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thebektionary
Joined: 11 May 2011
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 Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2012 2:26 pm Post subject: Starting to get fed up |
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I am starting to get fed up. I just want a job. I'm tired of not having money and living with my parents.
I got a job with GEPIK but my CBC is still being processed. I sent it 5 weeks ago and they still don't have it in the system.
My congresswoman helped me and I got a call from this woman at the FBI saying that she would do it for me as soon as she received a new one with a tracking number (the old one didn't have a tracking number so there was no way for her to find it). I got really excited and sent a new application express mail to her office, which is just the normal 1000 Custer Hollow Road address but with an ATTN: on it. It was received by the main office on Friday and she said she'd call me when she received it. I know it's only been three business days so I'm not that worried, but I am just thinking about all the time, frustration, and money I've spent over this.
Korea isn't even that great. I had fun there for the few months that I had a decent hagwon, but I was miserable most of the time I was there when I had a hell hagwon. The work isn't even that good. Is it even worth all of this?
I am seriously thinking about China. I am most passionate about Japan but the jobs aren't good and I need to save money for graduate school and starting my life in New York. I want to go into East Asian International Relations and learning Mandarin would really help me in my career. Learning Korean wouldn't have as many benefits. I've never really been too interested in China but I'm always learning new things about myself and I could end up loving it - after all, it's something I don't know much about. And I'm sure that it's far more interesting than Korea.
Thoughts? |
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pikadoopoo
Joined: 19 May 2011
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| Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2012 2:40 pm Post subject: |
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Sometimes I just wanted to give up too. I was wait-listed for EPIK Fall 2011 because of a late CBC, and was later rejected for Spring 2012 for unknown reasons. I spent 7 months worrying about everything and I felt like complete crap when I found out I wasted all this time and effort just to get rejected in the end. Found myself a hagwon job though, so mehh.
When does your school need your CBC by? I think you could afford to wait it out a little bit. |
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thebektionary
Joined: 11 May 2011
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| Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2012 2:49 pm Post subject: |
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| pikadoopoo wrote: |
Sometimes I just wanted to give up too. I was wait-listed for EPIK Fall 2011 because of a late CBC, and was later rejected for Spring 2012 for unknown reasons. I spent 7 months worrying about everything and I felt like complete crap when I found out I wasted all this time and effort just to get rejected in the end. Found myself a hagwon job though, so mehh.
When does your school need your CBC by? I think you could afford to wait it out a little bit. |
They haven't said anything about it yet. I'm not jumping to any conclusions and China would be a HUGE step for me (I'm already familiar with Korea and its culture and language and I have friends there... I've had enough new adventures for the past few years and I really don't want to jump into another brand new one). I'll wait it out but if I don't get it in time to start this job I am going to be really pissed. I got a middle school job in Bucheon and if the only thing stopping me is waiting on my 100% CLEAN FOR SURE background check... ugh.
I'm just worried because they said the one I sent 5 weeks ago isn't even in the system, yet somehow the one I sent last Friday is? Do you know what the deal with this is? If the one I sent 5 weeks ago was received by them and not lost in the mail, I should get it in time to send it to immigration. Does anyone have an explanation for that? |
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Draz
Joined: 27 Jun 2007
Location: Land of Morning Clam
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| Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2012 2:52 pm Post subject: |
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If you mostly care about money, Korea is still king. Working conditions are not better in China. More interesting maybe, but that also means less regulated and less safe.
If you really want to learn Mandarin and it's not just an idle thought, you can easily do that in Korea while you save. Loads of Chinese people here and I'm sure many of them are up for some private lessons or interested in finding "foreign" (English-speaking) friends. |
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thebektionary
Joined: 11 May 2011
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| Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2012 2:54 pm Post subject: |
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| Draz wrote: |
If you mostly care about money, Korea is still king. Working conditions are not better in China. More interesting maybe, but that also means less regulated and less safe.
If you really want to learn Mandarin and it's not just an idle thought, you can easily do that in Korea while you save. Loads of Chinese people here and I'm sure many of them are up for some private lessons or interested in finding "foreign" (English-speaking) friends. |
It was more of an idle thought. I'd rather learn Japanese. |
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thebektionary
Joined: 11 May 2011
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| Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2012 3:04 pm Post subject: |
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OMG!!! GOOD NEWS!!! I JUST CALLED THE FBI AND THEY SAID THEY MAILED IT OUT TODAY!!!!!
OMG.
