Hi all,
We visited the Korean folk village, of which Jennifer has some great pictures and videos on her blog, here. For the sake of convenience, I've linked to the pictures on Facebook.
It was neat to see an older side of Korea. While we don't know for sure if this is how things would have looked back then, it was still cool. Korea has, for certain, changed a great deal in the last few hundred years. Heck, even in the last 10 years it's changed a lot.
We spent Saturday with Derek, a fellow teacher in Korea, and fellow gamer. We relaxed, rolled some multi-sided dice, and had a thoroughly good time.
We then toodled off to the Folk Village on Sunday (my kids made me giggle today, by mispronouncing folk... five guesses on what they called it by accident). There's traditional dances (as best as we can tell, that's how they looked), see-saw acrobatics, horsemanship, and a tightrope walker, who was rather amusing, if not bilingual.
It was great, and the only downside was a rather oddball recreation of a marriage, that had two elderly folks re-enacting their wedding for their 60th anniversary. It was sweet, sure, but we felt awful for these two older individuals having to go through a rather grueling performance at their age.
Nice museums, lots of animals, and cool shows. In short, it's quite worth checking out.
Speaking of change: Former President Noh (mispelled rather badly as Roh in English) committed suicide on Saturday. There's been a media furore over this here, since he was one of the folks who helped end the dictatorship in South Korea, and was the subject of a major corruption investigation. He became president after promising to root that out. Unfortunately, the investigation seriously tarnished, or threatened to tarnish, his reputation, and while I don't know that the police have come to a final conclusion, one suspects that he committed suicide to avoid further shame.
It is deeply tragic, however, whenever anyone takes their own life, and I hope he finds peace in whatever awaits us after death.
He, and others like him, helped change South Korea into what it is today.
Best regards,
Chris
Monday, May 25, 2009
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Busy Busy Busy
Hi all,
A quiet but busy weekend this time around. Jen and I went over to a friends' house to play a game or two and relax on Saturday, then aborted our trip to the Suwon Cultural Festival when we both woke up with caffeine headaches and the realization that we needed to get some work done.
I'm taking a class with Ontesol (www.ontesol.ca) to get my certificate for when I go back home. As I've probably mentioned before, here, I want to be able to teach ESL when I return to Canada--I've found I enjoy it a great deal, and that I'd like to continue to pursue this as a career in my home country.
So I slogged away at that for a few hours, and got my assignments done. Then sat around and watched some TV on the Internet, and brushed up on the news. It was, in short a happy afternoon. We got some pizza, and went out to enjoy a blustery but sunny afternoon dinner.
It's nice, this time of year, in Korea. We've got sun, but we've yet to have the pleasure of wading through the monsoons, and while it can get hot, it's not yet so bad that we are forced to stay indoors and turn on the Air Con. I'm going to start planning some ventures to Hwaseong and the Suwon palace, as well as to Seoul to see the sights, and since Jen and I are keeping an eye on our budget (we came here to save money, after all), we're looking at Korean destinations for the remainder of our time here.
We have one vacation planned to Tokyo for a few days, simply to see the biggest megacity this side of the Pacific, but beyond that, we plan on getting out to Korean Folk Village, to Everland, Busan, Jeju-Do, and for me, Hae-in-sa, site of some of the oldest Buddhist scriptures in Korea.
We also started a weekday Kindergarten class this week on Thursdays and Fridays at school. Guess who got the first two?
It's good to have the same kids in these classes, and to teach them at a more convenient time. The other teachers seem to have been a little surprised at how much I run around with them, but then, if I don't, they'll go to sleep!
It's been a good week, and I'm feeling rather zen about everything--we've got three months left, and I'm becoming more and more actively aware of what I'm doing, trying to preserve the memories for the rest of my life so that, when I return to Canada, I can tell the story of my time here in Korea.
I hope it's been fun for ya'll, as it has been for me.
Best regards,
Chris
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Thailand
Hi all,
Well, I'll be adding pictures on a separate post, once they upload to my computer (since we took hundreds, it's taking a few hours). We just got back from Thailand, or Tae-Guk as my kids call it. We departed bright and early on Wednesday morning to Incheon airport, and spent the next 6 hours flying over the South China Sea towards Bangkok. We landed in the afternoon, got our tickets for our next flight, and had our first meal of the day in Thailand.
