Item the First : Anne Craig is going through some surgery for cancer. I join Rageboy in encouraging you to send her a note of support. He says : 'I have personally seen pure concentrated freak power save a life,' and I say if you're reading this weblog, you are a freak of some kind, clearly, and you've got to come to terms with that, damn it! Now let your freak flag fly and go do something constructive with the unholy power with which you've been blessed†.
Item the Second : In lieu of reading any new rantings and ravings (rockings or rollings, babblings or banterings (somewhere between Bantu warrior and post-Bruce Banner hulk-smashology)) from yours truly, I offer you this tale of bitterness and disappointment and the inexorable deterioration of mental health from a new arrival to the ESL Mines Of Korea. It's long, but well worth the read.
Sad and a little horrible to watch it unfold - an old battle-scarred vet like me can predict most of the hammerfalls this poor guy endures - but hilarious nonetheless.
Reminds me in many ways of my first six months here. It is in no way an exaggeration, I should note - if you're thinking of coming to Korea to teach, and this gives you pause, well, good.
†Well, OK, you don't have to, but it would be a nice thing to do.
Edit : Something's gone goofy with comments on this post. I'm trying to track it down. Please do not adjust your set.
Update : Fixed. Comment away!
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rocco said
Oh... My...
Well, thinking about it a bit more: I can't get my own four-year-olds to listen to me. I imagine no better success for some foreign devil spewing forth an incomprehensible babble at them. Put several more such urchins in one room and hey, presto! Instant Chaos!
July 16, 2003 12:45 PM
stavrosthewonderchicken said
Er...test.
July 16, 2003 6:45 PM
dg said
That is fucking hilarious! I feel for the guy, though. If you talk to enough ESL teachers, his experience seems to be pretty typical. I once had a meeting with the head of one of these "English" schools in Seoul - a school with 700 students and not one teacher that could speak English. He was trying to get me to recruit teachers from Australia for him....
July 16, 2003 9:07 PM
The Dynamic Driveler said
omg - that was so funny, tragic, sad all those things. Remibnded me right away of my year in Japan (76-77) on an ESL gig. Brought back a lot of "frightening" memories of my employers (drunken pachinko and mah jong addicts who couldn't pay their employees) - but at least he natives were friendlier than what this guy encountered.
Good luck on the new job hunt eh!
July 17, 2003 10:57 PM
ashes said
Whoa, I'll bet that is no exaggaration. I've often wondered why no teaching stories... nothing to teach, just show up, or disappear... sigh.
July 18, 2003 4:36 AM