Should you be worried about MERS?

Unless you've been spending a lot of time with Middle Eastern camels or tending to sick people in hospitals, then...

 


Why not?

A Day In The Life of a Hagwon Teacher

I decided to make the big leap from the 'safety' of public school to the 'high risk' environment of hagwons. All my research on Korea led me to blacklists of hagwons, and chipper Epik blogs, which led me to believe that a public school would be paradise and hagwons would exploit me and forbid me to use their bathrooms and kitchens, charge me to use the textbooks they provide, refuse to pay me on time and in full, and so on.

Well, actually, those last three things happened to a public school friend of mine.

As for me... My public school experience was average. Sure, I got a nutso main co-teacher, but I had 5 or 6 other co-teachers who were marvellous. I made friends with the staff, had lovely students, and generally enjoyed myself. My main problem with public school was actually the same thing that had drawn me to it in the first place. I went into public school thinking that the Epik program would protect me from the exploitation and screw-overs that permeate the private sector. Instead, it was the office of education (who employ the Epik teachers) that made it awful. They took what was a god job and slowly but surely stripped all the joy out of it; forcing us to do pointless extra work for no pay during vacation time where we otherwise spend 10% of it planning a year's worth of lessons and 90% of it learning fancy origami from youtube videos and counting our own freckles. The most diligent of us would spend that free time getting masters degrees or completing endless MOOCs, or doing creative work, but for the most part that didn't happen. Then they started cutting the budget because of politics, and cutting EPIK jobs, and suddenly people who joined it because they thought it was safer than Hagwons ended up being treated exactly the same way, or worse than the blacklisted hagwons we've heard about online.

Ranty rant rant... Anyway. I moved to a hagwon.

It's part of a mid-range franchise, in a suburb on the outskirts of Ulsan. Because of the franchise, each month or so there's a directors' meeting which means the school gets shut down and I get the day off. That's nice.

I did my research on this job, and got in touch with the teacher I replaced. She even made a 'how-to' manual for the textbooks we use, although it's mostly pretty self-explanatory.

Maybe the best way to give you an idea of what it's like is to give you a 'day in the life' kind of thing:

A Day In The Life of a Hagwon Teacher
7:30am - Still asleep.
9:00am - Alarm goes off. Reach for kindle and relax, catching up on your reading. Maybe doze off a little.
10:00am - Second alarm goes off. Wake up, work out, make breakfast and so on. Maybe go for a walk if the weather is nice. Do laundry. Banking. Go to the doctor. All those other things that are hard for a public school person to do.
1:00pm - Start getting ready for school. Pack stuff into a bag, including snacks.
1:30-2pm - Cycle to work along the riverside bike path. Ogle the cherry blossoms. Avoid people who are standing in the middle of the path, ogling cherry blossoms. Get to work.
2:00 - Fill out the daily 'log book' - including things like which classes are doing which chapter of which book, using the schedule made by the very kind and hard-working director. Ask co-teachers for clarification on homework in the books you share with them. Sing 90s songs with the teacher who sits next to you. Share snacks with the other ladies.
2:20-3:00 - First class. Teaching Colin the ABCs. He's so cute, and he just joined the school, so he's having 1-on-1 classes to catch up to the phonics class. But it means you have to find a way to keep him interested in flash cards for 45 minutes. Take advantage of the break before the next class to eat your snacks as 'lunch'
3:40-4:20 - Teaching elementary school kids from the text book. It may involve singing, dancing, rapping, miming, or even origami. Who knows what will happen? Keep 'em laughing, and keep them from murdering each other.
4:20-5:00 - Younger middle schoolers arrive. Three of them tell you how pretty you are. They clearly haven't done their homework. One of them bribes you with candy. Accept the bribe and then make them do the homework anyway.
5:00 - 5:40 - mark some tests and write some comments about the kids. You know their names and their quirks and are able to write in-depth, personalised comments about each of them, using a lot of euphemisms for the ones who "have a lot of character" or "tend to get distracted by friends".
5:40 - 6:20 - Middle schoolers who you see twice a week. This time it's their writing class, and you get to teach them about strong and weak verbs, and encourage them to think outside the box and use their own words. You are a real teacher. Embrace it.
6:20 - 7:00 - This class is having a test. Give them the papers, read out the listening parts, send them to the computer room and call them back for individual interviews. It's so much better than sitting in a cold wintery corridor twice a year, getting 90 seconds with each student and trying to remember their names. This time you know them; you know that Annie has dyslexia or Susan had a bad week and might need some easy questions to get her through this, or Dylan is a pro and you should push him with some tougher ones.
7:00 - 7:40 Third grade middle schoolers. It's their last year of fun before the hell of high school begins. They discipline each other, with 500 won fines for things ranging from forgetting homework to not having the correct stationery. Their book is full of interesting articles, and while the moan and groan about having to do the work, they think you're the coolest and they have their own opinions. They're not used to being asked what they think. You look forward to their class, and you get to teach them three times a week. It's the highlight of your week.
7:40 - 8:00 - Wrapping up time. Note in the logbook who was absent, what homework was assigned, and whether there were any behaviour problems you need to discuss with the korean 'homeroom' teachers. Discuss the weekend plans.
8:20 - Leave school. Cycle home.
9:00 - have dinner.
Relax.
2am - go to bed.

