Mood Walking.

No jokes about how teaching is an uphill struggle!

I try not to blog when I am in a bad mood, I worry that I might say something I will later regret. Plus, while it might help me release some of my frustration, I would run the risk of turning my blog into one big miserable rant about my experience in South Korea. Since 75% of the time is great it would be a shame to focus too much on the annoyances and disappointments. But it is still necessary to mention them, so at the very least I can read this back in ten years time and berate myself for getting worked up so easily.

One important lesson I learnt at university was that a good walk can clear your head much better than any drink (I am thinking of the alcoholic variety) and of course a walk is a lot healthier for you. Ok, so tonight my stroll led me to a bakery and to some blueberry muffins, but my night time wanderings also gave me time to think.

This past month or so has been blighted by constant schedule changes and lately lots of stitch-ups by my Korean teacher. The latest occurred today and is the final nail in my coffin of rage. As I mentioned in my last entry, Christina spoke to me during my last Korean lesson about the extra one-on-one classes she has set up for me. She suggested I teach 40 minute lessons rather than 30 minute ones to make up for the fact I am not teaching them on Fridays. I countered that time wise that wasn’t feasible and I kept calm about the fact she hadn’t been straight with me over it being three lessons a day rather than one. Today Angela tells me Christina had told her I would be teaching 40 minute lessons from now onwards. Sure, I have been tired lately, but I am fairly certain I haven’t been falling asleep and holding conversations I have no recollection of. Unless someone is spiking the Kimchi…..

So rather than heading to the pharmacy, which Christina owns with her husband, I decided to go for a walk to calm myself down. It was very effective, and no one got angrily shouted at in the process. There was an elderly Korean gentleman sat on a bench singing loudly, but he seemed quite happy to be honest, and he was surrounded by a couple of empty Soju bottles. Ultimately, I have decided that it’s time to put an end to the Korean lessons. While I still want to learn more Korean, they have become more trouble then they are worth and I don’t want to have a major falling out with Christina. Despite the stitch-ups and the confusions I do like her as a person and I would hate that to change. But it seems a bit pointless holding conversations with me and doing the complete opposite to what I have agreed to. Hopefully, this decision should put a stop to that, and not having the lessons should give me more time to make corrections to the text books I am expected to teach from!