RANTING/VENTING MEGATHREAD 3.0

Gotta love my co-teacher.

It's renewal time and they of course tell us last minute they need our health results.

I go to do my medical exam on Monday. They say it'll be available Thursday.

Tuesday, my CT asks me about the place. I don't know the name or number so she asks me to find it so she can ask them to rush the results since we need them "ASAP". (Is it possible to rush a health exam????) We were told later than Monday is fine, but it should be ASAP. This means I must waste my time to go back out to the clinic after school just to get a phone number for her.

Come back to my main school on the following day. She doesn't say anything so I ask her:

"Did you call the clinic?"

(In the most defeated tone) "Yep."

Just from that tone I knew what they told her. Thursday is considered ASAP in this situation. Glad she wasted my time successfully.

I haven't been asked about health results from a test yet, and I'm pretty sure I have been renewed too :O
I'm getting a little worried now >.<

This week has been soul-sucking, and I still have just enough left to feel it. 

Maybe it's been the high pollution we've had, but the kids have been insane. I've had to penalize pretty much every single class but for my best third grade classes because ****-if-I-know.

I'm not leaving my apartment this weekend. Just no.

This week has been soul-sucking, and I still have just enough left to feel it. 

Maybe it's been the high pollution we've had, but the kids have been insane. I've had to penalize pretty much every single class but for my best third grade classes because ****-if-I-know.

I'm not leaving my apartment this weekend. Just no.

I feel exactly the same. 

I don't know if it's Korea or what, but I've had an annoying cough for 2.5 months and a sore throat for 2 weeks.

Keep going to the doctor and they just prescribe me whatever for 3 days and then afterwards the symptoms come back with a vengeance.  I can't help but think this is how superbugs are born...

I don't know if it's Korea or what, but I've had an annoying cough for 2.5 months and a sore throat for 2 weeks.

Keep going to the doctor and they just prescribe me whatever for 3 days and then afterwards the symptoms come back with a vengeance.  I can't help but think this is how superbugs are born...

This could be the pollution, too. Some people feel the effects more than others.

If you don't already have an air purifier, I'd recommend getting one for your apartment. The air you sleep in makes a HUGE impact on the way you feel throughout the day, especially if you're highly sensitive to the pollution. We've had a lot of red days in the past few months, and, for some areas, it's been purple.

Beyond that, keep an eye on the pollution readings and wear masks with 2.5PM filters while running around on bad days.

Changing my schedule from all after school classes to curriculum classes is gonna be great....If they actually give me the schedule and I don't have to find out that it's been changed from one of my students.

Ask your co-teacher for a copy of the new schedule. What grades and classes you teach, when, what pages of the textbook you are expected to cover each week etc. Typically the GET does the listening / speaking parts of the textbook, but you'll have to double check. I'm guessing you've had a look / been given the textbooks at least? I'd also ask for the names lists of all the students for each class, so you can begin to learn some of their names and write notes RE: shy / low level / naughty students for future reference.

I don't know if it's Korea or what, but I've had an annoying cough for 2.5 months and a sore throat for 2 weeks.

Keep going to the doctor and they just prescribe me whatever for 3 days and then afterwards the symptoms come back with a vengeance.  I can't help but think this is how superbugs are born...

That's the Korean spring and summer cold. I've been getting it annually for a very long time.

Pro tip - don't go to the doctor for a cold. Just go to a pharmacy, get some over the counter meds, and rest. Nothing a doctor gives you is going to cure you, and it's more than likely going to contain some antibiotics, which aren't effective against viruses.

Just rest up, lots of fluids, decongestants, over the counter meds, and you'll be doing a lot better than loading yourself up with whatever excessive trash the doctor is giving you.

Any cure for a soul sucked?

I don't know if it's Korea or what, but I've had an annoying cough for 2.5 months and a sore throat for 2 weeks.

Keep going to the doctor and they just prescribe me whatever for 3 days and then afterwards the symptoms come back with a vengeance.  I can't help but think this is how superbugs are born...

That's the Korean spring and summer cold. I've been getting it annually for a very long time.

Pro tip - don't go to the doctor for a cold. Just go to a pharmacy, get some over the counter meds, and rest. Nothing a doctor gives you is going to cure you, and it's more than likely going to contain some antibiotics, which aren't effective against viruses.

