Well, it looks like God's plans for me do not include living and working in Korea long-term. I did not experience any huge miracles of the kind I was hoping for. (You know, the kind that would allow me to stay in Korea and teach for GVCS.) I finished my last day in the classroom on Tuesday the 17th, and gave my last make-up test on Tuesday afternoon. While I was proctoring the test, Dick Carroll (who teaches Bible and Christian Art) came in to relieve me so I could go to the regular Tuesday afternoon teachers' meeting.
At the meeting, Dr. Cho (the principal) presented me with a certificate of appreciation, and a small gift. Sam Pak (the academic vice-principal) invited me to a goodbye dinner, along with anyone else who wanted to come. I was planning to go to the Tae Kwon Do class one last time, which I mentioned, so Sam agreed that we would leave for dinner after the Tae Kwon Do class.
During the class, someone told me that Josh Carstenson (who teaches Bible and History, and coaches boys' volleyball & basketball) had left early to run an errand, and had left the key to the shuttle van on my desk, so I should drive it home. Well, I don't like it when people put expectations on me, or "should" on me, but I didn't want to leave people stranded, either. I talked to some people, and Chris Lee (who has a few different hats) offered to pick me up from the apartments after I drove the van there. So, that worked out all right.
It was cold and windy, but Chris didn't make me wait too long. Dinner turned out to be at the Korean barbecue that was just across a rice paddy from the apartment complex. Chris Lee, Sam Pak, Dick & Sherry Carroll, Josh Kong (the head chaplain), another chaplain, and my roommate Justin Prock (who teaches History & Government/Econ) were all in attendance. I appreciated their presence. I had been a bit doubtful about how much they cared about me. I wondered if they could have fought harder for my visa. With these gestures, it became clear that they really did want me to stay, but they knew from experience that fighting a visa decision was a waste of time and money.
At the dinner, they divided up my classes between the available, qualified people. Josh Kong, who has a math degree, and was available in the afternoon, took my fourth period, the troublemakers. Sam Pak took the second periods, and that left Kwan Kim (who teaches physics & math, and works in the IT department) with the first periods. There was some discussion about who had to call Kwan and tell him. Sherry (who works in the School Administration office) said that she wouldn't, and I certainly wasn't going to. Sam eventually delegated that task to Chris, who did not look forward to it.
After dinner, I rode back with the Carrolls. Then I went over to the Carstensons' apartment to give the van key back to Josh, and say goodbye. That was quite difficult, because we had become pretty good friends in a short amount of time, and I would probably not be able to come back. I still get a lump in my throat when I think about it.
For the rest of the evening, I graded tests until I couldn't stay up anymore. I had already arranged with Sherry to call her when I needed a ride to school, because I knew I could work more effectively at the apartment. The next morning, I graded tests until I had finished, and I posted the grades online. Then, about lunchtime, I called Sherry, and started packing in earnest.
I went to the school for the afternoon, to wrap up some loose ends. I handed back some of the makeup tests I had graded, and left the rest for my replacements to take care of. Several of my students gave me goodbye letters, and a couple of them gave me goodbye gifts. I went to chapel, where Sam Pak gave me the details of my plane flight. (I could have arranged a better, cheaper one if I'd had some notice, but I don't know how much time they had.) I consulted with Kwan about my grading policies, and I left my computer on my desk for Kwan to take care of. After dinner, which I ate with some of my students, I finished packing up everything that I wasn't taking with me, and went downstairs to find that the shuttle had already left. That was disappointing, since that was the first time that had happened to me at school. Unfortunately, no one else was leaving soon. So, I turned on my computer, e-mailed the flight details to my mom, and killed some time until Sam Pak came out and offered me a ride home.
Sam Pak, however, wanted to make sure of some financial questions first. The school was paying me for the full month of November, which I thought was pretty good, since they were also paying for the flight. They did, however, have to take out of my salary a cleaning fee for the apartment, and some utility costs for the last two months. Sam wanted to make sure that those fees had been debited properly. So, I turned on my computer, logged on to the Korean Exchange Bank website, and verified that the last deposit had been reduced to cover the final living expenses. Then, I finally went back to the apartment to finish packing.
