Another example of whats been bothering me about this country.
Anti-Foreign Sentiment Scares Away International Investors
"He noted that the best negative example is regulators' probe of the legitimacy of Lone Star's takeover of the Korea Exchange Bank (KEB) in 2003. ``Through this incident, the international community thinks Koreans believe that non-Koreans making money in Korea is like committing a crime, which drives away potential foreign investors.''"
This comes directly from a Korean newspaper no less.
---------------------
In other news, I read this nice little quote from one of my elementary student's journal.
"But (name left blank) is ugly. She is from china. Chinese are ugly. But we are pretty..."
Just an elementary school student, they start them young here.
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Monday, July 16, 2007
Good example of why I'm leaving
Teacher sent to prison
Here is a perfect example of why I am leaving. This is a Canadian teacher who had a fake diploma, got caught, and is now going to spend 6 months in prison. Should he be deported? Absolutely. Should he be banned from ever coming back to this country? Absolutely. Should he be fined an obscene amount of money? Absolutely.
Should he spend 6 months in prison? No, just execute him instead for being a foreigner. He probably had sex with Korean women too.
Nationalism starts young here. I was going over a geography unit with my elementary students, and we were talking about countries, and one of my students asked me where Korea was. So I showed them where it was, a few seconds of shocked silence then students started yelling at me "why is Korea so small!" "where is jeju-do!" "Where is dokdo!" Then I made the mistake of saying, "Well, actually you need to cut this little square in half because the top half is North Korea", big mistake. Anyway, my point is, it's not fun living in a country that has an intense love/hate relationship with you.
In other news, I will be going to Shanghai at the end of the month with my friend, shes going to show me around her city. I'm trying to decide if I want to go to Beijing, Shanghai or Taipei next year.
Here is a perfect example of why I am leaving. This is a Canadian teacher who had a fake diploma, got caught, and is now going to spend 6 months in prison. Should he be deported? Absolutely. Should he be banned from ever coming back to this country? Absolutely. Should he be fined an obscene amount of money? Absolutely.
Should he spend 6 months in prison? No, just execute him instead for being a foreigner. He probably had sex with Korean women too.
Nationalism starts young here. I was going over a geography unit with my elementary students, and we were talking about countries, and one of my students asked me where Korea was. So I showed them where it was, a few seconds of shocked silence then students started yelling at me "why is Korea so small!" "where is jeju-do!" "Where is dokdo!" Then I made the mistake of saying, "Well, actually you need to cut this little square in half because the top half is North Korea", big mistake. Anyway, my point is, it's not fun living in a country that has an intense love/hate relationship with you.
In other news, I will be going to Shanghai at the end of the month with my friend, shes going to show me around her city. I'm trying to decide if I want to go to Beijing, Shanghai or Taipei next year.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Only a few more months
Three and a half months left, I'm so excited. My plans have been changing week by week, but right now my current plan is to go home in October, stay there for a month or two, then go to Taiwan and continue teaching. I'm not quite done teaching and traveling, but I am quite finished with Korea.
I enjoyed the first 4 months, but it went downhill after that. While on the surface I find this is a good place to live, if you scratch below the surface things aren't so nice. I have a good friend from China who is routinely subjected to racism, it's pretty depressing. I keep seeing these "news" reports on the evil foreign English teachers and how we are corrupting this society. Every time I go anywhere with an Asian girl I get stared at, she gets stared at, and it's just not fun. I even had this one teacher I work with follow me to a restaurant where I was meeting this girl we both know, the guy walked by the window with his arms crossed (very aggressive posture) staring into the restaurant trying to see who I was having dinner with. This same guy demanded all the female teachers at our school get into his car and all the male teachers get into another car, after all he must protect the women from us foreigners, right? I got turned down for a date once because, "someone might see us". Someone might see this Korean girl with a foreigner and assume shes a "bad girl". And I thought I heard them all. I can't even go get a new cell phone. I have to get a used cell phone because they don't give new ones without signing a contract and I'm a foreigner so I can't sign one.