I had my first of many coconut-based drinks while in the airport, literally straight out of the coconut, along with Pad Thai. This will become somewhat of a theme for us on this trip, as you might imagine.
We linked up with Daniel, who was taking a separate flight via Hong Kong, and then the whole lot of us flew out to Koh Samui, on the south-eastern coast near Phuket. I should add at this point that our group included myself, Jen, Daniel, Sumi, Paulina, and Ashley, all members of the teaching team at our Academy. Daniel invited us down to stay at his Aunt's guest in Mae Nam/Bang Phor (pronounced pour).
We got there late at night, and, after meeting Daniel's lovely relative, Linda, and her roommate, Louise, we settled in for the night, and made plans.
The next morning, we went out to Chaweng Beach (Ban Chaweng), on the east coast of the island. It was Jen's first time swimming in the ocean, and my first time in the Pacific on this side of the world. I considered it a life-long goal fulfilled, to have swum in both sides of the two biggest oceans, the Atlantic, and the Pacific. A goofy goal, perhaps, but I was glad to do it.
We ate lunch at a place called Aladdin in Chaweng. Anyone going to Koh Samui is recommended to visit, as well as the Sea View restaurant in Mae Nam, where we ate that evening with Linda and Louise. While I shall spare you any further references to how awesome the food was (since that was not the main point of the trip), suffice it to say that we all thoroughly enjoyed being able to eat such great food on the cheap. A Pad Thai with eggs, ordered from a street vendor (like an American hot dog stand) cost 35 bhat, which equals 1,500 Won, or about 1.75$CAD. We were, in short, in paradise, food wise.
The beaches, meanwhile, were simply amazing. The view was gorgeous at Chaweng, with a view of the Pacific stretching out to the horizon, deep aquamarine seas that went on forever, and palm trees everywhere. We spent most of the first day on the beach, getting a little crisped by the heat. The temperature was about 40-50 degrees each day, so we all felt a little tired at the end of the day, but it was entirely worth it.
The next day, Daniel and I went off to explore the island while Sumi, Paulina, Ashley, and Jen got facials at a nearby spa. Daniel and I checked out Ban Taling, Hat Lamai, a few temples, got lost somewhere in the south-western end of the island for an hour, before driving through Ban Nathon (na-tawn), where the docks are, and back to Mae Nam. We checked out all sorts of stuff, and it was a good chance to chat with my coworker and get to know him better. We've been working together for 8 months, but Daniel is sometimes a private person, so it was nice to talk with him.
Over the next few days, we would check out Lamai beach and Big Buddha Beach (Bo Phut, in the north), a Muay Thai fight or two at Lamai market, and Jennifer and I went clubbing at the Green Mango club in downtown Chaweng. It was a great scene, and we both enjoyed it. Our coworkers gave us a polite push in the general direction of the club, insisting that we spend some time alone with each other. It was a cute gesture on their part, and we appreciated it, since we both love dancing.
We got a Thai massage (or two) on our last couple of days in Thailand, and checked out Chaweng one more time before we left. It's probably the best beach of the bunch, given that it's so central, and has such great water.
We also went on a bit of a tour around the island, checking out a waterfall, a restaurant on the top of one of the mountains on the island--the view was spectacular, and, as I said, I'll have pictures up ASAP--and riding on an elephant.
In short, we really, really, really needed this vacation. We were all of us stressed as the last four months went on, and I for one have had almost zero break time during that period, between working the kindergarten class on Saturdays, the new curriculum, 4 out of 5 classes having essays, and a mess of other changes at work. I like my job, but, don't get me wrong, I was bushed.
Linda and Louise are great people, and I'm grateful to them for their patience and generosity in putting us up in their guest house this week. We were literally in the middle of the jungle, surrounded by dogs, water buffalo, a few snakes and scorpions, flowers, chickens, the endless sun, and the trees. It was, in short, perfect.
While I have to get back to work this week, I'm feeling a lot less stress, and Jen looks like she literally shed a year or two from her face. My kids all think I look more relaxed, which is good--they still have tests, though, despite the flattery!
All in all, well worth it.
------
Movies
I love this week-end: Wolverine, Star Trek, and Angels and Demons are all coming out at the same time. I've seen Star Trek already, last night, and am going to see the other two over the next two days. Movie marathon! I'll post a review on the weekend.