Sometimes I get lazy and don't do anything before noon. But I'm getting better at that. I've settled into a nice routine, and I love that there is clear and open communication in the office about planning. The Korean teachers help each other out, and offer advice, and show their weaknesses and their strengths. The director keeps on top of things and actually gives a crap about everything. The facilities are clean, modern and work. I haven't made a single powerpoint presentation and don't use a computer during the class.

My coworkers are friendly and fun, and I've socialised with them outside of school. We spend most of the day laughing.

My apartment (which was not provided by the school, but which I found online) is huge and comfortable and I have a bathtub and a real kitchen.

My daily commute is spectacular. 

Life is good and I feel like this is the best decision I've ever made.

Travel Hacking Your Way Around The World

Travel Hacking is gaming the system, using completely fair, ethical and legal ways to minimise your travel costs so you can have your amazing dream vacation on a budget.

The most effective way to do this is by racking up frequent flyer miles. Most people don't realise that you can earn more frequent flyer miles on the ground than you do by actually flying. Airlines have partnerships with each other, with hotels, car rental companies, credit cards, and more. I even earned about 300 miles yesterday by doing some free online surveys.

The credit card thing is risky if you don't know what you're doing. I recommend reading this book, and joining the Travel Hacking Cartel. If you use my referral link, we each get some miles for free!

I'm just starting out in this, but once I've scoped it out and hit 10000 miles I'll write a more in-depth post about how to do it, specifically while living in Korea.

In the meantime, join the cartel and read the book to get started. You get a free  14-day trial for just $1.

Weight Watchers in Korea

Well, it happened. The rice and chocopies and McDelivery and 찜닭 have taken their toll. I'm bigger now than I was when I got here, and while I could go to a diet center, the idea of it horrifies me. I've tried herbalife as well, and don't want to doom myself to a lifetime of expensive powedered shakes.

But I need to do something, and simply trying to eat right and move more clearly isn't enough for my lazy and indulgent self. So, after seeing it work for friends and family, I'm giving Weight Watchers a go. I could do MyFitnessPal or SparkPeople, but having tried them in the past, I want something that doesn't treat calories as equal but rather encourages me to eat healthily. Plus, I think if you've already joined Weight Watchers back home it might be hard to find information to help you continue it here, so I'd like to gather it in one place.

There are some small problems with doing Weight Watchers here. Firstly, like racial discrimination, homophobia, mental illness, sexually transmitted diseases,  and instant mac & cheese, Weight Watchers doesn't exist in South Korea.

If they DID operate in Korea, I'd probably throw money at them. As they don't, I had to figure out how to do it on my own. So I needed three things:

1. The system. 
Information about how to calculate the points you're allowed and so on is available online. However, the formula is patented and I don't want to get cease and desist letters, so let me google that for you. 

2. A way to conveniently track it. 
I fiddled around with various for-free and for-money apps from the android store and ended up with these two that I'll be using mostly:

Tracking, food database, compatible with USA,UK and Australian systems

food database based on restaurants. 

I felt better paying for the apps once than I might have paying a monthly subscription. The official Weight Watchers app does not work on Korean phones (unless you find a workaround).

3. Accountability and Support
One of the main parts of the success of the Weight Watchers program is the community support. Luckily for me, I already have a strong fitness community online, and a couple of friends in the same boat here who can help me to hold myself accountable.

So now the only thing holding me back is lack of information. I decided to make my own Korean food list, as a google doc that I can edit from my phone as I encounter foods. I'll link it here for you to reference.

I made it by learning to read nutritional information on Korean packaging and plugging it into the Weight Watchers points formula (again, available online and I won't post it here).  One problem is that fiber (식이섬유) is not required to be listed on the packaging, although they are making changes there. 

To get nutritional information about foods in Korea, you can use these resources:

Naver: click 영양/다이어트 and search with hangul.
MyFitnessPal:  and plug that information into the points formula above.
Chris Backe's article: and again, plug the info into a calculator.
My list: where I've done all the heavy lifting for you. It's a work in progress so it may take some time for me to complete it.

I hope that helps. 

Taxes and How to save a LOT of money

So this week we're dealing with the tax nightmare that happens when the government increases taxes and then takes the difference out of one paycheck. We're looking at a chunk of about 300-400 000 won being removed before you even see your paycheck.

IT CAN BE AVOIDED.

If you use your debit card or credit card to pay for a lot of stuff, then you have probably worked up a large deductible amount. I sat down with my co-teacher and she did it all for me on the 'calculate your tax deduction' website, sent the results of that to the school administrator, and it's cut my tax payment from 300 000 to 30 000. And that is freaking amazing.

 Be sure to click each category (medical, credit card, debit card) so that the amount you spent appears, before downloading the pdf with all your info to send to the school admin. If you've had a lot of hospital care because you're a clutz, well, this is where karma is coming back to give you a hug.

I would post a tutorial here, but my co-teacher did it so fast I didn't really see what she was doing. Ask your co-teacher or a friendly co-worker to help you. All you need is your ARC number and the NEIS ID certificate or your ID certificate from your bank.

