…

Interesting and somewhat distressing day on the 6th.

It was the first of three movie days – Charlotte’s Web (the Dakota Fanning version). They watch the movie then answer a quiz afterward to check their comprehension. That wasn’t so bad; mind you it was so cold in the classroom that I lost the feeling in my toes by the first “message” in the web. =] The kids did pretty well – it is a hard test, but most passed with flying colours.

What was distressing is what took place after the class. One of my favorites (a bright, although somewhat withdrawn little boy – i.e. much the way I was when I was his age) had been out of sorts all day. No amount of encouragement could bring him out of his funk. Perplexing, but it happens.

As I was heading home I came around the corner to find him wailing, sans glasses and bleeding profusely out of both nostrils. I attended to his needs (blood was every where on me; man, I had forgotten how much a nose can bleed after it is punched) and through pantomime and some half Korean, half English inquiries of the girls that surrounded us (I had the same problem when I was his age – the dark, silent, currently bleeding type always attracts ‘em I guess) determined one of his team mates had popped him in the nose. Apparently it was going to get a lot worse but the assailant scattered when he heard me coming.

It pisses me off that in the Korean way this is a simple sorting of the wheat from the chaff, the strong from the weak – like some mini-Darwinian passion play. Fighting is almost encouraged to get the pecking order established. All-in-all this level of violence is fairly common. With all the martial arts training I’m surprised someone doesn’t get seriously hurt or worse.

I’ll deal with it today. Part of me wants to kick the bully’s ass, but I know I cannot go there. That is, of course, partially driven by my sense of fair play and more than a little bit of my “seeing” me in the injured party. However, as the responsible adult here, I’ll remind them that when they are at school this is not tolerated and they risk suspension or worse. A safe, bureaucratic, politically correct response; just not totally satisfying. No doubt it’ll be the right thing to do…

I’m no lawyer.

Yes, my family had one in it and I’ve been in and around lawyers for years.

Never took the bar exam, never attended law school; don’t have the formality of degree or the experience. However, I’m no dummy and the following tale begs a lawyer’s intervention.

1. I work as an ESL teacher in Korea. I have a contract that governs this employment.
2. There are specific articles within that contract that lay out provisions for holidays during the duration of the contract. More specifically, I am granted thirty-four (34) days holidays, inclusive of weekends and national holidays.
3. I have worked under two different contracts in my time here.
4. My first contract – 2008-2009 Academic Year – duration: September 1, 2008 – August 31, 2009. Total holiday days: 34. Holidays only to be taken during Summer Season (last week of June, all of July and August).
5. My second contract – 2009-2010 Academic Year – duration: September 1, 2009 – August 31, 2010. Total holiday days: 34. Twenty-six (26) holiday days to be taken in the month of February, during the Winter Season (typically the last week of December, all of January and the first week of February). Remaining holidays seven (7) days only to be taken during Summer Season (last week of June, all of July and August). The remaining “eighth” day is considered a “floater” and can be taken at any time, with school approval.
6. During the Seasons, for those days that are not holidays and/or non-working weekends, they get allocated to the various different “camps” that pop up during both the Winter and Summer Seasons. As an example I worked three camps during the Winter Season of the 2008-09 Academic Year. I did not work any camps during the Summer Season since I was on holidays and I had to sit in quarantine for a week because of the Swine Flu epidemic. I am working two camps this Winter Season (December, 2009 – January, 2010).
7. I must provide fifteen days notice before taking any holidays. In the case of the first contract I applied in January, 2009 and it was approved. For the second contract I applied in November, 2009 and that request was also approved. Both, obviously, were done with plenty of leeway and advance notice.
8. Within the first contract is an Article 10 – this article says that with the signing of a second contract I am granted an additional seven (7) days holidays. No other language, as an example saying when these days have to be taken, is expressed. This article is a piece of boilerplate; it has been around a long time.
9. I signed my second contact in May of 2009.
10. I discussed the “bonus” days with my primary co-teacher, after I signed the contract and before I left on my summer holidays. At no time was any objection raised concerning my request to roll these days over in the 2010 calendar year. Not one objection.
11. When I applied for my February holidays, back in November, I reminded my co-teacher of the total remaining fifteen (15) days of holidays that were owed to me and that I had yet to make a decision concerning those.  The total of fifteen comes from the eight days left over from the current contract and the seven days “earned” by signing the new contract.
12. Almost a month later my primary co-teacher comes to me and says there is a problem with my “bonus” holiday days – apparently I should have taken them before the conclusion of the 2008-2009 contract. I reminded her of our discussions back in the early summer of 2009. She said she would check.