I'm not even going to talk about what people from poor countries go through, I get it easy because I'm from a rich country...sigh.
Anyway, I'm going to have to start taking more pictures, I only have three months left.
I enjoyed the first 4 months, but it went downhill after that. While on the surface I find this is a good place to live, if you scratch below the surface things aren't so nice. I have a good friend from China who is routinely subjected to racism, it's pretty depressing. I keep seeing these "news" reports on the evil foreign English teachers and how we are corrupting this society. Every time I go anywhere with an Asian girl I get stared at, she gets stared at, and it's just not fun. I even had this one teacher I work with follow me to a restaurant where I was meeting this girl we both know, the guy walked by the window with his arms crossed (very aggressive posture) staring into the restaurant trying to see who I was having dinner with. This same guy demanded all the female teachers at our school get into his car and all the male teachers get into another car, after all he must protect the women from us foreigners, right? I got turned down for a date once because, "someone might see us". Someone might see this Korean girl with a foreigner and assume shes a "bad girl". And I thought I heard them all. I can't even go get a new cell phone. I have to get a used cell phone because they don't give new ones without signing a contract and I'm a foreigner so I can't sign one.
I'm not even going to talk about what people from poor countries go through, I get it easy because I'm from a rich country...sigh.
Anyway, I'm going to have to start taking more pictures, I only have three months left.
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
So, what have I been doing lately?
Not much. I've learned I really don't like teaching middle school students, they are too moody. Elementary school students can be a handful, but they never really get hostile, they might get upset but I haven't met one that got really hostile. Teaching middle school students is like walking through a minefield.
I will probably only teach for one more year. It's just not something I want to do long term. I would like to try to find another job in Korea that doesn't involve teaching. We'll see how that goes. I will move to Seoul in October and see how things turn out for me there. But I am going to give this country at least one more year before moving on. If things just don't work out then I will go somewhere else.
I will probably only teach for one more year. It's just not something I want to do long term. I would like to try to find another job in Korea that doesn't involve teaching. We'll see how that goes. I will move to Seoul in October and see how things turn out for me there. But I am going to give this country at least one more year before moving on. If things just don't work out then I will go somewhere else.
Saturday, June 09, 2007
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
One year ago today...
One year ago today, a person I have never met, nor even sent an email too, ended his life in Beijing China. This person is the reason I'm living in Korea today. When I was a University student I knew when I graduated it would be tough to find a job, America was in a recession at the time. I started looking at other things I could do, the only idea that came into my head was travel. I started reading people's blogs and eventually came across the Korea Life Blog. The blog was funny and informative, full of pictures and was updated every day, sometimes multiple times a day. I quickly became a daily reader and started thinking about teaching ESL myself. Well here I am.
There are a couple things I really liked about Shawn's blog. The first is that he updated almost every single day. I knew without a doubt that there would be something new to read every time I checked his blog. The second thing is that he always had a positive humorous way of writing about the most difficult situations. He kept his writing positive even when he was having a rough time. Third, he wrote in a personal way, he gave details about his life that I would never do. Finally, a lot of his posts were written in story format. He would have characters, and pictures, and I often felt like I was reading a book.
Shawn eventually wrote a book about his time in Korea. You can buy it here. He was a very talented writer.
He eventually moved to China after living in Korea for 5 years. He ended his life one year ago today. Someone archived Shawn's China life blog, you can read it here. Even though Shawn's Korea life blog has been deleted, through the magic of the internet you can still read it here.
I've been here 7 months now, I've had good times and bad. I've seen things, learned things, and met people that have already changed my life forever. My world view has been expanded. I now realize just how big the world is. I'm still struggling as a blogger, I can't seem to find a good format. I don't think I would be able to emulate Shawn's format, he was just too talented a writer. I've thought about only focusing on Korean culture, maybe food or history, but thats already been done. The only unique thing I can offer is my experience in Korea. So I will write about that, the good and bad, the negative and the positive. I will try to write honestly so I don't give anyone false impressions that this place is paradise. Most importantly, I will try to update every day, even if it's just a couple pictures or sentences.
