Smokes and Mirrors

One of the things you learn in the teaching English overseas business is that there are often a lot of promises that don't amount to anything.

I have survived my first week - and "survived" is a good word to use. First of all, the day I arrived I was overcome with a heavy cold or flu. My head has felt like it was full of water, and I've used more than my share of tissues in the last week, sometimes wondering if I was ever going to improve. I don't know if it was the traditional medicine given to me by a student, or the antihistamine I bought from the English speaking guy behind the counter of "The Drug Store" or if it was just "time" but I'm better, much better, but not yet 100%.

To run two concurrent courses as I have been doing, is hard enough - but with some of the other challenges I face, I'm going to need a lot of patience to get through. First of all the students were supposed to have a set standard of English. Ooops. Some have very basic English - so are unlikely to make the grade.

The classroom in Woosuk University is good. I can do many of the things I want to do - but the promised resources have not materialized. I've been promised data projector, CD player, butchers paper, and so on. But when I ask there is a flurry of conversation between the Korean guys, and nothing eventuates.

I don't know where I live. Strange. But I cannot read/speak Korean, and do not have my address written for me - as promised. If I get lost, or need to get a taxi home, I have not got the information I need. There is a system for rubbish removal - household waste - and after a week I am still waiting for the promised special bags.

I have been told that I will get help to open a Korean bank account, and will be shown how to transfer money to or from Australia. That has not happened.

Running two concurrent programs is a challenge at the best of times, but the students switch classes on me. Two nights in a row I had 6 in the class, and last night (without any indication that there would be a change - 12 turned up, and of course I did not have the handouts for them.

The weekend class has 22, and the week night class can have around 6, but if they switch back and forth on me, they'll get a repeat of some things. I don't have a photocopier at the class room, nor access to one anywhere, and the promises for my copying to be done have not resulted in success.

Also the smaller class (6 or so) we get things done very quickly. It takes less time for 6 people to read their work, than it does for 20. So my lesson plans are frequently of the planet.

Today is my first day off since starting the teaching. I am to meet the boss today. It will be an interesting meeting.

The basics

I know my apartment was "prepared" by some guys. They bought a bed, a new pillow, a quilt, and some Korean style bedding. There is a small table and four chairs, a small refrigerator, and a microwave oven. There is also a small television, and a wardrobe.

In the kitchen/laundry is a gas cooker, a sink, and a washing machine that I cannot use as (a) it is all in Korean and (b) there is no power socket available.

The "bathroom" - has a pedestal toilet, and a sink. Attached to the wall is a shower rose - no separate cubicle. So when you have a shower the whole room floods. (Shades of life in China, but we had a much bigger room to flood there!!!)

In the kitchen cupboard is one cup, two small plates, four bigger plates, two small bowls, two huge soup or salad bowls (not sure), a saucepan, a frying pan, a pair of scissors, a slicer, two forks, two spoons, and not much else.

When I arrived about midnight almost a week ago, I was glad I brought my own bath towel. They don't use "big" towels, but small squares of absorbent fabric to dry themselves, and they don't use sheets. (I brought my own!)

The boys are always going to get the rest of the stuff for me. I needed a mop to soak up the water all over the bathroom floor - there is no external window or fan,and without being mopped up the water sits all day. I had no tea towels, no mopper uppers, no nothing. The only thing I had was a big packet of toilet rolls!

One of the challenges of being a lone traveller in these circumstances is that you are on your own to sort out any issues. I've met other foreign teachers here, but our different work hours mean that we don't get time together. I've asked the guys some things, but either they think I'm a dumb blonde or just don't get it.

I have to work things out for myself. Bit by bit. Trial and error. Watching what others do and so forth.

I now have a tea towel (a Korean dishtowel is like a face washer). I bought a pack of three, and one is my facewasher. I did find face washers but in a huge pack that I thought was a bit silly to buy - I'd never use them all, so I compromised. I now have a mop but it's sucking up of water quality is not good - but at least I can hasten the drying process in the bathroom.

I'm washing by hand - as the promised power cord for the washing machine has not yet materialised. Where does one hang washing? There is supposed to be some rack or line in the kitchen, but in the end I bought a stainless steel monstrosity with many stainliness steel racks to hang the washing. I can open the huge kitchen windows to get my washing dried - but there is no sun here on this side of the apartment block.

I have got the TV working - the guys laughed as they thought all programs were in Korean, but I found the Discovery Channel, in English. I've mastered the strange microwave oven - which automatically turns on when you shut the door. I can get the gas going.

Now what do I do about rubbish? I'm supposed to be supplied with special bags and you leave the filled bags ready for the rubbish man at the corner of the street. I'm waiting on the bags. I have a week's rubbish in a plastic bag.

Bit by bit. I miss the support of other teachers the way we had in China.

I'll probably get the hang of it all in due course.