RANTING/VENTING MEGATHREAD 3.0

last year my desk was in the english room and it was sweet and i had my own kettle and everything.

this year office got moved to the teachers' office. i seem to be the ONLY one in the whole office that ever re-fills the water in the kettle. and when i do, and put it on to boil to make tea or coffee, as soon as it's finished boiling a bunch of teachers rush to it and swarm around it flies to make themselves coffee.

and then when they're done there's usually no damn water left for me to make coffee! 

urgh! i used to sit at my desk while waiting for it to boil, now i have to stand there and watch it like a hawk to fend off any teachers who try to get to it before i do.

Oh fudge, I think there may actually be teacher workshop today.  I have no idea who or how many teachers are showing up, just that workshop may happen and that everyone will most certainly be of varying levels of English ability. 

I guess I should prep some ice breaker questions or some such.  Argh

My vp drags his feet when he walks making really loud clunk noises every time his foot catches up with the other...You can hear him from a mile away.....horror

It's also really annoying when you've got something really important in real life happening that needs your attention urgently, but you're stuck in class and can't deal with it in a timely fashion.

Haha, I love the distinction between "real life" and teaching.

I use this distinction as well. Coping mechanism.

My school has an afterschool weightlifting class. It goes on in the stage area of the cafeteria (I don't understand why), which happens to be directly below my office. Today they are doing deadlifts/clean and jerks. How do I know? Because everytime they drop the weights, my whole office shakes. 

One more hour and I'm outta here!

My school has an afterschool weightlifting class. It goes on in the stage area of the cafeteria (I don't understand why), which happens to be directly below my office. Today they are doing deadlifts/clean and jerks. How do I know? Because everytime they drop the weights, my whole office shakes. 

One more hour and I'm outta here!

It's BELOW your office and you can feel it? Yikes.

Going to a funeral tonight after work with my co workers.


It's my co-teachers husbands grandfather 

Admittedly It's unusual to go but there was originally a dinner planned with that coteacher tonight so everyone feels awkward about not going, then they were like, let's go together! So now I am going to some random dudes funeral and I really cant be arsed. I just can't handle the awkwardness.

I have an out, I am the foreigner, they said it's okay if I have another plan (but they know I don't) but I dont want to be the dick that didn't go when everyone else did, also I want that coteacher to come to my wedding whenever it is.......sooooooo.....

It's my co-teachers husbands grandfather 

Admittedly It's unusual to go but there was originally a dinner planned with that coteacher tonight so everyone feels awkward about not going, then they were like, let's go together! So now I am going to some random dudes funeral and I really cant be arsed. I just can't handle the awkwardness.

I have an out, I am the foreigner, they said it's okay if I have another plan (but they know I don't) but I dont want to be the dick that didn't go when everyone else did, also I want that coteacher to come to my wedding whenever it is.......sooooooo.....

Just remember to keep your phone in your pocket when you are in the room with him.

Just follow the person in front when they do the ritual bowing and kiss.

It's my co-teachers husbands grandfather 

Admittedly It's unusual to go but there was originally a dinner planned with that coteacher tonight so everyone feels awkward about not going, then they were like, let's go together! So now I am going to some random dudes funeral and I really cant be arsed. I just can't handle the awkwardness.

I have an out, I am the foreigner, they said it's okay if I have another plan (but they know I don't) but I dont want to be the dick that didn't go when everyone else did, also I want that coteacher to come to my wedding whenever it is.......sooooooo.....

Just remember to keep your phone in your pocket when you are in the room with him.

Just follow the person in front when they do the ritual bowing and kiss.

I went to one recently after work (I was kinda dragged into it, but whatever.) All we did was bow to the picture in a special alcove at the funeral home and then the funeral director offered us food in a different room. Supposedly the viewing of the body is reserved for family members, so it won't be too awkward if that's the case. 

It's my co-teachers husbands grandfather 

Admittedly It's unusual to go but there was originally a dinner planned with that coteacher tonight so everyone feels awkward about not going, then they were like, let's go together! So now I am going to some random dudes funeral and I really cant be arsed. I just can't handle the awkwardness.

I have an out, I am the foreigner, they said it's okay if I have another plan (but they know I don't) but I dont want to be the dick that didn't go when everyone else did, also I want that coteacher to come to my wedding whenever it is.......sooooooo.....

Just remember to keep your phone in your pocket when you are in the room with him.

Just follow the person in front when they do the ritual bowing and kiss.

