RANTING/VENTING MEGATHREAD 3.0

I... feel like it's totally normal to want to stay at home? Isn't it? I always think the people who are like "OH MY GAWDDD I'M GONNA GO TO _________ FOR THE WEEKEND AND SEE ___________!!" are the weird ones.

It's totally normal to be tired all the time. I think it has something to do with not being a kid anymore.


I don't know. I feel like the stuff you guys are complaining about is just standard for life, isn't it?

Maybe you're just old, bruh 

I dunno.  I enjoy chilling at home most the time but I think people are talking about becoming shut-ins and not necessarily enjoying it.

I think there's two kinds of tired too. One is from living your life and enjoying yourself, however that might be, while the other is from boredom and lack of stimulation. The former doesn't have to be all night craziness, either. Just fulfilling life stuff.

One is healthy, the other, not so much. Of course it's fine to want to go home after work if that's your thing, but to feel like nothing's worth doing so let's just stay home allt he time? I dunno. If it's more than just a phase then it might be time to mix things up a bit.

I think this is  good way of putting it.

I'm not a crazy party guy or even someone who's got a bucket list of things to do/see, but I still haven't stayed home a single weekend yet. Mostly, I just want to spend my weekends with my friends doing trivial shit. Drink at a slow bar? Down. Grab dinner? Yes. Go on a hike or a picnic? Oh my god yes.

I'll eat the 2.5 hours of travel it takes to get to Busan just to see everyone.

Weekdays are somewhat torturous because I feel the latter kind of tired more or less. I'm just killing time until the weekend, which is mentally and spiritually draining, even with all the things I do (like kickboxing in 20 minutes).

It makes focusing on work exceptionally hard.

We are far from shut-ins, but both love being home and spending time with our "little ones".

Some people aren't comfortable in their own skin and always seek to stay in motion.

I don't understand it much, but to each.

If we ever had the misfortune of living in a shoe box, that might change things (I say that, as I stopped over to another foreigner's place once...boy, that would be tough to come home).

Ah, see. I could stay in all day reading or playing games, or whatever if I had someone to do it with. I need the presence of another person but I could be introverted with them all day, because that's fulfilling to me.

they do have a fresh, new,  liquid soap container that is full too.

Interesting -- I've never seen liquid soap containers (let alone liquid soap) in any of the restrooms in the public schools in Korea where I used to work.

TBH it's not like one mounted to the walls or anything. It's one of those little bottles you can buy at the supermarket. But it looks like it was recently bought, as it is really clean (no mould on it) and it's still pretty full. :p

I... feel like it's totally normal to want to stay at home? Isn't it? I always think the people who are like "OH MY GAWDDD I'M GONNA GO TO _________ FOR THE WEEKEND AND SEE ___________!!" are the weird ones.

It's totally normal to be tired all the time. I think it has something to do with not being a kid anymore.


I don't know. I feel like the stuff you guys are complaining about is just standard for life, isn't it?

I tried to be one of those people when I first got to Korea, but I quickly hated doing everything by myself, and have struggled to make, and maintain, friends in Korea (at least ones I can do things with regularly). So I quickly fell back into old habits of staying in and playing games all weekend. I usually go out when my friends aren't really busy, which is pretty rare; or if I need to go grocery shopping.

I agree with doing at least some sort of action. Doesn't have to be sky diving or pub crawling all weekend every weekend, but at least something to get out. At the same time though, I see nothing wrong and thoroughly enjoy it when I have lazy Saturdays and basically just stay home reading/watching tv all day.

However, after saying all that, I am so tired today. I don't know why, I slept plenty (and usually do) but I am the I-look-slightly-hungover-today tired. I just put my tea bag into my vitamin drink. One of those effervescent vitamin drinks. Urgh.

Weekdays are somewhat torturous because I feel the latter kind of tired more or less. I'm just killing time until the weekend, which is mentally and spiritually draining, even with all the things I do (like kickboxing in 20 minutes).

It makes focusing on work exceptionally hard.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGardUiWjR4

Following up on my rant yesterday...