Well, I never knew you Shawn, but thanks for everything man.
There are a couple things I really liked about Shawn's blog. The first is that he updated almost every single day. I knew without a doubt that there would be something new to read every time I checked his blog. The second thing is that he always had a positive humorous way of writing about the most difficult situations. He kept his writing positive even when he was having a rough time. Third, he wrote in a personal way, he gave details about his life that I would never do. Finally, a lot of his posts were written in story format. He would have characters, and pictures, and I often felt like I was reading a book.
Shawn eventually wrote a book about his time in Korea. You can buy it here. He was a very talented writer.
He eventually moved to China after living in Korea for 5 years. He ended his life one year ago today. Someone archived Shawn's China life blog, you can read it here. Even though Shawn's Korea life blog has been deleted, through the magic of the internet you can still read it here.
I've been here 7 months now, I've had good times and bad. I've seen things, learned things, and met people that have already changed my life forever. My world view has been expanded. I now realize just how big the world is. I'm still struggling as a blogger, I can't seem to find a good format. I don't think I would be able to emulate Shawn's format, he was just too talented a writer. I've thought about only focusing on Korean culture, maybe food or history, but thats already been done. The only unique thing I can offer is my experience in Korea. So I will write about that, the good and bad, the negative and the positive. I will try to write honestly so I don't give anyone false impressions that this place is paradise. Most importantly, I will try to update every day, even if it's just a couple pictures or sentences.
Well, I never knew you Shawn, but thanks for everything man.
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Finally figured it out
Funny how you learn new lessons in life. I really wonder if I would have ever figured this one out if I never came here.
It's not about how good you are at your job, or what you look like, or anything else, it's how you make people feel, period.
First day at work with my new strategy worked very well. I was all smiles, talked to the boss, made sure to wish him a good weekend, and he was happier than I've seen him in a long time. It's not about how much the kids love me. It's about paying my respects to "the man".... and let me tell you it's not easy for me, because I have a serious thing against "the man". Some people call it a "problem with authority" some people simply call it "rebellion" but I call it "self-respect". Lets see if my new strategy works for the next 5 months.
It's not about how good you are at your job, or what you look like, or anything else, it's how you make people feel, period.
First day at work with my new strategy worked very well. I was all smiles, talked to the boss, made sure to wish him a good weekend, and he was happier than I've seen him in a long time. It's not about how much the kids love me. It's about paying my respects to "the man".... and let me tell you it's not easy for me, because I have a serious thing against "the man". Some people call it a "problem with authority" some people simply call it "rebellion" but I call it "self-respect". Lets see if my new strategy works for the next 5 months.
Friday, May 18, 2007
So I've decided on what to do...
I'm just going to play nice, not worth the hassle. I figured it out last night, my kids love me, the other teachers love me, but I never pay attention to the boss. Face/honor is very important here, by not paying much attention to the boss he loses face/honor. I know what he's been telling me is BS, he's used the same lines with other teachers, they are just better at ass kissing. Guess it's time to learn a new skill.
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Work situation continued...
Went out drinking with one of my co-workers last night after work. We talked about my situation and he gave me some advice. Basically he said that it's all just a game, he suggested I just tell my boss what he wants to hear. But frankly I don't care. If I get fired it just means I can find a better job in a better location where I don't have to work on Saturday. The whole hypocrisy thing just really pisses me off though. My boss keeps telling me I can't control my classes, when my classes are completely silent so he obviously is lying. When I have a noisy class I am always able to discipline them and quiet them down. However, whenever I do that he tells me I can't discipline the kids, I can't make them stand outside the classroom for 5 minutes, I can't make them stand in the corner, all I can do is write down their names and tell a Korean teacher. However, all the other foreign teachers can discipline their kids anyway they want.
