Change of Events

I'm sure most of you have noticed that in my last few blogs I've had very little to say without complaining. I felt that one publication of complaining was enough. At the end of the day, as frustrated as I may be about things at work, I still get to have exciting experiences, learn about new cultures, and begin to understand why people in this part of the world behave they way they do.

All that being said, it appears as though my days at Maple Bear are limited. After a short discussion with my director today, it seems that not only will she grant me the release letter that teachers require if they want to change employers (I was considering moving to Japan if they didn't let me leave), but she will also assist me in any way she can to help me find a job that will make me happy, including talking with other directors.

Leaving Maple Bear is about an easy a decision as it was for me to leave my last job at Corel. Not easy at all! Aside from the friends I've made, who I can still keep in contact with, the hardest part is leaving my lenient schedule of a mere 17 hours per week and leaving my sweet apartment. I think people who know me best though, know that I'm a bit of a workaholic and would rather work 50 hours of fulfilling work than meager hours of unfulfilling work. Also, as much as I don't want to leave my sweet loft behind, I know I can live in any conditions. I did survive for 2 months in hostels, parks, and train/bus stations.

As of right now nothing is definite, though I'd say there's about an 80% chance that I'll be moving on to another job in Seoul, and if my current boss, Clara has anything to say about it, in the same area of Mokdong. Clara started at Maple Bear about a month ago. She's really nice, easy to talk to, and has a lot of experience teaching (though I'm not sure much experience with preschool/kindergarten). On the business side of things though, I feel like I could run the company (Maple Bear Mokdong) better. Of course I wouldn't be a very good business student if I didn't feel that way. It's unfortunate how much this place is considered a business before it's considered an educational institution.

On Sunday, since I had too much paperwork to do, I decided my outing for the weekend would be to just go to the local park and read my book "Bloodletting & Miraculous Curses" (Canadian Publication). I bumped into my boss there. She was very stressed about her new job. It was a Sunday and she was just on her way home from work. She explained to me, trying to make me feel sorry for her, for among many things, how much her family was frustrated with her working so many hours and not seeing her, how frustrated she was that none of the teachers were following the lesson plans and how the reputation of the school was very poor (I told you before that this school is a joke). My feelings at the time (and still are), my family sees me even less. If none of the teachers (including myself) don't follow the given lesson plans, there must be a reason for it (I can give you three). It's much easier to follow a lesson plan than it is to come up with one on your own. Plus, on account that this isn't my career and I will never have full residency in this country, why do I care about the reputation of your school more than my wellbeing? Shouldn't you try to regain a good reputation through a good rapport with teachers. Having to deal with this on my day off sent me over the edge. It's not that I can't sympathize with my boss, but if she wants to get some guilt out of me, the least she can do is consider the position I'm coming from. Still, when discussions came of me possibly leaving, she was very fair and very professional, and I respect that.

At this point I don't know what the future lies for me. I would expect that I'll find a job teaching either high school or adults in Seoul. There's possibilities of me leaving Korea too. I'm sure there'll be a change though, and hopefully I can begin to really enjoy myself here, the way I've heard so many other people have been able to.