The website is here (best accessed on the dinosaur that is Internet Explorer): http://www.yesone.go.kr

So, that's how you can cut your taxes down right now. But for future planning, there's a little more you can do. There's a tax save card that most Koreans have, which you can register for. Then, every time you pay for something with cash, you swipe the tax card or provide the number (it might be tied to your phone number...?) and logs it with the tax authorities. You can then claim on that money too. That includes paying your bills and paying your rent. The (Korean only) website is here: http://www.taxsave.go.kr

Of course, if you're a smart Saffer who got a certificate of residence in SA and gave it to your school when you were hired in the first place you won't be in this situation but this might help people who are not from tax-exempt countries to at least make this a little less painful. 

Severance, Exit allowance, Pension and Moving On

It's that time of year, folks. After two years in EPIK, it's time to pass GO, collect $200 and keep on going.

The DMOE sent out the following email which caused much a-fluttering:

Hi - 

If you are receiving this email, you have requested copies of the documents that are necessary to continue employment in Korea after your current contract with the DMOE has ended, or have indicated that you have secured employment elsewhere in Korea through communication with the coordinator's office. As you are probably well aware, we are not permitted to distribute the exit allowance to those NET's that continue employment in Korea after the end of their contracts, whether it be at another MOE or POE, a private institution, or university (article 11, clause 4). Essentially, if you are changing your visa while staying in Korea to reflect new employment, then you are not eligible to receive the exit allowance. At this point, we have asked our financial officer to withhold sending the total amount to your school until you are able to submit substantiating evidence that you will be leaving the country. You will need to submit a copy of an itinerary or plane ticket in your name that shows the date of departure as anytime after the end of your contract (or before, if you are using vacation days to leave early). You may feel free contact us individually if you feel you have a special circumstance that does not allow you to submit said documentation. 

Please understand that this is an incredibly difficult rule to enforce on our end. While we are well aware that merely requesting copies of documents doesn't automatically mean that you will be securing employment, it is the only objective method that we can use in order to enforce this particular rule in the contract. We would appreciate your cooperation in order to give you the allowance if eligible. 

Thanks,

DMOE Coordinators.

TL;DR:

1. If you are leaving the country, you get the $1300 exit allowance. If you're transferring your visa to another employer, you don't.

2. To get your $1300 (if you're eligible), send them the receipt of a ticket (plane, ferry, tuktuk, whatever) in your name, leaving the country. 

I took a closer look at our contracts and the above is in there, so there's not really any way around it. 

However, I also found this:

3. Everyone, regardless of what you're doing next, who is ending their EPIK contract, is eligible for severance pay. 

From the DMOE:

Information regarding the severance pay went out in the "end of contract details" email that we sent out when you renounced your renewal contract. I will provide you with the link again. Severance pay is roughly equivalent to 1 month's worth of salary for every year that you have completed. Note that the entire sum is taxed. Your admin office may be able to give you the exact sum total. I might suggest that you ask for a breakdown of your last payments for your records.

So let's break that down. On payday, February 25th (more or less), you should receive the following:

1. February 2015's paycheck (according to the pay scale, your usual amount).
2.1 month's salary (of the amount you were paid in your FINAL year) for each year of your previous consecutive EPIK contracts. (e.g. 2013 + 2014 = 2 months worth of 2014 paychecks)
3. (- taxes)

If you have not yet received your renewal bonus for re-signing for 2014, you should definitely remind your school about that and receive that too. 

As far as I can tell, renewal bonus and severance are NOT the same thing. If your school carried over your renewal bonus to pay it with your severance, it should NOT be deducted from your severance.

So, if you're leaving Korea, your paycheck for February should be about $5000-8000 (depending on your pay scale level and how much taxes are). If you're staying but moving to another job (not EPIK) it should be about $4000-6000. If you're moving to another POE/MOE, you should receive $4000 ~ 6000 + $300 (settlement bonus) from the new POE/MOE. 

On top of that, Australians, Canadians and Americans are eligible for a full refund of their pension payments as follows:

You have been contributing 50% to your pension fund, while the DMOE has been matching that and paying 50% as well up until now. You will be eligible to get a 100% refund ONLY if you are from Australia, Canada or U.S.A., according to the national treaties. You must physically go to the National Pension Office in person, up to one month prior to your departure from the country to request your refund. After the last day of your contract, your school will report the termination of your contract to the pension office. After the school's report and the Immigration Service's confirmation on your departure are complete, your application for the refund will be processed. Please refer to the website for the National Pension Corporation for detailed information about the Pension Plan and the application process for your refund (http://www.nps.or.kr - English website available). Also, a telephone consultation service is available at 02-2176-8702.

*Please note: while you can physically submit your application for renewal up to one month prior, your refund request can only be processed starting the day after your contract ends, and it usually takes about one to one and a half months after your departure has been confirmed by the Immigration Office for the funds to be deposited into your account.*

Required Documents
Passport
Alien Registration Card
Flight Ticket (departure date must be indicated) - flight confirmation/itinerary printed from the internet is acceptable.
Bank Account Number (domestic or international - international may require your bank's swift code)

*Please note: The DMOE does not provide pension payments. Your payments will come from the National Pension Office.*

You lucky bastards. 



I hope this is clear... If not, please go ahead and spam the coordinators' inboxes.

Skiing Solo in South Korea (Daegu to High1)

There are many group packages that are great for a fun, drunk weekend of skiing. But they can be a little expensive, and sometimes you might want to trade off the party for a bit more time on the slopes, and a peaceful night's sleep to soothe your aching muscles. 

