So we took the first job that came along - which turned out to be part time hours at a cram school (hagwon) in a tiny hamlet in
the poorest province - and off we flew. Those first two years were hard. We were so isolated: not only the only foreigners
in town but the only twenty-somethings as well. Adrift in a sea of the oldest and youngest of an alien world we struggled at
times. The place was rural: quaint, authentique to the max, but also bleak and undeveloped. A visiting family member commented
that it seemed like a third world country out there. We found friends in the nearest city, a band of expats from various countries
and backgrounds. We joked that we were playing Survivor Korea. As teachers came and went strong bonds were formed in the crucible
of culture shock. We drank a lot, bitched a lot and laughed a lot. It was indeed the best and worst of times.
During this time I completed my honours degree extramurally. It was the part time nature of our contract that led to me taking
this on, and the ability to finish it that led to our staying in the same situation for a second term. The downside was that I was
constantly tired and stressed and our financial progress was nil. By the end of it we were broke and psychologically stretched
very thin. We'd had two serious car accidents involving written off vehicles and our school was really faltering, raising the
question of who was to blame. Teaching is hard when you have no training and self-esteems were low. We decided that we had no
choice but to stay a third year in order to get enough money behind us to continue the O.E., but we would not stay at the same
school. Our boss was a good guy and the kids were great but the situation just wasn't working for us, especially now that we were
in a position to work two full contracts. At that time we we had our sights set on Seoul, but it's not easy to get a job in Seoul
without a North American accent.
We were a bit more savvy this time, a bit more discerning and a lot more patient. Although Seoul seemed out of the question we
held out for bigger cities and larger more professional programmes. Eventually we took a job working for the public school system
in Nonsan, a city of about a hundred thousand, in the same province. We even did a recon mission with a friend to make sure that
the city was of an acceptable level of modernity for our needs. We went home for three weeks not really knowing if the job was in
the bag and had one hell of a mission getting back. We hadn't realised you need either a working visa or an onward ticket to gain
entry into Korea. The job contract wasn't signed yet, the visa wasn't stamped, the airline wouldn't let us on the plane. We had
to raise money for a return ticket: we missed our plane. The replacement flight involved a 24 hour stopover in Auckland and
another in Japan: we would miss our interview. We almost decided to stay in New Zealand on at least 3 separate occasions during
that episode, but in the end we persevered.
We arrived safely and the contracts got signed and the visas got stamped, despite the phenomenal incompetence and
disorganisation of the Nonsan Office of Education. Our two years experience finally paid off: we got a good deal with lots of
extras like a provincial allowance (compensation for not living in Seoul) and a relocation allowance. I even got an extra W100,000
per month salary in recognition of my honours degree! Our combined salary more than doubled and the money flowing home has
ultimately trebled. The only real issue is the location of the apartment. After being shown a series of one person apartments in
slum areas they finally showed us something we could accept. It was even rather good! But then, typically, there was some hitch
and it fell through. The next apartment we were shown was 20-30 minutes drive from Nonsan in a new city called Kyeryong. It was
made very clear that we had little choice. Luckily Kyeryong city is lovely - clean, new, filled with trees and encircled by
mountains. The apartment is also very good, and the Office of Education dutifully arranged for various teachers to drive us into
work everyday so that commuting wouldn't be an inconvenience. Most of the time it's no biggy, but little things complicate matters
- like my driver on Mondays is always more than 20 mins late and I sometimes miss my entire first class! Things like this don't
really phase me too much any more though - it's pretty standard fare here in butter-side-down land!
We have just 4 months left on our contract at the time of writing (05.11.13) and things are looking good. The decision to stay
for the second and third years is paying dividends - we'll repay our outstanding debt and New Zealand and walk away with enough
money to fund a 6 month holiday through Asia and Eastern Europe at the end of our contract. I have my honours degree and will
probably have enough material to sign up for my PhD as soon as I get home (whenever that may be...).
More importantly though we have had the experience of a lifetime. It has been hard, yes, but it has also been eye-opening,
challenging, affirming, mind-blowing and so very interesting. Almost 3 years later we're still here, for better or for worse, and
every day is full of a thousand little adventures, anecdotes in the making. On his deathbed when asked again to recant his
extraordinary tales Marco Polo replied "I have not told half of what I saw." I have tried and tried, but I will never be able to
fully relate the profundity of my experience here in the land of the morning calm.
...liminil
