7.) Traveling with LG
It is an often occurance in life for something good to fall through, just in time for something really coll to take its place. I have gotten used to this rather frustrating while rewarding phenomenon, and try to 'carpe diem' as often as I can.
Many of those I had talked to early in the summer knew that I was hoping to, and even planning on working at a university starting this fall semester. And the prospects were looking pretty good; I had applications submitted at three universities, had been offered one position already, and had a rather promising feeling about one of the others. Well, within a few hours all of that came crashing down.
I finally decided to get to the bottom of the position I most desired. I had e-mailed the week or so before and had been told that there was not yet an interview schedule. So I decided to call and figure out what I could. Through the process of about four calls, taking to at least three people, and being transfered several times back and forth between departments, I discoved that the position I had been hoping for, waiting for, and banking on was not even being offered anymore.
That news set me into a bit of a tizzy, as I had turned down a previous job offer because I thought the job was 'in the bag,' so to speak. So I quickly called the other university to see if I could still slip into the position that had offered the month before. I was promtly, and forthrightly told that I "should have called much sooner" for they had already hired another guy for the position and he was already teaching classes.
So thus began my frantic search... for anything. There are many oppotunities in Korea for foreigners, especially those who fit the profile of a very 'American' American. These opportunities are often listed on several websites. Thus, after my fatefull phone calls of the morning, I spent the afternoon probing each site I could think of or find online, until I had exhausted any and all of the information on potential positions for me. And, in fact, I found wuite a lot. (Which is pretty much proof to me that if you're ever in a tight enough pinch, you'll always be able to find not just one way out, but several.)
I found offers for voice recording, teaching, and one of particular interest offering '5 DAYS IN BUSAN FULLY PAID.' I e-mailed regarding that job, and heard back almost immediately. The offer, from what I was told, was a promotion for LG (an original Korean brand offering electronic appliances in every category). The job would take place in Busan, the Southern costal city known for its beautiful beaches. So I jumped on the opportunity to travel, and make quite a bit of money for the 2 hours of work a day that was promised.
One topical note, which if importantly mentioned here, is that in Korea institutions are not well known for their open and accurate communication. I already understood that, so I didn't think much of it when I was told to get on an express train to Busan, pay whatever I needed to, show up in Busan and call a number of someone who was to meet me there, and then I would start my work.
I arrived in Busan, and withing 20 minutes realized my error in trusting a Korean job offer and description, even to the extent of the low expectation I already had. I showed up, called the number I had been given, and was met by a girl whose level of English could be graciously categorized as 'intermediate beginner.' Then it was communicated that we would be traveling more than an hour from Busan, and would continue to journey Northward, until we again reached Seoul. Or, basically, that I would not be able to even see Busan, much less spend 10 hours a day on the beach as I had formerly envisioned. But that's Korea, and adventures always lead somewhere, right? At least, that was my perspective, so I wasn't too disgruntled.
^This is a picture from one of the rest stops along the way
Oh, and the job turned out not to be the English promotion that I expected, but was for a division of LG, OTIS, and more particularly, their electric ovens.
I arrived at the presentation hall, and was handed a set of clothes that were to be my uniform for the week, which consisted of a pair of black slacks, a white tuxedo shirt, an orange bow-tie and matching apron, a pair of Kangaroo ears, and a bright green monkey... the entire of which I was expected to wear each day.
^My uniform.
It turned out that the prmotional strategy was to capture the captive audience of middles-aged adults with young children by offering a parent-child cookie baking workshop. My job description was then explained. My role consisted of introducing the baking ingredients in English, and then to walk around and talk with the kids as they and their parents mixed their own ingredients together. Then, while the handmade cookies were baking in our lovely LG OTIS portable electronic ovens, I was to introduce the kids and parents to a form of entertainment I like to call 'Chip monkey.' I had to sing and dance to the lyrics and verbal melody (my own, by the way) of fiver different English songs. The was ok, however, because I was given a variety of song topics ranging in titles from 'Big, Big Ball,' to 'I am Happpy,' to the good old fashion 'B-I-N-G-O.' (Quick note, there should have definitely been a overly sarcastic tone read into the previous sentence, in case you missed the cue.) So that was my job, all week long.
Everyday we moved to a new city, set up the presentation area, organized the ingredients, and did the same routine... oh, and also load and unload the truck, an hour long process at the beginning and end of each presentation. But that was just the job related activities.
The week, however, was not bad. It was rather an experience that I'm glad to have had, albeit not at all what was expected nor what was conveyed when I agreed to it.
Since we moved to a new city every day, I got to see most of the country, although much of the view was through the glass of multiple tour buses. I also got to experience some Korean culture, as the girl I described earlier spoke the best English out of our team of four. The other two were guys in their early 30's, neither married, and both smokers and drinkers. They were also my roommates for the week. We stayed in motels, which usually meant that there were thin mattresses on the floor, or at least a few blankets. So in the time I did not spend in the room watching Korean television or eating and drinking with them, I spent in local PC-rooms.
^Some of the kids that made me smile all week
The experience was fun, though. We had a good time, and communicated pretty well through very limited language and mostly body language. And by the end of the trip they asked if I could continue with them on their tour. I, however, had to get back and start my new job, which will be told about in the next post.