This year, the Boyfriend and I decided we wanted to ski as much as possible, since our vacation times don't line up. Here's how we did it.

Step 1: Join the Snowboard and Ski South Korea Facebook Group
The group is ideal for finding out the conditions, and finding buddies to go with so you're not completely alone (and to share accommodation costs), and any other information you might want. Additionally, it is through this group that you can progress to the next step. The Korea Snow website is also helpful.

Step 2: Get a season pass
Pick a resort and get a pass for it. I think it's possible to get a multi-resort pass (or it SHOULD be, darnit!) but if you're going to just go with one resort, then I recommend High1. I've heard Phoenix is good too. You also might want to check out the facilities at Pyeongchang, which are being upgraded for the upcoming 2018 Winter Olympics. High 1 is ideal for beginners and snowboarders, although if you are an intermediate/advanced skier/snowboarder then you'll enjoy the relatively empty non-beginner slopes as the crowds trip over each other on the bunny slopes.

The passes sell for much less if you get them early in the year. I ordered mine for High 1 in September, and the prices at the time were as follows:

Man without bus: 300,000won

Man with bus: 352,000won

Lady without bus: 190,000won


Lady with bus: 236,000won

Option A: You can book that all online if you speak/read Korean, through the High1 website or through 3rd-party sellers like Gmarket. I'm afraid I can't help with that, because I went with option B.

Option B: The easiest way to do it is through John Shaw and his wife, Choi Jiyeong. They post on the facebook group and will organise your season pass and bus pass for you, as well as booking your bus each time you ski and your gear rentals, for a very very small fee. The service they provide is amazing!  They have stopped taking orders for this season, and will probably start up again sometime in September for the next season. Keep an eye on the facebook group.  My ski pass arrived in the first week of December. I also received two images on my phone. The one with my picture on it is the bus pass and the other is for ski rental. I have my own ski clothes.

Accommodation: If you're coming from Daegu, the odds are that the bus will drop you off at the Valley Ski House. There is a pretty good motel just five minutes' walk down the road (if you take the shortcut through the bus parking lot) called the Goodstay High Valley Hotel. You can book a room online here. The room was comfortable, the bathtub was soothing for achy ski muscles and we were able to order pizza to the room as well. I was able to use my KEB credit card on the Agoda website but others have had problems. Apparently you can book via the hotel's website as well.

Step 3: Get to the resort
With your bus pass in hand (on your phone or printed out), and the bus booked by Jiyeong, head to your pick-up point a little ahead of time. It's best to wear your ski clothes on the bus (everyone else does) to save time when you arrive at the resort. Take a book, a pillow, an eye mask, or whatever you need and settle in for the long nap as you head to the resort. My bus left at 4:50am and the pick-up point was really close to my apartment. People on the bus were all extremely quiet and friendly and the bus driver was one of the friendliest ajeossis I've ever met. He didn't turn the heat up too high although I've heard that's a problem on some buses.

At some point during the trip (usually when you arrive at the resort) a dude will walk through the bus to scan the barcodes on your bus pass. It's the image that looks like this:

Travel light to save time as well. I brought the absolute minimum, so I didn't have to worry about loading the bus. It's also a bit of a walk when you're on your way home so you don't want to be lugging a huge bag with you.

Step 4: Get your ski ticket
Once you get off the bus, follow the crowds through the front doors of the ski house and to the right. Stand in line at the "Season Bus" desk and show them the image with bar codes and NOT your picture. If the desk is closed (as it is in this picture), then go outside, down the escalator, turn right and go into the "Season Bus Lounge". You must do this in the ski house where you were dropped off. I was dropped off at Valley but Boyfriend had to do all of his at Mountain. They are connected to each other by a gondola if you're in the wrong place.

The season bus desk:

Season bus lounge:

What you must show them:

What you get:

Complete the form with your details.

Step 5: Get your gear
I didn't rent clothes but I imagine it works much the same as the ski rental. Get a ticket, fill out details, and go where you need to go.

For skis, head to this desk:

You'll hand in the top part with your passport or ARC and keep the bottom part to return the skis and get your ID back when you're done. They will tell you what time to return the skis. If you're skiing for two days but don't have a night rental, you need to repeat this process both days. They'll give you your stuff, and you can find a bench somewhere to sit and put everything on.

When you're done struggling, stash your things in a locker. You need two 500 won coins to operate the locker, and if you want to open and close it again you'll need to pay again, so make sure you have everything you need.

Step 6: Ski!
You're done! Hit the slopes, have fun, be careful not to crash into babies on skis or beginner snowboarders, and see you at the top! For lunch, I recommend the cafeteria-style food at the restaurant at Valley Hub, or KFC down at the Valley ski house at the very bottom. The rotating restaurant at the peak has good food but it's very expensive. Pro-tip: eat an early lunch and beat the rush, then ski while everyone else is eating and enjoy the empty slopes.

Step 7: Going home
Return your stuff, get your things out of the locker, and head down to the bus parking lot that you cut through to get to the Goodstay High Valley Hotel. Follow the crowds and ask for help if you're confused. The buses are all there. It's a little tricky finding the right one, but if you ask nicely, they'll be happy to help you. Your name should be on the driver's list so it should be pretty hard to get on the wrong bus.