Last week my main co-teacher said "You look so tired lately, and you've lost weight. Are you healthy?" I told her that I was fine, hadn't lost weight, and just get tired sometimes.

Yesterday, she asked me to go have a "talk". Apparently, telling me that I looked tired was supposed to be secret code for "I'm angry with you and you should do better at school." She went off on me for a laundry list of different complaints, from "yawning in class", to "using materials from waygook" (I used one excellent review ppt, and usually make the vast majority of my own materials), to "making boring activities".

She actually told me at one point "If you want to end your contract, I will help you do that."

This all came after I told her on Friday that I won't re-sign my contract. Before then, our working relationship was mostly excellent. Just two weeks ago, when she was drunk at a 희식 she told me I was the best foreign teacher that she had ever had.

I'm worried that she is going to make my life miserable for the next 4 months, looking for every minor mistake in order to make her feel better about me leaving.

Has this happened to anyone else when they don't re-sign?!

Just remember you can start making her life hell for the next 4 months too. Sucks, but she sounds crazy.

Ah, see. I could stay in all day reading or playing games, or whatever if I had someone to do it with. I need the presence of another person but I could be introverted with them all day, because that's fulfilling to me.

Are we the same person?? Hahah. I enjoy introverted activities but the presence of another somehow makes it better, even if we're doing our own separate things. 

Here, I like being around people even if I'm not necessarily interacting with them.  Like on a weekend I could hit up a cafe, just chill with a book/games for a few hours by myself but with others around. 

Yeah, I'm a fairly introverted person irl and don't mind spending large amounts of my time on my own. I don't get depressed about it or feel like my life has no meaning just because I'm not doing anything, so it works for me.

I do still go out a lot, though, because I get stir-crazy, but I'm usually on my own these days. Even when I don't want to really interact with others, I still enjoy being around them, so it's not unusual for me to find a public place where I can chill, work on stuff/read/people-watch/etc.

Basically, you've got to find what works for you. If what you're doing makes you feel unfulfilled or depressed, then it's time for you to change it up somehow.

I should have left when my last contract ended. I made a mistake staying.

You have my sympathies. I'm starting to feel this way too.

When I first got here, I loved it. Then slowly I started to see the bad sides of things. This coupled with the judgmental and rude things some Koreans around me would say about foreigners had me pretty much seething about this place for a year. Something about people being unable to admit their own faults made those same faults even more unbearable to me. I'm around much nicer people now and so those feelings have simmered, but instead of feeling invigorated again I just feel done.

I've lost interest in the country, the food, the people, the language, the job... I don't even want to leave my apartment half the time because I'm always so happy to get home! I feel bad because I've met some really nice people this year, but I'm a dud now. I don't even want to go to my favorite places anymore. I have to force myself to be nice to students.

It's disappointing because even when I couldn't stand Korea, I still enjoyed things like traveling around on the KTX or seeing some new sight. Now it's like "been there, done that" even if I haven't actually been there. I'm hoping this is just a phase but it doesn't seem like it.

I feel EXACTLY the same way! Last year was hell on wheels, and this time around I have great schools, great CT's, but it's just not working for me and I am really trying to be positive and active and I just seem to be stuck in flat mode. I am also hoping it is just a phase but I am not sure I am going to make it through the year.

+1
To make it worse, emart is always stocked with 8,000 won vodka.

Following up on my rant yesterday...

Last week my main co-teacher said "You look so tired lately, and you've lost weight. Are you healthy?" I told her that I was fine, hadn't lost weight, and just get tired sometimes.

Yesterday, she asked me to go have a "talk". Apparently, telling me that I looked tired was supposed to be secret code for "I'm angry with you and you should do better at school." She went off on me for a laundry list of different complaints, from "yawning in class", to "using materials from waygook" (I used one excellent review ppt, and usually make the vast majority of my own materials), to "making boring activities".

She actually told me at one point "If you want to end your contract, I will help you do that."

This all came after I told her on Friday that I won't re-sign my contract. Before then, our working relationship was mostly excellent. Just two weeks ago, when she was drunk at a 희식 she told me I was the best foreign teacher that she had ever had.