Cheers,
Chris
Well, I'll be adding pictures on a separate post, once they upload to my computer (since we took hundreds, it's taking a few hours). We just got back from Thailand, or Tae-Guk as my kids call it. We departed bright and early on Wednesday morning to Incheon airport, and spent the next 6 hours flying over the South China Sea towards Bangkok. We landed in the afternoon, got our tickets for our next flight, and had our first meal of the day in Thailand.
I had my first of many coconut-based drinks while in the airport, literally straight out of the coconut, along with Pad Thai. This will become somewhat of a theme for us on this trip, as you might imagine.
We linked up with Daniel, who was taking a separate flight via Hong Kong, and then the whole lot of us flew out to Koh Samui, on the south-eastern coast near Phuket. I should add at this point that our group included myself, Jen, Daniel, Sumi, Paulina, and Ashley, all members of the teaching team at our Academy. Daniel invited us down to stay at his Aunt's guest in Mae Nam/Bang Phor (pronounced pour).
We got there late at night, and, after meeting Daniel's lovely relative, Linda, and her roommate, Louise, we settled in for the night, and made plans.
The next morning, we went out to Chaweng Beach (Ban Chaweng), on the east coast of the island. It was Jen's first time swimming in the ocean, and my first time in the Pacific on this side of the world. I considered it a life-long goal fulfilled, to have swum in both sides of the two biggest oceans, the Atlantic, and the Pacific. A goofy goal, perhaps, but I was glad to do it.
We ate lunch at a place called Aladdin in Chaweng. Anyone going to Koh Samui is recommended to visit, as well as the Sea View restaurant in Mae Nam, where we ate that evening with Linda and Louise. While I shall spare you any further references to how awesome the food was (since that was not the main point of the trip), suffice it to say that we all thoroughly enjoyed being able to eat such great food on the cheap. A Pad Thai with eggs, ordered from a street vendor (like an American hot dog stand) cost 35 bhat, which equals 1,500 Won, or about 1.75$CAD. We were, in short, in paradise, food wise.
The beaches, meanwhile, were simply amazing. The view was gorgeous at Chaweng, with a view of the Pacific stretching out to the horizon, deep aquamarine seas that went on forever, and palm trees everywhere. We spent most of the first day on the beach, getting a little crisped by the heat. The temperature was about 40-50 degrees each day, so we all felt a little tired at the end of the day, but it was entirely worth it.
The next day, Daniel and I went off to explore the island while Sumi, Paulina, Ashley, and Jen got facials at a nearby spa. Daniel and I checked out Ban Taling, Hat Lamai, a few temples, got lost somewhere in the south-western end of the island for an hour, before driving through Ban Nathon (na-tawn), where the docks are, and back to Mae Nam. We checked out all sorts of stuff, and it was a good chance to chat with my coworker and get to know him better. We've been working together for 8 months, but Daniel is sometimes a private person, so it was nice to talk with him.
Over the next few days, we would check out Lamai beach and Big Buddha Beach (Bo Phut, in the north), a Muay Thai fight or two at Lamai market, and Jennifer and I went clubbing at the Green Mango club in downtown Chaweng. It was a great scene, and we both enjoyed it. Our coworkers gave us a polite push in the general direction of the club, insisting that we spend some time alone with each other. It was a cute gesture on their part, and we appreciated it, since we both love dancing.
We got a Thai massage (or two) on our last couple of days in Thailand, and checked out Chaweng one more time before we left. It's probably the best beach of the bunch, given that it's so central, and has such great water.
We also went on a bit of a tour around the island, checking out a waterfall, a restaurant on the top of one of the mountains on the island--the view was spectacular, and, as I said, I'll have pictures up ASAP--and riding on an elephant.
In short, we really, really, really needed this vacation. We were all of us stressed as the last four months went on, and I for one have had almost zero break time during that period, between working the kindergarten class on Saturdays, the new curriculum, 4 out of 5 classes having essays, and a mess of other changes at work. I like my job, but, don't get me wrong, I was bushed.
Linda and Louise are great people, and I'm grateful to them for their patience and generosity in putting us up in their guest house this week. We were literally in the middle of the jungle, surrounded by dogs, water buffalo, a few snakes and scorpions, flowers, chickens, the endless sun, and the trees. It was, in short, perfect.
While I have to get back to work this week, I'm feeling a lot less stress, and Jen looks like she literally shed a year or two from her face. My kids all think I look more relaxed, which is good--they still have tests, though, despite the flattery!
All in all, well worth it.
