RANTING/VENTING MEGATHREAD 3.0

That's a paddlin'.

I understand why Korean people are so sensitive about Japan, but what I don't understand is when they try to claim something small and insignificant doesn't come from Japan. Teaching the Konglish class when we got to "arbeit" meaning part-time job and I mentioned that this is the word that Japan uses, which is why it came to Korea and they all vehemently deny that suck a thing could happen ... 

The funny thing is, my students, and (most) of my co-teachers love Japan. I have students that try to be funny by saying things to me in Japanese. When I reply in Japanese they start freaking out a bit haha. When we done a project on other countries a couple months ago, my students were fighting over which group got to study Japan haha.

My co-teacher at my main school (who is the music teacher and speaks no English) has a bunch of pillows on her desk chair that all have Hiragana / Katakana on them. The English teacher at my main school has been to Japan a few times, and enjoys going there. One of the Korean teachers (who retired at the end of the last semester), actually asked the English teacher, to ask me, to help him learn Japanese once they found out I know a bit.

A goodly number of my students are interested in Japan as well, some even saying random words-- I like to throw some basic phrases/questions at them and they get so surprised  And in my main school, nobody seems to find Japan offensive (several teachers have gone there for vacation or are planning to) except for admin. creep but he generally acts as though there's a stick up his rear.

My take on it is this: It's ok to like Japanese things individually but it's not ok to like Japan as a whole, if that makes any sense.

Say you like manga, sushi and studying Japanese? Cool! No problem!

Say you like Japan? Bad, Scary, Devil.

My kids are always saying they like this or that Japanese thing, and a bunch of them list Japan as the number 1 place outside of Korea that they want to visit, but the idea of Japan? That's a no-no.

Of course any historical/Dokdo/comfort women topics provoke the nationalistic fervour, as well. Not entirely unjustified, I might add...

Anyway, my CT said this when I asked her thoughts on Japan/the Japanese:

"We really, really hate them. But I think we also respect them." 

There are two entrances to the teachers' office. Admin creep enters through one to talk to a teacher. Not unusual. He then exits through the same door, then returns through the other door-- to talk to the same teacher. He leaves through the second door, then goes back to the first door and opens it, but only sticks his head in to talk to someone else.

This all seems entirely inefficient. 

Dear Microsoft,

STOP ****** AROUND WITH SKYPE!!

No I don't want you to install some shitty hybrid tablet oriented version of skype on my DESKTOP!

NO, I don't want SKYPE PREVIEW, it sucks SHIT, and has cause me to miss two EPIK interviews... Somehow they were receiving my text etc... but I WAS GETTING NOTHING in return... So Here I am online the whole time, with people trying to contact me, but nothing.. Finally reinstall NORMAL ****** SKYPE! Works like charm, but too late.

Now I look like and ass who can't make interviews, and have been rescheduled and have to wait another week.

Dear Microsoft,

STOP ****** AROUND WITH SKYPE!!

No I don't want you to install some shitty hybrid tablet oriented version of skype on my DESKTOP!

NO, I don't want SKYPE PREVIEW, it sucks SHIT, and has cause me to miss two EPIK interviews... Somehow they were receiving my text etc... but I WAS GETTING NOTHING in return... So Here I am online the whole time, with people trying to contact me, but nothing.. Finally reinstall NORMAL ****** SKYPE! Works like charm, but too late.

Now I look like and ass who can't make interviews, and have been rescheduled and have to wait another week.

Yeah, I got some weird Windows 10 popup the other day that I got a message from someone on Skype, even though I didn't have it running. I opened up the main app... nothing there.

My take on it is this: It's ok to like Japanese things individually but it's not ok to like Japan as a whole, if that makes any sense.

Say you like manga, sushi and studying Japanese? Cool! No problem!

Say you like Japan? Bad, Scary, Devil.

My kids are always saying they like this or that Japanese thing, and a bunch of them list Japan as the number 1 place outside of Korea that they want to visit, but the idea of Japan? That's a no-no.

Of course any historical/Dokdo/comfort women topics provoke the nationalistic fervour, as well. Not entirely unjustified, I might add...

Anyway, my CT said this when I asked her thoughts on Japan/the Japanese:

"We really, really hate them. But I think we also respect them." 

Yeh, that's similar to my impression. My wife hates Japan with a passion, or so I thought, but has travelled there 3 times before I met, we have gone twice together, she loves japanese food, ghibli etc etc.  So I asked her directly how that works in her mind.  Her response was something along the lines of 'yeh, I don't like Japan, but I can go and use their stuff because I like their stuff.'  After further discussion, I discover it's not Japan she doesn't like, she doesn't like the Japanese government, what they have done in the past, the war, the occupation, what their attitude still is with comfort women etc.  Japanese people and japanese stuff generally is fine.  Makes sense when I think about it.

My take on it is this: It's ok to like Japanese things individually but it's not ok to like Japan as a whole, if that makes any sense.

Say you like manga, sushi and studying Japanese? Cool! No problem!

Say you like Japan? Bad, Scary, Devil.

My kids are always saying they like this or that Japanese thing, and a bunch of them list Japan as the number 1 place outside of Korea that they want to visit, but the idea of Japan? That's a no-no.

Of course any historical/Dokdo/comfort women topics provoke the nationalistic fervour, as well. Not entirely unjustified, I might add...

Anyway, my CT said this when I asked her thoughts on Japan/the Japanese:

"We really, really hate them. But I think we also respect them." 

