For the past few weeks I've been battling issues that I've had with the hagwon I've been employed with (It's been a hindrance as far as updating my blog).After my employer had refused to resolve the issues, I decided to quit. I filed a petition against the school and set up an appointment for them to meet with the Ministry of Labor. Since they received the call for mandatory attendance with the labor board, they've been very cooperative.
I had my visa canceled and I'm making arrangements to go to Japan and get a new one. I have a new job lined up teaching at an all-girls highschool. This will be slightly different than teaching kindie, elementary, and middleschool. I actually miss the kids, which is weird, I've never been great with kids. I'm actually looking forward to the highschool though. Public schools are a little more serious as far as academics go. I'm hoping it'll force me to be a better teacher.
Next week is going to be busy. I'm expecting to be traveling all over the place. I can't wait to get settled in! I actually have an apartment waiting for me too! I got screwed out of an apartment for a while with the hagwon I was with, so it's a relief to know that things are being taken care of in advance.
This evening my aunt, uncle, and cousin Te Hun put together a nice dinner for me. They wanted to celebrate my "stress and fighting" and the beginning of a new teaching position. After gluttoning ourselves, we decided to go for a walk together. I begged my uncle if we could take his dog, "Max-eu", for a walk (he's kind of an English pointer breed... so he's a larger dog, not very common in this area). I feel bad for Max because he spends most of his time in a cage on the roof of my uncles apartment building. My uncle hasn't had much time to take him out lately and most Koreans are deathly afraid of large dogs. Regardless, I convinced my uncle to take Max out. We went to the park and Max was definitely the star. People were either freaking out because they thought he was a monster... or they were "ooing" and "awwing" because he's an incredibly obedient and really nice monster. I'm pretty sure we were an odd sight at the park. A Korean family walking around with a giant hunting dog and a miniature poodle (Louis)... and we were all speaking broken English/ broken Korean to each other.
It was a good time though :)
Lately, I've been getting to know my cousin Te Hun better. He's been off work since he got knifed by a drunk a few days ago. I feel bad for his wounds... but glad he has the time off! He works 7 days a week from the morning to late night... he's kind of a cop. He told me today that his nickname is "Ilksan Batman". He said that driving around in a patrol car gets boring sometimes so he sings ballads into his car intercom. I've met a few of his long time friends (I always forget their names! It's so hard to remember hangul names). They're all pretty free-spirited compared to most Koreans I've met. They're always up for anything. I feel like my communication skills are improving so much when I hang around them. They are so driven and interested to learn English so they help me a lot with Hangul. Te Hun lives just 10 or 20 minutes from where my new school will be so I now have someone to study with. He is quickly becoming my best friend here (he is family after all!).
My aunt, uncle, and Te Hun are going to help me settle into my new city. I'm excited to see what's ahead! I also feel so blessed to have the support from family and friends here in Korea and back home. It's truly an amazing feeling.
Working at a new school means starting over. New contract (the year hasnt begun yet!), new city, new work, new home, etc.
Until then, I'm enjoying my time in Jeollanam with my family and my new friends. I already miss all the wonderful people I've met and I haven't even left yet!
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