------
Movies
I love this week-end: Wolverine, Star Trek, and Angels and Demons are all coming out at the same time. I've seen Star Trek already, last night, and am going to see the other two over the next two days. Movie marathon! I'll post a review on the weekend.
Cheers,
Chris
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Alienation and the Law
Hi all,
Weird title, neh? I got to thinking this week about something odd, and decided I should bring it up here. So, most everybody who lives in Korea knows about HomePlus, but for those keeping tabs on me back home, it's basically a giant chain of, well, giant retail stores. Think WalMart on steroids, and you'll have a sense for how the place looks. Four or more floors of shopping, all at sometimes annoying prices (peanut butter at 5$ a small jar? Please!).
Anyway, gouging aside, they started a new advertising campaign featuring a rather famous Korean ex-ssireum wrestler. The fellow's on everything from Two-Two-Chicken (KFC, but better, because they have beer), to cell phones, to Home Plus, now.
I was looking at one of the ads, and I suddenly got this weird vibe, as if I was looking at it from outside my own head. Now, before you ask, no, I was not under the influence of anything--I was, in fact, depressingly off of caffeine due to a dentist informing me I couldn't have coffee for a week, until a filling set. The experience was, instead, one where I suddenly wondered what it would be like to be a Korean reading these signs, and seeing them as normal.
What would it be like, to be other than me? To see me as a Korean: I'm a skinny red-head with glasses who likes to jabber away in a Canadian dialect of English at speeds that make jumbo jets look slow. I mean, seriously, have any of us ever considered what it feels like for the other people around us in this country? We probably have, but it's that kind of alienation that made me stop and think.
I am, in this country, the quintessential Other. I have not learned Korean. I am decidedly Caucasian, and pale to boot, at that. I do not fit in--I speak my mind, often, make crude jokes when I'm in a bad mood, and while I respect the importance of being part of a social hierarchy, I tend to get annoyed when it is too rigid to recognize its own failings.
In short, I am a sore thumb, sticking out. I wondered, for a brief moment, what it would be like to be a Korean, living in Korean, and hearing me jabber away in English. I can understand how it feels, sort of--when other people speak Korean near me, I can't understand it, but it sounds like Korean to my ears, now. How might it feel to hear English for someone who is not able to speak or comprehend the language?
Weird thoughts, I know, but something to consider. How much of our language informs our thinking, or shapes what we believe? In English, for example, we place a lot of emphasis, not on class or status as in the Korean language (there are three versions that I know of for asking one's name: Ireumi-myoiyeyo, Ireumi-myoiyo, and Ireumi-Myoiya, in decreasing order of politeness and rank), but on time, and placing things in order as they occurred. Look at some of our stupid grammar tenses: past perfect progressive, or "I had been studying, when I got hit by a car." I mean, honestly, my kids are right to ask "Teacher, WHY?"
It's just a weird thought I had, but something I will undoubtedly ponder for a while. I know I am going to have culture shock when I come back to Canada--I will miss my Kimchi, and my cheap kimbap rolls, and public displays of affection between people of the same gender, and yes, there's a small part of me that will miss Korean illogic, and the hilarity that often ensues. I will miss my students, and I will miss my coworkers, but I wonder above all how much I will miss being the Other, of being able to speak in English and be fairly certain my conversation is private, and of being alone in a sea of people who are different yet similar to myself.
More than I thought I would, I think.
-----
Legality and labor issues have come up a few times lately, both here and on other blogs, as well as facebook.
While I am not directly involved in the issues mentioned on those webpages linked above, nor shall I endeavor to intrude with my own thoughts, it's ironic to note some of my fellow staff and I have been curious about similar legal issues with our own school. We're lucky, in that our Korean staff are courteous, hard-working, and generally up-standing folks. We're lucky, in that our branch manager is not a bad person, and works hard at being good to the foreign staff in spite of the Korean management style.
So, we have not yet run into the issues these two women have, for which we are grateful. No, our concern has been that our Korean coworkers, particularly, the counter staff, have been working themselves nigh unto death on a repeated basis. Naomi, of whom I have spoken before, quit because she was stressed from 70-hour work-weeks. Now, we find out that the majority of the Korean staff do the same, and are not necessarily given time back (vacation hours in exchange for overtime) or paid for those excess hours.
