RANTING/VENTING MEGATHREAD 3.0

Individually wrapped cookies.

**** you, Lotte.

yeah, ordering stuff like cans of tuna from coupang. wrapped in bubble wrap, with the cans wrapped in plastic (in cans of 3), and then the cans of 3 are wrapped in more plastic, in sets of 9.

this is all surrounded with those air-pocket padding, and put in a box. or, in another plastic bag

That is SO bad for the environment. Did you know South Korea has the highest per capita plastic consumption in the world? And did you know plastic is made from petroleum, a finite resource? Hopefully excess packaging and plastic umbrella covers, etc. will go away or at least be reduced soon. I've been thinking of ways to help make that happen.

I bought a loaf of bread the other day (wrapped in plastic) and the dude put it inside another plastic bag. I was like it's alright I'll just carry it as it is. So many wasteful and unnecessary uses of plastics here.

I struggle so much with my plastic consumption.

On one hand  I try to cut it back as much as possible, but when I've spent too much money I fall back to cheap foods that are wrapped in so much plastic. It's so shitty of me. I also hate that our recycling must be put out in plastic bags here. Like why.

Also why are bananas here often sold in plastic bags or on foam trays with plastic wrap???

Individually wrapped cookies.

**** you, Lotte.

yeah, ordering stuff like cans of tuna from coupang. wrapped in bubble wrap, with the cans wrapped in plastic (in cans of 3), and then the cans of 3 are wrapped in more plastic, in sets of 9.

this is all surrounded with those air-pocket padding, and put in a box. or, in another plastic bag

That is SO bad for the environment. Did you know South Korea has the highest per capita plastic consumption in the world? And did you know plastic is made from petroleum, a finite resource? Hopefully excess packaging and plastic umbrella covers, etc. will go away or at least be reduced soon. I've been thinking of ways to help make that happen.

I bought a loaf of bread the other day (wrapped in plastic) and the dude put it inside another plastic bag. I was like it's alright I'll just carry it as it is. So many wasteful and unnecessary uses of plastics here.

I struggle so much with my plastic consumption.

On one hand  I try to cut it back as much as possible, but when I've spent too much money I fall back to cheap foods that are wrapped in so much plastic. It's so shitty of me. I also hate that our recycling must be put out in plastic bags here. Like why.

Also why are bananas here often sold in plastic bags or on foam trays with plastic wrap???

I recycle my plastics by putting them into a cardboard box, and my cardboard / paper into a separate cardboard box.

Also why are bananas here often sold in plastic bags or on foam trays with plastic wrap???

i'm pretty sure they do this with fruit and veg so they can hide the bruised or slightly off parts, by hiding it with the foam trays

at least, i have often bought fruit or veg like this, only to get home, unwrap it and find that it's completely mouldy or bruised at the bottom

So many wasteful and unnecessary uses of plastics here.

I ordered ecobags. They came individually wrapped in plastic. 

So many wasteful and unnecessary uses of plastics here.

I ordered ecobags. They came individually wrapped in plastic. 

LMAO

I'm gonna be "that person" this year.

Daegu's current weather is NSFL, and I'm from a place that's famous for its heat and humidity.

Deskwarming!   

Heat & humidity! 

 The loud incessant noise of power tools from construction going on in school! 

I wanna go home. 

Had a rat bastard sh*t head of a 6th grader in last weeks camp storm out of my class because I wouldn't let him go sit in the computer lab during class.  Seriously, the WORST camp I've ever had.  Most of the kids were forced to be there, most of them sat in silence the ENTIRE class (even during activities) had the worst room in the entire school for A/C (it hardly worked)  And I could keep going and going on how sh*tty this camp was, but I'd be here all day. 

Only good thing that came out of that camp, IT'S OVER!!! 

When you see some old foreign dude ugly af with a Korean girl that looks like she's in middle school.



dafuq?? 

When you see some old foreign dude ugly af with a Korean girl that looks like she's in middle school.



dafuq?? 

