Cycles of the Moon

During quieter moments, I often wonder how life would be different for me if I were Korean and had to go through this school system. They study roughly sixteen to eighteen hours a day. Up until recently, that included Saturdays as well, which means only one resting day. Aside from art class, most of the curriculum is comprised of memorizing ginormous amounts of information. I have no doubt that were I in one of their places, I would be much less likely to be the writer I am today. Their legal system is completely different, so I would imagine the whole process of getting published is also completely different. I love their equivalent of Borders, though.

Nevertheless, they are who they are, and I am myself. Once more a semester has ended, and another new one has begun. Most of it is the same, but I have two new textbooks to teach to fairly low level kids. Aside from the usual grappling against altering my own style to suit these books, there are a few more challenges this semester. One of them is the familiar challenge of kids staring at me because they have no idea what I'm talking about - I'm just the strange foreigner who's telling them what to do and they're trying to figure it out. The other is that since Sean quit, everyone in the office has at least one day per week where we teach five classes in a row. This makes for really long days, and for me, they are Monday and Thursday.

Some students leveled up, and others didn't. Every class is new, because there is at least one kid I don't know. But there is a comfort level with the kids that I do know. The other challenge is that not all the textbooks came at the same time, so there are some classes where we had to basically make up some random thing for them to do. The head teacher decided to make them write a self introduction essay and then present it. I got called in for a talking to because some kids said others were playing with their cell phones, and also some say I was under prepared. It's not just the kids who don't have books sometimes, though - we teachers don't get copies of the books for some classes.

In terms of personal challenges, sometimes I feel that maybe because Koreans grew up in such a competitive society, they get used to acting like they always have something to prove. Literally everything is a competition. Today I was told that it's common for students to put their test scores on their resumes for consideration by colleges, and then later, as graduates for consideration by jobs. Everyone seems to have a do or die attitude.

The academy owner likes to annoy me by keeping close tabs and coming into my classes in attempts to point out things that I've missed. For example, after I got a talking to about some students playing with their phones, he caught someone and took the student's phone in front of me. I'm sure that in his mind, he's trying to help and this is his way of motivating me or something, but I really just feel harassed.

Then I feel like this is the way this society works. If someone higher than you in status feels like you're not doing something that you ought to, they'll just harass and alternatively make your life miserable until you hide all your feelings of scorn and contempt for them, even if you take only the most minimalist steps in doing what they want.

From what I gather, the whole atmosphere when it comes to foreigners has become somewhat more hostile. Because another coworker is quitting soon, the academy owner is urging us to turn our documents in to him again, to make sure that the organization has hold of our visas, with the excuse that it's an order from the government. The government itself is making the contracts of even the public school teachers much more dependent on their staying for the entire duration of the contract. In somewhat related news, I just got my national criminal background check, but I wonder if it's worth the effort to find another job in this country if it means staying here for a longer period of time.

The Bell Tolls - Korea, Round Two, Fight!

Driving to Cheongju took 4 hrs, mainly because there was some traffic due to an accident along the way. The former coteacher put on a Korean American radio station, which narrated in English but mixed in some old Korean songs. When reception ran out, he put on a tape about how foreigners view Koreans that was still sympathetic to the Koreans. I feel like there should be more literature telling the natives here how to deal with foreigner presence, because people have run away from me because I was speaking English before.

The Cheongju Express Bus Terminal was next to a building called Dream Plus, and it was tiny. The waiting area only had roughly 8 benches. I sat down to surf around on the netbook using Samsung wi-fi while waiting for my recruiter John Yoon, mentioned before here. I spoke to an old American tourist couple in the meantime about the crafts fair that happens here every year the last two weeks of September. Mr. Yoon arrived maybe an hour and a half later - I was really early despite the traffic - and he called my employer after greetings.

The owner of the private academy turned out to be a short skinny and well intentioned man, Mr. Min. We went straight to TOPIA, where he and Mr. Yoon talked for a bit, and I was introduced to my two handlers, Alex and Yvonne. They're both nice and very businesslike women. Yvonne is more outgoing than Alex, and I assume more high ranking as well. When I start teaching, I'm going to spend a few hours on that website everyday, entering homework assignments, readings and student grades.

Afterwards, they showed me my apartment - which was happily less than ten minutes walking away from my work place, and only a few minutes walking to two bus stops as well. It had security, was convenient, definitely big enough... but had absolutely no furniture save the bed. I need to walk around and familiarize myself with the area anyway, but this forces me to go out since I need furniture to put clothes in. Yvonne and Mr. Min did say that they'd provide me with a desk, which they followed up on about a week later, and they bought me a chair to go with it, as well as an end table and a mirror, as well. Anyway, that day they told me to rest, and that two hours later, I should eat dinner with Yvonne and Mr. Min.

As was practical, I spent the two hours setting up my bed, letting my cat roam the apartment, and putting all my necessaries in the bathroom. Then I went to eat dinner with my superiors. Mr. Min is a nice guy who has some grasp of English, but mainly relies on Yvonne to do his speaking for him. She is a powerful woman - short, skinny, pretty and very charismatic. It's hard not to like her, and it's people like her that make you want to work for a company, even if it's a corporate franchise - and every corporation in the U.S. and Korea practically comes with a warning label.

After dinner, she wants to see how I'm living, so we talked for a bit more in my apartment. She seemed satisfied and left, but two hours later I discovered that the gas had not been turned on, and I'd be too cold to take a shower. When I called her about it, she came to investigate immediately - if you're working for someone who works that hard herself, how could I bear to disappoint? She called the gas company, and they said that this apartment doesn't have an account currently, so they'll fix it the next day. She was irritated at it, and I said that was fine, except that I felt really dirty. She was nice enough to let me stay at a hotel for the night and shower there, though I hadn't unpacked anything so I still couldn't arrive in nice clothes the next day.

