weathering the storm

I started to post this, and then lost it somehow.

I was saying that I was glad that my previous post being about snow in winter was not too dissapointing. When I left Korea it was still very cold.

Sticking with this weather tangent, my arrival in China was greeted with more coldness. Unlike walking about alone and listless, backpacking and stressing can keep one fairly warm, I found.

I have said that my negative attitude that initiated my trip was mostly attributable to being kicked out of my apartment sooner than I thought and with only 4 hours notice. Now, yes, to be fair, I should have clarified sooner when exactly I needed to be out, but I thought I was very clear that I needed an apartment the night of the 3rd, and not the 4th.

They said my contract was over and so they did not need to provide me with housing (this was in response to bitterness in my correspondence with them).

Very frustrating, and if you can't tell, I'm still upset it. Lucy, my loveable coworker called me @11, and said I had until 3. Shortly I was greeted by a new foreign coworker, Matt, and my loathsome boss, Grace. Basically Matt was enlisted to throw things out, and Grace just cleaned and made me feel stressed. Yes, I move slowly, but having them their did not speed up my process. It was tricky because I was having to pack 3 different parcels, one to bring backpacking in China and southeast Asia, one to post home, and one to bring with me to Japan on my return home.

When all is said and done, I think I am missing many things, and I could have been much more prepared to go abroad. Before I let this negativity get out of control, I'll say that travelling alone for my first time ever compounded some of these issues. And having no mp3 player. I will go post some more photos to facebook, and try to remember to post more about my travels or whatever else is appropriate for a blog, later.

Today has been windy and gloomy, but I think the wind was greatly exaggerated by the sounds whirling in through Luke's apartment windows.

First snow

Apparently if you're love lasts until the first snow.. it's a good thing.

Well, my love continues to change.

It's intimidating having so many things on the computer and off of it. I want to organize, I want

to simplify.. but there is an extent to which I am happy to keep it diverse and plentiful.

I had the burrito, but no shower cream. It somewhat resembled Chipotle, as I had hoped, but in small department store kiosk form. The dude spoke English very well. I told him I had traveled from Bucheon. He had been to Arizona to import sauce.. and while there he tried Chipotle, he felt that his restaurant was somewhat an imitation.

It was a nice adventure. Up top there, or wherever these silly photos wind up, is a picture of my snow devil, where I ate it hard on the ice. Michelle was right, I am going to have a bruise.

I am considering going to a skin doctor, dermotologist what have you, about my skin issues. They happen to everyone, and Natalia reports that hers cleared up within 2 days of returning to familiar climes. Still, I would prefer to ditch the itchiness, redness, and peeling as soon as possible.

I I I, sheesh, all about me.

Bucheon E.C.C. is starting to piss me off in many ways. I am not trying to publicly berate them, but I have considered as much. I have a coworker who had to spend her vacation day in work today, for what I would estimate was a solid 8+ hours, because her kindergarten students left en masse.

I understand that this is a business and losing students is bad, but our boss doesn't seem to understand that putting teachers under duress does not make teaching the sweethearts and brats any easier. She can deal with business, and she does, poorly. She told a mom, who is an English teacher, to get a second job when the mom had complained she couldn't afford our school.

Fuck bosses on power trips.

So.. my dilemma, is whether to complain. I try to pick my battles, but I can now understand why prior colleagues had not so well. It's stressful, and they will pull the most random b.s. at the most random times. Is putting the name labels on the books a big deal? No. Is it a waste of time? I think so. So Lucy, my lovely co-teacher, informs me (as she often does in lieu of the piss-poor management) that today the stickers need to be on the book. I tell her that I let the kids do that. She says they never do that, that parents MIGHT call and complain about it. I'm sick of hearing what parents might complain about. Let's wait and see what they DO complain about. Sure, I should watch the kids put the stickers on, so they aren't upside down and crooked and crinkled. I can learn to do that. So I walk to the books to help out my lovely co-teachers, all of whom are under more pressure than I am from our Korean managers (literally, sexual harassment, gossip about who is the worst dressed... how bad can you make morale at a place?!). I find that all of the books have been assigned to Korean teachers, so I don't have to put any stickers. Well, luckily Lucy already had done hers, the upside for them is they have many more breaks than I do. I easily helped out Natalie teacher, our most recent Korean teacher, who is on her way out after being assigned the worst classes (3 of which she teaches with me). Hm.. give the newbie the most difficult students with the most demanding parents? Doesn't sound like an equation for success.