Jealous? A lot of Korean girls/women look younger than they actually are. Maybe, she is in high school ;)

Yesterday, right before I started day 1 of my 3 day camp, my CT casually informs me that she hasn’t bought any of the materials for the Rube Goldberg machine I had planned for the students. I had no time to be pissed and hastily switched to my day 3 plan, which was still a mess as I didn’t bring all the materials from home. Class started 20min late, while I was rushing to setup the activities. At the end of the day I expressly told my CT to inform me beforehand if there were any change in plans, apparently she was “so busy” last week, she had no time to send a Kakao message.

Today, not only did she fail to bring the materials, AGAIN! She also screwed up the simple procedure of copying a few pictures from 2 student’s phones and saving it to the PC. The students are now upset that they didn’t get points they were supposed to. They were excited about the Rube Goldberg machine and now she’s teaching “Art Day”, where they colour in famous paintings. The students are pretty bored and there’s zero reason for me to be here... Who says professionalism doesn’t exist in Korea?

Nambu bus terminal subway exit 4... What a long and lonely walk, only to find that I should have gone out exit 3.

☹️

Hotels, lodges and holiday websites THAT DO NOT GIVE PRICES. Instead they want you to contact them for a quote.

Come off it guys! All i want is a basic idea ballpark figure of how much it will cost! Is it really too much to ask that I have to "contact you" personally so you can jack up the price depending on how much you think i'll pay?

Yesterday, right before I started day 1 of my 3 day camp, my CT casually informs me that she hasn’t bought any of the materials for the Rube Goldberg machine I had planned for the students. I had no time to be pissed and hastily switched to my day 3 plan, which was still a mess as I didn’t bring all the materials from home. Class started 20min late, while I was rushing to setup the activities. At the end of the day I expressly told my CT to inform me beforehand if there were any change in plans, apparently she was “so busy” last week, she had no time to send a Kakao message.

Today, not only did she fail to bring the materials, AGAIN! She also screwed up the simple procedure of copying a few pictures from 2 student’s phones and saving it to the PC. The students are now upset that they didn’t get points they were supposed to. They were excited about the Rube Goldberg machine and now she’s teaching “Art Day”, where they colour in famous paintings. The students are pretty bored and there’s zero reason for me to be here... Who says professionalism doesn’t exist in Korea?

on my final ever camp i was given no budget, and absolutely no materials. i was even limited on how much paper i could use (which was very little). i put in as much effort as the school cared about the camp - absolutely none. i also found out the students had to pay to join, so where was that money going? straight into the principal's pocket, i imagine...

don't worry about it. just show movies, or something

Yeah, these 2 weeks of camp have been the longest 2 weeks of the term, the futility of it all, the lack of professionalism the 'Klogic', it all just unloaded on me.

Today, the "Klogic", window-dressing culture, hypocrisy and outright ridiculousness (everything I can't stand about Korean culture) manifested itself.

1 - It was slightly over 40 degrees outside, yesterday at 11AM, when my CT informed me that the students really wanted to
     have a water balloon fight outside. She was adamant, but I convinced her to postpone it for 9AM today. She was completely
     oblivious to the fact that a kid running around in 40 degree heat was likely to get heatstroke and the liability would fall on
     us.

2 - This morning, we did the balloon fight. After we filled about 100 balloons, I told her to designate the students into 2 teams
     and make a mini dodgeball style court and they could toss balloons. This way, they don't simply waste balloons as they
     chase each other around the field and miss 95% of their shots... more importantly, we won't have to PICK UP A HUNDRED
     BALLOON PIECES ALL OVER A MASSIVE DIRT SOCCER PITCH... Of course, she forgot to mention and yes, we spent nearly
     half an hour looking for balloon pieces in sweltering heat. Oh, did I mention everyone including my CT kept their indoor
     shoes on the entire time.

3 - Cleanup time, the class is cleaning everything. Everything except the bin overflowing beyond critical mass, everyone
     including the CT is just piling things on top of the pile. Next to the bin is another 3 compartment bin for recyclables,
     nowhere near as full. I tell me CT leaving that bin as it is, is ridiculous. I take the bag out and start stuffing everything
     that's spilled out into the bag, which is just about as full as you can get it. My CT protests, telling me we can't throw out the
     bag till it's absolutely full, as in full to the point that it's ripping at the sides. She goes on to tell me that plastic bags are
     expensive and it's to protect the environment by filling the bag (I've heard Korean teachers say this BS before).
     This moron then goes on to take recyclables out the other bin to stuff it in the waste bin so she can fill the bag beyond
     capacity.

