Black Heart 1

I was substitute in a class today and the kids were supposed to be learning "pink" and "heart". So, they were all colouring in hearts with pink crayons except one little boy who coloured his black. It was an apt summation of how I, in particular, felt at the time.

I was subbing as the teacher skipped town on the weekend. She got her pay packet on friday and did a runner. All she left was a note on her bed (which I haven't read) for her roommates.

Apart from the extra work I'll have to do (3 classes a week), I don't hold any animosity towards her. Truth be told, I could tell you a few things that made her time here difficult, and they're very common. The money is pretty good teaching in Korea, but it's not an easy life adjustment to make. The food, culture and the language difficulties are only the start.

Bonnie (my supervisor) was passing out the new teaching schedule in the wake of *'s departure, and I was pretty irritated about the situation. The irritation was directed more at myself than anyone though. * didn't like some things about working/living here, so she did something about it. I don't like a few things about working/living here, but I'm just pretending that I can handle it and hoping I won't go nuts before Christmas. That spells pansy to me.

I understand a few billion people would kill for my position, but that doesn't mean what I'm not happy about isn't valid. So what if life is pretty sweet. That doesn't automatically translate to health and enjoyment.

I will tackle the issues head on instead of avoiding them as I have been. In fact, here's where the buck stops: this blog, for the time being, will only cover me addressing those areas of my work and life in Korea that I will attend to. End of story. Tomorrow, I will post a list of things to address.