The Beginning of the "Lasts"

Today was our last Thursday with Yoon's.  Thursdays' hold the dreaded Basic B27, so I'm happy to say goodbye.

Rahee told me that she called the National Pension Scheme and found that she and her mother are registered as "self employed."  She did some further hunting and found that all of Jecheon Yoon's employees are registered as self employed.  I haven't yet been successful in my hunt for legal help, but I don't intend to let this fight go just because we've gone home.  I will contact the NPS (and whomever else necessary) and do my damnedest to get this company held accountable for something.

Julia was at Goam for about a half an hour today during one of my classes, but she was hold up in Mrs. Choi's office in a meeting with her the entire time.  I only saw her on my way to make copies a few times.

This weekend is packed full.  On Saturday we are going to the East Sea with Chun wha and Chang Su (I'm excited!).  Then Sunday we will be cleaning, packing and seeing some of the teachers (at least Ben and Amy).

Good night!

Mixed Emotions

I'm having what we expats tend to call an "I hate Korea day."

But, it's a little more complicated than that.

Sure, I'm angry.  So angry that it feels more like helplessness than actual rage.  I'm angry at Yoon's for taking advantage of us.  I'm angry for the potential money we lost.  I'm angry for the time and effort spent on a fruitless project.  But, most of all, I'm angry at what this experience has done to my outlook on life.  I don't trust people to have the best intentions.  And I certainly don't give them the benefit of the doubt.

Though I've always considered myself more of a realist than an optimist, I think my youth and inexperience gave me the kind of naive happiness that my generation is known for.  I believe this year was the final straw on that proverbial camel's back.

On top of all this, I have conflicting feelings about leaving Korea and even our trip.  

I'm not a quitter and Yoon's is robbing me of the opportunity to finish what I started.

I can't wait to go home, but I'm terrified of the prospect of not finding a job.  I can definitely see why many people stay abroad, hopping from one country to the next teaching English rather than facing the market back home.

I'm excited for our trip, but I'm so tired and stressed that I find myself sometimes wishing that we were going straight home.

It's all a bit much, really.  I just keep saying, "I look forward to looking back."

Avoidance

If there's one thing that Julia and David (the directors of our hagwon) have become very adept in, it's avoiding us.

Julia (via her son, Terry, I'm sure) finally emailed me back today just before work.  I had been emailing her demanding that we set up a face to face meeting and telling her that docking our pay in June for the day we took off (right after we were fired to get some of our personal business in order) was deceptive because there was no prior communication about it.

Dear Casey.
 
sorry, i didn't check your mail until now. i was so busy .

As you mentioned 'sick days', you should submit copy of prescription or letter from a doctor to prove you used the day off for medical reason. And there's no exception.
We both know you two used the day off for your personal business, not medical purpose.

About your medical insurance, yes, we will provide proof of insurance coverage.
We'll ask insurance company for the copy.

Please send your mail to suprevise, Mr,Sin from now. That is his job.

Thanks.

I responded thus:

Hello-

I am unsure of who "Mr. Sin" is, but I assume it is Montana.  I do not have his email address.

As for the money taken out for days off, I do concede that they were not sick days, I was simply pointing out the lack of agreement and communication between us since you defer everything to someone else.

I think we can manage to schedule one meeting face to face before we leave.  This is an issue that I will continue to push.

Thank you for your reply.

Even in her reply, she avoids us.  She didn't say a word about scheduling a meeting and she basically told me not to contact her anymore.  I haven't heard back yet.  She was on campus today when I arrived, but by the time I put my things in my classroom and came back to the lobby, she was gone.  I won't make that mistake again, as soon as I see her I will approach her, though I'm uncomfortable with the idea of actually talking to her.  

David was on campus for a large part of the day.  But, anytime I got within ten feet of him, he was suddenly needed in another room.  One time I came out of my classroom to make copies for a student and he was watching the video screen in the lobby.  One must walk through the lobby to get to the copy machine.  As I approached him, he (without even glancing at me) turned sharply and headed quickly down the hallway.  The copy machine is near the end, so it was as if I was chasing him.  It was simultaneously amusing and frustrating.  Not that talking to David would get me very far.  He would simply defer to Julia.