I'm worried that she is going to make my life miserable for the next 4 months, looking for every minor mistake in order to make her feel better about me leaving.

Has this happened to anyone else when they don't re-sign?!

Just remember you can start making her life hell for the next 4 months too. Sucks, but she sounds crazy.

That's a good point. As a public school teacher, do I need to be worried about getting fired before my contract ends? Even for something as ridiculous as "looking tired" or "having a boring lesson"?

The "school playing field" is right outside my classroom window and I frequently find myself daydreaming about being a PE teacher. Responsibilities include: wearing sweatpants, holding a stopwatch, standing.

Wait that wasn't a rant was it

The "school playing field" is right outside my classroom window and I frequently find myself daydreaming about being a PE teacher. Responsibilities include: wearing sweatpants, holding a stopwatch, standing.

Ugh, you and me both. The PE teacher at our school (I call him Shaq Teacher) literally just wears wears sweat pants and tshirts all day every day. He gets sunshine and plays basketball all the time.

Wait that wasn't a rant was it

No, that is not a rant, but now you have me rethinking my career possibilities.

The "school playing field" is right outside my classroom window and I frequently find myself daydreaming about being a PE teacher. Responsibilities include: wearing sweatpants, holding a stopwatch, standing.

Ugh, you and me both. The PE teacher at our school (I call him Shaq Teacher) literally just wears wears sweat pants and tshirts all day every day. He gets sunshine and plays basketball all the time.

the PE teachers are in the same office that i'm in. they seem to have no additional responsibilities either. when they're not teaching PE they just either sleep, watch baseball on  the internet, or play pokemon go.

Wait that wasn't a rant was it

No, that is not a rant, but now you have me rethinking my career possibilities.

waygooks can dunk

Following up on my rant yesterday...

Last week my main co-teacher said "You look so tired lately, and you've lost weight. Are you healthy?" I told her that I was fine, hadn't lost weight, and just get tired sometimes.

Yesterday, she asked me to go have a "talk". Apparently, telling me that I looked tired was supposed to be secret code for "I'm angry with you and you should do better at school." She went off on me for a laundry list of different complaints, from "yawning in class", to "using materials from waygook" (I used one excellent review ppt, and usually make the vast majority of my own materials), to "making boring activities".

She actually told me at one point "If you want to end your contract, I will help you do that."

This all came after I told her on Friday that I won't re-sign my contract. Before then, our working relationship was mostly excellent. Just two weeks ago, when she was drunk at a 희식 she told me I was the best foreign teacher that she had ever had.

I'm worried that she is going to make my life miserable for the next 4 months, looking for every minor mistake in order to make her feel better about me leaving.

Has this happened to anyone else when they don't re-sign?!

this woman sounds like a complete bitch. unfortunately stuff like this is very common when koreans think they have been slighted in some way. they are an extremely petty and vindictive nation of people.

it sounds like at this stage you have no choice but to elevate things to the higher ups. speak to the VP or even the principal, or your Office of Education.

you've only got 4 months left, so have nothing to lose.

I would actually suggest sending an email to your coordinator at the MOE/POE so they at least have an official written record of your side of the story, in case your coteacher tries to get you fired.

I... feel like it's totally normal to want to stay at home? Isn't it? I always think the people who are like "OH MY GAWDDD I'M GONNA GO TO _________ FOR THE WEEKEND AND SEE ___________!!" are the weird ones.

It's totally normal to be tired all the time. I think it has something to do with not being a kid anymore.


I don't know. I feel like the stuff you guys are complaining about is just standard for life, isn't it?

Well, maybe it's normal for you but I didn't feel this way before and I didn't feel this way back home. I mean, I dread even going to the store or the mall or meeting friends... it's stuff I used to like.

STRANGER'S OPINION ALERT:

Sounds like depression to me. Before I found help, I was literally a lump Friday evening - Monday morning. Doing laundry was considered productive. I get out tons more now (albeit on my own because that's how I likes it) but I do still get the general feeling of "I have been looked at by hundreds of eyeballs this week I cannot take one more pair."

Anyway, I empathize. It's a shit way to be. Give a shout if you want, I'm a non-threatening weirdo.