Furious. Frustrated. Jaded. Piss-poor negative and tempted to risk unauthorized visa extensions. This is how many (Daegu) NETs were feeling at the recent email that went out from DOE’s notifying them of the new visa extensions regulations. Produce apostilled diplomas and now, a FBI criminal (more…)
Sometimes, Korea can make it hard for you to like it; moreover, it can make it hard for you to want to continue to remain in it, even when you have to. Yes, it’s time to look at Visa Extensions and the huge K-bomb that was just dropped on current NETs last week. After battling various issues of desk-warming during school holidays, lousy co-teachers, bad apartment situations, rough interactions at work or with locals (as Christo of Kimchi with Eish! (more…)
When I hear of “midnight runs” and English teachers leaving Korea in 6 months after their start, it wasn’t hard for me to believe. The statistics are there and ESL forums are littered with disgruntled and fed up NETs. I’m on month #7 and my Facebook updates are splashed daily with the frustrated spouts of other EPIKers: “Enough is enough!”. As one fellow EPIKer said– “Honeymoon Finishee!”
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Adapting to life and work in Korea isn’t easy. Even if by stroke of God, your school, apartment AND co-teacher is a dream, the odds are still against you.
Moving to a foreign country for the first time, it’s natural to experience a culture shock and sometimes, this hits below the belt. You’re not always aware when it will strike or leave you winded. A “honeymoon phase” can last, anywhere from a week to several months. Inevitably however, the reality and struggle with homesickness and adapting to a foreign environment happens; the war with that romance begins.
Living in a bad marriage for a year is a different mindset from living with it for 3 weeks to 6 months. It’s all a matter of perspective and you realize you (more…)
Chuseok (추석), the Korean Thanksgiving is next week and EPIKers are abuzz with vacation plans… again. This is a six-day vacation for many NETs, so imagine the excitement! Though summer was only 4 weeks ago, the national holiday will give NETs a second wind for getting over the hump of months to come. Why? It’s our 6-month anniversary and this vacation will be our last breath of freedom until December. It’s almost as if the freedom found in our summer vacation getaways have made returning to Korea, our schools and the Korean school cafeteria a bit more …challenging.
A Fading Honeymoon:
If I have to see seaweed soup one more time…
Koreans love seaweed soup! It’s supposed to be great for pregnant women and it’s the ritual food for birthdays. But I am (more…)
Korea steps up surveillance towards sex crimes against minors and on a similar and related note, there’s new news of how the DMOE will enforce EPIK’s NET summer work hours.
Okay, here we go– some asshole sexual predator did it again. He went and molested some Korean students in Daegu. Yesterday afternoon, the DMOE sent out an email letter explaining a bit of the incident…
Living and working abroad as an English teacher in a foreign country may seem glamorous and easy. That’s what I thought. In reality, acclimating to a foreign lifestyle and workplace system isn’t always as simple or smooth as you expect it to be. But what about the difficulties and frustrations for the English teacher within a foreign workplace?
During last Friday’s EPIK workshop between NET’s and their co-teachers, EPIKers were informed that their actual vacation time is indeed, not as they thought or were led to believe. To many, this new came as a shock.
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My Top 3 Travel Secrets for Travel (and Korea)
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