Don't worry, be happy
Hello
Dare I say it? Not sure. Well, I will take the risk. Things seems to be going OK this week. Phew, it is good to get it out in the open. I have been so afraid to say anything good for the last few weeks for fear of jinxing the situation. And I appreciate all the guarded congratulations from you guys too.
Let me fill you in on the details- last week I did my last two days at the school that I have been working at for the last year. The bitch owner found out that I had also done a couple of classes for my new school. So she promptly and totally unfairly decided that she would keep my last two weeks wages- you know, just for fun. I was also told that if I walked out there and then I would get NOTHING! As you can imagine, there was quite a cloud over my last two days at the place. The cherry on the icing on the top of the cake was Miss Kim’s ‘thank you for working so hard for the last year, pop back often to see us’ speech which delayed my journey to the bar. At least that is what I was told she said- Min translated so, really, she could have been saying anything. I was just pleased to be out of the school and on my way to the bar- I did have a brief look around the bitch’s office for my ‘missing’ degree certificate but failed to see it anywhere. I am sure that she will have it framed along with the one million won she ‘stole’ from me to gloat over in the future. I know that I paint her as a vindictive old cow, who is past marriageable age in this country therefore destined to live with her parents forever and bitter at the world in general. I only portray her this way as these are the words that most accurately describe the money grabbing ?@&%!!
But for all that I was now a free woman and working for another boss I was still living in the apartment provided by the old school. It took my new boss a few days to find a new place- we had already moved everything out of my apartment in anticipation of the bitch telling me to move the moment I had erased the last of the chalk from the blackboard in my final class- but I finally moved into the new place on Sunday. After a large sized night out with my mate, Margo, who had popped over from Cheonan for the weekend. The new place is grand and bigger than I thought it would be. The only drawbacks are the single bed (sleeping in the single always makes me feel like a kid) and the loss of all the good cable channels on my TV. But I got hooked up to the internet at home today so things are looking up. And my favourite thing about the new place has to be the décor. The walls are covered in very tasteful wallpaper with a very discreet gold pattern repeated throughout the apartment. On closer inspection the gold motif turns out to be the English alphabet and the best bit… wait for it… is that is all UPSIDE DOWN! Every last letter! On every wall, in both rooms! Fantastic! Wonderful! Something new to laugh at every day.
The new school seems fine. I am teaching mainly adults so getting a different perspective on life in Korea, plus the fact that taking me out for lunch and paying for it is the highlight of my students’ week! Nice! Also, my new boss owns and works in the newest bar in town to attract a foreign crowd. And he doesn’t seem to mind me drinking on a school night. In fact, it is encouraged as so many of out students also drink there and appreciate the chance to practise slurring in a foreign language. I have been playing it cool this week though as I am still finding my feet in the school. There is a lot more effort to be put into teaching adults, in my opinion, as they are less satisfied with being fobbed off with a word search or a game of Go Fish than the kids were J . That said, we played Pictionary and Scrabble this week so it isn’t all work, work, work!
I went and saw my mates’ baby the other week and so am attaching a photo of me looking petrified while holding the little fella. Why parents insist on throwing their most precious thing in the whole wide world into the reluctant arms of a hapless singleton is beyond me! That said, I am secretly always happy when it happens. And little Tommy is very cute indeed. After spending just over five hours on the bus it was a relief to get off it and see the wee fella and his parents for a while. But four short hours later I was back on the bus and on my way to Seoul. I reached Seoul just before midnight and hit the university district with my mates with some gusto. We had a quieter day the next day, we went to the COEX mall and Seoul aquarium- I was disappointed by the lack of sea monkeys in the gift shop, but you can’t have everything, I guess.
So there you go. The last few weeks have been a bit of a blur all in all. But mostly in a good way. I am now living downtown (a mere seven minute walk from my favourite bar, not that I timed it, oh yes, I did time it actually!). Last night I was able to walk home from the bar and stop long enough to win a teddy bear from a crane machine and all that in less than twenty minutes- nice!
And I think that is all my news. I will let you know my new address once I know it- and shortly after I have told the local pizza place what it is.
Take care all and keep going with the news from your corners of the world!
Love
H
Xx
PS_ we drank green beer in our local bar on Paddy’s Day and had to make do with two half irish people as there were no real ones in town. Was weird!