Since she has advised me of the problem, she has stated the following reasons why I cannot have these days: she does not recall the conversations we had; her English is poor enough that she may have misunderstood (which tells me we did have those discussions); the Korean language of the contract states quite clearly that the bonus days must be taken before the end of the contract period (which has to be a complete fabrication); and the Office of Education says I cannot have these days, end of discussion; that they must be taken before the end of the contract.

So, I am getting screwed for the days. No point in even arguing, is there?

I wonder.

The most bearded Korean I have seen since I got here. Quietly snorkeling away post his five day market visit. Big ass gold chain on his left wrist surprised me, but hey: go, gangster, go.

From the personal side of the fence I recently got screwed for seven days worth of holidays. When I signed my second contract there is a bonus of getting seven additional days when you do. Discussions at that time were centered on pushing these days out to 2010 and my co-teacher and I agreed on that. When I filed, in writing, for my twenty-six days of holidays in February I reminded her that I was still owed fifteen days in 2010 (eight original and the seven bonus). That was in early November. Now in early December she comes back and says there is a problem and I should have actually taken those seven days before the 2008-2009 contract ended in August, 2009. No mention/recollection of the discussions that took place last Spring, no leeway, no nothing… just a weak kneed “sorry, David-de”. Met with my principal and co-teacher just yesterday – no budging on their part – my fault, not theirs.

Lying, thieving bastards.

More fuel to the heading home bonfire as far as I’m concerned.

I’m pissed – better: I’m motivated.

Not really Kimchi specific, but these radishes were the one culinary surprise for me here in Korea. Quite tasty, very nice mixed in with bulgogi or a simple green salad. Yum!

The Kimchi harvest period has begun and if memory serves it will be over before you know it. Monster Day of the Triffids sized cabbages, multi-kilo bags of red peppers, all waiting to be stirred and mixed and dumped into earthenware pots for future curing and curdling and lord knows what else. Scary, boys and girls, scary.

In all of the lingerie stores there is always a selection of male underwear to compliment the selection of ladies’ unmentionables. There is usually a selection colour/pattern matched sets: bra, pantie, boxer short/brief. Makes those “lights off” rendezvous all the more interesting I guess. Now, I found this interesting piece at one of my favorite local stores. Not sure how they are matching up the transparent red boxers, but there you go – maybe with the tinker bell sleep set at the left.

So, this is considered the height of school girl fashion, here in the mighty “Yang. I have to admit the bumblebee striped tights are pretty cool looking. But, to wear to school everyday? And isn’t that skirt kinda short? Like really short? Add the yellow patent leather hooker heels and studying English will never be the same.

There was this belief I held very close, that I would find a smoky, with nicotine brown stained ceiling, outside light streaming though the dust in the air (but falling on all the wrong spots), in the basement, jazz bar… …I would sit across a little round (some would call it a cocktail) table, with a votive like candle in the center, flickering, across from the woman of my dreams… …I’d be sipping on a something and something and she’d be sipping on her something and something (maybe we’d have vodka and waters that Sunday afternoon) and we’d be listening to a little quartet, playing something like this, amongst other (cool) jazz bits… …we’d occasionally watch the band, but we would be looking, locked, into each other’s gaze for most of the time we spent there, silent, but speaking volumes… …that could be what this video is all about…
There was this belief I held very close, that I would find a smoky, with nicotine brown stained ceiling, outside light streaming though the dust in the air (but falling on all the wrong spots), in the basement, jazz bar… …I would sit across a little round (some would call it a cocktail) table, with a votive like candle in the center, flickering, across from the woman of my dreams… …I’d be sipping on a something and something and she’d be sipping on her something and something (maybe we’d have vodka and waters that Sunday afternoon) and we’d be listening to a little quartet, playing something like this, amongst other (cool) jazz bits… …we’d occasionally watch the band, but we would be looking, locked, into each other’s gaze for most of the time we spent there, silent, but speaking volumes… …that could be what this video is all about…

First there was LW, last was FH. In between those two, there were, in order, LA, JM, CK, WB, JB, MV, MP, RB, MC, EM and MG. That would add up to a baker’s dozen, over the space of some thirty-five (or more) years. That’s all I know, all I can remember, not that I could forget, now could I? You know why they call thirteen a baker’s dozen? Courtesy of the internet:

“The oldest known source and most probable origin for the expression “baker’s dozen” dates to the 13th century in one of the earliest English statutes, instituted during the reign of Henry III (1216-1272), called the Assize of Bread and Ale. Bakers who were found to have shortchanged customers could be liable to severe punishment. To guard against the punishment of losing a hand to an axe, a baker would give 13 for the price of 12, to be certain of not being known as a cheat. Specifically, the practice of baking 13 items for an intended dozen was to prevent “short measure”, on the basis that one of the 13 could be lost, eaten, burnt, or ruined in some way, leaving the baker with the original legal dozen. The practice can be seen in the guild codes of the Worshipful Company of Bakers in London.”

Guess I was just covering myself…or perhaps not.

Read some articles recently concerning the topic of concussions. I’ve had five, the first coming when I was eleven years old and got creamed in a hockey game; had temporary amnesia and everything. My mother wanted me to walk around with a helmet on as a precaution. My father said no, I’d look like “a retard”. When I was sixteen I had my second, after getting my ass beat by a girlfriend’s all too recent ex-boyfriend. Apparently she talked about me all the time while they were together. They broke up, because she said she did not want to have sex with him. He said they broke up because of me. I never had sex with her either; we broke up so she could go back to him (probably to save my life). My next concussion came that same year when I committed what my football coach said was the hardest hit he had ever seen in twenty years of playing and coaching football. I really wanted to keep playing; he told me to sit down when I couldn’t tell him what day it was and who were our opponents. Number four showed up about two years later when I got upended and landed on the back of my head in a basketball game. Last game of my high school career and I missed most of it because I couldn’t stop the music playing in my head (“Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting”, good ol’ Elton John). The fifth rendition of shaking my brain like Jell-O™ came when I fainted at a movie theatre. It was at the “first date” with the girl who eventually would become my second wife. No music this time – just double vision for three weeks. When I asked the CATSCAN technician if she saw anything, she replied: “I didn’t see anything at all.” That would explain a lot.

Anyway, when I die my intent now is to surrender my brain for additional research and see if what they see (or for that matter, don’t see) can be helpful. Have to admit I’m disappointed that I will not get to watch – who knows what they will find.

Oh and I might have had a sixth concussion about a year ago, when I got smoked playing volleyball. Not too sure, but I did have a headache for three days and kept waking up humming a particular tune… how’s it go…

Don’t give us none of your aggravation
We had it with your discipline
Saturday night’s alright for fighting
Get a little action in

Get about as oiled as a diesel train
Gonna set this dance alight
‘Cause Saturday night’s the night I like
Saturday night’s alright, alright, alright

Oops.

That’s enough, don’t you think?

I took the photo above through the window of a local sporting goods store. Attractive young woman, hijab in place, belly exposed and in perfect ddong chim pose. Wonder what that says about advertising, eh?

I cannot believe it, but it happened again this past week; I got ddong chimed, again. Courtesy of a young fellow from my Kindergarten class. In the lunchroom, no less, in front of all of the students and a scattered few teachers. The kids laughed, the teachers ignored it. He tried to run away but I caught him by his left shoulder then lifted him off his feet. Then the teachers gave notice.

“Oh, David-de, what’s the matter?”

“He just ddong chimed me.”

“Oh, so sorry David-de, so sorry…”

His teacher admonished him, he apologized in English and that was that. Not sure what I would have done if I had been alone with him, but I suspect the humiliation would have been tempered by the age of the assailant. A trip to the principal might have been the worse thing to happen, but, man, oh man…

If you are really interested, more info here and here.

A pretty exciting week for me. I received confirmation of the arrival of application to the Faculty of Education; thus, the new adventure officially begins. Right now, I feel I have a 50-50 chance. Low odds, but better than zero; you cannot get it unless you try, right? On Tuesday some gossip got shared with me regarding the recently completed National English Exams. Two out of the four schools I teach at finished in the top five in the province. That’s pretty impressive and I can actually take a moment to remind myself that I was a part of that achievement. Nice. Regardless, I’m still coming home – even bought my tickets yesterday. Still haven’t figured out when I will tell I am leaving. Part of me says I should give them extra time in order to cover off the hiring of a new teacher. Another part of me says to be careful, give them the minimum and nothing more. I have time to make the decision, but I have to admit I am chomping at the bit to get it over with.

That’s really about all I wanted to say this week… bless you all.