Things I'll miss about Korea: The weather

One of the reasons that I'm leaving Korea is the weather. I can't go through another Daegu Summer - it's just too hot - but paradoxically I'm going to miss the weather here.

My gripe is with the Summer heat. I'm from an island where sunny days are valued highly and any hint at high temperatures gets people excited but here it really is too hot for me. Or rather it's too hot to be teaching in. If I didn't have to work in the heat I'm sure I would really appreciate Summer here.

Being from the UK and in particular the North I am accustomed to lots of rain and ominous grey skies that dominate the seasons and affect peoples mood. Here it really is much brighter. I don't know the statistics but it just feels like there is more sun light all year round and it really improves the way you feel. Also it doesn't rain much in Korea and when it does I actually appreciate and enjoy the change it brings.

In general Winters are colder than back home and there isn't much snow but at least it doesn't rain like in the UK. I don't enjoy Winter much here because of the absence of colour but Winter is distinct from the other seasons.

Spring and Autumn often feel the same but both signify welcome changes from the cold or the oppressive heat. They are my favourite seasons as they provide the most colour and give comfortable temperatures. A Spring beer outside a convenience store is one to be enjoyed.

Korea and Koreans often talk about this country having four distinct seasons and only now have I begun to appreciate them. I hope Manchester is kind to be when I move back home and gives me a Summer that I've been looking forward to for a while.

Things I'll miss about Korea: The internet

With just over two weeks left here I've recently been thinking about the things I will miss when I leave here. Of course there's the money, the relative freedom my job affords me and lack of pressure in my life. But there are lots of small things that make life here so enjoyable.

First off is the internet here. It's damn quick. The other day I downloaded something at 7.6 mB/s which is very fast indeed. After a while you take for granted the excellence of the internet in South Korea. As someone with a degree in Computing I spend a lot of time on the laptop and I am really going to miss the speed and connectivity of the place when I go.

So many shops and houses have WiFi so I can use my Ipod touch as a mobile device in so many places. I know it won't be the same back in England. Also there are thousands and thousands of quality PC rooms that offer round the clock internet access at high speeds should you need to use them, all cheap prices. The UK is geting better but by comparison it really lags behind Korea.

Throwing stuff out into the street

I don't know what it is like across Korea but I do know that in Chilgok, Daegu, crap is thrown in the streets throughout the day, every day. This being the latest development over the weekend on my street. Obviously people were moving out of their apartment and it was only there for forty eight hours but it was still there for everyone to see and someone must have thought it was OK to do this.

Being careful

I am finding the last month in Korea more difficult that I'd anticipated. Not professionally (work is going OK because right now I have lots of breaks) nor emotionally (I'll be back with my wife of course in the future because of her family). A few things are sapping my energy though. I am tired a lot more than normally.

A number of surprise expenses have affected how I wanted to finish my time here. I'm having to make some snap decisions on things I would just buy if I wanted to. Do I really need that coffee or that beer? Poor planning from me on not covering all eventualities but these expenses keep cropping up.


I am not broke, yet but I have to be more careful than I'd like. My final wage is supposed to be coming my way on May 26th and I'll be alright because I have come coins to cash in and also some English money to exchange should I really need to. I will be doing either or both of these as late as possible but this also means that my last few day will be very hectic because it'll be then that I can buy and do some important things that I need to.

On a side note, the weather is slowly warming up. Tomorrow is supposed to be around 27°C. From time to time I catch myself thinking whether or not I am doing the right thing by going when I am. The fast approaching Summer and it's temperature increases are perhaps natures way of reminding me that it absolutely the right time to be leaving.

No masking this

Yesterday I stayed in for most of Sunday barring a quick trip to the local shop. I did have one of the windows open for a bit though. Perhaps a mistake, today I'm feeling it a little in the chest. Yesterday and today has seen Korean blanketed in 황사 (Yellow Dust). I have heard it's the worst case of this for some nine years or so. It doesn't last for very long but it is unpleasant and can leave anyone affected by this a bit sick with a sore throat or affected breathing. I won't miss it when I leave here. I feel sorry for those in China though who have to put up with worse conditions than here in Korea.

