Our anticipation mounts like the static charge before a lightening strike. The words "SO MUCH TO DO" thunder through our minds daily like some gargantuan marquee lit for the masses. And our excitement generates expotentially by the day, as we approach "launch date", soaring over seas to land once again in the Land of the Morning Calm.
Oh, there are boxes to pack; pc's to ship; cars to store, addresses to change, banks to notify, suitcases to stuff, spices and deodorant to seek, stickers to hoard, and so, so much more to prepare and get ready for our expatriate life. It's not as if we need to salt beef and pork, mind you, and prepare to wrap ourselves in buffalo skin as we trek across ocean waters for months at a time, all the while dining upon moldy bread and attempting avoidance of scurvey. Nay, we'll land and arrive at our new domicile in, all told, a mere 30 hours (includes flights, layovers, and travel time via automobile). But it's still an invold process, for after all, one can't just toss his 12" Star Wars collectible action figures (note: NOT dolls) of "Palpatine" or "TIE fighter pilot" into a mere cardboard box, and hope to have them survive a year in storage in pristine condition, can one?
And yet, all this pressure, all the mad-dash running around for last-minute supplies, "almost forgot" address changes, and any other of those "as-yet-unforseen or considered" items that we'll need to secure for our travels, is all worth the unmitigated joy that we receive, knowing full well that this coming year will supply ample opportunities for a plethora of creative nonfiction blog-writing, mature and involved challenges, unplanned trials to one's sanity, and daily adventuring. Each day in Korea will find us experiencing some new sight, thought, or epiphany, be it down a new alley, inside yet another Korean BBQ restaurant, or within the fresh pine forrests of the myriad Korean mountains.
Does that lessen the year that we've spent here at home? Hardly. This past year at home, we found ourselves exchanging personal vows at sunset, as we were married in Tucson, Arizona; we discovered the bliss of "all inclusive" on the white-sand beaches of Playa del Carmen, Mexico; and we celebrated our union with family and friends in a historic mansion in St. Paul, Minnesota in December. This year found us experiencing immense pleasure in our weekly evening walks through the sublime sleepy streets of Mendota Heights; it found us burning through all our energy reserves as we attempted to play as much as we could with our nephews, Jonah and Ben; and it found us reconnecting with many loved, old friends throughout the year, which certainly includes the beloved bar, "Al's".
But this is, as they say, only the beginning. Another watershed moment in our lives. A time when we make a dream come true - again. Some would say we are just lucky; I agree with that to a point. After all, as a columnist wrote awhile back, "I feel like I won the cosmic lottery simply be being born in the United States." I certainly agree with that mantra - being born here in the US affords many a great things, and many wonderful opportunities, that billions of others go without elsewhere in this world. It has certainly provided us with as much education and job opportunities as we could desire and achieve. But there's another part to the equation as well, another factor to our "success" - research, willpower, and effort. We have put forth much energy into making this dream come true; we've tried our harded to make living and working in Korea a priority. The result? Round Two, imminently approaching. Success is nothing more than continuing on after the latest failure, unto the goal is achieved.
The Kimchi countdown has begun, folks! Prepare for the many existential, philosophical, and most assuredly comical exploits, posts, and thoughts from the "Morning Calm Cafe" to be posted here in the near future.
Until then, Indian Jones - I bid you "adieu".
Friday, May 18, 2007
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Dealing with incompetance:
What is it with some of us poo-flinging, pink monkeys out there? Sorry - apologies all around to the fellow prehensil tail-swingers, and primates in general - that's an unintential barb directed against them.
I'm referring to a certain Korean recruiter I've had the mispleasure of communicating with recently, during my wife's and my attempt to secure teaching work once again in Korea. I need to underscore a point here in that he's actually an AMERICAN recruiter, residing within Korea and helping expats find work there - so this miscreant doesn't even have an excuse of being from another culture, or playing the "lost in language translation" card.
Simply put, recruiters are not babysitters, nor are they working for you, the teacher. They are in a business, out to make money, and they are employed by various schools to find them employable and suitable teachers for the school. Once that is complete, they can, and do, move on. With this being said, however, there are good recruiters, and there are poor ones. The substandard ones often don't give a do-diddily crap about you (or the school, for that matter), and will simply match up any pulse-bearing meatbag with any hole-in-the-ground bunker that caters to the idea of being an "English establishment", then take their Steve Miller money and run. The good ones, then, naturally adhere to the opposite side of the spectrum, carefully researching both the schools they work with, and the potential teacher candidates, weeding out the less than scrupulous ones on both sides, and actually giving a damn about things such as integrity, honesty, and organization. Then there are the ineffectual doorknobs such as my guy.
