2.) From loafing to living

As you may or may not know, I lost my job about a month ago. It was a real shady situation, where the school "fired" me on no grounds, and then proceeded to force me to move out and pretty much left me stranded in Korea with homeless, jobless, and close to penniless (if not for the saving habits I learned as a child, I don't know where I'd be...). However, challenges are just another word for the opportunity to grow, learn, and ultimately become something better than you were before. So I'm ok with that.
As for the practical, Kyle, the friend who introduced me to the idea of teaching in Korea and my fellow club-fiend here on the weekends, offered to let me crash at his place. Whether or not he knew I would stay here as long as I have, I know not... but he has, regardless, continued to offer me a mattress on his floor, his nicely furnished bathroom, and endless entertainment opportunities... and more recently, a part-time job, but I'll get to that a bit later in the post. So I have been very blessed in that capacity. [If you are intrigued to know more about Kyle and his experiences here, check out his blog, which is linked at the side of this page.]
After working for seven months at a private institute, where even though I taught some really cool subjects to great students the management just drove me crazy and I had to work a full 40 hours a week (something that is not very typical here), I decided that I would like to try something a little new. A few of my friends teach at universities here, and those are really nice jobs. You have to teach about 20 hours a week, and then you prepare and grade from home, whenever you want. Also, they give between two to five months of paid vacation, which is kind of a huge plus.
So I began looking for some opportunities to teach at universities. It was pretty cool, 'cause I found one, and then I decided just to start looking up any schools in the area of Seoul where I want to work, and then I looked up their contact numbers on the Internet. A few days later, I found job postings for two of the schools that I had looked up, without even knowing that they would be looking for teachers. So God provides, right? Right. So I interviewed at one university during the second week of July, and was told that they would call me later that week, which I wasn't sure I wanted because the other schools told me that they wouldn't decide for several weeks. So I just kinda said to myself, "ok, we'll just see what happens." As it turned out, the school that I went to for the interview didn't call me back that week, or the next. So I have just been pretty much loafing around Seoul waiting to hear from these places. Which, like I said, isn't all bad, because I would rather hear from all of the schools around the same time so I can make one decision and not worry about foregone opportunities.


[This is one of the palaces in a part of the city called Insa-dong; the whole place has a very 'traditional' feel and decor.]

Waiting, and being content with that, however, has been yet another challenge. I described to a friend the other day that I consider myself an action-man, wanting to just make things happen, to get up and go, and to take initiative when I think something needs to happen. So just waiting to hear back from these schools has really tested my personality. It has also tested the calling on my life. Like, is this really where I am supposed to be right now? Is it the best thing for me right now to basically hang out in Seoul for the summer? Could my time be spent better elsewhere?


All those questions, and more, have filled my mind this month. And the only conclusion I can come to is that I don't feel a strong urge or calling to go anywhere else, not even home, and I also feel somewhat at peace here, and I feel like I am doing some things that are realy useful in my down-time. For instance, I have been able to become much more involved in my church since I don't have the pre-occupation of an occupation. And the group has really been growing (it started last year with about 7 students, and now there are around 50-60 people there on Sundays). I have also been able to hang out with a lot of people, and really explore the city in the process. But though I have been having fun, I have this sense of restlessness that has been welling up inside me. So lately I've been feeling like I need to make something happen.
I have also thought about the possibility of teaching at another school or institute, like the place I worked before. I have even interviewed at about five or so places like that. I have had some really appealing offers presented, but I just don't feel called to do that again, at least not yet. So I have, like I said, been loafing. That is, until today...
....
It's strange how in life there seem to be no other outlets, nowhere to go except to keep plotting along, but then, almost all of a sudden, you notice that there is a way out, and not just one way, but there have been lots of things that have been building up for some time that have finally come to fruition and there are so many options you are still confused about what to do but for completely the opposite reasons. Well, today was one of those breakthrough days, a day where you know that God has to be alive and well, and working, too!
Last week, at the school Kyle works, one of the teachers just quit, without warning (if you haven't noticed, that's pretty much the business climate over here, at least as far as teaching goes). So Kyle had mentioned that I could possibly work some part-time hours there, which would pay nicely, give me some flexibility, and provide enough money to reasonably support myself as I wait on and continue looking for jobs. So today he (Kyle) asked if I could go to his work with him, so he could introduce me to the teachers and the kids. So I went. I attended three classes, and then talked to the head-teacher and started picking the activities to do for a class that I will start on Thursday. The class is cool. It meets twice a week, and on the first day we do activities in class, and then the second day we take a field trip somewhere. I had heard of other teachers that were able to take trips with their kids, but I was at a pretty rigorous school before and didn't have that option. So I'm pretty excited about that. It starts Thursday.


[This is one of the many artistically decorated restuarants in Insa-dong. It kinda reminds me that things look more beautiful when you can tell that they had to struggle to get to a certain point, just like the ivy had to dig its roots into the brick and stone in order to make the building look so cool.]

Furthermore, this morning when I was getting ready to head in to Kyle's school, I was making some phone calls to follow-up on a few of the university positions I'm interested in. One of them (the one that was supposed to call me back two weeks ago, and who every time I call ask if they can call me back the next day and then I never get a call) basically asked if I had my official transcripts yet, and then asked that, given my transcripts arrive soon, if I could start on Monday. So we'll see what works out with that.
Also, as I was making the aforementioned calls, a friend from church called to ask if I could tutor one of his friends for several hours a week, which would last for a while. So in just one day I have had two specific opportunities offered (both of which I accepted) and also had my anticipation reinstated concerning a fulltime position in the very near future.
It's always cool to see how opportunities seem to match the things we need at the time that we need them. For instance, last week I had a packed schedule, basically just hanging out with friends. I met with at least three different sets of people every day last week, which was awesome, but at the end of the week left me really wondering if I was effectively using my life over here. I viewed those fellowship opportunities as valuable, but didn't think that I wanted to keep that up for very long. So over the weekend I had decided that I would really put forth an effort to figure things out, both by my own initiative and also in my re-focusing on where God was leading. So, like I said, the floodgates opened right when I had personally come to the point of seeking that out. Nice timing, huh?
So my time out here in Korea has been challenging, for sure, but has also been a time that I have really enjoyed life, and learned about patience, faith, and contentment. Not bad for just a few months.


[This is the only Starbucks in the country that spells out the name using Hongul (Korean)... one of the cool places I've been able to see since I've had some time to prowl around the city.]