I went to my bus at 4pm and was able to nap there until it left at 5pm.

walking to the buses at the end of the trip

I couldn't have done it without John Shaw and Choi Jiyeong, and highly recommend them to anyone. Ski rental for the weekend came to 24k won, and the hotel was much cheaper than the resort condos as well. The bus (as part of my season pass) was free to ride, so the weekend ended up being really cheap. It's definitely worth the investment if you plan to ski a lot during the season, and I was amazed by how easy it ended up being.

Comparing prices with the group package tours, if you only ski once it's more expensive. But if you ski more than once, suddenly it's MUCH less expensive. I think you break even after two or three trips. It's even cheaper if you book a room with a group of friends, sleeping on the floor, and split those costs. You also get more ski-time because the admin stuff is quicker when it's just for you and not 200 sleepy/drunk foreigners.

Group Package tour: KRW 219,000
Season pass (lady with bus option): KRW 236,000
Hotel (couple room): KRW 80,000
Rentals(skis and boots, 2 days, no night skiing): KRW 24,000
Total cost of first trip: KRW 340,000
Cost of trips thereafter: KRW 104,000

The End of the EPIK Job Security Myth

photo courtesy of Kat Hazzard

All good things must come to an end. It seems the DMOE is being forced to finally jump on the national bandwagon. Tonight the teachers in Daegu received this email:

Hi All - 

I'm sure many of you are wondering why the contract renewal process has not yet started. We were prepared to have the official document out two weeks ago, but have been delayed due to a serious budgeting issue that occurred after our yearly audit by the national government. To be blunt, the DMOE is now having to succumb to what has become a national trend in the downsizing of the native English teacher program. For those of you that have been with us for awhile, you know that we have been somewhat impervious to these type of budget cuts, while places like Seoul and Busan have already seen drastic cuts. 

Before you read on, if you are an NET that hasn't gone through the renewal process at least once (that would be our February 2014 teachers), you will probably benefit from reading over the wikispace page regarding the general renewal process.

Originally, we were asked to cancel renewals and the new teacher intake for February. In order to avoid such drastic actions, we have been in negotiations for the past week and a half with the Superintendent and City Council. We have finally come to a consensus. The plan for February renewals is as such:

1. We will significantly increase the number of NET's that must travel between 2 schools. This was determined by counting the number of classes total at each school (3rd - 6th grade for elementary school, 1st - 3rd at middle schools). If the class total was 21 or more (30 for middle school), that school will receive 1 dedicated NET. Anything less will result in a traveling NET. We are still in the process of figuring out which schools are effected, and what the school pairings will look like (based on location and total class size). We won't be able to officially announce the school placements until the first week of December, but you may work under the assumption that the majority of schools will become traveling schools. 

2. Schools that currently have 2 NET's will change to 1. Understand that some schools may have 1 August and 1 February NET. Seeing as we must honor the August contract, the February NET will be asked to transfer. If both NET's are February NET's, then we will leave it up to you and the school to decide who will stay. If you and your school are not able to make that decision, the DMOE will do so for you in a random manner. If you work at a Global model school, it is possible that one or more positions will change to a traveling NET. 

3. There will be no high school positions, save for a handful of special exceptions (Foreign Language HS, Science HS). If you are currently at a high school and are offered a renewal contract based on your work performance, we will give you the option to move to either a middle or elementary (most likely traveling) position. We will contact you later for your preference.

4. There will be about 2-3 positions available in February at our Global Education Center (near Duryu Park) and G-Station (located in Beomeo station). Generally, the Global Education Center focuses on middle school programs, while G-Station focuses on elementary school students. We have attached information about both centers, if you are interested please refer to those documents. In addition to our regular Center positions, there will be about 3 or so teachers that will be dedicated to high school programs. The high school programs will also be held at the Center or G-Station. You may indicate on the renewal form if you would like to be considered for any of these positions, we will contact you individually later on with the application process. If you apply for a position and are not selected, you will be either be able to stay at your old school or be moved to a new location (we will contact you after the application process is finished).

5. The DMOE will change its pay scale to match that of Incheon/Busan. Essentially it is about 100,000 won less per pay level. We will still honor an automatic upgrade in pay scale upon renewal. Don't forget that traveling NET's are subject to a 100,000 won traveling allowance as well. 

6. In the case that there are more NET's that wish to renew than available positions, we will fill those positions based off of your school's end of year evaluation and mid-year evaluation. 

7. For those of you that were considering a transfer, you may still apply for one. However, you must fully understand the current situation. Realistically, we will have far less openings than normal, therefore we will have much less options for placement. If you are not granted a transfer, you may stay at your current school. As always, specific school requests will not be granted.

8. If you are one of the NET's that are forced to be moved (this will specifically effect HS NET's, schools that are shrinking 2 NET's to 1), we will contact you later to find out your preference for placement. Understand that we will do our best to meet your preference, but nothing is guaranteed. 

At this point in time, we are looking at the official document going out tomorrow. We will give you and your schools a week and a half to send in the necessary information (intent for renewal/renunciation and evaluations). Contract renewal results are expected to go out by the end of November, school placements should be finalized by the beginning of December, and if all goes well, the renewal contract signing meeting should take place on Friday, December 12th.

