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Korean Job Discussion Forums "The Internet's Meeting Place for ESL/EFL Teachers from Around the World!"
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Jarome_Turner

Joined: 10 Sep 2004
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Posted: Mon Jan 19, 2009 6:49 am Post subject: |
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My fiance and I have been living in Fort McMurray for the past 8 months. She's done a lot better than I thought she would. The hardest thing for her to get used to was the weather. -50 with the wind was an interesting concept for someone who hadn't left Korea up until a year ago. That being said, she was amazed that it didn't get dark until close to midnight during the summer and was light again by 3am, and is equally amazed now that we're only getting 5-6 hours of sunlight a day.
She also has a hard time dealing with the public transport (or lack thereof). She doesn't drive and only works part-time, so when I'm working she sometimes has too much time to sit at home and do nothing...
We try and keep busy on the weekends (which is hard during these cold months). She really loved travelling down to Calgary, Banff, etc... |
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Lao Wai

Joined: 01 Aug 2005 Location: East Coast Canada
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Posted: Mon Jan 19, 2009 4:23 pm Post subject: |
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| Jarome_Turner wrote: |
My fiance and I have been living in Fort McMurray for the past 8 months. She's done a lot better than I thought she would. The hardest thing for her to get used to was the weather. -50 with the wind was an interesting concept for someone who hadn't left Korea up until a year ago. That being said, she was amazed that it didn't get dark until close to midnight during the summer and was light again by 3am, and is equally amazed now that we're only getting 5-6 hours of sunlight a day.
She also has a hard time dealing with the public transport (or lack thereof). She doesn't drive and only works part-time, so when I'm working she sometimes has too much time to sit at home and do nothing...
We try and keep busy on the weekends (which is hard during these cold months). She really loved travelling down to Calgary, Banff, etc... |
Your wife is a better person than I. I definitely don't think I could handle living there. Though, my brother works/lives there and is raking it in, so I suppose that helps. |
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samcheokguy

Joined: 02 Nov 2008 Location: Samcheok G-do
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Posted: Mon Jan 19, 2009 6:46 pm Post subject: |
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| Is that where the oil sands are? |
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PRagic

Joined: 24 Feb 2006
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Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2009 4:16 am Post subject: |
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My wife was bored out of her skull, but we were only back for a couple of years while I knocked out some course work. If, and that's a big 'if', we ever move back to the US, California and New York State are both totally out of consideration; high cost of living and/or brutal taxes, small relative properties for the money, and higher crime rates. Who needs it?
I'm with her in that we will seek warmth and proximity to an ocean. We'll pay cash for everything on the way in, including the house and cars, and then coast off of whatever I can pull in from a university position in the location. No hurry. |
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asylum seeker
Joined: 22 Jul 2007 Location: On your computer screen.
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Posted: Wed Jan 21, 2009 8:20 am Post subject: |
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| Any New Zealanders tried this? I'd be curious to hear from you. I don't think Auckland would be too bad because there's a fair size Korean community there. |
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Jarome_Turner

Joined: 10 Sep 2004
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Posted: Wed Jan 21, 2009 9:32 am Post subject: |
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| Lao Wai wrote: |
| Jarome_Turner wrote: |
My fiance and I have been living in Fort McMurray for the past 8 months. She's done a lot better than I thought she would. The hardest thing for her to get used to was the weather. -50 with the wind was an interesting concept for someone who hadn't left Korea up until a year ago. That being said, she was amazed that it didn't get dark until close to midnight during the summer and was light again by 3am, and is equally amazed now that we're only getting 5-6 hours of sunlight a day.
She also has a hard time dealing with the public transport (or lack thereof). She doesn't drive and only works part-time, so when I'm working she sometimes has too much time to sit at home and do nothing...
We try and keep busy on the weekends (which is hard during these cold months). She really loved travelling down to Calgary, Banff, etc... |
Your wife is a better person than I. I definitely don't think I could handle living there. Though, my brother works/lives there and is raking it in, so I suppose that helps. |
Yah, it's tough. I don't think we would have ever ventured this way had it not been for my entire family living here. We weighed our options during my 4th year teaching in Korea and decided this was what was best for us. I'm not working the normal hard labour, 15 hour days that most guys my age are up here. I've opted for the job that's giving me experience with my degree (business). We're far from rich, but I'll bring in almost $110K this year working 8-4, Monday to Friday. My fiance is working part time, making $15/hour as a receptionist at a local health center. Her English is improving rapidly, and she's having fun meeting new people and experiencing a work culture that doesn't contain all the BS she was used to in Korea. Our ultimate goal is to return to Korea in a few years and for me to be able to work in something other than teaching, and her to be fluent in English from a business perspective.
To the other poster - yes, this is where the oil sands are located. |
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