Today my wife and I had to go out so we covered our mouths as best we could but we looked different from everyone else we saw. Usually when Koreans have an excuse to wear a mask they're all over it like a fat kid with cake but not today. People are walking around as if it's normal - and it is not, though I guess people are just used to it now. I'm very surprised. Korea is replete with masks especially in the Winter time or days when the air quality is poor. If I had a mask today I'd wear it. It is a sunny day, it's just that the Yellow Dust is blocking the sunlight. The best thing to do when this strikes is to stay indoors and drink plenty of water. I can't wait to get back home for the cleaner air.

Shaking my head

Just back from a hike with my wife, and a nice hike it was too. We're trying to cut down on any excesses before we leave and to lose some weight. It's not going to be easy but if I cut down on the booze then I think it's possible expecially if we exercise more.

On the way to our hike we passed a petrol station (gas station) and a guy there was smoking close to where they pump the petrol (not in the shop/booth). I was fuming - pun intended - bcause I've seen this too many times for my liking. I don't go past these places every day but I've witnessed it far too often. I just don't know why some people here do it.

Cheeky landlady

My wife just got a call from our landlady asking us if we could lend her two million won (£1,142). After my wife politely told her we could not she then asked if she could borrow one million won (£571) instead. Staggered at this request, my wife again exaplained that it would just not be possible. This comes the day after we paid the rent. I've had bad landlords here in Korea but this takes things up a notch.

Visas and hair colour

Day two of the process for gathering documents for my wife's visa and it's going OK so far. There is little that I can do to help my wife with regards to some of the things she needs but I am there for her if she needs any help or advice.

I've been able to set the ball rolling on acquiring some of the things I need including bank documents from the UK and information regarding my employment. Also I've been working on getting a letter from my brother guaranteeing accommodation should we need it. Tomorrow I am off to the bank for more statements and also to ask a former employer for some help with a kind of reference.

I am finding it a bit stressful but things like this do tend to cause me more concern that others. Luckily my wonderful wife does not worry about things as much as I do. Hopefully my concern over the thoroughness of the application makes sure everything has been done to be successful. I look forward to the process further advancing my greying hair.

Three months left. Plan A underway

And we're onto March. I now have three months to go before my contract ends. Time has been passing rather quickly of late, the seasons are changing and moods are improving at work. Things have been going well lately but this month is a big one. My wife finished working yesterday but it's not just me with the busy schedule.


My wife and I are starting the process for her spousal visa application for the UK. We're about to put together a list and then over the next few weeks we'll be ticking off the things we need before hopping up to Seoul to hand in the paperwork. The things we need won't be difficult to get but after that we'll be relying on sound judgement from the people in charge. I don't anticipate any problems but we have to make sure everything is perfect with the application.

Laptoe woe

My laptop has effectively died over the weekend. While it still works, the screen has broken making it basically impossible for me to see anything. The problem started three months ago and got steadily worse. Being away from home I am bound to my laptop as my primary source of entertainment, information and contact with the 'outside world'.

With just three months to go before my time is up in Korea I won't be buying a new one until I get back home to England. I hope this will partially liberate me from an over reliance of computers but I doubt it! Luckily my wife has a laptop which although is old and creaky does work.

Night out with co-workers

Wednesday was a works night out and the first we've had in months. There was no special occasion apart from the fact that we've not been out on one for a while. I think most of us had a very good time and we all think we should do it more often.




There's been a lot of stress at work this year especially for the Korean teachers and we all let off some steam. We went to a new restaurant and had a selection of meat dishes washed down with booze. There are a few newish teachers at my branch and it was good to get to know them even if I felt a bit worse for wear the next day.

Sleeping more, time to go?