We understand that this is a stressful development, and these changes might have a profound effect on your decision making process. We hope that, however less than ideal these changes seem, that they are much better than what we've seen happen to NET's in other parts of the country. 

It looks like I'm getting out just in time. As of March 2015, I'll be switching over to the night shift as a I start a job in a reputable hagwon in Ulsan. I'm looking forward to it.

In the meantime, I know many of my friends are bitterly disappointed as they realise the relationships they've worked so hard to build at their schools are going to be cut short by legal technicalities, and some of them question if they even want to stay in Korea any more. 

I wish you all the best of luck in making your decision, and if you choose it, finding other jobs. 

After-school Hiking and Walks

I love hiking but I'm low on time so I try to get mini-hikes in after school, if the weather is good. We're going into fall now so the hiking will be sublime. Here are some of my favourite local hills that can be hiked in an hour or two.

Chimsan Park

This park has lots of little hiking paths that branch off the main path. A nice way to do it is to start with a steep climb up the stairs at the southern end and then walk a loop on the hiking paths. There's a pretty pagoda and some fitness equipment at the north end, at the peak. It's usually not too busy, and it's close to the Sincheon river. There is a bike rack near the stairs at the south end. Otherwise, take a bus or cab to Chilseong Emart and walk to the park from there.

Muhaksan

I took a cab to one of the buildings that was near the start of a trail, and then hunted around for the start. This hill is a little steep but you can get to the peak in about 15 minutes if you try, and then walk along the ridge until you feel like going down again. It's not as developed as most of the other parks. I liked the wildness of it. For an extra challenge, you could follow it with the Beomeo Trek. 

This is the route I took: 

Beomeo Trek

North of Muhaksan and a short walk away, Beomeo has two parks that are right next to each other, so if the big one isn't big enough you can follow it with the other park. 

Die-hards with a free day could attempt the Beomeo Loop. The map says 2hrs 42 mins but it really depends on your own speed and how much you want to push yourself. I think Beomeo has one of the prettiest parks in Daegu.

The saddest hill in Daegu: Waryeongsan

This crescent-shaped hill has a very sad story attached to it. From wikipedia: 

The Frog Boys (Korean: 개구리소년) were a group of five South Korean schoolboys who disappeared on March 26, 1991. The boys had gone to Mount Waryong to catch frogs but never returned. Their bodies were found 11 years later. Although it was discovered that they had been murdered, the case has never been solved. 

Many of their families quit their jobs to look for them, and ended up losing everything. It's a terrible tragedy and gives the hill a hushed, eerie feeling. Flower petals cover the paths in spring and it's hard to believe that something like that could have happened in such a peaceful place. 

Yeonap Park

This is the hill across the river from Chimsan Park. I decided I wanted to see the temple/memorial hall(?) I'd spotted from a distance up close, so I walked in the direction of it and kept walking until I found a way up the hill. I ended up walking up a really steep road, then finding a path that led off into the forest. I wasn't even sure if I was going the right way. But I kept going. I ended up behind the temple, peeking over an ancient wall. I followed the wall to the front, walking over piles of broken traditional roof tiles, but the temple was closed. Oh well, it was worth a try. The suburbs behind it are full of old buildings and Buddhist temples, and it was a really interesting walk. I bumped into only one other hiker, so if you're looking to get away from the crowds this is a good one. 

The memorial hall (closed)

And for those of you who hate hills, here are some of my favourite walks in Daegu:

Sincheon River

The river cuts through the center of the city, and you can walk in either direction for miles. Make sure you're on the West side of it as you head south, because there are no exits on the east side for a solid 5-7km stretch.  If you head north and then west, you'll walk through a beautiful wetland reserve, and can see lots of cranes, storks and other long-legged birds. North and then East will take you through a bizarre sculpture/farm park and close to Costco and the EXCO center. 

Yulha Sports Field to Dongdaegu

Walking along the river, cross at the bridge to the War Memorial Museum, and then walk to Dongdaegu Train Station. It's a long walk with a few hills but there are lots of interesting things along the way, such as surprise camels. 

The Junggu Walking Tours

A bunch of alleys in Downtown Daegu have been laid out as walking tour trails for tourists. You start at one end and meander along the route, reading the signs and looking at interesting things. There is an app in the android store that you can download which provides you with maps and more information. 

And then...

Sometimes I just walk. 

Replacing Stolen Stuff

A continuation of this: Ultimate Doom

Of course, in true RPoD style, a certain moron left her passport at the police station. Well, if you're going to leave it somewhere, that's probably the best place, right?

Then later, when I went to collect my snazzy new frisbee from our captain, I found out that of about fifteen frisbees that had been ordered, mine was the only one that went missing while he was naming them.

Well, of course. Added to that, I've fallen over about three times in the last two days (a week or two of vertigo takes its toll) and I've started losing my voice the very same week we restarted the 3-2-1 English PA broadcast lesson.

This is my life. And yet I remain surprisingly upbeat about all of it.