I think that basically the boss just wants control. I'm really the only foreign teacher who doesn't kiss his ass. I'm just not an ass kisser, if you're a good person I will respect you very much, but it's something you need to earn. I don't care about your title or how much money you have or how anyone else treats you.
Oh, I found out why he asked for our diplomas last week. Our boss (a male) has been making sexual advances on the eldest and newest foreign teacher here. Last week he sent a text message to him asking if he could come upstairs to his room. The next day he asks for our diplomas as a cover incase the teacher (who told me this last night) asked about the text message. I learned this last night as we both spilled the beans on everything thats been happening lately.
I'll tell you what, I knew kind of what to expect when I got here. I've heard and read about some really crazy stuff that happens, but I really never expected to be living through something this strange. I guess it's all part of the adventure, and it's definitely been an eye opener. I just hope I don't end up thinking this was all a mistake when my adventure is finally over.
I think that basically the boss just wants control. I'm really the only foreign teacher who doesn't kiss his ass. I'm just not an ass kisser, if you're a good person I will respect you very much, but it's something you need to earn. I don't care about your title or how much money you have or how anyone else treats you.
Oh, I found out why he asked for our diplomas last week. Our boss (a male) has been making sexual advances on the eldest and newest foreign teacher here. Last week he sent a text message to him asking if he could come upstairs to his room. The next day he asks for our diplomas as a cover incase the teacher (who told me this last night) asked about the text message. I learned this last night as we both spilled the beans on everything thats been happening lately.
I'll tell you what, I knew kind of what to expect when I got here. I've heard and read about some really crazy stuff that happens, but I really never expected to be living through something this strange. I guess it's all part of the adventure, and it's definitely been an eye opener. I just hope I don't end up thinking this was all a mistake when my adventure is finally over.
Work situation
So I asked for my diploma back, which made my boss very nervous, he is going to make me wait until next week for it. Another teacher was made the supervisor of the foreign teachers, which I think is a desperate attempt to not have all of us leave at the same time.
I'm starting to wonder if I want to stay here another year or just leave.
I'm starting to wonder if I want to stay here another year or just leave.
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
What to do...
Just found out my slimy boss didn't enroll us in the national health insurance plan, which is required by law, and is stated on my contract. I have a feeling he hasn't been paying into our pension plan as required by law until very recently when he asked us to sign a form for the pension plan. The question is, do I tell my co-worker who was told he'd have to pay $500 a month for insurance. We only have to pay about $50 bucks a month for it. Hmm, what should I do...
Cold
So I'm working on my 4th cold since moving here, my yearly average is 1 and I've only been here 7 months.
My boss is a slimy bastard, but he's so subtle about it, which makes it extremely infuriating. He asked for my original diploma one week before threatening to fire me, a common control tactic, I gave him a notarized copy since I have like 5 of them. My other co-worker just lied to him and said he mailed his home. I don't have problems with pay, but his motivation tactics to make us work harder really tear down our self-esteem. I didn't realize it until a new teacher came here and he went through the exact same stuff. I think it's time to start taking inventory of my things, and preparing for all eventualities, such as how to get to the airport, immigration office and how to send my money back home.
My boss is a slimy bastard, but he's so subtle about it, which makes it extremely infuriating. He asked for my original diploma one week before threatening to fire me, a common control tactic, I gave him a notarized copy since I have like 5 of them. My other co-worker just lied to him and said he mailed his home. I don't have problems with pay, but his motivation tactics to make us work harder really tear down our self-esteem. I didn't realize it until a new teacher came here and he went through the exact same stuff. I think it's time to start taking inventory of my things, and preparing for all eventualities, such as how to get to the airport, immigration office and how to send my money back home.
asdf
Besides work my life here has been pretty good. I've been busy these past couple of weekends since the weather is much better. Went with a friend to Itaewon to have a western meal, then headed to Insadong area to walk around. There are definitely advantages to hanging out with the locals.