Montana did give me a copy of our proof of insurance today.  And it's real!  They went with a private company (AIG), so that's why we never had health care cards.  I'm happy that there's one less thing to feel crummy about.  At least Yoon's wasn't stealing that particular money from us.  Granted, they went with a private company because they didn't want to pay pension.

I haven't heard back from any lawyers yet.  I will call someone tomorrow and see if I can get some advice without paying a consult fee.  I think it might be better to leave the country and then send a letter to the government (National Pension Scheme) through a lawyer.  That way, we don't end up paying into it and then getting hosed.  We could pay into it from the states, if necessary.

Six more working days left!

Good night!

Eggplant Parmesan Mini Cutlets Over Greens

Instead of closing the circuit of negativity that's going around here and continuing to tell you faithful readers how crappy Ian and I feel, I thought I'd post our fabulous dinner.  After all, we'll be out of here soon and I'm trying so hard to move forward and feel good again.

Yum!

The eggplant and greens recipes can be found on the Jen Goes to College blog that I recently started following.  In the background you can see Ian's cinnamon-sugar apples.  He doesn't use any oil of butter, but just lets the apples get juicy in a frying pan with the seasonings.

Good night!

A New (and Sadly Short-lived) Tradition

Though we didn't go running in the park today because the weather was too unpredictable, we still met Ben and Amy for dinner over at their place, as we've done for the past few weeks.  I never remember to take pictures of our get-togethers because we have too good a time.

Amy cooked cubed potatoes for a DIY potato salad (a fabulous idea which I am totally stealing).  Ian and I brought greens (spinach and baby bok choy) and parmesan crusted eggplant.  It was great.  After dinner, we went to a new gelato place that opened down the block, went for a walk to the airstrip and then came back to their apartment and watched Leatherheads.

We will be very sad to leave Ben and Amy behind.  Their friendship has been one of the few positives about our time here in Korea.  They are looking in to Portland as a possibility for when they come back to the states (at the end of December).  I think we've convinced them to come visit shortly after their return even if they choose not to move to the city.

I looked up the Oregon Humane Society today and I'm very excited about the volunteer opportunities they have.  There's a group of people who take some of the dogs running on Friday, Saturday and Sunday mornings.  I can't wait to get back into that.  There's been a big hole in my life for the last year.

Good night!

Odds and Ends

It's difficult to pack up your things while you're still living somewhere.  Especially since we can only leave the things we will take in our rucksacks unpacked.

Ian and I packed another big box full today.  We filled our suitcases with bedding (we have the bedding that they gave us to use for our last week) and put them in the box.  Then we weighed it repeatedly to make sure we were just under the 20 kilo maximum.  It'll go on the slow boat sometime early this week.

The last box will be a (hopefully) smaller express box with the laptop and other electronics in it.  We're going to have to toss more stuff (like a low quality roller bag that I have) than we had hoped.  But, that's the way it goes when you move.

I'm looking forward to apartment shopping in Portland.  We'll be looking for a place where we can comfortably live for the next 5-7 years.  It'll be nice to have a more permanent residence.  Since I just graduated last year, I've been moving each year for the last five years.  It gets to be a hassle.

But, it feels good to be moving on.  Monday will start our last full week working for the nightmare that is Yoon's.  I think I'm starting to see the light.

Good night!

Stand Still

There isn't anything new to report on the "hagwon from hell" front.  And, frankly, I'm so frustrated and tired that I don't have much to say.

We just got paid tonight and they've overcharged us for our days off in May and they've charged us (with no prior agreement) for our day off in June.  Considering we still have sick days left, I'm pretty unhappy.

I've emailed two lawyers with a rundown of the situation.  So, I'm playing the waiting game.  I'm guessing that I won't hear back until Monday.

We don't have any plans this weekend other than packing the rest of the things we don't use on a daily basis and shipping them on the slow boat.

If any of you know anyone (or anything) that could help us, please email me.  As it looks right now, we're going to lose this game.

Good night.