My kids at my old school....and why it's my old school, and the whole kurfuffle

Well, this week is offically my last week at Doryang Prime School. It's been a long time coming. I'll still be working for Prime School, just for a different one across town. Prime School is one of the biggest Hogwans (Private extra-curricular School) in Gumi. There are 4 spread out all over the city. I've been working at the Doryang School since I got here. Last month though, I discovered that my Work Visa actually isn't for Doryang, it's for another school across town, Buksam. I discovered this after my director came tearing into my class one day, freaking out in Korean because apparently foriegn worker officals were showing up around Gumi sporatically checking up on different schools. I didn't know I had the wrong Visa, how could I? Everything's in Korean.

Korean Lesson #1 - Never Trust a Korean Boss

So, he came in, freaking out, grabbed me, his wife took over my class and I was driven across town to the other school. Once there we ripped another Prime teacher, Kathi, out of her classroom and she was driven to Doryang. Apparently my work visa was for where Kathi was working, and hers was for where I was working. Doesn't seem like a huge problem does it? We'd just have to switch schools right? Wrong.

Korean Lesson #2 - It's Never Simple When Dealing With Koreans, Actually, It's All Backwards

So, I continued teaching Kathi's classes for the rest of the day and took the bus back home that evening. Surprise, surprise, no officals showed up to check on our school and the next day I was back at Doryang.
I waited around a few days, thinking that possibly our Director would realize that we'd have to switch schools. Obviously this made sense, I mean, both Kathi and I were working illegally. He had to see the wrongness in that, right? I believe I waited 3 days and nothing was being said about it, so I said something. They knew I wanted to be a police officer back in Canada. I explained in as simple terms as possible that, maybe me working illegally woudn't really be the best thing for me to be doing, considering the career path I was on. They seemed to understand and agree with me fully. I suggested that maybe I switch schools and go to Buksam, either that or I could go to Japan and get my Visa changed. That way I could stay at Doryang with the kids and classes I know. It all made such perfect sense to me. It seemed to make perfect sense to them as well.

Korean Lesson #3 - They Lie Right To Your Face

My director never had any intentions of rectifying the situtation we were in. Over the next month it occured 3 more times, one time for four consecutive days, that Kathi and I would have to frantically pack all of our stuff and switch schools for fear that we were going to be found out. I tried talking to him rationally, explaining my side of the situation. I bitched, I begged and I tried my best to be polite. Politeness, I discovered, does not work in this country. It is only through striking fear into the heart of your boss do you make any gains. I seriously had to threaten to go home and call the foriegn workers board myself to straighten out the situation. All of this mess could have been avoided if I'd just been sent to the right school when I first got here. My work visa was for Buksam for a reason. That's where I was suppsoed to be working all along. They just never got around to putting me there. During the time they were messing around keeping me at Doryang, Kathi was getting settled in at Buksam, making it harder to pull her up and move her.

Lesson #4 - The Korean Way is to Ignore It and Hope That It Goes Away, If You Want Something Done, Don't Go Away

So, anyways. This coming Friday is my last day at Doryang. It's kinda sad actually. I've been there for 3 months. I really like my kids, I'm going to miss them. I've posted some pictures of my favorite class, 4:40. On the up-side, since Kathi and I have switched schools so often, I already know most of the kids I'll be teaching, and they know me. Hopefully it all works out and stays worked out for the rest of my stay here.

Lesson #5 - Never, Ever Take Working In Canada For Granted....We Have It Made More Than You Know