Korea

MC Hammer Dance off

I just got back from an amazing and incredibly intense week in Korea. I taught from 9 am to 7 pm every day. After which was dinner and far too many rounds of soju every night. I have been sleeping and drinking tons of water for the last two days, and think I could do so for another week before feeling normal again.

Many of the teachers in Korea looked unhappy. Teachers get paid well, but work long hours (14-16 a day, 6 days a week). The society is fairly racist/xenophobic and sexist (I don't mean to dwell on the negative; there are also many positive aspects of Korean culture as well). The stress over a long period of time really seems to get to people. Getting out of Macau and it's own culture-specific difficulties was really nice for a change, but I saw it wearing thin on local teachers.

I had a lovely lunch today with my bosses. I really like them personally, and I feel like quite a brat for being unhappy with certain aspects of my job. Still, I think it's fair to feel unhappy if I'm not given any work, have no communication with others at MPI, and have no control over the activities I am expected to be responsible for. My moods the last couple of months have alternated between boredom, anger, and feeling guilty becuase of the first two emotions.