The process started out promising, mind you. Mr. Knob has a very impressive website, with a plethora of information regarding his company's reseach process, strong capabilities in relation to the recruiting enterprise, and a myriad amount of helpful links regarding all manner of information for living and working in Korea; things were looking good. The process became even brighter when he appeared to secure for us a fairly tantalizing prospect: two positions in July at a school that appeared to hit all the marks on our "must have" list. Though the chain it belonged to has an abyssmal reputation, this particular campus seemed to have shielded itself from such negativity, and in fact, received high marks from four of the teachers there. We were admittedly cautious, but nonetheless our interest was piqued. And so, I shot off an email to the Knobster, stating fully that we were considering this school to be the front runner, but we need a few more weeks to hammer out some details (read: see if a better offer came along), and to make our decision. In the meantime, I asked him to see if he could talk to the school on our behalf (read: do his job), and ask for the best possible salary, as well as make sure they sent us a very specific contract to review.
What did Captain Moron do? Simply forward my very private email that I'd sent to him on to the director of the school. Well played! After shooting us directly in the foot, he came back to inform us that the school wasn't sure about hiring us anymore, because we had asked too many questions, and we weren't willing to trust them.
Well. There are enough red flags here to invoke the Second Coming of the South. A recruiter who doesn't understand the basic underpinnings of his job?! A school who becomes nervous over candidates that ASK QUESTIONS?! This whole thing was handled about as smoothly as five dollar bottle of whiskey, and smacks of potential danger. But, being ever the optimist, I wrote back to recruiter, mentioned that his actions were woefully unprofessional, and yet we were willing to look past that, receive some contracts for review, and press on. His reply? The school was no longer interested, because a line of trust needs to be drawn somewhere, and the fact that we already knew we would need to negotiate the initial contract offer simply wasn't going to fly, so they were passing on us. In other words then, they're looking for someone who'll buy ocean-front property in Arizona, not even bother to read anything in the contract besides "sign here", and haul their oh-so-trusting souls half-way around the world to begin work in what has become lovingly known throughout the subculture of ESL as "hagwon hell." That five-dollar booze might come in handy right about now, troops.
And so, I kindly thanked him for his incompetance, noted that any school who's looking for people to sign an initial contract are larger fools than we're willing to work for, and wished him luck. But this less-than-fuzzy ping-pong experience of starting off high and ending somewhere in the "Paris Hilton" range, well, it's left a poor taste in my mouth, not unlike rotten kimchi that's been fermented in cigarrette ash for a month.
I have a ten, if anyone has change and a bottle.
I'm referring to a certain Korean recruiter I've had the mispleasure of communicating with recently, during my wife's and my attempt to secure teaching work once again in Korea. I need to underscore a point here in that he's actually an AMERICAN recruiter, residing within Korea and helping expats find work there - so this miscreant doesn't even have an excuse of being from another culture, or playing the "lost in language translation" card.
Simply put, recruiters are not babysitters, nor are they working for you, the teacher. They are in a business, out to make money, and they are employed by various schools to find them employable and suitable teachers for the school. Once that is complete, they can, and do, move on. With this being said, however, there are good recruiters, and there are poor ones. The substandard ones often don't give a do-diddily crap about you (or the school, for that matter), and will simply match up any pulse-bearing meatbag with any hole-in-the-ground bunker that caters to the idea of being an "English establishment", then take their Steve Miller money and run. The good ones, then, naturally adhere to the opposite side of the spectrum, carefully researching both the schools they work with, and the potential teacher candidates, weeding out the less than scrupulous ones on both sides, and actually giving a damn about things such as integrity, honesty, and organization. Then there are the ineffectual doorknobs such as my guy.
The process started out promising, mind you. Mr. Knob has a very impressive website, with a plethora of information regarding his company's reseach process, strong capabilities in relation to the recruiting enterprise, and a myriad amount of helpful links regarding all manner of information for living and working in Korea; things were looking good. The process became even brighter when he appeared to secure for us a fairly tantalizing prospect: two positions in July at a school that appeared to hit all the marks on our "must have" list. Though the chain it belonged to has an abyssmal reputation, this particular campus seemed to have shielded itself from such negativity, and in fact, received high marks from four of the teachers there. We were admittedly cautious, but nonetheless our interest was piqued. And so, I shot off an email to the Knobster, stating fully that we were considering this school to be the front runner, but we need a few more weeks to hammer out some details (read: see if a better offer came along), and to make our decision. In the meantime, I asked him to see if he could talk to the school on our behalf (read: do his job), and ask for the best possible salary, as well as make sure they sent us a very specific contract to review.
What did Captain Moron do? Simply forward my very private email that I'd sent to him on to the director of the school. Well played! After shooting us directly in the foot, he came back to inform us that the school wasn't sure about hiring us anymore, because we had asked too many questions, and we weren't willing to trust them.