Recently I've been waking up late almost every day and it's been screwing up my days. I'm normally a light sleeper but not any more I guess. I am normally someone who gets up between 9-10am but over the past week it's been an hour or three extra hours of sleep and I don't understand why. I'm not overworked, not mentally or physically tired and there is nothing stressful going on with me right now. Perhaps I am just tired of being an ESL teacher in Korea.

Snowy day in Daegu

Snow once more again in Korea. Today's TV reports claim that some areas have snowfall up to 50cm. Not so bad here in Daegu but it's stuck and is heavier than I have seen in previous years - over the past twelve months the snow has been much heavier than it was when I arrived in 2005.



The younger kids are finishing school about this time so hopefully they can enjoy the snow while it lasts. I nipped out for a few photos and it's already turning to slush. Maybe this is the last snow I will see in Daegu whilst I am here.


One of my c0-workers is currently making the long journey back to Puerto Rico for a vacation whilst three more are back in the office today. Puerto Rico, China, Vietnam, Daegu. I really could do with a holiday.

Taxman blues

Hitting the bottle and enjoying some Jack Daniels and coke. And with good cause. I have found that when I ask my students the question "Is a surprise a good thing or a bad thing?" they always say, "It's a bad thing." Yesterday they were right.

I received an email from work basically telling me that there is a shortfall in the amount of tax I've paid over the past twelve months - a period in which my wage has not increased at all. Fair enough, we all have to pay tax and I have no objection to this because Korean taxes have been very low during my time here compared to taxes back in Britain.

And then I read how much I have to pay. I won't post the exact amount but it's considerably higher than I would have imagined. My taekwondo partner Diana received a similar email but with a much lower amount to pay back - you double hers and then put a zero on it and you have mine. I was shocked and still am but, of course I have to pay this. And again, if that's what I have to do then I will but in the email I got from my employers it stated, "You must give the (figure I owe) to your branch manager before next monday (January 31th). If you don't mind, please give this ASAP"

The issue is not that I have to pay this but why has the amount not already been taken out of my salary in 2010? I am not an accountant. This is not my field of expertise. It is complicated even though it has been explained to me. But, why have I been given only five days to pay this? Why do I have to pay this in cash? Part of me wants to roll up to my branch with a wheelbarrow full of coins and say "There you go." But I won't. Right now I have very little in the bank due to sending money home recently. Luckily pay day is tomorrow. I have enough to cover this but I will be left short in February.

Since yesterdays email I have been in contact with one of my managers. She replied to my concerns and although she stressed I have to pay this, she is trying to get it either delayed or at least broken down into instalments. If this can happen I will be a much happier teacher than I am right now.

I am trying not to be in a bad mood at home and at work. It's not going to break me but the timing is appalling. Today I was not as I should be in the classroom. I was a little irritable and showed signs of it getting to me. This is unfair on the students. Hopefully I will feel better tomorrow. It's not the worst news I've ever had so I am very philosophical. It is only money. These things are sent to try us. Back to my whiskey and coke.

IELTS test, Uzbekistan food and Russian beer

My wife has been so busy this month. Every day she has to get up early to make the hour long bus trip to work to teach Winter camp. Despite this, she has been studying for an IELTS test - an internationally accepted test for English proficiency. Over the weekend she went to Busan to take the General test.

Unfortunately there was no test taking place that weekend in Daegu which meant that she had to get up at 4am to get ready for her 6am train to Busan on Saturday. She had to be there before 9am to take three parts of the test, listening, reading and writing. Worse though was the fact that she had to make the same trip again on Sunday for the speaking part which she tells me took only fifteen minutes. Understandably she was tired all weekend.

Because of her busy schedule my wife doesn't know how well she did. If she thinks she can get a better score she can always take the test again but will have the benefit of being able to have studied longer for it. The test costs around 200,000won or £110. She took the General test but there is also a harder one, the Academic test. Ihe difference between the two is the Academic one is to prove that you can study in higher education (where only English will be used) and the General is more to prove your ability and we're using this for proof of her level when we apply for her visa for England.