Sherry had already loaned me (at my request) a luggage scale, which really helped me with packing my luggage. Unfortunately, I had more things in Korea than I had brought on the plane, because of what my mother had sent me in the mail. I had also purchased some things in Korea, most notably my wool coat, which I did not want to leave behind.
I ended up leaving a few small articles of clothing, like hand-me-down undershirts, worn-out underwear, surplus bandannas & hospital scrubs, and a dress shirt that was ink-stained on the back. (Josh wanted that one.) I also left toilet paper, my closet rack, rice cooker, and all the food except for some good travel snacks. I even left the Tupperware, which I was loathe to do. Unfortunately, I did not have extra space for it. I knew I would not really need it when I was living with my parents, so it didn't make the cut. I did manage to bring all my cutlery, which fit in some crevices in the small duffel without making it overweight. I did have to pack an extra bag, which I hoped would qualify as a carry-on.
Sherry had volunteered to drive me to the airport, and we had agreed to leave at 8:00, which would give me plenty of time to catch the flight. I had a 1:50 flight with Japan Airlines, changing planes in Tokyo (Narita), then a long flight over the Pacific, to arrive around 10:00 a.m. of the same day that I left. (That's the International Date Line for you.) Sherry and I had a great talk on the drive over, about how she came to be where she is now. It seems God's timing took a lot longer than she had hoped or expected.
Well, we got there in plenty of time. I had to pay for an extra bag, almost $100 worth. Then, I went to the bank, and had all my won turned into dollars, in cash. Then Sherry bought lunch for both of us. (When I found my selection had walnuts, she graciously offered to buy another one.) When we both finished, I cleaned up, collected my things (making sure I had my money properly stowed), and she walked me to the security checkpoint, where we said goodbye. I will miss her, as I will miss all of my friends in Korea.
I got through the checkpoint with no problems, and successfully found the gate for my departing flight to Narita/Tokyo. Once there, I checked for problems with my flight (there were none), and greeted an American who appeared to be waiting for the same flight. (She was connecting to a Hawaii flight for a wedding.) I then plugged in my computer, connected my magicJack, microphone, and headphones, and attempted to call my mother. After a few tries I remembered to reconfigure it for headphones, and got connected successfully. She was at a birthday party for a close friend, so we didn't talk long, but she was glad to hear that I got to the airport safely. After we hung up, I killed some time, and then, when the boarding call was announced, I packed up my things, and got in line.
One thing that I realized, while waiting for my flight, is that Korea is safer (from a personal property standpoint) than either Tokyo or San Francisco. Also, I was carrying most of my life savings in a man-purse. So, I secreted some of the money in various concealed spots on my person, so that if I got mugged, I would be unlikely to lose everything. Of course, I didn't have any problems, but it did give me a little peace of mind, that at least I wouldn't get stranded.
The flight was full, and my backpack didn't fit in the overhead compartment very well, but otherwise it went fine. Soon after we took off, I was offered refreshments, which I accepted. The food was apparently an appetizer tray of some kind, with eight different little servings of traditional Japanese food (not sushi). I was given only wooden chopsticks to eat them with, which I was quite happy about. (After so much time in Korea, I rather prefer chopsticks to a fork, when I don't have to cut my food.) My seatmate didn't get anything, and I hope that was only because he was engrossed in his movie. I enjoyed the food, and the window seat was fine for the short flight. The landing at Narita was uneventful.
Thanks for reading. In my next entry, I'll talk about my short experience in Japan.
29 November 2009
14 November 2009
The Worst Thing About Korea
Well, I've decided how to answer the question, "What's the worst thing about Korea?" It isn't the food (that's great), or the language (hard to learn, but beautiful), the impatient drivers, the inefficient traffic lights, or even the cigarette smoke and soju. It's not even the brothels in Songtan and Itaewon, which are really due to American influence. It's nothing obvious at all; in fact, it's something I didn't learn about until I'd been here over two months.
