Hello.
It's been too long. I'm a lazy blogger, and a busy living.
I think I last left off talking about Seoraksan. What's happened since then? Lots.
There was Christmas, and "winter break" with its "winter camp" and then I had 2 weeks of vacation (it's actually 10 days plus any connected weekends... but they jipped me one day citing some day they gave everyone in school off (cancelled school) back in June. i had no choice in the matter).
That's life in Korea. Things are fudged over in many areas and aspects.
Things are also last minute. And you have to ride it out like it was the plan all along.
These are some low points (or cons) of life in Korea.
Winter break started on Christmas Day. <3 Then I had "work from home" days - because no one from carpool was going to school either, so I couldn't very well get to school. Then there was New Year's for which J and I went to Jongno (district of Seoul) and we watched them ring the huge bell at midnight. :)
It was packed!
Jan 6 ~ 10 was winter camp. The kids seemed to like it.
Then I went home to the States on the 13th. Came back to Korea on the 26th. I worked from home til school opened again on Feb 4. So here I am back at work.
Dealing with the transfer is a bit annoying, I will admit. Ok, a lot annoying.
My school has told me nothing, except a few things - that the person in this job next school year will work at 2 schools. They have to share an EPIK teacher. And just now my manager teacher asked me where their new teacher should live - in Jeungpyeong or Goesan. I told her Jeungpyeong because no one lives in Goesan, except 1 lonely teacher. He is so lonely in Goesan.
As far as when I'm supposed to move out, or how, this is crazy. I can't "move in" to my new place til the 25th, but I also have to show up to the new school on the 25th. So essentially I have to put all my stuff in the new place on the 24th, sleep in my house that night, and "move in" on the 25th - aka when I come home, I go to the new place.
Luckily, the new place is just one floor up, and J is the person who lives in the house I will move in to. He's more than willing to help and let me put my stuff in his house.
I can't imagine what other teachers do when they transfer! If they have to go to school, how do they move their stuff? I mean they couldn't take their stuff out of their house on the 24th and put it in the new place -- because the other person would still be there. They'd have to do it after the person left on the 25th - during school time.
Crazy.
I'm also annoyed right now, so it's hard to be dispassionate.
My manager had told me before winter break that we'd go to renew my resident card today (feb 7). She had me write it in my calendar. So I got everything ready today, but she forgot. I asked her and she didn't seem concerned and was like "what time are you done with classes?" on different days. So I'm praying she means she'll take me on the day she pointed, at the time she said.
Stuff in life is never easy.
Oh yeah - here's the kicker. So my boss-boss - the person who I report to at the education office, emailed me to give me the new school's head english teacher's phone number. She said to call her and ask about details. So I called just now, and awkwardly spoke in Korean. It turns out the number was for some other elementary school! No big deal, honestly, because I know the native English speaker at the school. So I sent him a PM. He calls me and tells me "they really don't know anything they're doing at school since the head english teacher is leaving, and they haven't scheduled classes." (&etc & etc.) So between the two of us, we hammered out no real plan - just that I have to show up at that school at 8:40 the date the contract starts. I barely even know where to go or what to do. And it's not like he can help me because he is leaving. Packing up the car and leaving. The new head teacher might call me at some point before then. We'll see.
All this to get to the kicker - as I was talking to J (the teacher whose place i'm taking) he was actually sitting in the dentist office or hospital, I'm not sure which, RIGHT BEFORE his wisdom teeth surgery.
Life just doesn't stop. You have to take care of other people's business even right before your own surgery. I felt really bad that he was calling me from there.
