ridge.  Oh god it was one of those monsters!  The book ends with Henry's face dropping as he worries about the property value of his families house being affected by a monster moving close by.

Obviously I took some liberties with the plot of this book, but to be honest the story is about a kid whose pretty obviously racist however it has no part where Henry becomes redeemed and sees the monsters aren't something to be feared but just people like him.  He never tries to talk to the monsters, and insults and runs away from one that was only trying to be friendly.  These aren't great values to be teaching our already xenophobic Korean children.  Just my opinion anyway...

Much like everything I write, I expect my next post to turn to solid gold.

Another blog? What?

Mischa, world; world, Mischa. Mischa starts out exploring by visiting Reading, PA (with M)!

Things have been more busy lately, so we have unfortunately not been able to post as often as we would have liked. This South Korea stuff is serious business. In the time between our last posting we took a short trip out to PA and have been working on getting ourselves overseas. Plus, a few other fun things.

I'm just going to touch on another topic, and that is that we are going to be starting another blog. You're probably thinking, hey, why are they starting a new blog when they can't even keep up with one, but the new one is very different. Once I'm actually able to get pictures uploaded for said blog, I will post it on here too, but for now I will just be posting a synopsis.

So, without any further delay, I will give you a synopsis of the new blog of Mischa (a green monkey from my place of employment), and capitalMperiod (also known as M, who is a fluffy bison) and their adventures. Reading about new places is always interesting, you learn a lot of things by reading, but sometimes you need pictures too. I love taking pictures and photography, so I thought this would be a fun way to bring a bit of home to our travels and show everyone a little bit of fun (which may be a fun thing for teachers and other educators we know too).

As of right now Mischa and M have visited Reading, PA and they've also visited a neat historical site in Indiana which we're hoping to add as well. Maybe this will be the start of lots of fun adventures with our fuzzy friends for the world to see.