I find it sad to say that I wasn't surprised or shocked by it. I am glad, however, to find that I can still tap a little of my old protestor rage when I hear such things. I am not, though, as unwise as I once was, and I know that I neither know the legal system, here, nor do I speak the language. Therefore, any attempt to protest the issue by myself will likely result in, at best, the attitudes of my employers and possibly my fellow employees, turning sour towards me (read, making my life hell, which is what managers do back home when you stir the pot about bad labor practices), or worse, getting fired.
Similarly, if there is to be change to the Korean labor system, it has to come from within. I am not Korean, and while I could try to challenge some of the unfair practices I see here, it is quite likely I will be dismissed for being A) foreign, and B) not sensitive to Korean culture. We have heard the latter before, and I can understand the concern: I wouldn't want someone from Korea coming to Canada and trying to tell me how my labor system is unfair. It goes back to my earlier point about alienation, but I am acutely aware of how little power I have here.
I did make sure to look up the Korean Labor Standards Act, which goes into some detail on what Korean laborers and managers should and should not do. I get the sense, however, that these rules are consistently broken. Hagwons are, in a way, a bit of a weird case--we're offering a public service, yet we're also a business. The chief employees are foreigners who do not understand Korean, or the Korean legal system. It is therefore sadly common to hear stories of how foreigners get into bad situations. I am wholly sympathetic to those who are good, hard-working teachers, and offer them my support and help, meagre though it may be.
But in terms of changing the system, there isn't much we can do. Canada had almost a hundred years of struggle by labor unions and others, to establish the legal rights we take for granted in the workplace. Korea, I suspect, is only starting this process, and while Korea is likely to be faster at getting the same result given that it is developing so fast, it is nevertheless still early goings yet.
This leads me to make a few modest suggestions, none of which should be construed as legal advice. I know next to nothing about Korean law, and my understanding of Canadian law is not as good as others, because I am not a lawyer. If you do have questions about the law, here, or are thinking of coming but are unsure about this, look up some of the stuff in the Labor Standards Act--it's been updated since the version I posted above. There's also the Korean Labor Board, which admittedly, apparently has little power. Similarly, check out options here and look up the issues on Dave's ESL Cafe. There is information out there, and you should be careful, but understand that the majority of schools are usually run by decent people. There are bad apples out there, but they are thankfully not the rule.
If there is a serious issue, find a Korean lawyer who speaks English, and that you can trust.
As to blogging--you'll notice I've never mentioned my school by name, right? That's another wise thing to do. Future employers do know how to read blogs, and the internet. If I was working in HR, I'd look up a potential applicant on google. I'm on there, as are most people, now. My one serious suggestion is to be careful what you talk about online. If you are going to be critical, or to comment, as I have, here, avoid naming too many names. I have included them where appropriate, but keep it polite, because you never know who might be reading.
I believe the only real advice that I or others can give is just that: to be polite, to be careful, and to use your common sense. Korea and Asia both are beautiful places to live and visit, and have a ton of things to offer expats looking for work. Remember that our conduct reflects not just upon ourselves, but upon our countries and others who come to work here, and that we must therefore exercise our best judgment when problems arise. Hopefully, Korea can be a fun and enlightening work experience for those that come here. If it turns into a challenge, know that you can handle it with common sense, courtesy, and effort. Just be careful, is all.
Keep on Trucking,
Chris
Weird title, neh? I got to thinking this week about something odd, and decided I should bring it up here. So, most everybody who lives in Korea knows about HomePlus, but for those keeping tabs on me back home, it's basically a giant chain of, well, giant retail stores. Think WalMart on steroids, and you'll have a sense for how the place looks. Four or more floors of shopping, all at sometimes annoying prices (peanut butter at 5$ a small jar? Please!).
Anyway, gouging aside, they started a new advertising campaign featuring a rather famous Korean ex-ssireum wrestler. The fellow's on everything from Two-Two-Chicken (KFC, but better, because they have beer), to cell phones, to Home Plus, now.
I was looking at one of the ads, and I suddenly got this weird vibe, as if I was looking at it from outside my own head. Now, before you ask, no, I was not under the influence of anything--I was, in fact, depressingly off of caffeine due to a dentist informing me I couldn't have coffee for a week, until a filling set. The experience was, instead, one where I suddenly wondered what it would be like to be a Korean reading these signs, and seeing them as normal.
What would it be like, to be other than me? To see me as a Korean: I'm a skinny red-head with glasses who likes to jabber away in a Canadian dialect of English at speeds that make jumbo jets look slow. I mean, seriously, have any of us ever considered what it feels like for the other people around us in this country? We probably have, but it's that kind of alienation that made me stop and think.