Anyway, today I was actually threatened with being fired. I looked at my boss and said "ok", he paused a moment and said "if you agree to the terms you can keep working here". I didn't answer him as I tried to think where I should work after being fired. Realizing he had over played his hand he tried another tactic, "you only have 5 months left on the contract, I think you can endure it"..."just endure it". Again I didn't answer. He repeated again that I only have 5 months left, I can endure it. Persuaded by the fact that by my very nature I'm lazy, I agreed to stay. Now let me qualify this by saying the blame for this incident isn't completely on him, I did make a mistake. I am not completely blameless in this incident. However, what I find amusing is that if I was a Korean teacher it wouldn't have been a problem at all. Being a foreigner I am under a constant microscope and the smallest thing is blown out of proportion. One of my co-workers has it worse though, almost everything he does our boss tells him to stop, they really try to beat his personality out of him. Kinda messed up. I can't wait till my contract is finished.
Anyway, today I was actually threatened with being fired. I looked at my boss and said "ok", he paused a moment and said "if you agree to the terms you can keep working here". I didn't answer him as I tried to think where I should work after being fired. Realizing he had over played his hand he tried another tactic, "you only have 5 months left on the contract, I think you can endure it"..."just endure it". Again I didn't answer. He repeated again that I only have 5 months left, I can endure it. Persuaded by the fact that by my very nature I'm lazy, I agreed to stay. Now let me qualify this by saying the blame for this incident isn't completely on him, I did make a mistake. I am not completely blameless in this incident. However, what I find amusing is that if I was a Korean teacher it wouldn't have been a problem at all. Being a foreigner I am under a constant microscope and the smallest thing is blown out of proportion. One of my co-workers has it worse though, almost everything he does our boss tells him to stop, they really try to beat his personality out of him. Kinda messed up. I can't wait till my contract is finished.
Saturday, May 05, 2007
Vacation days
These past 2 weeks I've been working about 3hrs a day. This happens every time our middle school students prepare for tests. From April 26 until April 29 my boss gave me a vacation. One of my co-workers took the opportunity to visit Japan, he went to Tokyo and Osaka. I stayed here and went to the Korean Folk Village with a friend on Thursday, and Saturday we went to 여의도 (Yeouido Park). The Korean Folk Village was interesting but it was jam packed with kids, it must have been kids day or something. I have never ever seen so many kids all in the same place before. I think we picked a bad day to go, but neither one of us knew so many kids would be there. We had a really good time though. Here are some pics.
Look at all these kids!!!
A traditional wedding.
Temple.
Inside the temple.
Seesaw Traditional Korean style.
Look at all these kids!!!
A traditional wedding.
Temple.
Inside the temple.
Seesaw Traditional Korean style.
Friday, April 20, 2007
Coffee, lunch, and rain
Met a friend the other day for coffee and lunch. First we went to Dunkin Donuts and had coffee. While we were there it started to rain, I didn't bring an umbrella or a jacket. She didn't have an umbrella either so we both got a little wet as we ran to the little kimbap shop. Feels a little strange writing about this as I admitted to her that I have a blog, and gave her the address. She is the first person in Korea that I have given my blog address too. I prefer to keep it private.
For the next two weeks I'm only teaching elementary students, so I'll be working about 3 hrs each day for the same pay. Life is good.
For the next two weeks I'm only teaching elementary students, so I'll be working about 3 hrs each day for the same pay. Life is good.
Monday, April 16, 2007
Mondays suck
The worst thing about monday is when you have a really good weekend. A good weekend always makes monday seem really bad. I'm in between classes right now, my boss was just grilling one of my co-workers for giving too much study time. At least he could have done it in private. I've had these talks before and they really piss me off. I was getting pretty angry even though he wasn't even addressing me. I'm surprised no one I've known has pulled a runner before with all the crap we have to deal with.
