Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Dan The Chainsawman]

I never felt more alone today when I was sitting in my boss's office haggling over a letter of release that is still not forth coming. One of the side affects of this aloneness is no matter how hard I tried to act cheerful later I just could not bring myself to do it. I went out to a club with a friend and basically I pretended to be exhausted so she would not know I was just really upset.

I realize that later hearing that I might not get a job because of my hearing aids, and most likely I am losing my job because of my hearing aids has left me pretty beat down spiritually. Worst suddenly I have been hit with home sickness unlike anything I have experienced so far to date. Having spent 2 years of my high school in a boarding school I have been away from home for quite the time. Yet tonight the home sickness was so acute I nearly felt like crying in a bar.

I realize that I miss so many things.

I miss going hunting.

I miss the whiff of cordite from a day on the rifle range sending round after round of high velocity lead down range.

I miss watching the sun come up next to a good trout stream with a line in the water.

I miss watching the seasons change in Alabama where the entire forest changes color in a manner of minutes.

I miss sittin around with the boys drinking cheap beer and mumbling threats about preparing for the up coming highland games.

I miss participating in the local highland games.

I miss my kilt.

I miss my dawg nellie a sweet heart of a little beagle miz.

I miss my rifle that I spent countless hours on fine tuning and fine tuning some more.

I miss being able to tour cival war battle fields.

I miss Jazz clubs where I could sit and listen to the techno geeks from the Marshall Space Center jam their little geek hearts out to some of the best live music I think I have ever heard.

I miss going to rodeos.

I miss my yearly trip to the Chattanooga Aquarium where I would pay homage to my home boy leroy the gator.

I miss going to an art gallery and not being trampled by 200 korean assistants of god knows what yammering away at me in a language I have grown to despise due to its nasal whiney qualities that drive me insane half the time.

I miss going to the month poetry reading and sharing my latest contribution to poetic piffle.

I miss my truck.

I miss my freedom of choice without excessive drama.

I miss my sister.

I miss my grandmas (both of the deranged old biddies) with all of my heart and for some strange reason can't bring myself to call them on the telephone.

I miss the long summer days wasted in my grandma's pool.

I miss so so many things.

[SuperFly]

Hang in there man. It's gonna be a brighter day tomorrow.

[happeningthang]

You miss your GUNS!!???

[Son Deureo!]

Hearing aid or not, there's always another job for a native English speaker with a college degree in this country. Stay strong. When all this is over, take a nice long vacation.

You've earned it.

[SPINOZA]

[Qinella]

[Apple Scruff]

Americans are weird.

[matthews_world]

America's going downhill fast. Murderers, morons and meth on the streets. New Orleans is still in ruins. Single mothers barely getting buy. Jobs going overseas. Poor education in our schools.

Korea is pretty much a stable place as far as the ESL industry in concerned.

[Dev]

[RACETRAITOR]

You're in Korea, the country with the world's most heavily guarded border, and you miss Civil War battlefields?

[merlot]

[Corporal]

Aw Dan...I miss some of the things on your list too. Hope you feel better.

[Xerxes]

You should get into teaching test prep rather than English conversation, if you can put up with the personal prep time.

It really doesn't matter whether you have a hearing aid, or whatever else you got, as long as you can cut the mustard. The kids are very demanding and the parents are worse, but the money is quite good. The parents and kids have a right to expect the best for the money they are shelling out, I guess.

It actually sounds like you are quite articulate. You should apply around. Try to get into the interview and show off your stuff. Someone will bite, and that someone will hire you into a good position. Not all hakwons are the same and not all hakwons are owned and run by ghouls.

I have to admit that I felt like you did often, but I figure that I would have had something piss me off in the States too (though I wouldn't have blamed it on the language or the country collectively since it wouldn't be homesickness then).

I enjoy what I teach and like teaching. I have a great family started here with a great daughter that washes away all of my petty worries and gripes when I look into her face and she gives me a goofy smile and asks me an old-soul question or offers some bizarre but true answer. My woman is great and I am lucky to have found a soul-mate that will see us through hell and back.

I really did hate my life at some points, but remember that it will get better. It will get worse too, for that matter, though. Both of those eventualities, I can guarantee.

I found something I value in my family and my rewarding job, but if I had to choose, it would be my family of my own. There is no boogie man I won't wrestle, no heights I cannot crawl to, no little thing I will not do for my wife and daughter.

When you said that you miss your sister, I think you miss having your family around. I say, make your own! Procreate!

[jinju]

[SPINOZA]

I like your posts a lot, Jinju, but that was bang out of order.