The worst thing about Korea is the widespread prejudice of Koreans against any kind of mental infirmity. Apparently, there is great shame and stigma associated with any kind of mental illness. Some children with severe retardation are placed in a special home, and their families don't talk about them. Families whose children show signs of more mild problems, like Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), will not even consider diagnosis or treatment, because they don't want the stigma associated with such a condition. They hate losing face. That's unfortunate, because several of my students could probably do much better if they were able to control their impulsive behavior and concentrate. However, it affects me even more directly than that, because I have ADD myself, as most of my readers probably know.
I was diagnosed with ADD when I was 15 years old. My mother first suspected it when I was 5. I saw many mental health specialists, counselors, psychologists, etc., for the next 10 years. I outsmarted all of them, until my mother sent me to one who was smart enough to evaluate my gifted intellect, and see past it to diagnose the ADD. They put me on generic Ritalin, which allowed me to focus on schoolwork and learn to control my impulsive behavior. I recently switched to Adderall, which works even better for me. I've been having it sent to Korea in the mail by my parents.
By now, most Americans recognize ADD, although there are many misconceptions about it. Some feel that it is a fraud. Others feel that it is widely overdiagnosed, which I doubt. Others feel that it is a disorder of childhood only, which children will grow out of. Others feel that it's only a problem in school. All of these attitudes are unhealthy in that they tend to keep people from getting the help they need. Koreans have a similarly unhealthy attitude.
Most Koreans treat ADD (or any other mental health condition) as a fatal flaw, instead of a treatable health condition or a surmountable handicap. This is why my E-2 visa is being denied. That's why I'm losing my job, leaving over one hundred precious students that I love dearly, and flying back to the U.S. within a week. If I had known about this unhealthy, prejudicial attitude, I would not have listed ADD on the Health Questionnaire section of my visa application. Then, maybe, I'd be able to stay here.
Now, I'm not going to recommend to anyone that they break the law, American, Korean, or that of any other country. I'm also not going to advise anyone to be dishonest in any way. However, I would suggest that anyone applying for any kind of visa in Korea needs to be aware of this attitude. Remember, Koreans apparently feel that mental illness is very serious. Therefore, they only need to know about any kind of mental illness that is truly as serious as they think it is. So, if you have some kind of mental health diagnosis, but you have it under control and are perfectly capable of teaching in Korea, then obviously your condition is not what the question is asking about. Think of it as translating the question culturally. I wish someone had clued me in on this before I filled out the application. At this point, the most I can do is warn others.
Prayer Requests
Obviously, I need a lot of prayer. I don't know what to mention first. Please pray that I can get packed in time, disposing of all my things properly. Please pray for my students, that they will understand why I am leaving. Please pray that they get a good math teacher to replace me, one who will teach in English (because a few of the students don't understand Korean).
Please pray for my re-entry and re-adjustment to the U.S. Pray that I can close my Korean bank account and convert my won to dollars at a favorable rate. Pray for a safe flight and hassle-free re-entry at U.S. Customs. Please pray that I can find somewhere to work where my skills will be valued, and I can earn some money to pay my bills.
Most of all, please pray that I would come to learn why God put me through this difficult and painful exercise. Currently, I've learned that I can teach, but I still have a lot to learn about teaching, and I could use some formal training. If that's all that God wanted me to learn from this, I wonder that I had to come all the way to Korea to learn it, only to be torn away from people that I came to love dearly in a very short time.
Thanks for reading, and thanks for praying. Unless God works a major miracle, I'll be back in California within a week. The silver lining to this very dark cloud is that I'll be able to see family, and old friends, much sooner than expected. That includes most of my readers. God bless you. It looks like I'll be seeing you soon.
The worst thing about Korea is the widespread prejudice of Koreans against any kind of mental infirmity. Apparently, there is great shame and stigma associated with any kind of mental illness. Some children with severe retardation are placed in a special home, and their families don't talk about them. Families whose children show signs of more mild problems, like Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), will not even consider diagnosis or treatment, because they don't want the stigma associated with such a condition. They hate losing face. That's unfortunate, because several of my students could probably do much better if they were able to control their impulsive behavior and concentrate. However, it affects me even more directly than that, because I have ADD myself, as most of my readers probably know.