I went to one recently after work (I was kinda dragged into it, but whatever.) All we did was bow to the picture in a special alcove at the funeral home and then the funeral director offered us food in a different room. Supposedly the viewing of the body is reserved for family members, so it won't be too awkward if that's the case.

Yeah I went to my other co workers fathers funeral last year so I've experienced it before. In that case I didn't feel awkward because we we're close and I wanted to show her I was thinking about her.

My coworkers husbands grandfather tho....anyway It'll be fine. Thankfully we should be in and out within an hour or so.

It's my co-teachers husbands grandfather 

Admittedly It's unusual to go but there was originally a dinner planned with that coteacher tonight so everyone feels awkward about not going, then they were like, let's go together! So now I am going to some random dudes funeral and I really cant be arsed. I just can't handle the awkwardness.

I have an out, I am the foreigner, they said it's okay if I have another plan (but they know I don't) but I dont want to be the dick that didn't go when everyone else did, also I want that coteacher to come to my wedding whenever it is.......sooooooo.....

Just remember to keep your phone in your pocket when you are in the room with him.

Just follow the person in front when they do the ritual bowing and kiss.

I went to one recently after work (I was kinda dragged into it, but whatever.) All we did was bow to the picture in a special alcove at the funeral home and then the funeral director offered us food in a different room. Supposedly the viewing of the body is reserved for family members, so it won't be too awkward if that's the case.

Yeah I went to my other co workers fathers funeral last year so I've experienced it before. In that case I didn't feel awkward because we we're close and I wanted to show her I was thinking about her.

My coworkers husbands grandfather tho....anyway It'll be fine. Thankfully we should be in and out within an hour or so.

Ahh okay. This was my first one. It was a coworker's wife's mother. Equally awkward, but it was just me and my coteacher that went so we were there for maybe 15 minutes tops.

Pissed off at myself for not studying Korean more diligently. Pissed off at myself for not being more observant. If I had been more observant, or I could understand Korean enough, I could've noticed the two boys about to start physically fighting in the beginning of my class.

I really feel like such a shit teacher when this happens.

It's my co-teachers husbands grandfather 

Admittedly It's unusual to go but there was originally a dinner planned with that coteacher tonight so everyone feels awkward about not going, then they were like, let's go together! So now I am going to some random dudes funeral and I really cant be arsed. I just can't handle the awkwardness.

I have an out, I am the foreigner, they said it's okay if I have another plan (but they know I don't) but I dont want to be the dick that didn't go when everyone else did, also I want that coteacher to come to my wedding whenever it is.......sooooooo.....

Just remember to keep your phone in your pocket when you are in the room with him.

Just follow the person in front when they do the ritual bowing and kiss.

I went to one recently after work (I was kinda dragged into it, but whatever.) All we did was bow to the picture in a special alcove at the funeral home and then the funeral director offered us food in a different room. Supposedly the viewing of the body is reserved for family members, so it won't be too awkward if that's the case.

Yeah I went to my other co workers fathers funeral last year so I've experienced it before. In that case I didn't feel awkward because we we're close and I wanted to show her I was thinking about her.

My coworkers husbands grandfather tho....anyway It'll be fine. Thankfully we should be in and out within an hour or so.

Ahh okay. This was my first one. It was a coworker's wife's mother. Equally awkward, but it was just me and my coteacher that went so we were there for maybe 15 minutes tops.

Aaah yeah they're pretty awkward. Lucky about the 15 mins tho!

Apparently the principal is also going and he likes to stay at least 2 hours  Nooooooooooooooooooo

Pissed off at myself for not studying Korean more diligently. Pissed off at myself for not being more observant. If I had been more observant, or I could understand Korean enough, I could've noticed the two boys about to start physically fighting in the beginning of my class.

I really feel like such a shit teacher when this happens.

Fights break out all the time (my kids are so violent), so don't be too hard on yourself. My coteacher wouldn't see them coming either. We'd have to drag the boys away from each other and hold them back so they wouldn't go at it again. She would never have any idea why they started.

I hate the town I'm in.

There's nothing intrinsically wrong about it, it's nice enough, but I feel so isolated and lonely out here. There's not a lot to do, and there aren't many expats, and I wouldn't say I'm close with many of them. I don't speak enough Korean to just go out and find things to do, and going and partying in Daegu every weekend sounds like a wonderful recipe for burning out -- which I already am starting to feel. I also don't feel that close to the people I know from Daegu, and all my friends are 3 hours away in Busan.

