Herb Hillz

So, sooo much fun!  It was Tarzan meets the Swiss Family Robinson*.  A short trip out of Busan and Keith, Michael and I were in Daegu meeting up with Zac and getting ready to start our weekend (11/25-27) of fun and adventure!

A weekend of fun and adventure that included: swinging, climbing, scaling ropes and bridges supended up in the air amongst the trees!  It was thrilling!!  And slightly pee-your-pants-scary at times.

See the full gallery on Posterous

We had been told that the second, most difficult course was just that - difficult - and we'd be wise to choose a lower course.  However, if you're above the age of 11 you have no choice but to do the second, most difficult!  The King Kong course!  (blue line on map)

King Kong had 16 stations (not counting the 2 story rope ladder you have to climb to get into position) that took you around the entire park, doing every form of aerial stunt possible within the limits of safety laws.  

See the full gallery on Posterous

And it was fantastic.  The only negative bit was choosing to go at the end of November, during the onset of winter - trying to grip ropes and secure your safety harness proved to be a difficult operation with numb fingers. 

Come spring, I'll be back there!! Flying through the trees on the Tarzan course!!

 

*I never read either of those books, but I saw Disney's Tarzan! so hopefully they are apporiate references to cite.

My Little Blue Book

I knew coming to Korea that I would need to renew my passport.  After 10 (fun, exciting) years together it was due to expire in February.  So I did the needed research to figure out the process and procedures I would have to follow in order to get a new book.

All was easy enough.  Print the form, fill it out, slap a picture on it, include a check and post.  Done.  The only troubles were with the sending step.  Send it how?  The US Embassy in Seoul required that you post your materials by courier.  They kindly supply you with two courier services on their website.  However, these courier services don't have offices in Busan and they definitely don't come to Yeongdo.  

Not a problem.  I will call the Embassy and speak with a representative in the Passport department and see if I am able to post my application by regular mail.  

Should have been easy.  Should have gone something like this:

>>Ring, Ring<<  "Yes, my I speak to the passport department please?" ... "Thank you" ... "Yes, I have a question about mailing my passport" ... "Thank you, that is great news, I will post it by regular mail.  Have a great day" ... >>click<<

Expect it went nothing like that.  Because the American Citizen Services site is full of lies and useless, incorrect information that makes actually being able to reach a person at the Embassy more difficult than any act Houdini ever performed.  

I only needed a new passport to go on vacation in winter.  I only needed a new passport in order to renew my visa to work another year in Korea.  I only needed my passport to return home at some point!!  I NEED A PASSPORT.  

 

After a bit of calling around, we were able to reach a guy who worked for one of the courier companies and was willing to come to Yeongdo, get my passport, and take it off to Seoul.  Expect he was coming to Yeongdo on his own accord, after work hours and was going to take my passport, check and personal information for some amount of money (undetermined at this point) and to be return at some unknown date in the future and even more unknown was if my parcel would even reach the Embassy!!  

I was a bit worried.  But I needed a new passport.  So I sent it off with him.  Here you are random man, take this and be on your way!

Weeks went by and I thought little of it.  Best to keep it out of mind and not stew over what I could no longer control.  

 

But it came back!!  Both books!!  Old and new!!  

Come this winter I'll be off to Malaysia and Thailand getting stamps and visas in my new (ugly) little blue book!

Fluids Needed

Pee.

Blood.

They're the top requirements needed to stay in Korea.   Please pee in a cup and roll up your sleeve so that we may collect some of your fluids to test if you are a good and decent human being and have not done any bad deeds while living in Asia and traveling around.

Ok. I can pee in a cup.  Easy enough.  I don't mind needles.  Go ahead and stab me.

But I do mind having to do it all twice.  It's a bit of a fail, a slight inconvience and creates alarming panic in my Co-Teacher that is bewildering and not too enjoyable.

"Meagan! We must go! We have 10mins to get to the hospital to redo your medicial or else...."

"Or else what?!"

Oh dear!

But we made it.  I peed.  I read an eye chart.  I was weighed.  I had my chest measured (still small).  I listened for the beeps.  I had my blood pressure checked.  I did it all for a second time.

Why?  Because I was given the Korean medical the first time I went to the hospital.  Umm... Do I look Korean to you?!  Fools!

I will allow that it was a manic time - foreigners and Koreans were streaming in to have their fluids checked to be declared fit to teach another year.  But... really!!?!  How!!! did you mistake me for a Korean?!  When you spoke to me in Korean did I respond with ease and skill?  Did my small frame and height confuse you?  No, I think not!  Fools.

But what really made it all frustrating was that the foreigner test was the exact same as the Korean test except that foreigners get tested for HIV and drugs.

Why don't the Koreans get tested for that as well?  Aren't they also human and capable of doing all the same things.  No!  No, because they are Koreans and Koreans do not do drugs!! and they do not get HIV.   Those are Western things and therefore only Westerns can get them.

Or so that's how it was explained to me in the chaos of my second medical.

Despite the mess, I proved fit to stay and teach another year.  No funny business here ^^

Time to Sign

Well I did it.  I renewed.

It was nothing fancy.  No formal gathering of the school's top heads.  No trace of celebration.  Definitely no 'congratulations', 'so excited', 'looking forward to it'...

Just: "Time to sign".

My co-teacher walked up, put the contract in front of me, said "time to sign" and walked away.

At this point, it is a bit foolish on my part to have expected any sort of emotional presentation.  That sort of silly thing just doesn't occur here.  So me, a foreigner, choosing to stay another year - at the same school - why would that cause even a smile from those with whom I work?!  (I would hope that at the very least a smile did cross their faces, but since I physically saw none, I'm going to use that angle in this post to give it more of a dramatic flair.  Please allow this "artistic" exgraggeration! ^^)

 

However, a presentation of emotions did occur - on my part.  

And it was panic.  Lots of it.  Pure fear.  Coupled with shaky hands and difficulty breathing.  

This document, those pages, each line and every word was binding me to another year.  Another year at the same school, with the same shifty schedules and endlessly changing sets of information... Why?!  Why re-sign?!

Because the first year has been so good!?  Oh no! No, no, no!!!  The first semester was hell!  The adjustment was a bit difficult, at times co-teaching was an absolute, unwinnable challenge and the children - God love them - really can be monsters.

But... I do love it.  I love the children.  I like teaching.  I like acting for them and making them see the lesson and gain an understanding of both the lesson's topic and the language.  And this second semester has been a dream!

But even with things going so well lately, I'm still a bit panicked for next year.  

When people left in August at the change of contracts, I did not handle it well.  And come this February, half - HALF!!!!! - of the people that came in with me have choosen not to stay on another year.  

That's a lot of change.  That's a lot to lose.  

In addition to people leaving, I'll be leaving the comfort of teaching science.  Throughout this entire first year I have not taught once from the English textbook.  Not a lesson.  And now it is the content of my entire upcoming academic year.  Clearly no reason to panic here.  I'm well prepared.  Bring it on Korea!  eeeeee :-/

 

I will be fine though.  It will be a great year.  No doubt full of ups and downs.  But...   'Congratulations' to me!  'I'm so excited' for me!  I really am looking forward to it!