I was diagnosed with ADD when I was 15 years old. My mother first suspected it when I was 5. I saw many mental health specialists, counselors, psychologists, etc., for the next 10 years. I outsmarted all of them, until my mother sent me to one who was smart enough to evaluate my gifted intellect, and see past it to diagnose the ADD. They put me on generic Ritalin, which allowed me to focus on schoolwork and learn to control my impulsive behavior. I recently switched to Adderall, which works even better for me. I've been having it sent to Korea in the mail by my parents.
By now, most Americans recognize ADD, although there are many misconceptions about it. Some feel that it is a fraud. Others feel that it is widely overdiagnosed, which I doubt. Others feel that it is a disorder of childhood only, which children will grow out of. Others feel that it's only a problem in school. All of these attitudes are unhealthy in that they tend to keep people from getting the help they need. Koreans have a similarly unhealthy attitude.
Most Koreans treat ADD (or any other mental health condition) as a fatal flaw, instead of a treatable health condition or a surmountable handicap. This is why my E-2 visa is being denied. That's why I'm losing my job, leaving over one hundred precious students that I love dearly, and flying back to the U.S. within a week. If I had known about this unhealthy, prejudicial attitude, I would not have listed ADD on the Health Questionnaire section of my visa application. Then, maybe, I'd be able to stay here.
Now, I'm not going to recommend to anyone that they break the law, American, Korean, or that of any other country. I'm also not going to advise anyone to be dishonest in any way. However, I would suggest that anyone applying for any kind of visa in Korea needs to be aware of this attitude. Remember, Koreans apparently feel that mental illness is very serious. Therefore, they only need to know about any kind of mental illness that is truly as serious as they think it is. So, if you have some kind of mental health diagnosis, but you have it under control and are perfectly capable of teaching in Korea, then obviously your condition is not what the question is asking about. Think of it as translating the question culturally. I wish someone had clued me in on this before I filled out the application. At this point, the most I can do is warn others.
Prayer Requests
Obviously, I need a lot of prayer. I don't know what to mention first. Please pray that I can get packed in time, disposing of all my things properly. Please pray for my students, that they will understand why I am leaving. Please pray that they get a good math teacher to replace me, one who will teach in English (because a few of the students don't understand Korean).
Please pray for my re-entry and re-adjustment to the U.S. Pray that I can close my Korean bank account and convert my won to dollars at a favorable rate. Pray for a safe flight and hassle-free re-entry at U.S. Customs. Please pray that I can find somewhere to work where my skills will be valued, and I can earn some money to pay my bills.
Most of all, please pray that I would come to learn why God put me through this difficult and painful exercise. Currently, I've learned that I can teach, but I still have a lot to learn about teaching, and I could use some formal training. If that's all that God wanted me to learn from this, I wonder that I had to come all the way to Korea to learn it, only to be torn away from people that I came to love dearly in a very short time.
Thanks for reading, and thanks for praying. Unless God works a major miracle, I'll be back in California within a week. The silver lining to this very dark cloud is that I'll be able to see family, and old friends, much sooner than expected. That includes most of my readers. God bless you. It looks like I'll be seeing you soon.
13 November 2009
Very Bad News
Well, it looks like the Ministry of Immigration is not going to grant my E-2 Visa. The school administrators have said that they will not allow me to just renew my visitor's permit and keep working after my E-2 rejection is final. I'm very sad about this, for many reasons.
I made many friends here in a short time, and I don't want to say goodbye to them. My students love me (well, most of them), even one that I chewed out for not taking notes (and failing as a result), and don't want me to go. They all say, "Don't go!" and "When you come back?" My colleagues don't want me to go. I don't want to leave these kids without a teacher. Even if I wasn't the greatest teacher, I'm sure I was better than no teacher at all. I'm sure I will miss my students very dearly. I wept freely when I told them about my situation.
Also, I don't have a job in the U.S., and the job market there is very tough. I can't even escape the real world by going back to school, because I can't get any more student loans. I can live with my parents for a little while, but that still leaves me in debt (only slightly reduced by my earnings here), and I can't live with them forever.