Damn it was a good weekend, wish it lasted longer.
Damn it was a good weekend, wish it lasted longer.
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Good weekend
So I ended up going to 종걱(jonggak) station to meet a friend. I had a feeling she wouldn't show up because I sent a text message to her earlier in the day but she never responded. I got there a bit early and walked around 인사동 (insadong) for a while. At 6:30 i went back to 종걱 to wait. At 6:45 I sent another text message but no response. I figured she wasn't going to come so I started back home. I was at 대방 (daebang) station when she finally called me. She apologized for not answering sooner and being late but it was no problem. So I went back to 종걱. We ate some food walked around, then had coffee. I regret not buying a video camera the previous day as I had some really good opportunities to shoot some video.
No random conversations this time as I came prepared with my MP3 player.
No random conversations this time as I came prepared with my MP3 player.
Saturday, April 14, 2007
The random conversation strikes again
So I was on my way to 용산 (Yongsan) once again this time to possibly buy a PSP or a video camera. I really wasn't sure which when all of a sudden a man comes on the subway and bam as soon as he sees me the conversation begins.
"Where are you from?", he asks.
"America", I reply.
"Ah, are you a soldier?".
"No, I am a teacher".
"Oh very good an English teacher!", he says excitedly.
The subway car was packed so he pretty much knew there was no where I could run. He had me and a free English lesson and there was nothing I could do about it.
So we chatted for a bit while I waited to get off at my stop. He was a 60 year old business man, who has studied English for about 5 years. He was able to hold a basic conversation. There were two awkward moments, one when he wanted me to explain the meaning of "contents" and looked at me suspiciously when I tried to explain. The definition didn't make sense with some random comment he read by Allen Greenspan something like "the contents must be good for the future" or some such thing. The 2nd came when I told him how old I was. He kept saying ah 28 is a monkey! haha! I wasn't really sure how to respond to that one, but by now I'm used to things going a bit weird. Overall a nice conversation. Oh one more thing, and this is actually very cool. He asked me if I have a Korean girlfriend which I don't, and he told me I should find one. I was NOT expecting that from an old Korean man. Coming from a highly nationalistic and xenophobic society, I was pretty happy with that comment. That man was obviously well cultured.
Oh, I ended up not buying anything and I just wandered around for a while. Tomorrow I am going into Seoul to meet friend. If anything is blog worthy I shall post again tomorrow.
"Where are you from?", he asks.
"America", I reply.
"Ah, are you a soldier?".
"No, I am a teacher".
"Oh very good an English teacher!", he says excitedly.
The subway car was packed so he pretty much knew there was no where I could run. He had me and a free English lesson and there was nothing I could do about it.
So we chatted for a bit while I waited to get off at my stop. He was a 60 year old business man, who has studied English for about 5 years. He was able to hold a basic conversation. There were two awkward moments, one when he wanted me to explain the meaning of "contents" and looked at me suspiciously when I tried to explain. The definition didn't make sense with some random comment he read by Allen Greenspan something like "the contents must be good for the future" or some such thing. The 2nd came when I told him how old I was. He kept saying ah 28 is a monkey! haha! I wasn't really sure how to respond to that one, but by now I'm used to things going a bit weird. Overall a nice conversation. Oh one more thing, and this is actually very cool. He asked me if I have a Korean girlfriend which I don't, and he told me I should find one. I was NOT expecting that from an old Korean man. Coming from a highly nationalistic and xenophobic society, I was pretty happy with that comment. That man was obviously well cultured.
Oh, I ended up not buying anything and I just wandered around for a while. Tomorrow I am going into Seoul to meet friend. If anything is blog worthy I shall post again tomorrow.
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Filler post
Not much to say. Hung out around Suwon station with a friend last weekend, then we went to a park near my place. Funny thing is, I didn't even know this park existed, she noticed it on her way to Suwon station from the subway. I've gone by it many times and I never noticed it. This woman is the first Korean I can speak to at full speed and use my full range of vocabulary and she understood everything I said. Very refreshing.