I am, in this country, the quintessential Other. I have not learned Korean. I am decidedly Caucasian, and pale to boot, at that. I do not fit in--I speak my mind, often, make crude jokes when I'm in a bad mood, and while I respect the importance of being part of a social hierarchy, I tend to get annoyed when it is too rigid to recognize its own failings.
In short, I am a sore thumb, sticking out. I wondered, for a brief moment, what it would be like to be a Korean, living in Korean, and hearing me jabber away in English. I can understand how it feels, sort of--when other people speak Korean near me, I can't understand it, but it sounds like Korean to my ears, now. How might it feel to hear English for someone who is not able to speak or comprehend the language?
Weird thoughts, I know, but something to consider. How much of our language informs our thinking, or shapes what we believe? In English, for example, we place a lot of emphasis, not on class or status as in the Korean language (there are three versions that I know of for asking one's name: Ireumi-myoiyeyo, Ireumi-myoiyo, and Ireumi-Myoiya, in decreasing order of politeness and rank), but on time, and placing things in order as they occurred. Look at some of our stupid grammar tenses: past perfect progressive, or "I had been studying, when I got hit by a car." I mean, honestly, my kids are right to ask "Teacher, WHY?"
It's just a weird thought I had, but something I will undoubtedly ponder for a while. I know I am going to have culture shock when I come back to Canada--I will miss my Kimchi, and my cheap kimbap rolls, and public displays of affection between people of the same gender, and yes, there's a small part of me that will miss Korean illogic, and the hilarity that often ensues. I will miss my students, and I will miss my coworkers, but I wonder above all how much I will miss being the Other, of being able to speak in English and be fairly certain my conversation is private, and of being alone in a sea of people who are different yet similar to myself.
More than I thought I would, I think.
-----
Legality and labor issues have come up a few times lately, both here and on other blogs, as well as facebook.
While I am not directly involved in the issues mentioned on those webpages linked above, nor shall I endeavor to intrude with my own thoughts, it's ironic to note some of my fellow staff and I have been curious about similar legal issues with our own school. We're lucky, in that our Korean staff are courteous, hard-working, and generally up-standing folks. We're lucky, in that our branch manager is not a bad person, and works hard at being good to the foreign staff in spite of the Korean management style.
So, we have not yet run into the issues these two women have, for which we are grateful. No, our concern has been that our Korean coworkers, particularly, the counter staff, have been working themselves nigh unto death on a repeated basis. Naomi, of whom I have spoken before, quit because she was stressed from 70-hour work-weeks. Now, we find out that the majority of the Korean staff do the same, and are not necessarily given time back (vacation hours in exchange for overtime) or paid for those excess hours.
I find it sad to say that I wasn't surprised or shocked by it. I am glad, however, to find that I can still tap a little of my old protestor rage when I hear such things. I am not, though, as unwise as I once was, and I know that I neither know the legal system, here, nor do I speak the language. Therefore, any attempt to protest the issue by myself will likely result in, at best, the attitudes of my employers and possibly my fellow employees, turning sour towards me (read, making my life hell, which is what managers do back home when you stir the pot about bad labor practices), or worse, getting fired.
Similarly, if there is to be change to the Korean labor system, it has to come from within. I am not Korean, and while I could try to challenge some of the unfair practices I see here, it is quite likely I will be dismissed for being A) foreign, and B) not sensitive to Korean culture. We have heard the latter before, and I can understand the concern: I wouldn't want someone from Korea coming to Canada and trying to tell me how my labor system is unfair. It goes back to my earlier point about alienation, but I am acutely aware of how little power I have here.
I did make sure to look up the Korean Labor Standards Act, which goes into some detail on what Korean laborers and managers should and should not do. I get the sense, however, that these rules are consistently broken. Hagwons are, in a way, a bit of a weird case--we're offering a public service, yet we're also a business. The chief employees are foreigners who do not understand Korean, or the Korean legal system. It is therefore sadly common to hear stories of how foreigners get into bad situations. I am wholly sympathetic to those who are good, hard-working teachers, and offer them my support and help, meagre though it may be.
But in terms of changing the system, there isn't much we can do. Canada had almost a hundred years of struggle by labor unions and others, to establish the legal rights we take for granted in the workplace. Korea, I suspect, is only starting this process, and while Korea is likely to be faster at getting the same result given that it is developing so fast, it is nevertheless still early goings yet.