Dare I say it? Not sure. Well, I will take the risk. Things seems to be going OK this week. Phew, it is good to get it out in the open. I have been so afraid to say anything good for the last few weeks for fear of jinxing the situation. And I appreciate all the guarded congratulations from you guys too.
Let me fill you in on the details- last week I did my last two days at the school that I have been working at for the last year. The bitch owner found out that I had also done a couple of classes for my new school. So she promptly and totally unfairly decided that she would keep my last two weeks wages- you know, just for fun. I was also told that if I walked out there and then I would get NOTHING! As you can imagine, there was quite a cloud over my last two days at the place. The cherry on the icing on the top of the cake was Miss Kim’s ‘thank you for working so hard for the last year, pop back often to see us’ speech which delayed my journey to the bar. At least that is what I was told she said- Min translated so, really, she could have been saying anything. I was just pleased to be out of the school and on my way to the bar- I did have a brief look around the bitch’s office for my ‘missing’ degree certificate but failed to see it anywhere. I am sure that she will have it framed along with the one million won she ‘stole’ from me to gloat over in the future. I know that I paint her as a vindictive old cow, who is past marriageable age in this country therefore destined to live with her parents forever and bitter at the world in general. I only portray her this way as these are the words that most accurately describe the money grabbing ?@&%!!
But for all that I was now a free woman and working for another boss I was still living in the apartment provided by the old school. It took my new boss a few days to find a new place- we had already moved everything out of my apartment in anticipation of the bitch telling me to move the moment I had erased the last of the chalk from the blackboard in my final class- but I finally moved into the new place on Sunday. After a large sized night out with my mate, Margo, who had popped over from Cheonan for the weekend. The new place is grand and bigger than I thought it would be. The only drawbacks are the single bed (sleeping in the single always makes me feel like a kid) and the loss of all the good cable channels on my TV. But I got hooked up to the internet at home today so things are looking up. And my favourite thing about the new place has to be the décor. The walls are covered in very tasteful wallpaper with a very discreet gold pattern repeated throughout the apartment. On closer inspection the gold motif turns out to be the English alphabet and the best bit… wait for it… is that is all UPSIDE DOWN! Every last letter! On every wall, in both rooms! Fantastic! Wonderful! Something new to laugh at every day.
The new school seems fine. I am teaching mainly adults so getting a different perspective on life in Korea, plus the fact that taking me out for lunch and paying for it is the highlight of my students’ week! Nice! Also, my new boss owns and works in the newest bar in town to attract a foreign crowd. And he doesn’t seem to mind me drinking on a school night. In fact, it is encouraged as so many of out students also drink there and appreciate the chance to practise slurring in a foreign language. I have been playing it cool this week though as I am still finding my feet in the school. There is a lot more effort to be put into teaching adults, in my opinion, as they are less satisfied with being fobbed off with a word search or a game of Go Fish than the kids were J . That said, we played Pictionary and Scrabble this week so it isn’t all work, work, work!
I went and saw my mates’ baby the other week and so am attaching a photo of me looking petrified while holding the little fella. Why parents insist on throwing their most precious thing in the whole wide world into the reluctant arms of a hapless singleton is beyond me! That said, I am secretly always happy when it happens. And little Tommy is very cute indeed. After spending just over five hours on the bus it was a relief to get off it and see the wee fella and his parents for a while. But four short hours later I was back on the bus and on my way to Seoul. I reached Seoul just before midnight and hit the university district with my mates with some gusto. We had a quieter day the next day, we went to the COEX mall and Seoul aquarium- I was disappointed by the lack of sea monkeys in the gift shop, but you can’t have everything, I guess.
So there you go. The last few weeks have been a bit of a blur all in all. But mostly in a good way. I am now living downtown (a mere seven minute walk from my favourite bar, not that I timed it, oh yes, I did time it actually!). Last night I was able to walk home from the bar and stop long enough to win a teddy bear from a crane machine and all that in less than twenty minutes- nice!
And I think that is all my news. I will let you know my new address once I know it- and shortly after I have told the local pizza place what it is.
Take care all and keep going with the news from your corners of the world!
Love
H
Xx
PS_ we drank green beer in our local bar on Paddy’s Day and had to make do with two half irish people as there were no real ones in town. Was weird!
posted by Helen @ 10:56 AM