So, my thought was upon departing to write a very frank note to my boss, thanking her for the opportunity and her occasional kindness, and explaining how wrong-headed I perceive her operation. Well, I forgot that managers here are also a very bitter lot. We had a very nice and hard-working teacher who fell ill, and told the school she could not come in, despite the demands of management to show up. So they fired her. And in talking to my supervisor's husband, he was under the impression that she had stolen money. ! . She wouldn't, though I would congratulate her if she did. I'm sure my supervisor had been told this as she is an extension of the director, and they both believed it amidst their fuming. Does it feel good to blow steam up your own dress.. especially negative stuff?

Perhaps I don't care what my former employers say about me. If I ever work in Korea, I am going to work for a better boss, and perhaps one that will explain the difficulties of the Korean work culture... not sure. Plus, if I truly do incense my boss, who is going to have a hard time changing her ways as many do, I fear what it might result in for my many colleagues who will remain after me.

Why can't people be nice?

I note that this is getting a bit wordy. I've got some other things to tend to, like personal holiday e-mails, and some studying. I may treat myself to Tron 3d tonight, rather than binging on alcohol.

I'll be back with pictures and improved blogging habits.. maybe. No promises. No regrets.

I love you, I really do, even if my boss is reading this, I want to shower her with love and good things until they run all over her and shoot out of her pores.

I hope your holidays have been and will be nice, this year and many more to come.

In Korea, 새해 복 많이 받으세요

is many good wishes in the new year

good returns. my typing is getting better without the Korean keyboard, but I should become less lazy and use it, since I have it.

pissed off

yes, I should have listened to my Dr. not a pretty friend..

but 4 visits to the Doc in under a week seems excessive.

and the prescription with 4 pills 2 times a day, and 5 at night, that too, excessive.

So I didn't go yesterday. I didn't have an appointment. Apparently Koreans ignore their doctors. Seems like a broken system.

Should have at least filled my prescription. Today, Sunday, the pharmacy is closed. Many of them. I found 2 open ones. They said they could not fill my prescription. I'm sitting there trying to explain that despite whatever bullshit tie-in they have with some hospital to fill their prescriptions, I need antibiotics. It's not about business, yes I will give you too much money for 1 day of pills, please just let me continue my regimen of antibiotics. No dice. Have a nice day.

NO! FUCK YOU KOREAN MEDICAL SYSTEM!

update: So I went back to the first obstinate pharmacy. They had been very helpful when the problem first arose, and gave me the same ocular anti-inflammatory that the young lady at the other pharmacy gave me when I stormed away from this one. I said, ok, where's your Dr. No I think it was unnecessary for him to walk to the front and open the door to point across the street, but I was admittedly in a bad mood. It didn't help that he laughed when I came in.

Am I a joke? I didn't say anything unreasonable. It might have sounded like a rant, but I simply pointed out that it was bullshit that some business restriction was going to take precedent over my need for antibiotics. Well this new Dr. I thought what the heck, they're open on Sunday, I don't mind a second opinion. It's a little crazy in here.. nurses are everywhere. One is coming her hair behind reception. I'm feeling uneasy. I went in to see a Dr. gave him the skinny. He stuck a camera in my ear and took blurry pictures. Said my Otitis is getting better. Asked me how long I wanted a prescription for! Didn't say anything patronizing about not drinking or smoking. A bit of a pain in the tuchus to run me through the system since I don't have a Korean name, but I'm pretty sure I will be returning as Ahn Jo-sep (my idea). And the 3 day prescriptions were cheaper and better explained than the 2 day ones I had been getting.

So I feel a little bit better. But hardly consoled when the dude at the pharmacy asks, "you've had a tough day, eh?" Yes, thanks in part to you.