I'm just so bored and lonely that there's no way for me to release from work, which makes it hard to focus on/care about that.

What the hell have I gotten myself into?

China rant...

Please stop telling me how to learn Chinese and telling me the same things over and over again like I don't know what I'm doing. Learning English from Chinese is way different than learning Chinese from English. Yeah, I get it. It's nice that you were able to go to an English speaking country with a dictionary and be able to figure out things that way. English speakers just simply cannot do this when it comes to Chinese. It really seems like some Chinese people have no concept of this idea because two different people gifted me a Chinese dictionary...

If this language had a proper alphabet, this would be nice. -_-

Chinese people are really nice, honestly. But, do they have to be...that nice? 

I know I usually get on to people who complain about learning a language, but Chinese not having an alphabet is probably something I complain about forever, even if I do get to the point where I can read and pronounce the language properly ^^

I hate the town I'm in.

There's nothing intrinsically wrong about it, it's nice enough, but I feel so isolated and lonely out here. There's not a lot to do, and there aren't many expats, and I wouldn't say I'm close with many of them. I don't speak enough Korean to just go out and find things to do, and going and partying in Daegu every weekend sounds like a wonderful recipe for burning out -- which I already am starting to feel. I also don't feel that close to the people I know from Daegu, and all my friends are 3 hours away in Busan.

I'm just so bored and lonely that there's no way for me to release from work, which makes it hard to focus on/care about that.

What the hell have I gotten myself into?

Been there; done that.  Get a hobby.  I took up photography.  Study Korean, etc.  It'll kill the time and make it so you have something to look forward to.  Also, social media will let you keep in contact with folks back home, on other cities here, or whatever.  Kills the loneliness feeling.

I hate the town I'm in.

There's nothing intrinsically wrong about it, it's nice enough, but I feel so isolated and lonely out here. There's not a lot to do, and there aren't many expats, and I wouldn't say I'm close with many of them. I don't speak enough Korean to just go out and find things to do, and going and partying in Daegu every weekend sounds like a wonderful recipe for burning out -- which I already am starting to feel. I also don't feel that close to the people I know from Daegu, and all my friends are 3 hours away in Busan.

I'm just so bored and lonely that there's no way for me to release from work, which makes it hard to focus on/care about that.

What the hell have I gotten myself into?

Simply sounds like stage two of culture shock...

It's the most difficult for many to get through.

Read up and good luck.

I hate the town I'm in.

There's nothing intrinsically wrong about it, it's nice enough, but I feel so isolated and lonely out here. There's not a lot to do, and there aren't many expats, and I wouldn't say I'm close with many of them. I don't speak enough Korean to just go out and find things to do, and going and partying in Daegu every weekend sounds like a wonderful recipe for burning out -- which I already am starting to feel. I also don't feel that close to the people I know from Daegu, and all my friends are 3 hours away in Busan.

I'm just so bored and lonely that there's no way for me to release from work, which makes it hard to focus on/care about that.

What the hell have I gotten myself into?

I'm sorry you're feeling this way. Being isolated from others that you can regularly communicate with and not being used to it can make the culture shock that much worse.

To combat it, you really need to engage with yourself more. Take up some hobbies that keep you active, both physically and mentally, and challenge yourself more. Depending on what you choose to get into, you can even find many expat FB groups to interact with, too.

I don't understand the "You teach public school, shame on you" argument. It happened on here a week ago when I made an off-colour, sexual joke. "You teach kids, I can't believe it, OMG."

A better example would have been this weekend. As many of you know, I'm recently single, so on Friday night I had a bit too much beer. I texted this 10/10 Korean girl that I met years ago and told her that I would love to take her to a love motel and have some fun with her. NOW, if you want to criticise me for being a complete moron, go for it. It was a stupid thing to do and I apologised later to her and her BF, however, I got a message saying, "You teach elemenetary school, shame on you, you pervert."

I will never understand this. Do they think my sex drive will transfer over onto 11 year olds?
Unless they make posters of the chat and put them up all over the neighbourhood around the school, the kids and community are free from this. (They live in North rural Incheon, me I'm well south of Seoul.)

If a teacher is clubbing and dancing with a guy/girl, are they to be shamed for that? Are teachers not allowed to have sex with people?

I'm an idiot, but it doesn't bleed over into a "Where are you from?" lesson.