It's a real stinker, that's the only way to put it. The only bright side is that I will be able to see my family for Thanksgiving and Christmas. But this is not the way I would have chosen to do that.
It seems that the only possible alternative is to marry a Korean woman, which would make me very happy, even if it wasn't necessary to stay in the country. I've got at least one on my mind, who is very nice, and seems to be available. The only problem is, how can I win her heart in a few days? That's all the time I have. I know that the head of our organization would like to see me marry a Korean woman, but I'm not sure how much influence he has. I've already e-mailed him about this.
Also, I have Parent-Teacher Conferences tomorrow. I'll have to tell the parents that I will have to leave in a few days because of problems with my visa and the Ministry of Immigration. I'll also have to tell them that I don't know who will be taking over my classes. They won't like that.
Prayer Requests
I really need God's blessing right now. How I'm going to get through Parent-Teacher Conferences tomorrow, I have no idea. I don't want to face packing. I'd love to get married, but apparently I'm terrified of actually trying to woo a woman on such short notice. Since I don't know exactly what I'm going to do, I have no specific requests. Just pray for me.
I made many friends here in a short time, and I don't want to say goodbye to them. My students love me (well, most of them), even one that I chewed out for not taking notes (and failing as a result), and don't want me to go. They all say, "Don't go!" and "When you come back?" My colleagues don't want me to go. I don't want to leave these kids without a teacher. Even if I wasn't the greatest teacher, I'm sure I was better than no teacher at all. I'm sure I will miss my students very dearly. I wept freely when I told them about my situation.
Also, I don't have a job in the U.S., and the job market there is very tough. I can't even escape the real world by going back to school, because I can't get any more student loans. I can live with my parents for a little while, but that still leaves me in debt (only slightly reduced by my earnings here), and I can't live with them forever.
It's a real stinker, that's the only way to put it. The only bright side is that I will be able to see my family for Thanksgiving and Christmas. But this is not the way I would have chosen to do that.
It seems that the only possible alternative is to marry a Korean woman, which would make me very happy, even if it wasn't necessary to stay in the country. I've got at least one on my mind, who is very nice, and seems to be available. The only problem is, how can I win her heart in a few days? That's all the time I have. I know that the head of our organization would like to see me marry a Korean woman, but I'm not sure how much influence he has. I've already e-mailed him about this.
Also, I have Parent-Teacher Conferences tomorrow. I'll have to tell the parents that I will have to leave in a few days because of problems with my visa and the Ministry of Immigration. I'll also have to tell them that I don't know who will be taking over my classes. They won't like that.
Prayer Requests
I really need God's blessing right now. How I'm going to get through Parent-Teacher Conferences tomorrow, I have no idea. I don't want to face packing. I'd love to get married, but apparently I'm terrified of actually trying to woo a woman on such short notice. Since I don't know exactly what I'm going to do, I have no specific requests. Just pray for me.
10 November 2009
Visa Issues
Well, it's been a while since I updated this blog. I've been so busy with school, I could not in good conscience take the time to make a proper entry. Unfortunately, a situation has developed that requires urgent prayer, so I'm putting out a request to all my prayer warriors, wherever you are.
There is a problem with my visa application at the Korean Ministry of Immigration. The school decided to go with an E-2 visa, for a foreign teacher, through another campus under the same ministry, which is accredited by the government. I got all the paperwork filled out with the help of the school's HR department, and they sent it in. That was all I knew until this evening.
Today, after the regular teachers' meeting, I was flagged down by one of the administrators, who told me that the principal and the academic vice principal (names withheld) wanted to speak with me. So, I went up to the principal's office. I waited for a little while, until the appropriate person from HR could be found and called up as well. They told me there was a problem with my visa application.
It seems that listing Attention Deficit Disorder on the health questionnaire, under the spot for mental health conditions (as I did), raises a red flag with the Ministry of Immigration. Apparently they recognize AD/HD as a mental health condition, but they do not understand it very well, especially the range of conditions that fall under that heading. I have seen untreated AD/HD contribute to criminal activity in others, but my condition is effectively treated with medication, and causes me no problems as long as I take my prescription.
