JOURNAL: Countdown to Lift-Off

I am officially leaving for Seoul on July 3rd. Gosh, that's not very far away.... I will be flying United; hopefully, there is no more cause for a strike before I get on the plane. The very helpful and sweet lady I have been working with commented that it was very difficult to get a flight for that time of day (noon), and that she wasn't quite sure why. I thoughtfully informed her that there was a large national holiday and that all of the U.S.A. will be trying to fly out. It is a direct flight, but I'm sure some Korean ex-pats will be trying to take advantage of free vacation days to visit loved ones. Of course, the real trick will be to get to SFO before 8am.

I am entering this change with my eyes wide open and my ears perked. There are so many accounts out there about bad experiences in hakwons (private English institutes), though, and I would be a fool not to take them into account. About 10 years ago, the embassy issued a warning against hakwons. I found very few positive reviews, and people have been through some horrible experiences. As I began reading these accounts, however, it occured to me that there was a pattern in many cases. First of all, several of the complaints from English teachers were written in poor English with poor spelling. Now, we all (myself included) have some leeway when documenting on the Internet, but some of these teachers seemed to be pushing the envelope a bit in regards to proper grammar. Secondly, it became obvious that there was a definate element of culture shock at work. Many of the teachers didn't understand the Confucian hierarchy system, which, upon seeing some of the things going on, began to click inside my head. Hakwons are businesses, not schools, and the director is boss and virtually unapproachable. There needs to be a certain element of flexibility whenever working outside one's comfort zone (arrggh, I just used a cliche!). Thirdly, many of the horror stories were, in fact, completely legitimate, and shame on the schools that broke contracts, regulations, and spoken promises! Having said that, I can't honestly say it is any different in the United States (Governor Schwartznegger, take note). I am entering this strange new world with a generous helping of fear, a modicum of trepidation, and a whole barrel of excitement. My purpose is to find an adventure; I could have played it safe in Europe or China, but that wouldn't have been as fun, now would it?

I trust, tentatively at least, the recruiter I have been working with; my gut instinct (usually trustworthy) from the start was that they are honest and have our (the teachers) best interests at heart. They are an American-registered agency (the owners are Korean-American), and seem to be on top of things. Still, I get nervous when certain issues came up, the latest being the school's need for my original diploma to register with the Seoul Metropolitan Board of Education; I figure, if they accidentally-on-purpose "lose" it, I can always get another from my alma mater. Anyway, I googled this government agency, and found out it was, indeed, legit. Moreover, it is one of the few government support groups if a foreigner (me) has a dispute with the school.

As for the school, there have been a few minor problems listed on a forum(and one major), but, as I understand it, they have hired a sort of "cultural liasion" to help deal with what gets lost in translation, so to speak. The school has not been officially or unofficially blacklisted, so I guess that is good. The sorts of complaints about the school listed, I have decided, I can live with. They pay on time and accurately, which most other schools do not "remember" to do.

I think I am just going to have to get over my natural American distrust of people. Seoul is a pretty safe city (except, perversely, around the American military base). I know that I will stick out pretty drastically, being dark blonde, blue-eyed, and less-than-svelte, but I have had 29 years to get used to that; I am not sure if I am up to the idea of the public baths, however. As far as safety, in one of the cultural guides I read, the writer suggested not to panic if, on a crowded bus, a seated person grabs your bag (if you are standing) and holds onto it for you during your journey; he is meaning to be helpful, not a thief. Hmmm....That will take some flexibility on my part.