...

is it interesting that heat rises and cold descends

and yet the lower we go in elevation the warmer it is, and the higher we escalate the cooler.

the sun beats down from above. the core of the earth bakes in the middle of our cold earth.

and we north Hemisphere people think of flying South for winter.

I sincerely can't wrap my brain around the physics of it.

I finished reading Still Life With Woodpecker by Tom Robbins. amazing, inspiring, where do I go from here?

Do I want to be in love?

I'm chasing a girl but it's no good. But, it's probably a whole lot better than letting a girl chase after me, experience chimes in.

I woke up to thunder. I saw and walked through a small flurry of snow the other night. I was dissapointed to not find snow thunder.

Also intriguing, the way that thunder is a sound you can hear, and measure distance with time. But when you're waiting for it, you can hear it approaching from far away. At least the low rumbling ones. Maybe not the big cymbal crash lightning/thunder strikes, but even those have a far off foreshadow, or a close one... just before you hear the real deal... I think

Blogging is hard...

there is lots to say, but I keep putting it off

nobody needs to hear it, this is mostly for me, right?

I had a weird couple of days. I'm feeling better. Time for a good sleep.

I have made my first 3 attempts at kimbap

that's sushi for those of you still hung-up on the Japanese conspiracy to make food expensive.

I almost bought snowboard boots for more than twice what I have paid previously (though I had been spoiled on my friends' employment with great prices). I was surprised to have this representative inform me that my feet were much smaller than I thought, and that over-sized boots were a bigger problem than smaller ones.

I was late to practice, and I told him I would come back. After practice I felt buzzed and disinclined to go shopping. I'm going to go see how awesome I think Tiger World can be as a facility, and what the rental prices and savings will be if I buy boots.

I forget what else I wanted to say.

I love Tom Robbins as an author.

I saw a superb art show in Insa-dong yesterday. I am feeling really good, but need to accomplish my obligations and goals quicker than I am. If I think of anything else, I will try to amend this post in the morning.

no pictures- words of excitement

It's almost 4 in the morning, "why am I awake?"

Well I was shook from my sleep by a most alarming sound... an alarm.

I couldn't quite believe it, but coming from the speaker in my ceiling was wailing sound of an alarm, and from my hall the desperate ring of a bell.

I opened the door, and see little movement, one man. I take a little whiff. I smell something. A little familiar.

I start to gather my things. A shirt (it's freezing) my uke (new-electrified, super awesome, wanted to keep morale- my own included, up, and couldn't quite figure out what would happen if everything burned down, would I have insurance to cover it?)

Carried my shoes the 6 cold tile floors. Met up with a friend on the building putting his on on the 2nd floor. My building-mates confirmed my friend Shawn's experience- they took the elevator (those that responded to the persistent wailing).

That familiar smell, like burning, but special. Why do I know it. I hear something that makes my heart jump- electrical fire. That's why I know, for the 4th or so time in Korea, this evening I (apparently) destroyed something electrical.

I know my constant harping doesn't change anything. Maybe the ol' U.S. of A. is dummy proof. But I can never think of a circumstance where plugging something in (back home) caused the smells, and sounds (not to mention accidents and destruction) that it can here. (To draw it out clearly, since I said I would elaborate not blah blah write a story- I bought a 10 w amp for 20buckaroos, carried it around Seoul all day, finally got home at night and plugged it in, with little excitement. Got a little excitement from the amp, mostly when distortion allowed me to sound vaguely like Jimi H on uke. I turn it off and go back to the acoustic sound which is just as loud. A little while later I hear a pop. I unplug the little adapter for the amp. It is hot and smoking. Unclear if it will ever work again.)

Overheard in Korean upon returning (2 Korean dudes, appear to be the only people responding, aside from a young Korean woman who looks as rattled as I feel) that this was a drill. Typical Korean cover up. They don't make fire alarms like this back home, smells and all.

I am finally done shivering. I think I can ignore the burnt hair smell, especially if my neighbors up and down and beside the stairs can.

I am thinking now in my last bitter thoughts before I conclude this installation of nightly sleep, it was good fun that they did this on a Saturday night, maybe lots of people weren't home.