However, I don't think the functionaries at Immigration are sympathetic to that perspective. If my visa application is rejected, then the school will not keep me on under a tourist visa, and I'll be out of a job. I really don't want to go back to the U.S. under those circumstances.
Prayer Requests
Everyone who is reading this, please pray that God would open a way for me to stay and teach here in Korea. If the visa application is rejected, the only way I can think of would be to marry a Korean woman. While I actually like that idea, I have no objections to doing so sooner rather than later, and I know at least one suitable lady at my school, I'm afraid that two weeks is a very short time to win a woman's heart. That's about how much time I have before my tourist visa expires, and I'm not sure it would be wise to make the attempt. It could backfire badly.
Also, please pray for wisdom for me, and for my colleagues that are helping me deal with the Ministry of Immigration. Most importantly, please pray that God would give me the peace of knowing in my heart that everything is in His hands, and that His peace would comfort me through the uncertainty of waiting for a decision.
On a related need, please continue to pray for my students. Over one-third of them are failing my class after the half-way mark. Some are getting better, but many are not. I'm not sure what the problem is, although I have my suspicions, but it appears to be the highest fail rate of any class at the school. I probably need to teach better, and evaluate more fairly, both of which I am working on. Also, some of the disruptive kids need to be dealt with, either with effective discipline or removal. If I do have to go, I'm afraid they won't learn this subject at all, unless the school hires a Korean teacher to replace me.
Thanks for reading, and thanks for praying. God bless you all.
There is a problem with my visa application at the Korean Ministry of Immigration. The school decided to go with an E-2 visa, for a foreign teacher, through another campus under the same ministry, which is accredited by the government. I got all the paperwork filled out with the help of the school's HR department, and they sent it in. That was all I knew until this evening.
Today, after the regular teachers' meeting, I was flagged down by one of the administrators, who told me that the principal and the academic vice principal (names withheld) wanted to speak with me. So, I went up to the principal's office. I waited for a little while, until the appropriate person from HR could be found and called up as well. They told me there was a problem with my visa application.
It seems that listing Attention Deficit Disorder on the health questionnaire, under the spot for mental health conditions (as I did), raises a red flag with the Ministry of Immigration. Apparently they recognize AD/HD as a mental health condition, but they do not understand it very well, especially the range of conditions that fall under that heading. I have seen untreated AD/HD contribute to criminal activity in others, but my condition is effectively treated with medication, and causes me no problems as long as I take my prescription.
However, I don't think the functionaries at Immigration are sympathetic to that perspective. If my visa application is rejected, then the school will not keep me on under a tourist visa, and I'll be out of a job. I really don't want to go back to the U.S. under those circumstances.
Prayer Requests
Everyone who is reading this, please pray that God would open a way for me to stay and teach here in Korea. If the visa application is rejected, the only way I can think of would be to marry a Korean woman. While I actually like that idea, I have no objections to doing so sooner rather than later, and I know at least one suitable lady at my school, I'm afraid that two weeks is a very short time to win a woman's heart. That's about how much time I have before my tourist visa expires, and I'm not sure it would be wise to make the attempt. It could backfire badly.
Also, please pray for wisdom for me, and for my colleagues that are helping me deal with the Ministry of Immigration. Most importantly, please pray that God would give me the peace of knowing in my heart that everything is in His hands, and that His peace would comfort me through the uncertainty of waiting for a decision.
On a related need, please continue to pray for my students. Over one-third of them are failing my class after the half-way mark. Some are getting better, but many are not. I'm not sure what the problem is, although I have my suspicions, but it appears to be the highest fail rate of any class at the school. I probably need to teach better, and evaluate more fairly, both of which I am working on. Also, some of the disruptive kids need to be dealt with, either with effective discipline or removal. If I do have to go, I'm afraid they won't learn this subject at all, unless the school hires a Korean teacher to replace me.
Thanks for reading, and thanks for praying. God bless you all.
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