Just rest up, lots of fluids, decongestants, over the counter meds, and you'll be doing a lot better than loading yourself up with whatever excessive trash the doctor is giving you.

I think this advice is better than any other advice given to me by doctors.

Any cure for a soul sucked?

Drinking the tears of wayward children.

Seriously. It's life-sustaining.

Changing my schedule from all after school classes to curriculum classes is gonna be great....If they actually give me the schedule and I don't have to find out that it's been changed from one of my students.

Don't jinx yourself.   

It'll be a massive improvement all the same, and your lousy school might be a little more cautious with you since you've shown willingness to bring the POE in to take action against it (but expect to be tested). Revel in your victory until then and plant your flag.

Any cure for a soul sucked?

Drinking the tears of wayward children.

Seriously. It's life-sustaining.

It's also a nice supplement to teenage blood transfusions. It keeps Peter Thiel's skin soft and supple.

Aircon is allowed.

Aircon is higher than the outside temperature. 

I don't know if it's Korea or what, but I've had an annoying cough for 2.5 months and a sore throat for 2 weeks.

Keep going to the doctor and they just prescribe me whatever for 3 days and then afterwards the symptoms come back with a vengeance.  I can't help but think this is how superbugs are born...

If you don't already have an air purifier, I'd recommend getting one for your apartment. The air you sleep in makes a HUGE impact on the way you feel throughout the day, especially if you're highly sensitive to the pollution. We've had a lot of red days in the past few months, and, for some areas, it's been purple.

Beyond that, keep an eye on the pollution readings and wear masks with 2.5PM filters while running around on bad days.

Yeah, I think it's mostly the air quality. I just bought an air purifier, so hopefully it'll solve some of my problems! And I've definitely gotten more religious about wearing PM2.5 masks. How the hell aren't the locals affected by this? Acclimatization? I'll never take Canadian air quality for granted again

The lady from the statistics agency turned up at my school to conduct the interview at a good time (shock and awe) but by complete chance (pretty standard for Korea). I really don't get it. She's been pestering me for days but never once gave me a heads-up. Just BANG BANG BANG here I am.

Eventually I broke down and responded to her messages after I got one saying "YOU MUST DO THE INTERVIEW". I asked if they were mandatory and I got word-salad back so I thought that was the end of it. She doesn't speak any English. I'm usually not going to begrudge anyone that fact but her job is to interview immigrants to Korea. I'm polite but hesitant as we set up in my classroom and do the whole preamble in Korean. Just as I'm asking her if it's possible to do the interview in English because I'm not at the level where I can do this in Korean I see the survey. It's just a survey. Someone, somewhere has mistranslated the word. It took 10 minutes and it was easy; it certainly didn't require a meeting. In fact, it could've easily been completed online or by post.

Well that was a long and frustrating interaction with bureaucracy I could've done without, but I did get a 만원 coupon I can spend at Paris Baguette. Success?

I hate what's going on as "election campaign" over here.

Damn trucks illegally parked at busy intersections, blocking traffic and visibility, blasting these real dumb songs about how great such and such candidate is. If not songs, then some ajhossi or ajumma shouts some bs. into the microphone that causes ear damage to anyone within 50 meters. Except no one seems to care about what they say, they have no audience, everyone just avoids them as far as they can to prevent said ear damage.

In front of the E-mart there were easily 25 clowns wearing the same jackets, accompanied by two trucks. Do they really think it works? Do they really think that this is the only way it works? The louder they are, the more ajummas they hire to act like clowns will help them win?

No one thinks outside the box? Why do the same exact thing? Okay, they do everything else the same way, why would the campaign be different...

If I could vote and would care to vote I would pick someone who doesn't follow this idiotic madness and campaigns on some other way which results in less noise. Let's face it, there is most likely no such candidate so my second choice would be the one who has some hotties dancing instead of grandmothers. Seriously though, these clown parades only seem to target the 50+ generation. Why aren't they targeting the younger voters with something different.

Arrgggh, 11 more days of this nightmare. On the bright side, I think this is most likely the last one I have to endure. I pray that MJI doesn't screw up and get himself impeached.

