6.09.2010

Wankery.

Well it looks like I'll have to be swallowing an enormous amount of shit, because after years (almost) of bragging about this not having happened, I'm officially being forced into my first orientation.

I mean.

I've officially been invited to my first Honorable Native Teachers Reunion.

Pffffffft. Pfffffffffffffffffffffffft. Bul-fucking-gogi.

There's an enormous spot on the schedule marked "The Special Korean Culture" and another marked "Why I Love Korea". Gee. I can't wait for that. I also can't wait to spend the night sharing a hotel room with some fucking stranger. I'm sure I'll end up with the absolute weirdest of the bunch, which will probably be saying something.

The good news is:

  • I officially got out of doing the MOE English camp for the fourth time in a row and
  • I was officially asked to re-sign at my school for a third year today, a whole two months early.

So I guess forfeiting one night of freedom and being forced to sit through lectures on kimchi is a small penance to pay. Hopefully I can spot another smartass in the bunch to buddy up with for the weekend. Someone who's situated somewhere between 'obviously should've gone home months ago' negative and 'ridiculously out of touch with reality' positive.

I'm definitely going to make it known to all and sundry that 'educating' their native teachers who have been here for over a year in this manner is not appreciated. Is, in fact, quite condescending. And that some actual teacher training would be appreciated, rather than being lectured about why Korea is so great. Because obviously signing my third contract means I already know that, and wasting my time with this kind of assinine nonsense is something that makes Korea look definitively less great. In my opinion.

Of course, Korea wastes the Korean teachers' time as well. But not in quite such a condescending manner.

Urgh. I'm having a slightly irritating day. The horrible teacher is stalking my phone again because she wants me to come to her house today (an early day off) instead of tomorrow, because then I would have even more time to spend teaching her children English for free. That's fucking rude. So I'm being fucking rude right back and ignoring her phone calls.

Tit for tat and blow it all off. Right? Right.

I really could use that vacation right about now. Luckily, the dates were settled today and I'm getting on booking a flight and getting the hell out of here for a couple of weeks. It's time for that to happen again. Korea's great, but not for 12 months straight at a time. We all need our time away.

6 comments:

Kel said...

OMG at least it's only for one night. Mine was 3 nights, and I had to share a room with TWO OTHER PEOPLE. I definitely had a minor meltdown, metaphorically and literally because the thermostat was set to 33 celsius and couldn't be changed. We also had to sit through a lecture called "Pinning the Korean Heart" ...

I'm no Picasso said...

If it was for three nights I might very well tell them to just get stuffed. I don't really understand why I have to stay overnight anyway, instead of being allowed to go home for the night. It's not exactly miles into the countryside.

I think I'd actually prefer bunking with two other people, because then I could just pawn them off on each other and chainsmoke out on a fucking balcony somewhere until they both went to sleep. One other person is just awkward. Then you're forced to interact. Which you know I'm not terribly good at.

If they do that heavy duty summer ondol shit, I will grab my shit and catch a bus home. Not even kidding.

And what in the name of God, pray tell, was "Pinning the Korean Heart" about?

Did China have stupid repetitive self-indulgent orientations every five minutes as well?

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot said...

Conflatulations on the resign. Told you there was nothing to worry about. I have to say there are benefits to working at a Hakwon and among them are not being forced into that bullshit.

gwern said...

> I was officially asked to re-sign at my school for a third year today, a whole two months early.

What a difference one hyphen can make.

Anonymous said...

The cool kids are doing the Han river cruise instead of the Jump performance.

I'm no Picasso said...

Oh man. Blog life/real life intersecting. Creepy.