Well. There are enough red flags here to invoke the Second Coming of the South. A recruiter who doesn't understand the basic underpinnings of his job?! A school who becomes nervous over candidates that ASK QUESTIONS?! This whole thing was handled about as smoothly as five dollar bottle of whiskey, and smacks of potential danger. But, being ever the optimist, I wrote back to recruiter, mentioned that his actions were woefully unprofessional, and yet we were willing to look past that, receive some contracts for review, and press on. His reply? The school was no longer interested, because a line of trust needs to be drawn somewhere, and the fact that we already knew we would need to negotiate the initial contract offer simply wasn't going to fly, so they were passing on us. In other words then, they're looking for someone who'll buy ocean-front property in Arizona, not even bother to read anything in the contract besides "sign here", and haul their oh-so-trusting souls half-way around the world to begin work in what has become lovingly known throughout the subculture of ESL as "hagwon hell." That five-dollar booze might come in handy right about now, troops.
And so, I kindly thanked him for his incompetance, noted that any school who's looking for people to sign an initial contract are larger fools than we're willing to work for, and wished him luck. But this less-than-fuzzy ping-pong experience of starting off high and ending somewhere in the "Paris Hilton" range, well, it's left a poor taste in my mouth, not unlike rotten kimchi that's been fermented in cigarrette ash for a month.
I have a ten, if anyone has change and a bottle.
And the Universe answered!
And there it is, folks. One day, count'em, ONE day after I officially through my thoughts out to the universe for acquiring our positions in Korea, and BAM! (to use some onomatopoeia), we've received the job offers this morning! Our second sojourn to the Land of the Morning Calm is about to begin.
True, it was sort of, kind of a done deal. But we really didn't have the official word yet. But now, as with the immortal words of James Tiberius Kirk, "The word is given. Full speed ahead."
Maybe the Universe IS listening. Or, at the very least, Captain Kirk.
True, it was sort of, kind of a done deal. But we really didn't have the official word yet. But now, as with the immortal words of James Tiberius Kirk, "The word is given. Full speed ahead."
Maybe the Universe IS listening. Or, at the very least, Captain Kirk.
Monday, May 14, 2007
When you want something hard enough:
According to Rhonda Byrne in the abyssmal new book, "The Secret", which is nothing but clap-trap tripe thrown together in an overpriced hardcover, if you simply want something hard enough in life, if you simply "will the universe" into making it a reality for you, if you simply see it as "already a done deal, and in your life", well, then you receive that "thing", whatever it may be. True, this is a watered-down version of the points detailed in the book, and I've culled this information from several in-depth user and critic reviews rather than a full-fledged reading of the book in question, but you get the general idea.
However, while this book certainly offers up nothing new, and is arguably a great way to make a million fast-bucks (it's been sold-out nearly since its inception), it does regurgiate an age-old adage that bears scrutiny: the power of positive thinking. As I sit and write this, my wife and I are preparing for our second stint at teaching English overseas in Korea. This is something that we really, really desire, and we are approaching imminent success. We have interviewed twice with a hiring manager at a kid's school that appears to be nigh on perfect for what we are looking for, and she (the manager) essentially told us that "in her mind, we're hired." She just needs to confirm a few small, but important, financial details with her principle, and then get back to us with the update, and contracts.
And yet - it ain't over 'til the Fat Lady Sings, and it's not a sealed deal until there are two contracts reviewed, signed, dated, and copied. Does it seem like we've finally found the employment for Year II in Korea that we've been seeking? Definitely. Are we crazy excited? Absofreakinglutely. But is this a done-deal? No way. Something could fall through, they could change their minds, and any number of small (or large) changes could occur to derail this seemingly smooth-train-to-funsville. The time-space continuum could tear asunder, and leave us sobbing heartily as our beloved hopeful of a school gets sucked into a blackhole. The only thing constant is change.
And so, maybe I should embark on a "Secret-like" mission: throw my thoughts out there to the Universe, and hope/pray/wish for good karma. Are you listening, Mr./Mrs/God-Universe? Canst thou hear me? Canst thou read/feel my benevolent thoughts? The Mrs. and I throw ourselves upon your good mercy, your good karmatic ways, and seek the ending we desire. I am "seeing" this communion between two business parties as "already done". I am marking this down as "complete". In my mind, we are already working at your school.
But my mind won't really stand up in court, so, I just sort of need that little contract, with our little signatures on it, soon. You know, for "backup" and such. So let's get going, Universe. Send us to our destination, and make this good thing happen. We're already thanking you, trust us.