After the first day of observation, they asked me how it was and I gave them my initial impressions. They seemed happy to know that I'm somewhat comfortable with it. They also told me to dress more formally, which in my head translated to "Try harder." I guess it was reasonable, since I was in a long sleeved plain tee without makeup and had on trainers (long exercise pants). The next day, I wore a short dress with black tights with a long pendant necklace as per Korean fashion, and also put in my contact lenses. The way people viewed and treated me differently was very immediate. I was no longer invisible; it was like I materialized out of thin air.

I got to know my coworkers' names not only from introductions, but also from having to observe their classes. I noted the differences in each of their teaching styles, as well as the actions they all have in common, which I took to be habits that I should cultivate. I preferred the more businesslike demeanor of two of the female teachers who still bantered with the students and have great senses of humors. There are also more women at this private academy than men, and the two new hires are also Korean American women. I wonder if they thought I was Korean American. (I'm going to wager that I was chosen based on my recruiter's advertising, my previous one-year experience, and looks, though.)

Each teacher carried around a case of chalk, a board eraser, an audio wire, flash cards if they use them, extra pens and highlighters, and maybe a notebook for remembering things. They used their laptops when the book comes with a cd track that they might use, and also make marks in the attendance record for that class, as well as the homework record. Textbooks are par for the course in an academy, because the curriculum, timeline and syllabus are already all set. There are cameras in every classroom, which are live fed to the tv in front of the receptionist desk for all to see. The staff has a more cajoling American manner in terms of educating the kids, and everything is somewhat tightly controlled - but not unreasonably, so far as I can see.

They took me to immigration on Thursday, where I had pictures taken - I was wearing a new shirt, yay! - and they wrote my new address on the back of my Alien Registration Card. Apparently, that's all that's necessary to consider my E-2 visa renewed for now, though they did say that I should submit my national criminal background check whenever I can, since I told them that it was in progress and the U.S. FBI should be processing it now. I honestly actually don't even know when I should be expecting it. I applied in August, so November or December, maybe? Anyway, now I can do useful things like get a phone plan. I've been surviving off of using prepaid phone cards.

Aside from visiting Daejeon this past weekend, I also bought and installed a small bookcase - which became a shirts dresser for me - and a clothing rack. I'm finished with unpacking half of the spare bags and two of my suitcases - two more await. I still need more furniture because there must needs to be a place to store my pants, which I will take care of ASAP. I will also teach my first classes tomorrow (to substitute for a guy who is filling in a cavity and getting his wisdom teeth pulled), and I think I'm ready too, so wish me luck. =)

Notarization and Apostille

As mentioned before, this entry will be about your state level criminal background check and the documents you will need from your college and university as part of your recruiter's application for an E2 visa for you to teach abroad in a foreign country.

While the process varies by the state you live in, you can retrieve your criminal background check for Massachusetts at the Criminal History Systems Board. If you scroll down to the middle of the page, there is a subtitle that says "Requesting Criminal Records" and then under that, "I Want to Request My Own CORI". Whether you click on adult criminal history or juvenile criminal history depends on your age. (I knew someone in high school who went to teach English in Mongolia for a summer, so this job opportunity is available to minors - the main difference is that younger people are only allowed to do this in the summer for school reasons.)

Either link will take you to a form, which you will print to fill out. The second page on of the form for adults is titled "Affidavit of Indigency" which basically means a fee waiver, so you only need to print those pages and fill that out if you cannot pay the $25 dollar fee. Again, specifics vary according to state. IMPORTANT: DO NOT sign the form yet. This note does not apply to the juvenile form.

After you filled it out to the best of your ability without signing it, you will prepare a self addressed stamped envelope (SASE). SASE means that you take a long white envelope, the kind for business letters, and write your name and address in the center of it, then put a first class stamp on the top right hand corner. Write a check or money order for $25 if you can afford it; if not, the Affidavit of Indigency will waive it. Put these aside in a safe place.

Now, do you have your diploma on hand? If not, then you should contact your college's registrar for them to pull up your information and they should be able to print another one for you. You'll need to prove your identity with a license or student ID, as well as pay them. The information for Umass Amherst alumni is here.

If you do have your diploma, take that and your filled-but-not-signed criminal background check form to the local town or city hall. Show the clerk your form and ask for notarization. You will swear an oath as per her instruction, and then you can sign your form, and she will stamp it with something like this. After she is done with the form, you can ask her to photocopy your diploma and then notarize the copy. In Massachusetts, each notarization costs $3.

When you are ready to mail it, write your name and address on the top left corner of a manila envelope. Then address the envelope to your state's criminal systems board; the address should be on your criminal background check form. Now put your signed and notarized criminal background check form into the envelope, along with that SASE and your check or money order (unless you filled out that Affidavit of Indigency, then no payment). Send this out. With first class or priority mail, it should take them about a week or two to send back your criminal background check using your SASE.

When you get your notarized criminal background check - if it's not notarized, make sure to call or email your criminal systems board - it's time to apostille both the copy of your diploma and your criminal background check. You can do that in your public records building, which is usually located in the capital of your state. The specific addresses are right here. An apostille is a gold stamped sticker, and should look like this. For Massachusetts, it costs $6 to stamp one document.

These two documents are now ready to be sent to your recruiter. It's up to you and your recruiter whether to send all the documents at once, or to send them one or two at a time. I sent mine in all at once to save on postage, but mistakes are less noticeable and harder to correct if you do it this way.