So that is the story of how I toured all of Korea in 5 days, wearing Kangaroo ears, speaking body language, and eating cookies.
Many of those I had talked to early in the summer knew that I was hoping to, and even planning on working at a university starting this fall semester. And the prospects were looking pretty good; I had applications submitted at three universities, had been offered one position already, and had a rather promising feeling about one of the others. Well, within a few hours all of that came crashing down.
I finally decided to get to the bottom of the position I most desired. I had e-mailed the week or so before and had been told that there was not yet an interview schedule. So I decided to call and figure out what I could. Through the process of about four calls, taking to at least three people, and being transfered several times back and forth between departments, I discoved that the position I had been hoping for, waiting for, and banking on was not even being offered anymore.
That news set me into a bit of a tizzy, as I had turned down a previous job offer because I thought the job was 'in the bag,' so to speak. So I quickly called the other university to see if I could still slip into the position that had offered the month before. I was promtly, and forthrightly told that I "should have called much sooner" for they had already hired another guy for the position and he was already teaching classes.
So thus began my frantic search... for anything. There are many oppotunities in Korea for foreigners, especially those who fit the profile of a very 'American' American. These opportunities are often listed on several websites. Thus, after my fatefull phone calls of the morning, I spent the afternoon probing each site I could think of or find online, until I had exhausted any and all of the information on potential positions for me. And, in fact, I found wuite a lot. (Which is pretty much proof to me that if you're ever in a tight enough pinch, you'll always be able to find not just one way out, but several.)
I found offers for voice recording, teaching, and one of particular interest offering '5 DAYS IN BUSAN FULLY PAID.' I e-mailed regarding that job, and heard back almost immediately. The offer, from what I was told, was a promotion for LG (an original Korean brand offering electronic appliances in every category). The job would take place in Busan, the Southern costal city known for its beautiful beaches. So I jumped on the opportunity to travel, and make quite a bit of money for the 2 hours of work a day that was promised.
One topical note, which if importantly mentioned here, is that in Korea institutions are not well known for their open and accurate communication. I already understood that, so I didn't think much of it when I was told to get on an express train to Busan, pay whatever I needed to, show up in Busan and call a number of someone who was to meet me there, and then I would start my work.
I arrived in Busan, and withing 20 minutes realized my error in trusting a Korean job offer and description, even to the extent of the low expectation I already had. I showed up, called the number I had been given, and was met by a girl whose level of English could be graciously categorized as 'intermediate beginner.' Then it was communicated that we would be traveling more than an hour from Busan, and would continue to journey Northward, until we again reached Seoul. Or, basically, that I would not be able to even see Busan, much less spend 10 hours a day on the beach as I had formerly envisioned. But that's Korea, and adventures always lead somewhere, right? At least, that was my perspective, so I wasn't too disgruntled.
^This is a picture from one of the rest stops along the way
Oh, and the job turned out not to be the English promotion that I expected, but was for a division of LG, OTIS, and more particularly, their electric ovens.
I arrived at the presentation hall, and was handed a set of clothes that were to be my uniform for the week, which consisted of a pair of black slacks, a white tuxedo shirt, an orange bow-tie and matching apron, a pair of Kangaroo ears, and a bright green monkey... the entire of which I was expected to wear each day.
^My uniform.
It turned out that the prmotional strategy was to capture the captive audience of middles-aged adults with young children by offering a parent-child cookie baking workshop. My job description was then explained. My role consisted of introducing the baking ingredients in English, and then to walk around and talk with the kids as they and their parents mixed their own ingredients together. Then, while the handmade cookies were baking in our lovely LG OTIS portable electronic ovens, I was to introduce the kids and parents to a form of entertainment I like to call 'Chip monkey.' I had to sing and dance to the lyrics and verbal melody (my own, by the way) of fiver different English songs. The was ok, however, because I was given a variety of song topics ranging in titles from 'Big, Big Ball,' to 'I am Happpy,' to the good old fashion 'B-I-N-G-O.' (Quick note, there should have definitely been a overly sarcastic tone read into the previous sentence, in case you missed the cue.) So that was my job, all week long.
Everyday we moved to a new city, set up the presentation area, organized the ingredients, and did the same routine... oh, and also load and unload the truck, an hour long process at the beginning and end of each presentation. But that was just the job related activities.
The week, however, was not bad. It was rather an experience that I'm glad to have had, albeit not at all what was expected nor what was conveyed when I agreed to it.
Since we moved to a new city every day, I got to see most of the country, although much of the view was through the glass of multiple tour buses. I also got to experience some Korean culture, as the girl I described earlier spoke the best English out of our team of four. The other two were guys in their early 30's, neither married, and both smokers and drinkers. They were also my roommates for the week. We stayed in motels, which usually meant that there were thin mattresses on the floor, or at least a few blankets. So in the time I did not spend in the room watching Korean television or eating and drinking with them, I spent in local PC-rooms.
^Some of the kids that made me smile all week
The experience was fun, though. We had a good time, and communicated pretty well through very limited language and mostly body language. And by the end of the trip they asked if I could continue with them on their tour. I, however, had to get back and start my new job, which will be told about in the next post.
So that is the story of how I toured all of Korea in 5 days, wearing Kangaroo ears, speaking body language, and eating cookies.
posted by Chip at 2:21 AM
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