Yeh, that's similar to my impression. My wife hates Japan with a passion, or so I thought, but has travelled there 3 times before I met, we have gone twice together, she loves japanese food, ghibli etc etc.  So I asked her directly how that works in her mind.  Her response was something along the lines of 'yeh, I don't like Japan, but I can go and use their stuff because I like their stuff.'  After further discussion, I discover it's not Japan she doesn't like, she doesn't like the Japanese government, what they have done in the past, the war, the occupation, what their attitude still is with comfort women etc.  Japanese people and japanese stuff generally is fine.  Makes sense when I think about it.

Koreans don't much like thier own government, so that's fair... I guess.

Did my medical check for my contract renewal and was a bit annoyed to find out the price has more than doubled since last year (same hospital).  It was 70,000 compared to 30,000.

Apparently the Busan MOE have changed the requirements this year and have asked for extra drug testing   

I'm thankful I don't have to do a health checkup, but I'm starting to get really anxious about applying for my pension refund...

Did my medical check for my contract renewal and was a bit annoyed to find out the price has more than doubled since last year (same hospital).  It was 70,000 compared to 30,000.

Apparently the Busan MOE have changed the requirements this year and have asked for extra drug testing   

Damn! That hurts... Just did my medical check here in Ulsan and there were no upfront costs (maybe something will come out of my pay, though). I asked if I needed to pay after the exam and they assured me that it was all good.

Also, no anal probing as happened to some other waygook users early this year 

maybe it's because the US is slowly legalizing marijuana? lol

Did my medical check for my contract renewal and was a bit annoyed to find out the price has more than doubled since last year (same hospital).  It was 70,000 compared to 30,000.

Apparently the Busan MOE have changed the requirements this year and have asked for extra drug testing   

What extra drugs did they make you test for? Mine was 120,000 in Daegu :(

Even though I don't use drugs, I didn't ask because I didn't want to seem nervous about it 

Sorry to hear how expensive yours was :' (

Not really a rant or rave, but I got dismissed from class today because 'the kids don't want to study.'

Damn, I wish it were that easy when I was in middle school...

Damn, I wish it were that easy when I was in middle school...

I know what you mean. As much as I complain about how students here don't really have to try because they know they'll move on to the next grade no matter what, I can't really fault the students for it. I know for a fact that if I could have gotten away with doing absolutely nothing through the entirety of my education, that's exactly what I would have done. 

I often have to remind myself how bad a student I was when I find myself frustrated with my students, haha.

Damn, I wish it were that easy when I was in middle school...

I know what you mean. As much as I complain about how students here don't really have to try because they know they'll move on to the next grade no matter what, I can't really fault the students for it. I know for a fact that if I could have gotten away with doing absolutely nothing through the entirety of my education, that's exactly what I would have done. 

I often have to remind myself how bad a student I was when I find myself frustrated with my students, haha.

It looks like my next two classes are canceled so the 3rd grade middle school students can practice K-pop dances. Not complaining, really, but I wish I would know these things in advance so I could just plop down and get comfortable reading or studying something without worrying about being interrupted by class.

Damn, I wish it were that easy when I was in middle school...

I know what you mean. As much as I complain about how students here don't really have to try because they know they'll move on to the next grade no matter what, I can't really fault the students for it. I know for a fact that if I could have gotten away with doing absolutely nothing through the entirety of my education, that's exactly what I would have done. 

I often have to remind myself how bad a student I was when I find myself frustrated with my students, haha.

It looks like my next two classes are canceled so the 3rd grade middle school students can practice K-pop dances. Not complaining, really, but I wish I would know these things in advance so I could just plop down and get comfortable reading or studying something without worrying about being interrupted by class.

That happens so often at my school. Oftentimes, half of the class will be missing because they have to practice for a dance that is two months away. Or sometimes the homeroom teacher will have them stay behind and skip my class so they can clean the classroom.

I was told children were not allowed to clean the classroom because the parents said so. This is just before children come to clean my English room. I walk down the hall and see many classrooms being cleaned by children.

I was told children were not allowed to clean the classroom because the parents said so. This is just before children come to clean my English room. I walk down the hall and see many classrooms being cleaned by children.

Cleaning seems like a full time job for some of the students at my school. 

It seems like whenever my CT can't be bothered to teach, she makes her students clean.  They're always cleaning.

I was told children were not allowed to clean the classroom because the parents said so. This is just before children come to clean my English room. I walk down the hall and see many classrooms being cleaned by children.

I was told children must clean the classroom but they never do so 

Not really a rant or rave, but I got dismissed from class today because 'the kids don't want to study.'

It's the most disheartening time of the year. I spent the better part of the school year building rapport with the students, and in the last month or so it starts to get torn apart by student (and teacher? ) fatigue. I wish it was easier to end on a high note, to make our last memory of each other a positive one, but year after year this seems to be the pattern. We won't be having subject teachers' classes in February so they may forget about me before the school year is even finished.

It's the most disheartening time of the year. I spent the better part of the school year building rapport with the students, and in the last month or so it starts to get torn apart by student (and teacher? ) fatigue. I wish it was easier to end on a high note, to make our last memory of each other a positive one, but year after year this seems to be the pattern. We won't be having subject teachers' classes in February so they may forget about me before the school year is even finished.

That's not too big a deal in this situation. Fortunately (or unfortunately), due to the previous native English teacher not liking this place and complaining, I was kind of shoehorned into this school mid-year and due to a combination of many factors, I have pretty much no rapport with anyone. (I don't even know any of the kids' names.) It's actually one of the most awkward places I've ever been in, and every day I pray for class cancellations and for the time to speed on by.

It was more like a "Huh, that actually works here?" moment than any sort of feeling of disappointment.