     ... you try to save the environment by putting recyclables into a plastic bag designated for waste.
   
Window dressing - Koreans only care about recycling or the environment when people are watching them.
                         - Indoor shoes only inside, unless nobody is watching.
                         
KLOGIC - CT switches off fan and AC in the class while we're out doing the water balloon fight. After picking said balloon pieces
              in a scorching dirt patch, we enter a classroom that's hotter and stuffier than Sauron's ass crack.
            - We do movie day and my CT asks me to teach them the script of ordering a movie ticket and popcorn. Then they're
              supposed to practice the script with me. The script includes asking for popcorn (we have no popcorn) and one ticket
              for the Lion King (we're playing a different movie)... I actually had to argue to change the script to what they were
              actually eating and watching.

Seriously, how are Koreans not committing suicide by the droves as a result of this ridiculous culture... oh wait.

Seriously, how are Koreans not committing suicide by the droves as a result of this ridiculous culture... oh wait.

I know this is the ranting/venting thread but... my dude... are you okay?

Yesterday, right before I started day 1 of my 3 day camp, my CT casually informs me that she hasn’t bought any of the materials for the Rube Goldberg machine I had planned for the students. I had no time to be pissed and hastily switched to my day 3 plan, which was still a mess as I didn’t bring all the materials from home. Class started 20min late, while I was rushing to setup the activities. At the end of the day I expressly told my CT to inform me beforehand if there were any change in plans, apparently she was “so busy” last week, she had no time to send a Kakao message.

Today, not only did she fail to bring the materials, AGAIN! She also screwed up the simple procedure of copying a few pictures from 2 student’s phones and saving it to the PC. The students are now upset that they didn’t get points they were supposed to. They were excited about the Rube Goldberg machine and now she’s teaching “Art Day”, where they colour in famous paintings. The students are pretty bored and there’s zero reason for me to be here... Who says professionalism doesn’t exist in Korea?

on my final ever camp i was given no budget, and absolutely no materials. i was even limited on how much paper i could use (which was very little). i put in as much effort as the school cared about the camp - absolutely none. i also found out the students had to pay to join, so where was that money going? straight into the principal's pocket, i imagine...

don't worry about it. just show movies, or something

Call me a shit starter, if you must... but I would have flatly refused. I've tried working in those types of confines in the past, and I'm beyond over it. Now, when they come to me and tell me that they want a camp but basically tell me I have no budget and have a limit on what office materials I can use, I simply tell them, "...if you don't have budget for materials, then you don't have a budget for camp... in which case, I simply can't do the camp. These things don't come together out of thin air." Sometimes, I've even had them tell me that I had to provide my own materials. That one I shut down immediately. Teaching is a profession (despite what some uppity expats here might think), not a charity/volunteer work.

Granted, I've also found that when I employ these tactics, typically, a budget will magically appear. So I've never had to worry too much.

It was my last 2 weeks teaching at a public school. I had an F visa by then, principal was a massive ****. I showed movies or let the kids do whatever they wanted, and left straight away. I had completely checked out and couldn't be bothered to even argue about it (i guess picking battles - I had a huge disagreement about getting time off for my honeymoon a couple weeks prior)

My first 2 years the that school were amazing, but a new shit bag of a principal came and made everyone's life hell. Not just me, every teacher hated him. I'm still amazed at how much power principals in Korea have, and how there's no system in place to file a complaint or make sure they do a good job

Teaching is a profession (despite what some uppity expats here might think), not a charity/volunteer work.

I don't think that professionalism is really the point.

You are an employee. Employees are provided with what they need to do their job.

If you were a contractor* then the discussion would start with an RFP, answered by your proposal, including your rate. Your proposal would make it clear who is responsible for what.

Could you imagine working in burger shop and being told that you had to provide the ketchup?

*for more than just tax purposes.

Yep. At my after school program (which is the shittest job ive ever had, I think) the company manager said he won't be providing any board markers or paper when I run out. Can you imagine that? Hmm, guess I won't be getting much teaching —or really much of anything - done then.