what will it take? i am here working for the ministry of education of south korea... they plan on having a native english speaker in every public school by (i think) 2010... that's in three years... i wish them luck with their deadline. there are so many things wrong with the system and the way they treat foreigners within it... that i can't see that many people wanting to come - especially if they read about experiences like mine... (i do what i can to get the word out).
once again, i have not been paid on time. my contract stipulates that i am to be paid on the 25th of the month. if the 25th falls on a weekend or a holiday i am to be paid on the preceeding friday - this month, that would be today. but of course, the shortfalls of the gimhae office of education have screwed me over, again, - and on christmas weekend. they don't seem to understand that this is unacceptable.
i went to the bank at 3:30 to take out my money to bring it to a different bank to transfer to my canadian account. i do this every payday. my bank won't do the transfer, so i have to carry over a thousand dollars in my purse two blocks to a bank that will... but when i tried to take it out, it wasn't there.
i called my co-teacher immediately. it took me about half an hour to get hold of him. i told him he had to call the office of education to find out why i wasn't paid yet, he said he'd call me back. when he called back he said that the person in charge of accounting wasn't available, but the other people there said that i would be paid on tuesday!!! i tried to explain to him this was unacceptable - especially this being a long weekend and Christmas, that i had friends coming to visit and my contract says... blah blah blah... that's what i should have said for all the good it did. he gave me the number for the office and told me to call them. well, no one there speaks english, so a load of good that does me.
i just don't know what to do at this point. i mean, i'm okay, money wise, i can always use my canadian accounts - but that's the reason i'm here, to pay off my visa and line of credit - not to use them! i will have to make some kind of official complaint.
so a very merry christmas... hopefully the weekend won't be completely destroyed because of this, it just makes things more difficult... and that is the bigger problem. the people who run this program need to make adjusting to life here as simple and easy as possible, and they don't. point finale.
i also went back to the doctor today because of this cough that won't go away and was told (of all things!!!) that i'm allergic to, get this... the weather. "it's very cold outside" said the doctor. "i'm from CANADA" was my reply... "it's much colder there." but he insisted... and the korean teacher that came with me wasn't able to translate any better than that. so i got another shot and pills for three more days that will hopefully do something... maybe i should go to a traditional doctor for some acupuncture...i'm thinking about it anyway...
so, woe is me... everywhere i go, and everything i do, turns to crap... bad luck? bad karma? maybe that means i have something really great coming my way... trying to stay positive, signing off...
once again, i have not been paid on time. my contract stipulates that i am to be paid on the 25th of the month. if the 25th falls on a weekend or a holiday i am to be paid on the preceeding friday - this month, that would be today. but of course, the shortfalls of the gimhae office of education have screwed me over, again, - and on christmas weekend. they don't seem to understand that this is unacceptable.
i went to the bank at 3:30 to take out my money to bring it to a different bank to transfer to my canadian account. i do this every payday. my bank won't do the transfer, so i have to carry over a thousand dollars in my purse two blocks to a bank that will... but when i tried to take it out, it wasn't there.
i called my co-teacher immediately. it took me about half an hour to get hold of him. i told him he had to call the office of education to find out why i wasn't paid yet, he said he'd call me back. when he called back he said that the person in charge of accounting wasn't available, but the other people there said that i would be paid on tuesday!!! i tried to explain to him this was unacceptable - especially this being a long weekend and Christmas, that i had friends coming to visit and my contract says... blah blah blah... that's what i should have said for all the good it did. he gave me the number for the office and told me to call them. well, no one there speaks english, so a load of good that does me.
i just don't know what to do at this point. i mean, i'm okay, money wise, i can always use my canadian accounts - but that's the reason i'm here, to pay off my visa and line of credit - not to use them! i will have to make some kind of official complaint.
so a very merry christmas... hopefully the weekend won't be completely destroyed because of this, it just makes things more difficult... and that is the bigger problem. the people who run this program need to make adjusting to life here as simple and easy as possible, and they don't. point finale.
i also went back to the doctor today because of this cough that won't go away and was told (of all things!!!) that i'm allergic to, get this... the weather. "it's very cold outside" said the doctor. "i'm from CANADA" was my reply... "it's much colder there." but he insisted... and the korean teacher that came with me wasn't able to translate any better than that. so i got another shot and pills for three more days that will hopefully do something... maybe i should go to a traditional doctor for some acupuncture...i'm thinking about it anyway...
so, woe is me... everywhere i go, and everything i do, turns to crap... bad luck? bad karma? maybe that means i have something really great coming my way... trying to stay positive, signing off...
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