ANOTHER DAY IN LOONEY LAND

Sometimes you see things again and again, but your mind just can’t believe them. You see them happen and you think, “no, this really isn’t happening”. Guess what buddy? They are. But first an update.

I’ve been working at the city job (Ilsan) Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Today is Thursday and a national holiday (although all stores are open). It’s Buddha’s birthday so happy birthday to the big guy. This country is more than 50% Christian so I don’t know why they celebrate Buddha’s birthday, but a holiday is a holiday.

The job is really bad. I am checking the time every few minutes. Ninety minutes a class is absurd. I have 1 adult class of an intermediate level and that’s fine. The rest of them are terrible and I find I have little patience. My Korean assistant says I don’t show it (which is good) and I’m doing fine. I wish I could tolerate it because I’d move to Ilsan, but I can’t.

Today being a holiday I didn’t work. It’s a double-edged sword. No work, no pay. Not good. No kids. Good. Tomorrow is the last day I’m committed to but I may see if they want to extend because I won’t be starting my new job right away.

On Tuesday night my ophthalmologist friend, Dr. Kang, took me for dinner again. The conversation flowed pretty easily and comfortably so that was good for both of us. He told me he pays about $100,000 in taxes. The man is more loaded than I thought. I should have been an eye doctor (or a dentist).

On Wednesday (yesterday), I called the agency to see if they had sent my documentation away to get my visa. My current visa expires next Tuesday. They told me the school wanted to change the start date from June 1 to July 1. I flipped out. First of all, no one called me which is thoughtless and rude. Second of all summer vacation starts in July so why would a school want to have a teacher start then? I was so angry. I could have been looking for work in the meantime and found something. Now I have no job or visa come Tuesday. I told this agency I would come in Friday morning to get my documentation.

Today was Thursday (Buddha’s birthday) but I sent out a couple of resumes. To my surprise at lunchtime I got a call from a recruiter who says she has authority to hire for the high school she wants me to go to. I believe her because I know the province does not hire their own English teachers but farms it out to agencies. We talked for a while and she said there is a job in Gwangju (about an hour from Seoul) and the air was clean there. Of course, she could be lying. However, she sounded all business and no-nonsense. She asked why they should hire me because I haven’t stuck out a contract yet. I said that if the right job was there and working, then I could stick out a contract. Maybe. But I didn’t say maybe. So tomorrow she will confirm everything with the school and on Monday I will take her my documentation. Then I’m about 10 days from starting because I can’t start without a visa. That really sucks because I need to get out of here. I may splurge on a love motel starting next Wednesday (if I’m working in Ilsan) because I can’t take much more here.

I got a job offer at an academy in the South last night. It was a phone interview through another agency and it didn’t appeal to me so I turned it down. This other agency found me another job today but it’s about 2 hours from Seoul (smaller city) and the hours are 1 to 8. I don’t want to work until 8. However, I said I’d think about it.

Tonight at dinner I took some BBQ Chicken out of the fridge to eat. Saeyoon’s mother came running from her bedroom to tell me she would heat it up. I don’t argue so I said yes. She then served me this dish of pumpkin and beans (I think). I couldn’t help but make a face when I tried it and Saeyoon’s mom laughed. I suffered through it all. I wouldn’t even do that for my own mother.

So what’s happened that I couldn’t actually believe was happening? Today I had a shoe thrown at me hard, and in anger. In all my years no one has every thrown anything at me. I didn’t yell. I didn’t get angry. I almost laughed.

Saeyoon and I had an argument (or rather I got angry about something she did) on Monday evening. I drove her home and disappeared for 3 hours. I didn’t want to be in the same apartment as her. I got a text message on my phone saying, “where r u? please come home”, but I just ignored it. When I did get in she was sleeping so she couldn’t have been too worried.

On Tuesday I was still angry (which is unusual for me) and I went out with Dr. Kahn and then just stayed outside until after midnight thinking. The weather was nice and I didn’t want to be in the apartment with her. She called 3 times but I didn’t answer my phone. When I came in she was sitting up and asked me where I had been. I told her out with Dr. Kahn. There was some small talk and then she asked me why I didn’t answer my phone when she called. I replied, “because I had nothing to say”. That sent her walking off and that was it for the night.

She had sort of apologized and tried to explain herself in the morning but I admit I wasn’t easy to talk to. I do believe in cases like this, you just have to keep trying to get through to the other person. That is not her way though.

Last night when I got in last (I had dinner with So Yung and Minsu), I went to talk to her. I was calm finally. I asked her if there was anything she wanted to talk about with me and she said yes, but not right now. It’s not her way to discuss problems right away. I believe if there is something to talk about then the sooner the better. In her world there is no rush and I think it’s almost like if you pretend there is no problem, then there is no problem.

Today I stopped by her office. She had to give a couple of lessons and do some music homework. I came in and told her I was in the area (true) and wanted to know if she wanted to talk to me, or just have a ride home because of the weather, or I should just leave because she was busy. She said she was busy but I should sit down. What she wanted to talk to me about was what my jobs plans were. I told her my updated news and asked if there was something else to talk about because the time was very short before I was leaving. She said not now but another time. I reiterated that time was short and she flipped out. She went out in her office and started picking things up and throwing them against the wall. She was screaming at me. She was angry I told her time was short. She put dents in the wall and it was really quite amazing. I’ve never seen anyone behave like that in real life. When I’ve seen it in the movies, it wasn’t that bad. I’m very calm and tell her that if she wants to throw something she should throw it at me. A few minutes later she picked up one of her shoes and threw it very hard at me. It was unreal. A couple of people stopped by her office to see what the racket was about, but they could just watch in surprise. I got tired of trying to be reasonable so I just said, “Goodbye Saeyoon” and left.

She phoned me about 30 minutes later and apologized (again) and she asked me why I said, “Goodbye Saeyoon”. I told her it was because I thought it was an appropriate thing to say. She went on about some other things including that she didn’t think I cared about her. I must disagree. When we argue I always give in and do it her way. I am very kind to her. Sometimes I’m stubborn but I’m not perfect. Considering all the things I’ve forgiven her and never mention I think she has quite the nerve to complain about my being upset the last couple of days.

She said we will talk later (whatever) but it’s now after 9PM. I do wonder if she’s doing homework or drinking in her office. I’ll find out when she gets in. But I do know that if she really believes I don’t care then we don’t have anything to talk about. I don’t care if it offends her and she stalks off (again). I have never doubted that she cared; I just think she doesn’t show it properly. To say I don’t care is a terrible insult to me and the way I treat her.

So, I must get out. Obviously if I had money to burn, I’d be elsewhere burning. I am trying to suck it in as long as I can to save some money. The last couple of days I’ve thought of Canada and if I should just go back and me a millstone. My cough gets worse, my health isn’t 100%, and the special person I was staying in Korea for has turned out to be a figment of my imagination.

Is this a negative post? I don’t think so. Things are not good but they will get better. Slowly I’m looking at things realistically. I’m sad that things aren’t working out like I hoped, but I’m being realistic and that’s what I wanted to be.