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Zulethe
Joined: 04 Jul 2008
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 Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2009 5:19 pm Post subject: I shouldn't be bothered, but I am. |
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Ok, I'm under no illusion whatsoever about my status here in Korea. It's been talked about ad nauseum so no need to go there.
I know that I'm not considered part of anything here. I'm just some waygook that the school is forced to put up with.
So there was picture day. Everyone was invited to the school picture except me.
The maid, janitor, everyone....not me.
Kind of stupid, I know but I somehow had this mental facade going in my head that I was actually a part of this school.
It was kind of a stake in the heart for me. Kind of like the school saying to me: You mean absolutely nothing to us. |
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Karea
Joined: 07 Jul 2009
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| Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2009 5:22 pm Post subject: |
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I'm getting depressed already, and I haven't even accepted a job in Korea yet.  |
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Elvis Gratton
Joined: 12 Jul 2009
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| Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2009 5:23 pm Post subject: |
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| R U fat, ugly, poorly groomed or scary looking? |
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Karea
Joined: 07 Jul 2009
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| Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2009 5:24 pm Post subject: |
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| Elvis Gratton wrote: |
| R U fat, ugly, poorly groomed or scary looking? |
No excuse.
Photoshop. |
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Elvis Gratton
Joined: 12 Jul 2009
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| Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2009 5:30 pm Post subject: |
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| Karea wrote: |
| Elvis Gratton wrote: |
| R U fat, ugly, poorly groomed or scary looking? |
No excuse.
Photoshop. |
Yeah, you're right ... no excuse. They don't like you. Sorry. |
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Zulethe
Joined: 04 Jul 2008
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| Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2009 5:56 pm Post subject: |
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| Elvis Gratton wrote: |
| Karea wrote: |
| Elvis Gratton wrote: |
| R U fat, ugly, poorly groomed or scary looking? |
No excuse.
Photoshop. |
Yeah, you're right ... no excuse. They don't like you. Sorry. |
No, quite handsome. I like to live in my own imaginary world even though I know the truth.
The truth is is that they didn't want some waygook ruining the schools history and reputation |
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Theo
Joined: 04 Jul 2009
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| Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2009 6:01 pm Post subject: |
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The OP is a sterling example of what I found so fundamentally different between China and Korea. I lived and worked in China for five years, and there were numerous problems, frustrations, etc. FTs are something ESL employers have to bear, but aside from that, Chinese are very hospitable, and love to include FTs in these types of photos. In fact, my photo was constantly being taken -- and I am NOT handsome -- although my students said otherwise (many Chinese have a habit of not telling the truth).
If I had a grievance with my workplace, terms, expactations, etc., my Chinese employers were always willing to meet with me -- although most of them spoke no English.
Not true in Korea, where my employer would have no direct communication with any of their foreign staff.
Despite the many perils and terrors of China, in many ways, I miss it very much (especially in hindsight AFTER my time in Korea).
I miss nothing about Korea, and I'm quite happy to be as far away from that country as possible. |
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Rusty Shackleford
Joined: 08 May 2008
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| Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2009 6:51 pm Post subject: |
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| Karea wrote: |
| Elvis Gratton wrote: |
| R U fat, ugly, poorly groomed or scary looking? |
No excuse.
Photoshop. |
Haha, the photo of me in the school year book looks amazing. I'm a fair to average looking guy, but the photo shopped photo of me in the yearbook looks amazing! I'm talking Adonis/Greek God.
You, maybe, should have a talk to your co-teach about it. Tell her that you had your feelings hurt and really lay it on thick. |
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Zulethe
Joined: 04 Jul 2008
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| Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2009 6:51 pm Post subject: |
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| Theo wrote: |
The OP is a sterling example of what I found so fundamentally different between China and Korea. I lived and worked in China for five years, and there were numerous problems, frustrations, etc. FTs are something ESL employers have to bear, but aside from that, Chinese are very hospitable, and love to include FTs in these types of photos. In fact, my photo was constantly being taken -- and I am NOT handsome -- although my students said otherwise (many Chinese have a habit of not telling the truth).