I did, however, manage to replace my phone by going through Eliza at Aui Korea again. Since she had all my information already, it was a matter of switching my old contract over to a new phone. We upgraded my phone while we were at it, and it was a breeze, although time consuming. I got to keep my old number. I now have a Samsung Galaxy S5 LTE with unlimited data and a screen that unlocks by scanning my fingerprint. If you do email her to ask her to set up an appointment, be sure to drop my name in your message - she said I'll get perks. The address (again) is auikorea at gmail dot com, and her office is a subway stop away from Banwoldang, in Jinsok Tower. 

Today my classes have all magically been cancelled so I'm trying to get permission to duck out to immigration so I can sort out a new ARC. Once I've got that, I'll be able to replace my bank cards and won't have to draw money with my bank book inside the branch any more.  It is possible to draw money with bank books at the ATM... but you need an ARC to set that up. 

I should probably go get my passport too...

Converting your school computer to English

This is a regular headache for us NETs - over the vacation, a computer's been replaced or upgraded and you have to go through the whole process of converting everything back to English, or re-learning where all the good buttons are and how to avoid the bad ones. Asking the school techie helps little - ours tried really hard and worked for hours but in the end just gave us mouse-hover English labels for the buttons. Not being able to see your options at a glance slows you down and makes your job harder than it needs to be.

Have no fear! You can change your software to English in under 15 minutes.

Head over here and follow the instructions.

There. Did I make your day?

Here's a direct link in case the one above isn't working.

Ultimate doom!

As I was sitting in the back seat of the police car this evening, looking at the shiny black material that seemed particularly blood resistant, and the absence of a door handle on the inside of my door, I found myself thinking, "Well at least this is another thing to cross off on the bucket list of life..."

It all started way before I came to Korea. I met a guy. A tall, handsome, afrikaans lad who got me hooked on geocaching and tried in vain to interest me in cricket. One day, he led me onto a grassy field, with rugby posts on either end, and taught me to throw and catch a frisbee. Then other people showed up and we ran around madly trying to score points and immediately losing count of them. He introduced me to Ultimate Frisbee.

All right, all right, it's just called Ultimate now.

That relationship ended when I came to Korea, but the seed had been planted. Before I arrived, someone I'd met in an expat facebook group suggested I join the Ultimate Frisbee league. Coming from a team (more like a group of people mildly interested in tossing frisbees to each other) of no more than about 10 people, the idea of the league enticed and intimidated me. The last time I played a team sport with real uniforms was when I was a field hockey goalie in middle school. I stopped that when it got too serious, with my teammates focusing more on getting provincial and national recognition and less on the fun of the game. And also, my bag full of hockey stuff was stolen in broad daylight.  The game had become a chore and I had no more interest in it, and the theft of the bag was the last straw. Thus ended my dazzling hockey career.

After that I stuck to less competitive individual sports, like diving, scuba diving, and when I felt the need to bash balls at someone, squash.

I was scared of the frisbee league. They had teams, with uniforms and regular practices and game plans and strategies and a membership fee. A steep membership fee for a new arrival. I kept putting off joining with a new excuse for each season. And then I forgot about it, only remembering that the league existed when I bumped into them in bars. Then I formed this image of them... Summed up as this:

A few weeks ago, however, my dear friend Olivia decided to join, and she decided to drag a bunch of her friends with her. This lady is a sports BEAST, belonging to at least three different sports leagues that I know about. She's nuts. And a lot of fun.

I thought that if all these people who I liked were joining, then maybe I could join too and not be utterly useless. In fact, my very brief experience in university would give me an edge over the complete newbies. So I let them talk me into it and before I knew it, I was sending money off into the ethernet to sign up for the league. Then it was a waiting game, as one of the biggest signups in the league happened, and organisers scrambled to make new teams and shuffle players around into them.

Then, finally, I found out which team I was on. We have the ugliest jerseys, by far, and the prettiest captain (but don't tell him!) and I decided to crush any inkling of fear, shyness or excuse-making, and do it. I even went so far as to buy cleats that clashed as much as possible with the jersey.

Blah blah, why were you in a police car?

Well, armed with my cleats of radioactivity, I headed to the first practice. It was going to be huge, with every team in Daegu and more from out of town invited to play on one field out in the middle of nowhere. Knowing myself, and my life of things going rather well  doom, I left three hours early to be sure to get there on time. I got on a bus that immediately went in the wrong direction, but ended up there with enough time to get some coffee and a piece of "pizza toast" that was cheap and delicious.

I finally walked to the field and saw some waygooks tossing discs. Using my Cluseau-like powers of deduction, I deduced that these were in fact the droids I was looking for, and I waved timidly at them.

the last photo ever taken with this phone

They told me to leave my bag with theirs and I scurried off to join them. And they turned out to be three of the most awesome people I would meet that day. Two of them were on my team!

I learned a lot that day. I learned about cutting and stacking and flicking. I learned about being supportive and laughing at yourself when you mess up, and I got over my fear of being the least fit person there, or a nerdy outsider at a jock party. These people were nice people, and fun and friendly. That is, until they're on the opposing team and you've got the disc and they're in your face. Then they are evil trolls who are virtually impossible to escape.

But I'm learning.

I had yet to learn the most valuable lesson of the day. After we'd done some skills stuff and played a couple of minigames, there came a big lesson.

Are you sitting comfortably? Then I'll begin.

