Moving on

Many things have changed since the last time that I have updated. The main delay in my updating was because I was changing jobs. I did not want to write about any of the changes until they were already completed. I had started work with the private English academy and I feel that I did my best and was responsible during my time there. However, due to differences in personalities I just felt that I was not a good fit at that institution. I gave my thirty days notice and finished working there in mid-March. I am now working at Gungnam Girls’ Private High School. The classes are bigger and the student’s English is not as high level as the private academy but overall I am happier where I am at now.

Suncheon overall is pretty great for a city of its size. I am always surprised at some of the new things that I find in this city. There is a plethora of cafes some featuring gelato and waffles. One excellent find was a microbrewery that features various wheat beers. Overall I’ve been pretty disappointed with the Korean beers available. Most taste just like budweiser and the only ones that stand out are a brand called Stout Black Beer. Though its only passable as a stout. However, the beer at Song’s Beer here is amazing for Korea. It would be really great if it were bottled. The coffee shops are fun to go to though they do feature some mangled English at times. For some reason mangled English comes out rather poetic here.

During the middle of January I met my now girlfriend Ah Leum while attending a going away event at San Antonio’s Latin Bistro. It was a bitterly cold night and very few people were attending the event. Luckily it gave me the opportunity to speak to her and we ended up getting along very well. We arranged to meet up the next day to grab some dinner. The next week we ended up going hiking with a friend of hers. I was impressed how popular hiking and various mountaineering clothing brands are popular here. I cannot go anywhere without seeing some North Face products.

My life has flip flopped since moving to the new job. I have moved apartment buildings and my working hours have changed as well. I had worked from 2:00 PM to 9:00 PM but now I work from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM. I don’t have thirty classes a week anymore I now have nine classes each two hours long and a teachers workshop each week. Instead of classes of one to eight students I now have classes ranging from thirty-two to forty-two students. I have adjusted to these changes rather well. There are benefits to each schedule but my job satisfaction has increased tremendously. I now work with another native English teacher and he has been helpful in many instances. I also have some great Korean co-teachers that I work with in my classes and discipline is not too much of an issue.

I’m not much of a disciplinarian but having the Korean co-teachers makes handling students much easier. Working at an all girls school there isn’t any ridiculous behavior. Most of the time students are too exhausted to stay awake during the class. I enjoyed my private academy kids tremendously but the varying ages and attitudes was pretty difficult to manage. I don’t say, “Stop, stop, stop that, no, no, no hands to yourself” anymore. High School is a tough place here in South Korea. Students wake up early in the morning and are in school until ten o’clock most nights. Comparatively my high school days were a breeze.

As I transitioned from my old job to the new job I had to go through some bureaucratic requirements. Since my visa is sponsored by my employer I had to cancel my visa and leave the country and apply for a new visa. While it was a hassle it basically comes down to a paid vacation for myself by my new employers. I was able to see Fukokua, Japan the closest Korean Consulate is located there. I was planning to visit Japan in the future but I would not have chosen Fukokua to visit first. It was a fun trip but many other parts of Japan have much more to see and experience than Fukokua. Unfortunately I spent the time sick to my stomach because I ate something bad probably a 7/11 bento box.

Hawks at Ohori-Koen park.

Ohori-Koen park.

Canal City Mall.

One of the canals.

A market in Japan.

I spent a lot of time walking through Hakata station trying to get from one place to another throughout Fukokua.

During my visit to Japan the Cherry Blossoms were blooming and everyone was spending time at the park relaxing and barbecuing. There was a big festival at Ohori-Koen park and I walked around it with a fellow traveler I met at the Khaosan International Hostel. I didn’t take as many photos as I would have liked but I had a fun time none-the-less. I was able to see the Yahoo Dome baseball stadium near the Korean consulate and I rode the subway train a lot. Japan is a lot more expensive than Korea and getting around is expensive even by bus and subway.

After returning with no problem I finally started working at Gungnam Girls’ Private High School. The school is nice though its under a lot of construction. Two weeks ago the entire school went on a field trip to Namwon. We visited a folk village that tells the story of Changhyang and Yi Mongryong’s love. The couple fall in love and are illegally married. As Mongryong goes to Seoul to work for the government a corrupt local ruler tries to make Chunhyang his concubine. She continues to refuse his advances and is faced with execution when at the last moment Mongryong returns in his new role as the secret royal inspector.

It was a fun trip and I managed to eat a lot of Gimbap that I sampled from the girls. There were reports of rain so I brought an umbrella. No rain but the umbrella saved me from the sun. We walked from the train station to the folk village. Once we finished at the folk village the teachers had lunch and everyone met at a public amphitheater for the students’ dance performance. It was a fun yet tiring trip.