Bye bye.
Bye bye.
Sunday, April 01, 2007
Ok, time to finish the story...
I've done enough teasing, it's time to finish the story.
Before I do, if you left a comment, I have replied so be sure to check the archives if yours is on a past post.
Alright, so where was I....oh yes...
After she had finished making her phone calls it got quiet again and I thought she had left. I tried to fall back asleep. Not long after however, I hear a hand drill being used. Oh crap I thought to myself, she called a locksmith. Worried that perhaps she had also called the police I kept my door shut and listened. The other english teacher who had been yelling at her became more worried and walked down the hall and started yelling at the locksmith to stop. The english teacher than announced she was going to get the security guard on the 1st floor and walked away. I decided this was getting way out of hand so I went back out of my room to see what was happening. When I opened my door I saw the ex-gf, but there was no locksmith. Apparently he went back to his truck to find something as he had left his tools by the door. I could already see the lock was completely ruined, there were metal shavings on the ground and black marks on the door where the ex had been kicking.
Yes, that brown grayish material is the metal shavings from the lock. The black marks on the door are a gift from the womans shoes.
Anyway, the locksmith came back and myself and the other teacher tried to tell him that the woman was crazy and she didn't live here, she was trying to break into her ex-bfs apartment. He ignored us and began to tear away at the lock again. The security guard finally came up to the 12th floor and started asking questions, we tried to explain to him what was happening but he didn't listen nor care. He stood there watching as this obviously drunk woman and her locksmith were breaking into my co-workers apartment. It was a very surreal moment, here I am standing watching this crazy woman break into an apartment she doesn't live in, while the security guard for the building is standing there watching. At this point it really hit me that one needs to be extra careful while in a foreign country. At this point they were making so much noise another teacher came out of her apartment to watch the spectacle as we continued to try to explain that this is wrong in broken english/korean. I didn't have my co-workers phone number so I wasn't able to call him. The building manager eventually came up to our floor to see what the noise was all about. At this point one of the other teachers decided to call a friend to translate for us to explain the situation. The building manager talked to her friend on the phone for a while, while I went to the 11th floor and got my other co-worker since he had this guys phone number. So my other co-worker comes upstairs with his girlfriend. Myself, my coworker/his gf, and two other english teachers are now talking loudly trying to sort out this mess outside this guys door while the locksmith is trying to open the door as fast as he can while the security guard and building manager just watch. No police have arrived at this point. I'm shocked the police weren't called an hour ago when this mess started, this isn't Kansas.
Finally the door opens and the ex-gf quickly enters his apartment while us westerns stand watching in shocked silence. Why didn't anyone listen to us and stop this mess? She went up into his loft looking for him, but he was no where to be found. She came back out of the apartment and talked for a bit with the building manager as he started to get angry at her. I think he was finally realizing what was happening. She looked at me and said "Kevin, I am sorry", my reply was "no f***ing s*** you're sorry", she then turns to my other co-worker and says "Jay, I am sorry, are you angry?", he nods his head "very angry". The building manager suddenly starts yelling at her very loudly, while the locksmith hurriedly tries to put on a new lock. When he finishes the building manager takes the key making sure the ex-gf does not stay in the apartment. The security guard then writes a note and puts it on the door, but it's in korean, Jay then writes a message in english so the guy can understand considering he can't read korean.
And then it's over, everyone walks away to sleep away the night and get ready for another crazy week in the Land of the Morning Calm.
What are my personal thoughts on the matter? For one it's obvious to me that our rights in this country are vastly different from our home countries, and when there is a conflict between a korean/westerner our chances of winning are slim. Based on conversations I've had with my co-worker since the incident I have a feeling he was hiding in the apartment the entire time, he said things to me he would not have known unless he had been in his room. I haven't confronted him about the matter as I think it would really embarrass him if I told him I thought he was there the entire time. I also heard someone moving around in his apartment shortly after everyone left.