However, while this book certainly offers up nothing new, and is arguably a great way to make a million fast-bucks (it's been sold-out nearly since its inception), it does regurgiate an age-old adage that bears scrutiny: the power of positive thinking. As I sit and write this, my wife and I are preparing for our second stint at teaching English overseas in Korea. This is something that we really, really desire, and we are approaching imminent success. We have interviewed twice with a hiring manager at a kid's school that appears to be nigh on perfect for what we are looking for, and she (the manager) essentially told us that "in her mind, we're hired." She just needs to confirm a few small, but important, financial details with her principle, and then get back to us with the update, and contracts.
And yet - it ain't over 'til the Fat Lady Sings, and it's not a sealed deal until there are two contracts reviewed, signed, dated, and copied. Does it seem like we've finally found the employment for Year II in Korea that we've been seeking? Definitely. Are we crazy excited? Absofreakinglutely. But is this a done-deal? No way. Something could fall through, they could change their minds, and any number of small (or large) changes could occur to derail this seemingly smooth-train-to-funsville. The time-space continuum could tear asunder, and leave us sobbing heartily as our beloved hopeful of a school gets sucked into a blackhole. The only thing constant is change.
And so, maybe I should embark on a "Secret-like" mission: throw my thoughts out there to the Universe, and hope/pray/wish for good karma. Are you listening, Mr./Mrs/God-Universe? Canst thou hear me? Canst thou read/feel my benevolent thoughts? The Mrs. and I throw ourselves upon your good mercy, your good karmatic ways, and seek the ending we desire. I am "seeing" this communion between two business parties as "already done". I am marking this down as "complete". In my mind, we are already working at your school.
But my mind won't really stand up in court, so, I just sort of need that little contract, with our little signatures on it, soon. You know, for "backup" and such. So let's get going, Universe. Send us to our destination, and make this good thing happen. We're already thanking you, trust us.
Tuesday, May 8, 2007
Could it possibly be this long?
Sigh - oh, the days fly by. I can't believe it's been nigh on two and a half weeks since my last posting. I was going to write a posting concering the shooting at Virginia Tech, and I started one, but I had to go back to work, so I saved it in my drafts. Alas, I feel the moment has now passed, and I'll sum up with: I don't know the answer. But I agree with more gun control; not elimination, but control. And, most certainly, better education throughout society; and more responsibility as a society to aid and care for our sick, which includes the mentally ill.
But, that's not the point of this post. The point is - I don't know what. I think it has to do with me being a bit melancholy. Perhaps I'll turn this into a sort of "stream of conscious" article, and just write what I feel, right now. We're going to go see Spider-Man 3 tonight. I'm excited, but wary - it hasn't received good reviews at all, which is shocking, considering the same cast, same director, etc. And I love Sam Raimi, and I love all the characters involved, but - we shall see.
Also, I miss Korea. BOY, do I miss Korea. I've been perusing some other people's blogs that are teaching there right now, and it just makes me yearn for the experience again that much more. And, it also solidifies my resolve to return, and supports my notion that we are doing the correct thing. Going back to asia, to Korea, is exactly what we need to be doing now. It's in our blood, it's in our memories, and it's darn near in our daily thoughts. Actually, take out "darn" - I assure you, I think of, remember fondly, and ponder Korea on a daily basis. There will be many more posts concering this new sojourn, I promise, but for now, rest comfortably knowing that this journey will not be taken in vain. Again, the Morning Calm will welcome us as guiders and educators, as we explore the land anew, and mentor our little children, so they may grow up learning English, and the importance of the song "Happy Days". :-)
Cheers! Ah, the writing posts are beginning to flow again - thank goodness for small miracles.
But, that's not the point of this post. The point is - I don't know what. I think it has to do with me being a bit melancholy. Perhaps I'll turn this into a sort of "stream of conscious" article, and just write what I feel, right now. We're going to go see Spider-Man 3 tonight. I'm excited, but wary - it hasn't received good reviews at all, which is shocking, considering the same cast, same director, etc. And I love Sam Raimi, and I love all the characters involved, but - we shall see.
Also, I miss Korea. BOY, do I miss Korea. I've been perusing some other people's blogs that are teaching there right now, and it just makes me yearn for the experience again that much more. And, it also solidifies my resolve to return, and supports my notion that we are doing the correct thing. Going back to asia, to Korea, is exactly what we need to be doing now. It's in our blood, it's in our memories, and it's darn near in our daily thoughts. Actually, take out "darn" - I assure you, I think of, remember fondly, and ponder Korea on a daily basis. There will be many more posts concering this new sojourn, I promise, but for now, rest comfortably knowing that this journey will not be taken in vain. Again, the Morning Calm will welcome us as guiders and educators, as we explore the land anew, and mentor our little children, so they may grow up learning English, and the importance of the song "Happy Days". :-)
Cheers! Ah, the writing posts are beginning to flow again - thank goodness for small miracles.
Daily Thought:
"Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair." -Kahlil Gibran-
Friday, April 20, 2007
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