This leads me to make a few modest suggestions, none of which should be construed as legal advice. I know next to nothing about Korean law, and my understanding of Canadian law is not as good as others, because I am not a lawyer. If you do have questions about the law, here, or are thinking of coming but are unsure about this, look up some of the stuff in the Labor Standards Act--it's been updated since the version I posted above. There's also the Korean Labor Board, which admittedly, apparently has little power. Similarly, check out options here and look up the issues on Dave's ESL Cafe. There is information out there, and you should be careful, but understand that the majority of schools are usually run by decent people. There are bad apples out there, but they are thankfully not the rule.
If there is a serious issue, find a Korean lawyer who speaks English, and that you can trust.
As to blogging--you'll notice I've never mentioned my school by name, right? That's another wise thing to do. Future employers do know how to read blogs, and the internet. If I was working in HR, I'd look up a potential applicant on google. I'm on there, as are most people, now. My one serious suggestion is to be careful what you talk about online. If you are going to be critical, or to comment, as I have, here, avoid naming too many names. I have included them where appropriate, but keep it polite, because you never know who might be reading.
I believe the only real advice that I or others can give is just that: to be polite, to be careful, and to use your common sense. Korea and Asia both are beautiful places to live and visit, and have a ton of things to offer expats looking for work. Remember that our conduct reflects not just upon ourselves, but upon our countries and others who come to work here, and that we must therefore exercise our best judgment when problems arise. Hopefully, Korea can be a fun and enlightening work experience for those that come here. If it turns into a challenge, know that you can handle it with common sense, courtesy, and effort. Just be careful, is all.
Keep on Trucking,
Chris
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Soccer and Easter
Hi all,
First, for those who celebrate it: Happy Easter! We normally have a family gathering with either Jen or my family, so it feels a bit sad to not be able to do so today. We made up for it, however, by holding a friendly ol' Easter potluck at the house.
After recovering from a bad hangover, we got up on Sunday and puttered about the house for a bit. we went out with a Korean friend of Jennifer's, and I made the mistake of trying to go toe-to-toe with him on drinking. I won't make that mistake again.
We went out to a Bluewings match, which, for the price, is the best show in town. I can't think of any sporting event in Canada or the States which would cost 10$. With beers, it's maybe 15-20, depending on how much one chooses to imbibe. A few people had a lot, especially some of the Ultras in the front.
It was nice to see David again, and Roger, both of whom were former coworkers at our Hagwon, and nice people to boot. The atmosphere at these games is insane: the stadium's not even full, but you can hear the chanting from outside the building!
It was a lot of fun, and definitely worth doing. We also plan to get back to Everland at some point, since Dave is a fan of rollercoasters--and so am I.
Anyway, we then went home to clean the place up and get set for the potluck. Our guests included Dave and Roger, Ashley and Sumi, and Jessica, all either coworkers or former colleagues. A good time, and we were all stuffed: I may have to have Jen roll me to work today.
Happy Easter, indeed.
Cheers,
Chris
Monday, April 6, 2009
A Quick Update
(A fun picture of the 'old gang,' Me, Jennifer, Daniel, Oliver, David, Stephanie (taking the picture), Ashley, Sumi, and Sarah)
Hi all,
So, a quick update this week. I know that I'm starting to wear down around the edges--I can kind of feel the cognitive blurring that happens when you get really tired. It'd be an interesting thing to study, were it not happening to me.
What's happening? Not much. We relaxed this weekend, both of us being exhausted, and I still managed to drag myself out of bed at 4 in the morning to Skype home, and play some D&D with some friends by remote conference. It was neat, and, I have to say, pretty amazing to be able to see my friends again, even if only digitally.
Wonders of modern technology, eh?
Speaking of which, I'm taking a TESL Certification course online, at www.ontesol.com. It's pretty good, so far, although I've had some issues with their quiz design (4 adjectives in one sentence, and I have to guess which 2 out of the 4 that the computer will recognize as correct answers, oi).
I'm discovering that I really enjoy teaching ESL, and would love to continue doing it back home--maybe to adults, maybe still to kids. Either way, it's a decent living, and one that I feel good doing--always important.
Anyway, I'm going to grab some coffee and wake myself up--gotta do some grading.
Still hanging in there,
Chris
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