A week later...the guy and his ex-gf? They are back together, sigh.
Before I do, if you left a comment, I have replied so be sure to check the archives if yours is on a past post.
Alright, so where was I....oh yes...
After she had finished making her phone calls it got quiet again and I thought she had left. I tried to fall back asleep. Not long after however, I hear a hand drill being used. Oh crap I thought to myself, she called a locksmith. Worried that perhaps she had also called the police I kept my door shut and listened. The other english teacher who had been yelling at her became more worried and walked down the hall and started yelling at the locksmith to stop. The english teacher than announced she was going to get the security guard on the 1st floor and walked away. I decided this was getting way out of hand so I went back out of my room to see what was happening. When I opened my door I saw the ex-gf, but there was no locksmith. Apparently he went back to his truck to find something as he had left his tools by the door. I could already see the lock was completely ruined, there were metal shavings on the ground and black marks on the door where the ex had been kicking.
Yes, that brown grayish material is the metal shavings from the lock. The black marks on the door are a gift from the womans shoes.
Anyway, the locksmith came back and myself and the other teacher tried to tell him that the woman was crazy and she didn't live here, she was trying to break into her ex-bfs apartment. He ignored us and began to tear away at the lock again. The security guard finally came up to the 12th floor and started asking questions, we tried to explain to him what was happening but he didn't listen nor care. He stood there watching as this obviously drunk woman and her locksmith were breaking into my co-workers apartment. It was a very surreal moment, here I am standing watching this crazy woman break into an apartment she doesn't live in, while the security guard for the building is standing there watching. At this point it really hit me that one needs to be extra careful while in a foreign country. At this point they were making so much noise another teacher came out of her apartment to watch the spectacle as we continued to try to explain that this is wrong in broken english/korean. I didn't have my co-workers phone number so I wasn't able to call him. The building manager eventually came up to our floor to see what the noise was all about. At this point one of the other teachers decided to call a friend to translate for us to explain the situation. The building manager talked to her friend on the phone for a while, while I went to the 11th floor and got my other co-worker since he had this guys phone number. So my other co-worker comes upstairs with his girlfriend. Myself, my coworker/his gf, and two other english teachers are now talking loudly trying to sort out this mess outside this guys door while the locksmith is trying to open the door as fast as he can while the security guard and building manager just watch. No police have arrived at this point. I'm shocked the police weren't called an hour ago when this mess started, this isn't Kansas.
Finally the door opens and the ex-gf quickly enters his apartment while us westerns stand watching in shocked silence. Why didn't anyone listen to us and stop this mess? She went up into his loft looking for him, but he was no where to be found. She came back out of the apartment and talked for a bit with the building manager as he started to get angry at her. I think he was finally realizing what was happening. She looked at me and said "Kevin, I am sorry", my reply was "no f***ing s*** you're sorry", she then turns to my other co-worker and says "Jay, I am sorry, are you angry?", he nods his head "very angry". The building manager suddenly starts yelling at her very loudly, while the locksmith hurriedly tries to put on a new lock. When he finishes the building manager takes the key making sure the ex-gf does not stay in the apartment. The security guard then writes a note and puts it on the door, but it's in korean, Jay then writes a message in english so the guy can understand considering he can't read korean.
And then it's over, everyone walks away to sleep away the night and get ready for another crazy week in the Land of the Morning Calm.
What are my personal thoughts on the matter? For one it's obvious to me that our rights in this country are vastly different from our home countries, and when there is a conflict between a korean/westerner our chances of winning are slim. Based on conversations I've had with my co-worker since the incident I have a feeling he was hiding in the apartment the entire time, he said things to me he would not have known unless he had been in his room. I haven't confronted him about the matter as I think it would really embarrass him if I told him I thought he was there the entire time. I also heard someone moving around in his apartment shortly after everyone left.
A week later...the guy and his ex-gf? They are back together, sigh.
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