She had no idea what time she would be arriving back in Daegu but thought around 3pm or after. Luckily the test finished fairly quickly so she made it back before 2pm where she met my co-worker Ivan and myself. I would have gone with her to Busan but because there was no way of knowing beforehand what time the test would be over we decided there was no point me going with her just to be sitting around for a few hours.

I met Ivan downtown and took him to the Uzbekistan restaurant, Samarkand. I told him not to expect too much but at least have a beer. He said some of he food reminded him of food he tried on a trip in Europe but not as good. I tried mainly the same dishes as before but also tried a meat and spice filled pastry.



This time the service was better and the portions were back to normal but the meat in the pastry and the dumplings was still a little fatty. The kebab style meat I tried again was really, really good and by far the best dish I've tried there in my three trips. Alas there were no talent contests on the TV that I'd seen before. Instead we were treated to a series of Disney cartoons in Russian and Tom and Jerry.



Thinking that this may be my last chance to sample the beer here I had two. There were three choices, Baltika 3, 6 and 9. Ivan went for the lighter 3 but I tried the 6 for the first time. It was dark and reminded me of the Japanese stout by Asahai you can get here, but at 7% was much stronger. It went down well but I didn't go for a second. Instead I went back to the stronger Baltika 9 which is a hefty 8% lager. I may go back again before my time is up, just for the beer because at 5,000 for a 500ml bottle it is good value here.

Some perspective on this cold weather

Right now as I check the weather it's 0°C. I went out a few minutes ago to buy lunch and it didn't feel cold. Tonight it may get to -8°C which is a big improvement on last weekend. I've never known it to be so cold in Winter here. Is my memory deceiving me or is this much colder than Winters past? I'm feeling lucky not to be living in Seoul though where it's been even colder than here in Daegu.

Summer again tricked me into relishing the prospect of Winter time. For three to four months in Korea I pine for the cooling of the temperature and when it hits me hard in December/January I curse my luck. I feel like I'm wearing more clothes than ever before. Scarves, hats, gloves, ear muffs and a sweater pretty much all the time. The wind really bites. What doesn't help is the constant tales of co-workers going off to sunnier climbs in two weeks. People are going to Hong Kong, Vietnam, the Philippines and Puerto Rico! I'm really hoping it warms up soon because I'm staying in Korea then.

Putting some perspective into this, I got a message today from one of my friends working in Nunavut, Canada (up North). He tells me on a good day it's -15°C but today is going to be around -60°C. Just thinking about that makes me feel not so bad after all.

Decisions, decisions

This week one of managers emailed me asking if I was 100% leaving my job at the end of May. She needs to look for people to fill my job and was just making sure that I was definitely not re-signing. I emailed her back telling her that yes I will not be staying here any longer teaching.

I'm excited about going because it will be time. There's just one small thing that is on my mind now. A seed was planted a few weeks ago and grew this week in my head. What about taekwondo? The earliest possible date for the 2nd Dan black belt test is the end of June, that will be one year since the 1st Dan test. You cannot take the 2nd test until a year has passed. I had earlier written this off as something that I am just not going to be able to do but now I am not so sure.

After my contract finishes we plan on having a two-three week vacation in Asia before going to England (her visa permitting). If I came back from the holiday in decent shape I would have one week to train for the test but would I be able to pass? Discussing this with my wife, she seems to be OK about this right now but because she is sick we haven't had a proper discussion yet.

I am hoping to talk to my Master next week to ask a few more questions and gauge his opinion about how he thinks my training is going and if it will be worth my while doing the test. I have a decision to make because this is my final chance, realistically to get another black belt. They take years to do in England and realistically it's unlikely. This would be a chance to get a fourth black belt in Korea and I would really like the chance to at least try.