If I had a grievance with my workplace, terms, expactations, etc., my Chinese employers were always willing to meet with me -- although most of them spoke no English.
Not true in Korea, where my employer would have no direct communication with any of their foreign staff.
Despite the many perils and terrors of China, in many ways, I miss it very much (especially in hindsight AFTER my time in Korea).
I miss nothing about Korea, and I'm quite happy to be as far away from that country as possible. |
That's really awesome to hear that about China. I've just spent so much time learning Korean that I feel it would be so difficult to have to go and start all over again.
I could definitely handle "worse" conditions knowing that I'm actually accepted as part of the group.
I think that's the one of the biggest walls that people hit here in Korea no matter how long they stay. They come to realize just how ostracized they are from the mainstream. And if they don't think so they either have a mental problem or are taking some really good drugs. |
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Young FRANKenstein
Joined: 02 Oct 2006
Location: Castle Frankenstein (that's FRONKensteen)
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| Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2009 6:54 pm Post subject: Re: I shouldn't be bothered, but I am. |
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| Zulethe wrote: |
| The maid, janitor, everyone....not me. |
Not my situation.
I got my photo taken with the graduating seniors (not even my students), with the other profs in the department, and with both my classes of juniors, plus a regular head shot of just myself for the yearbook. The other waeg was the same. Student photos were one day, prof photos were the next. |
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greasypeanut
Joined: 28 Apr 2009
Location: songtan
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| Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2009 6:57 pm Post subject: |
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i say your lucky! lol. i always get invited to all the school activites and such, its annoying cuz i dont have a backbone to say no 
but seriously, that sucks man :-\ |
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asmith
Joined: 18 Jun 2009
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| Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2009 7:01 pm Post subject: Re: I shouldn't be bothered, but I am. |
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| Zulethe wrote: |
Ok, I'm under no illusion whatsoever about my status here in Korea. It's been talked about ad nauseum so no need to go there.
I know that I'm not considered part of anything here. I'm just some waygook that the school is forced to put up with.
So there was picture day. Everyone was invited to the school picture except me.
The maid, janitor, everyone....not me.
Kind of stupid, I know but I somehow had this mental facade going in my head that I was actually a part of this school.
It was kind of a stake in the heart for me. Kind of like the school saying to me: You mean absolutely nothing to us. |
My situation is the opposite.
To be honest with you, you're more fortunate than me.
Sometimes it's better when they just leave you alone. |
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Zulethe
Joined: 04 Jul 2008
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| Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2009 7:04 pm Post subject: Re: I shouldn't be bothered, but I am. |
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| Young FRANKenstein wrote: |
| Zulethe wrote: |
| The maid, janitor, everyone....not me. |
Not my situation.
I got my photo taken with the graduating seniors (not even my students), with the other profs in the department, and with both my classes of juniors, plus a regular head shot of just myself for the yearbook. The other waeg was the same. Student photos were one day, prof photos were the next. |
Well, you're at a university so protocol probably dictated that as well. Also, there's probably a long history of waygooks working there so that your trail had been blazed for you.
I'm the second native teacher at my school. They have photos of every school year going back to the 1920's. I think it's so cool that they have kept the history as such. You can even see the Japanese overlords so clearly in the pictures.
That's why it is important to me. I'm the second teacher here and I've literally put the program together from scratch. My predecessor was a gamer so the kids learned absolutely nothing from him. |
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VFRinterceptor
Joined: 22 Jun 2009
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| Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2009 7:06 pm Post subject: |
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They might be firing you soon and don't want your replacement looking at the photo and asking "hey, where's this guy?"...lol  |
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Young FRANKenstein
Joined: 02 Oct 2006
Location: Castle Frankenstein (that's FRONKensteen)
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| Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2009 7:12 pm Post subject: Re: I shouldn't be bothered, but I am. |
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| Zulethe wrote: |
| Well, you're at a university so protocol probably dictated that as well. Also, there's probably a long history of waygooks working there so that your trail had been blazed for you. |
Nope. We're the first waegs in our department. The other teachers on campus are not associated with any department at all and are largely ignored by everyone. |
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