Life Lesson #22523

When playing an attention-holding sport in a big open area with lots and lots of people running around, do not place your phone, credit card, bank card, ID, kindle, cash and the only pair of skinny jeans that has ever and probably will ever fit you in ONE bag, out of sight and far away. Especially not a generic black bag with no distinguishing markings. 

I still haven't quite recovered from the sinking feeling of having all my most important things taken from me in a split second. I cried a little at first but then decided there was nothing that crying could fix and I couldn't do anything about it until offices opened on Monday. So there was no point letting a little catastrophe ruin my birthday party, frisbee friend-making weekend.

Luckily for me, the girl who had told me to put my bag there in the first place was so wracked with guilt that she gave me my subway fare home and returned with me the next day to try lost and found and head to a police station. Both of them were closed but we had a chance to chat and bond and I think I've made a great new friend.

I've rediscovered a sport I love and am not completely useless at. I've learned the value of friends who buy you burgers and beer to drown your sorrows in, and the value of petroleum jelly on chub-rub when you're stuck in sports clothes for 24 hours because your change of clothes went missing. I've learned to enjoy the moment and not wallow in self pity. I had a fun birthday party and got to watch Ben's band win Battle of the Bands, and played resistance with my coworkers and friends, mastered schrabbing and watched a wonderfully awful piranha movie - with all the gory bits blurred out - as the sun came up.

Pardon me, miss, but have you got any tictacs?

At lunch time I cancelled my bank cards and used my bank book to draw some money so that I can replace my ARC so I can get new bank cards. I contacted Eliza the Phone Lady and she's sending me a shiny new one. And on the way home, I went to the police station (staffed with sexy policemen) next to the fire station (full of sexy firemen). I think it's something in the water in Chimsandong. Anyway, the sexy police station was closed so a sexy fireman used a sexy SOS phone to call another less sexy policeman to help me.

And that's how I found myself in the back seat of a police car, being driven two or three blocks away to another police station, where young police officers fumbled their fairly decent English nervously while trying to figure out how to translate "Kindle" into hangeul and helping me file a report.

I walked home in the early evening breeze and felt pretty good even as my life is burning all around me. The flames are slowly being tamed by the sexy firehose of bureaucracy and, this whole time, I've had a feeling my bag will find its way home, and that this has all been an innocent but annoying mistake.

Korean Yoga Class

It's pretty easy to find yoga classes in English, aimed at foreigners in Daegu. However, there's a gym just a block away that I joined last year which has yoga every night at 7, and is super convenient for me. So, with rain all day and the Ultimate Frisbee League season I signed up for approaching quickly, and in the wake of all the burritos I'm carrying around in my butt cheeks, belly and thighs after three weeks in Texas, I decided to renew my gym membership and let the tiny bodybuilders in tiny lumo shirts talk me into going to yoga as well.

I was a member of the gym last year until I ran into my elderly landlady in the shower and was too mortified to go back (and someone accidentally 'stole' my shampoo, which was identical to hers) so I know how things generally work. This time I got a locker, rather than store my shampoos etc with the plebs. But I'd never joined yoga or been there while they were having a class so I didn't really know what to expect. Maybe I expected it to be like the yoga videos I watch and try to copy on youtube, like the wonderful series by Adriene Mishler. You know, some sun salutations, a couple of twists, maybe a bunch of plank variations... the usual stuff.

My gym has uniforms that you're expected to wear while working out, but yoga in shorts doesn't appeal to me that much. So I wore my usual semi-stretchy sweatpants and a big t-shirt and headed off to the gym. It's my first time; I get a 'gimme' to check out what everyone else does and copy them next time. Turns out they just wear yoga pants under the uniform. *shrug*

I was the first person there (little Miss Over-eager) so the bodybuilder Dudes introduced me to the most beautiful woman I've ever seen; she was the instructor. And she didn't speak a word of English beyond "one, two, three", "inhale/exhale" and "changee". But that's all you really need...Right? I figured I could watch her and she'd correct me if I was totally off. Today, I taught her "hips", "core" and "pelvis". Nevertheless, we managed to communicate, and I managed to follow the class. Well, I could follow what I was supposed to be doing.

Doing it, on the other hand, was another question.

HOLY COW, Yoga lady! There was not a single sun salutation or plank, but I got one hell of a workout instead. Of course, I'm surrounded by lithe, limber little Korean fairy-elves... and one very elastic ajumma. And there I am, bigger than three of the Tinkerbells put together, awkward and stiff and jetlagged and with no muscles in my stomach whatsoever. At one point I figured out she was trying to tell me to lift my legs 90 degrees off the ground BEHIND me using only my hamstrings... I grunted "Opseoyeo" (I ain't got none!) and the class giggled. She managed to get the forms across to me by pushing and pulling my bits and helping me, and I think I'll be able to do it on my own next time, perhaps. I felt a bit babied but that's ok. She is a good teacher.

Anyway, yoga is not a competition. It's about doing what you can and getting a little better each time. I'm good at some things and not at others, and I'll get better. And I wasn't the first person to fall over. I may not be able to do the splits but I can hold an ajumma squat on my tippy-toes with my hands stretched above my head for hours, thank you very much.

So I was ungainly, wheezing, red-faced and constantly going in the wrong direction. Who cares? I had fun, I feel good, and I think this is definitely something I can work into the daily routine I haven't started yet.

Next adventure: working with a tiny bodybuilder personal trainer