20 weeks left

A quick check of the calendar this morning and I see that I've twenty weeks left working in Korea.I say a quick check but it feels like I've been checking it all the time for about eighteen months or so. That may read as if I desperately want to go or I hare it here. Well neither are true. I love a lot of how my life goes by here and I've liked Korea pretty much since day one back in 2005 but the job is sapping my energy a bit and twenty weeks from now will be a good time to say goodbye to 'this way of life'

I went to the coffee shop today for an hour after taekwondo and sat thinking about how things are going. I will miss a lot of the things I take for granted and come across every day. Thinking positively, these will change to a whole bunch of new things and I'll develop a new daily routine back home. The winter has been a cold one so far and not enjoyable. The move to the new workplace has helped brighten up my mood though. I think I will feel better once the holidays come round in February. My wife leaves her job in three weeks time. The countdown really is on.

Motivational letter from the boss

"Although we have many great teachers that have done very well in their classes, I regret to inform you that some classes have fallen short of my expectations..."

Last night all teachers got a letter from the company owner. Due to the move, things not being ready, hassle on the first day of the session and a very cold building the mood wasn't great. Then we got the letter. I was going to type it all out and post it here but it doesn't read as bad as it first did, though it was not as 'good' as the one we got over two years ago.

I am guessing some classes not meeting expectations are from other branches and not necessarily ours because he hardly ever comes to our branch though perhaps this will change now. There are no threats, no warnings and no consequences for not doing what they want. The letter adds that the owner will push branch managers harder which basically means that we will be observed more and more often. Here is my favourite part of the letter.

"When you teach an awesome class, you can see the satisfaction in your students' eyes and know that you have done well. If you have seen beaming pleasure in your students' eyes, then you know what it means to have taught an awesome class."

I don't have any problem with the owner and he is entitled to do whatever he does because it's his business. He has been generous a few times with things like my Christmas bonus. Teachers at my academy are on a good wage for an ESL teacher in Korea and the job is secure. Also, the structure of classes and preparation for us foreign teachers means that we prepare little and the classes are relatively easy to teach once you know the format and have some experience. We got a lot out of the job considering what we have to put in.

It would be told we're doing a decent job for change but I won't hold my breath. The letter adds that prizes for teachers winning best teachers at the end of the year (December 2011) will go up. Perhaps it would have been better to say, OK, if standards go up, everyone gets a slice of that cake instead of a select few hogging all. In fact there are many ways to give teachers beaming eyes of pleasure.

As I am leaving in a matter of months it does not concern me. It's too late in the game to be changing things around for me. That sounds good, leaving soon if five months away is soon. In fact it sounds awesome.

Handy Christmas bonus

New Years Eve and it's going to be a busy day at work. Next Monday it's the start of a new month's session, new students and new classes for me with significant changes to Middle school curriculum. Also we're moving to a new building and we have a new manager. We have to move some of our stuff out of the old building into the new one tonight after work. My co-workers are very unhappy about this as none of us can figure out why we couldn't just do this before work today and not after.

Still, I'm in a very good mood - despite almost everyone at work being sick now, including me. Tomorrow is the start of a new year and I've enjoyed 2010 a lot. On reflection I didn't do too many things but I've had fun in my own way. I know that time is winding down for me in Korea but I don't feel in any great rush to do anything or see anywhere. I've had my chance to do and go to the things I've wanted and now my focus is on finalising our exit and saving as much money as we can.

And work gave me a great boost last weekend. At the Christmas Party the owner handed out a lot of cash prizes. Myself and a few others who have worked at the company for three years or more were given one million won. that works out at just over £550 at the moment. I'm very thankful because it has come at a great time. My wife is leaving her job at the end of January so that will be one less income for the remaining months left. She's had a lot of stress this year at work so it will be good for her to have a change of pace. The money comes in very handy right now. I feel lucky to have a stable job at this moment and will miss the relative ease of it and the money when I am back home.

So what have we done this year? We had our 'wedding' in May, managed to save a decent amount of money and I got to know my Korean mother in-law a lot more, I passed my taekwondo black belt test after taking it up only seven months before, went home to visit family and friends for a week. I kept my sanity and had a lot of fun in a job that is mentally tiring and felt a lucky man being married to my wonderful wife. I missed some of my targets for the year though but that means I have so many for next year, a huge year for my wife and I.