Tall Tales From A Short Canadian

Greetings friends and strangers,

Well, things are rolling right along here in good old Ko Ree Ah. While I’m doing all the work necessary to make my debts vanish, I’m still just treading water. But there is great hope in sight. Nicole has arrived, and while the tiny wonrum continues to shrink around us, she already has a job and our combined income, starting in March, will be very satisfactory. We did the tourist thing last weekend and traveled to the area commonly referred to as ‘downtown’, called Nampo-dong. Dong is also the Korean word for shit, and this place smelled, literally, just like that. Anyway, we got lost in the busy markets, saw lots of Russian sailors, and went up to the top of Busan tower for an outstanding panoramic view of the city and harbour, but alas, I forgot my camera.

As for my health, well, it isn’t that good. My allergies continue to plague me and my stomach has become ultra-sensitive. Besides that, I’m doing ok. The big kindergarten show last weekend went off without a hitch, and I pleased the picture-hungry parents with my snowy white smile. It was funny. Since I’ve been at this school, I realize that almost everything I do is to market the school to other parents. I’ve been in more photos and videos in the last two months than in the previous two years combined. Things at the hagwon are beginning to hint at an imminent epoch of horror. The Korean teachers, with their salaries almost half of what we get, are getting angry at their hours, the abuse they suffer, and just generally being treating like non-living resources. The schedule is changing, and the seven-year head foreign teacher is not getting any respect from the new director. My so-so current schedule looks as if it will take a terrible turn for the worse soon, leaving me with less time to have a life of any kind, or to get into any trouble. Well, it appears that the shit is really going to hit the fan at Kid’s Club (or Keeju Koolubb, as the Korean’s say) if the extremely helpful Korean teachers split and the director attempts to squeeze every minute specified in our contracts out of the expatriot teachers, with little regard for our well being. The fact is, I work less than I would for the same pay back home, but I am also working quite a bit more than most teachers here for the same pay, and our days are stretched out to span up to ten hours a day, with lots of breaks, which makes making additional money nearly impossible. We’ll see what happens. Watch out for me at any major Canadian airport in the next month or so!

Aside from a few interesting meals, long stares, cultural trivia, a pair of matching spring colds, and a couple of piss-ups, there really isn’t much to share, but I felt like I should at least type something to satiate my always anxious readership! When anything really cool happens, you’ll be the first to know.

PEACEOUT,

Su Tee Bun