!!!!!! |
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Draz
Joined: 27 Jun 2007
Location: Land of Morning Clam
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| Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2012 3:09 pm Post subject: |
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| You can learn Japanese in Korea. I know people (English speakers) who've taken Japanese classes at YBM. |
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koreatimes
Joined: 07 Jun 2011
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| Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2012 3:18 pm Post subject: |
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| Working conditions are not better in China. |
That's not true. China is a huge country compared to Korea. I lived in 4 places in Korea and they all seemed pretty much the same with a different shade of environment at each place. In China, I have lived in Shanghai, Beijing, and in the northeastern part. Completely different areas and they are run differently too. Schools have different procedures, different attitudes, and the other foreigners living in each of the cities are different.
As for working conditions that you mentioned, there are more offers on the table and you have to learn to avoid the bad offers or else you will get swamped with them. You also have to be more direct, recruiters in China won't tell you the documents you need like Korean recruiters do.
When you are more abrasive towards the Chinese, the more they "behave". For example, when I went in to inspect my apartment the first time, the shower faucet wasn't shooting water out like it should for taking a shower. Instead it was like a regular hose. The school couldn't understand what I was complaining about and they understood English. So, I simply covered it with my thumb and water shot out further. Then it clicked. They were soaked, but they understood what I was getting at  |
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pikadoopoo
Joined: 19 May 2011
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| Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2012 3:29 pm Post subject: |
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| thebektionary wrote: |
OMG!!! GOOD NEWS!!! I JUST CALLED THE FBI AND THEY SAID THEY MAILED IT OUT TODAY!!!!!
OMG.
!!!!!! |
Haha. Congrats! |
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thebektionary
Joined: 11 May 2011
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| Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2012 3:52 pm Post subject: |
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| Draz wrote: |
| You can learn Japanese in Korea. I know people (English speakers) who've taken Japanese classes at YBM. |
That is true. But if I'm in Korea, I want to learn Korean so I can communicate with people. I already study Korean every day. It's not very useful outside of Korea, but eh.
Maybe I will start learning Japanese while I'm there too ^_^ I love Japan so much! (I know, I know... me and everyone else and their mom. But that's because it is awesome.) |
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thebektionary
Joined: 11 May 2011
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| Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2012 3:53 pm Post subject: |
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| pikadoopoo wrote: |
| thebektionary wrote: |
OMG!!! GOOD NEWS!!! I JUST CALLED THE FBI AND THEY SAID THEY MAILED IT OUT TODAY!!!!!
OMG.
!!!!!! |
Haha. Congrats! |
Good luck to everyone else who has to go through this!!! Contact your congresspeople!! |
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CentralCali
Joined: 17 May 2007
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| Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2012 3:54 pm Post subject: |
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Now that the FBI has mailed the thing to you, you get to wait another five weeks plus for the State Department to process it. The five weeks is to wait for the irradiation process, which was put in place to protect the workers there from Anthrax sent through the mail (at least, according to the State Department).
Or you can send it to a service who will walk it to the State Departmenbt and pick it up there. The weeks-long waiting time does not apply to walk-ins. Edvidently, the State Department and Feebs have never heard of suicide attackers. |
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thebektionary
Joined: 11 May 2011
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| Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2012 4:10 pm Post subject: |
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| CentralCali wrote: |
Now that the FBI has mailed the thing to you, you get to wait another five weeks plus for the State Department to process it. The five weeks is to wait for the irradiation process, which was put in place to protect the workers there from Anthrax sent through the mail (at least, according to the State Department).
Or you can send it to a service who will walk it to the State Departmenbt and pick it up there. The weeks-long waiting time does not apply to walk-ins. Edvidently, the State Department and Feebs have never heard of suicide attackers. |
I will either be sending it to www.usauthentication.com or walking it in myself (I have a lot of friends I want to visit in D.C.). |
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isitts
Joined: 25 Dec 2008
Location: Korea
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| Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2012 9:30 pm Post subject: |
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| thebektionary wrote: |
I will either be sending it to www.usauthentication.com or walking it in myself (I have a lot of friends I want to visit in D.C.). |
That's the way to go.
In spite of my cynical remark on your other thread, I am glad it worked out for you. That was quick. I'll try giving my congressman a call next time if I'm in a pinch.
Thanks, thebecktionary. |
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thebektionary
Joined: 11 May 2011
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| Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2012 11:36 pm Post subject: |
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| isitts wrote: |
| thebektionary wrote: |
I will either be sending it to www.usauthentication.com or walking it in myself (I have a lot of friends I want to visit in D.C.). |
That's the way to go.
In spite of my cynical remark on your other thread, I am glad it worked out for you. That was quick. I'll try giving my congressman a call next time if I'm in a pinch.
Thanks, thebecktionary. |
It's fine. I just don't consider it "cutting in line". I am only trying to move on with my life so I can get out of my parents' house. We are all just trying to get jobs so we don't have to worry about our funds when we buy a $5 footlong. I don't see it as a competition. We're in it together and I just want to help other people out. If I did it, other people can too. It's terrible that any of us have to go through this. |
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