If I could vote and would care to vote I would pick someone who doesn't follow this idiotic madness and campaigns on some other way which results in less noise. Let's face it, there is most likely no such candidate so my second choice would be the one who has some hotties dancing instead of grandmothers. Seriously though, these clown parades only seem to target the 50+ generation. Why aren't they targeting the younger voters with something different.

Arrgggh, 11 more days of this nightmare. On the bright side, I think this is most likely the last one I have to endure. I pray that MJI doesn't screw up and get himself impeached.

I voted for Stephane Dion and would have for David Soknacki. Two complete policy wonks.

I don't need flash, I need some good ideas and some pragmatism, I totally hear ya, buddy.

Why is the ground beef here so grisly?  It has hunks of nastiness in it and it stinks when fried. 

Why is the ground beef here so grisly?  It has hunks of nastiness in it and it stinks when fried.

That is some imaginative metaphor to describe the situation.

I hate what's going on as "election campaign" over here.

Damn trucks illegally parked at busy intersections, blocking traffic and visibility, blasting these real dumb songs about how great such and such candidate is. If not songs, then some ajhossi or ajumma shouts some bs. into the microphone that causes ear damage to anyone within 50 meters. Except no one seems to care about what they say, they have no audience, everyone just avoids them as far as they can to prevent said ear damage.

In front of the E-mart there were easily 25 clowns wearing the same jacket accompanied by two trucks. Do they really think it works? Do they really think that this is the only way it works? The louder they are, the more ajummas they hire to act like clowns will help them win?

No one thinks outside the box? Why do the same exact thing? Okay, they do everything else the same way, why would the campaign be different...

If I could vote and would care to vote I would pick someone who doesn't follow this idiotic madness and campaigns on some other way which results in less noise. Let's face it, there is most likely no such candidate so my second choice would be the one who has some hotties dancing instead of grandmothers. Seriously though, these clown parades only seem to target the 50+ generation. Why aren't they targeting the younger voters with something different.

Arrgggh, 11 more days of this nightmare. On the bright side, I think this is most likely the last one I have to endure. I pray that MJI doesn't screw up and get himself impeached.

Last year, I asked a few Koreans about it and the overwhelming response I got was that they hated it and thought each candidate was as crooked as the next and that this was the only time of the year you'd ever see them.

There's a phenomenon which is prevalent in China called Mei Ban Fah. It translates to "there's no way" or nothing can be done. In China over recent years, it's been abused to justify not doing anything even slightly inconvenient or challenging any type of hardship.

Apocalyptic pollution in China, people moan, but simply resign to 'MBF' and put no pressure on the government.
Ask the clerk to check if something is in stock 'MBF' as he can't be arsed to check.
Someone makes a noise outside your apartment at 3AM, you say 'MBF' and take sleeping pills.

I can't help but think this has spread to Korea and is the reason people don't attempt to challenge the status quo:

- 2 weeks of school in February
- English textbooks at public school
- Election noise
- Lawless driving

The Confucian teachings of avoiding conflict to save face and possible 'MBF' seem to be the reasons people simply put up with BS instead of making an effort to stop it. Where westerners have a history of protesting and challenging hardship (albeit, recently, in an annoyingly whinny and unnecessary fashion), Japanese, Chinese and Koreans seem to have a long standing culture of enduring.

This seems to tie into the reason each candidate campaigns in EXACTLY the same way. I've noticed many Koreans simply 'go through the motions', at a cultural level, they'll just keep doing something because that's the way it's always been done, not because they really believe in it. Kids mop the floor during lunch and throw their rubbish on the floor after they've done so (the teaching of taking pride in keeping their school clean is totally lost to them)... I'm sure if I replaced all the mops in school with large halibuts, they'd be moping with fish as they wouldn't even notice. Teachers and students will change to indoor shoes when coming to school, but keep them on as they go onto the playground. I remember reading about a visiting western farmer who suggested the farmers in Jeju to try a new farming method or grew specific crop as it would almost certainly increase their yield and profit. The response by the Korean farmer was that if that was the correct way to do it, their ancestors would've done it so.

Other than that, there's simply no logic to these election campaigns other than they're campaigning to the most lowbrow of old people and children, why else would the put their lyrics over the tune of "If You're Happy and You Know It"?