Korean Job Discussion Forums

jajdude · Joined: 18 Jan 2003

Been here a good few years. Want to finish out my current deal despite sanity and health concerns. Also want the money to put a few in the bank, and unsure of the next gig anyway. Anyway guess the past week or 2 have felt pretty hard, and I've been doing a lot of, "Damn, I really need to get out of this place" kind of thinking (wound up in Yongin). It has been suffocating lately. Just the day in-day out grind of All Korea All the Time All you can eat for 2million won and kids who cannot understand you etc.... got a vacation coming up in August.... a week anyway.... provided the looney bin doesn't get me first....

humanuspneumos · Joined: 08 Jun 2003

Well- 8 months can look like a terribly long time if you're already tired. I won't say stay or go- but perhaps it's time to mix things up a bit in your life:

* mix-up your lessons (do something out of the ordinary)

* mix-up routine things you normally would do before and after work

* mix-up your friendships (call, email, get together with friends you haven't seen or heard from for a long time)

* mix-up your health issue (try getting some health products sent to you that'll target the issue- but not aggrevate it). This can be fun and healthy.

* mix-up your apartment (have pets? perhaps get different ones)

* mix-up your clothes (been wearing the same ones forever?)

* mix-up your dreams (dream dreams outside of a box you have never gone before)

* mix-up your philosophical comfort zones (been coasting with your belief system about life/the universe/you unchallenged?- read some stuff that differs from your current views or chat with friends about it all)

I don't know whether you should go or stay. However, if you want to stay mixing things up a bit can get you over a hump (that is if the school isn't habitually abusing you).

Toby · Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Location: Wedded Bliss

Just think of the summer - the long hot days, the all day drinking with friends. The walking slowly through streets in Seoul enjoying the buzz. That is what makes it worth while.

The school is an insignificance in your life really. It is a means to an end. Concentrate on life out of the school. Life is good without tyring to hard.

sistersarah · Joined: 03 Jan 2004 Location: hiding out

jajdude...i understand you completely. the last couple of weeks have been hard for me too.....maybe it's the time of year?? i don't think so....i'm looking for reasons.....
especially at school i find my patience becoming shorter and shorter.....and i'm running low on motivation for making things new and interesting in the classroom....i guess you can say i'm really losing interest, fast. i'm hoping it's just a short phase and i'll get back to my good ole self soon, because this sucks! i've been here a couple years as well and i've never really dreaded going to school...but these days.....things have been "trying". i guess i'll try some of human's advice....

Tiger Beer · Joined: 07 Feb 2003

It probably has a lot to do with already getting to know everything you need over the last 4 months. You probably got your routine down.. figured out the area.. and now its feeling like you just gotta ride out the next 8 months of the same-same.

If it means anything.. I'm on month 11 1/4.. and if I had anything less, I'd be going absolutely mad right now. The only thing that helped me through was that every week the time gets less and less.

jajdude · Joined: 18 Jan 2003

Ah Tiger, what is next for you? Spain perhaps? I believe you mentioned before? Sounds good. How will that be now after the MAdrid thing?

And human, you offer some good points... whenever things get freaky a change may be in order. It's easy to slip into ruts.

On the plus side, as Homer Simspon would say to the question,

"Have you gained weight?...............................

"Well, I have been eating more!"

Tiger Beer · Joined: 07 Feb 2003

rapier · Joined: 16 Feb 2003

kangnam mafioso · Joined: 27 Jan 2003 Location: Teheranno

don't do it. get out of there while you still can.

Mr. Pink · Joined: 21 Oct 2003 Location: China

I know how ya feel, i was there my 2nd year in.

Things I did to survive:

I went out more often.
I got more involved in some of my hobbies like photography
I met up with people more.

At work I just didn't care what the bosses thought and I did my own thing. Worked out pretty well. I did the lessons how I wanted to. I had some crap crap classes that I rode out till my last month, but I also kept telling myself...it wasn't as bad as prison.

jajdude · Joined: 18 Jan 2003

Mr. Pink,

Where are you now?

humanuspneumos · Joined: 08 Jun 2003

So much of it sounds like sun-deprivation (SAD) due to the season. Also- going from one room to another (school-apartment-hof-school-apartment-hof) can't be helping. Nobody said that's what you're doing- but hey- it's Korea. I know that's what the majority do.

Anyway- when I analyzed my experiences with children/students in my home-country and compared the hogwan factory situation- it all boiled down to variety (Sometimes you must get away from strictly ESL in its normal mode- "It's blue. It's red. It's pink." or "It's on the table. It's under the table. It's beside the table."----Yeeee-awwwwwn).

That's when I break out the wrecking ball (I never mentioned the wrecking-ball in a previous post) and I don't spell it out for the directors either- I just announce- I've scheduled this class to go to the park for an ESL activity (actually- they just ate and played soccer). I've scheduled this class to come eat with me (noodles- cheep) and it got me out. I've scheduled this class to come to the movie-room (bideo-bang). I've scheduled this class to come to the singing room (noray-bang). And I've scheduled this class to come to the Tea Room to chit-chat over coffee. Really- how refreshing- getting out of the bl____dy classroom to do something half-normal for the kids and adults. To do something wholistic. To do something that invites the winds of relationship in.

A buddy and I got sooooooooooo tired of the same-old-routine once that we gave a weekend to hook-up the Playstation to the large-screen projector and held game competitions on a Saturday. It was fun and felt normal.

sistersarah · Joined: 03 Jan 2004 Location: hiding out

this was originally jajdude's post, but i've been happy to read the replies. i think human is right....it's too much monotony and routine....must shake things up a bit....going to get a new haircut this morning...buying a bike this week and gonna go on a trip out of town this weekend. life's too short to be sacrificing sanity for saving money!
peace

-sister