job roller coaster

01 Sep 2011 1 Comment

by teacherrachael in Uncategorized

It’s always when I am not blogging that I have the most to blog about…

Well, I suppose I should start by updating you all on the job situation since I mentioned wanting a new job in the last blog. It’s been rough. I am still at my same ole job. I will tell an abbreviated version of how that happened. So, I was looking for public school jobs. And out of the blue, I met this lady with an international school. So, I interviewed with her, but I didn’t expect to hear anything back. So, I kept looking at public schools and my friend Irina is leaving, so I interviewed at her school. I really liked it. I had made up my mind to sign a contract at her school…when international school lady called me back. She made me a really good offer, so I thought about it and decided to take it. I went in and signed the contract and was told that their CEO was out for the day because of the flooding in Seoul. So, no big deal, or so I thought and I was going to pick up the contract the next week. Well, the next week came and went. I was on vacation and went on a mission trip (I will tell about that one too) and I emailed the lady the next week. She didn’t email me back. I called. She didn’t call me back. So, finally, I called last Monday at 8:00AM on her cell phone and asked her what was going on. My position had been eliminated and they just didn’t tell me. And, I only had one more week at my job. Thanks a lot international school lady! :/The good thing is that my current boss said he would like me to stay. Otherwise, I am not sure what I would have done. So, I passed up a good job with better hours to get an international school job only to end up with the job I already have… A three month job roller coaster that I am so glad to be off of, at least for now. *sigh* Maybe that wasn’t abbreviated enough. My apologies.

I am not sure how long I am going to stay where I am. I can go home in three months, or six months, or nine months, or next year. I don’t know what I want anymore, so I am just praying for a little clarity. You all can join me in that prayer. I’d appreciate it.

In less disappointing news, the mission trip this year was great. We went to Pochun which is only about an hour and a half from Seoul. It is a smaller suburb/town north of here and many of the people who live there are people who were living in Seoul and had to move because of financial problems. We were working with the people at the Eun Pa Church, a small Methodist church. The pastor and his wife and daughter started a ministry to help the neighborhood kids. So, they built a small building next to the church and have been tutoring the kids there and teaching them traditional drumming and Tae Kwon Do.

My team was working with the kids. We also had some teams working with the elderly people in the town too. The kids were so loving. They latched onto us quickly, especially Michael and Jose. We had a lot of fun together. We did the cha cha slide. We played dodge ball. We played chubby bunny. The kids ate it up. There was this one little kid who got so excited about everything. We would finish playing a game and he would get the rest of the kids to help him chant, “One more time! One more time!” So, we would play one more time. My team was great, we had Michael, Jose, Jesse, and a newer girl named Karen. We worked together well and I am happy to report that there was really no conflicts or irritations that are so common on mission trips. We were all there to do our part and everyone was serving each other. I was impressed with my church folks.

Ahh, a funny thing about thechurch where we went was that everyone was really nice. But, when we first arrived none of them were smiling. They looked a little angry or unwelcoming. We sat in the santuary for about thirty minutes while everything was settled. During that time, they had some rather ominous church bell music playing. I thought Quasimodo was going to pop up any moment and run his hunchbacked self through the sanctuary. I told everyone to be watching out for him… I was relieved when the music stopped. They played it again later on in the trip, but it was just creepy sounding. They should invest in some Hillsong or something less creepy, even Don Moen would be preferable…

I also went to the beach for a day when I came back. A one day getaway was just what I needed. Actually, I could use another one. Maybe I will go somewhere for Korean Thanksgiving later this month. Fifteen bucks for a three hour bus ride to the beach cannot be beat. Feeling sand in between my toes is worth it. The beach I went to is called Boryeong. It is famous for mud and they have a big festival there every year where people go there and drink too much and cover themselves in mud. I have not been to the mud festival, but the pictures always make it look like Panama City Beach over Spring Break, only people are covered in mud too. The festival is pretty popular. I didn’t even make it to the mud pits, but I did get some mud masks and mud soap for my friends. (Would mud soap be effective? Why do they even make such a thing? It doesn’t make any sense …which is precisely why I bought some!)

Umm…Other things happening…. My new co-worker from Canada arrives on Friday. I am excited about him coming and I am praying that he is wonderful for the kids. All I know is his name and that he majored in Philosophy. Honestly, I hope he is more exciting than what I am picturing. Was I the only one who hated Philosophy class? All of that time spent on searching for the answers to life’s biggest questions and never reaching any conclusive answers… It makes my brain hurt just thinking about it. It is also 2:00 AM, so that could have something to do with it. The Korean teachers are excited because he is supposed to be handsome… I’ll let you know! Ha ha!

Also this weekend is Gwyn’s skype wedding extravaganza! I have a purple bridesmaid dress that makes me look like a box, a shapely box, but a box nonetheless. And, I will be staying up til the crack of dawn to attend this event. It’s going to be fun. I bought cheddar today so I can have cheese cubes. (Cheese cubes are a wedding necessity-it’s true!) And, I have a date too! My friend Michael is going to dress up and hang out at the wedding on skype with me until we are too tired to stay awake. I’m pumped. I feel like I am going to the prom or something. And it’s going to be so funny to watch everyone’s reactions at the wedding. Ha ha! I can’t wait!

And, I think that is all the big news for now… Write to me soon. This job fiasco has made me pretty homesick. I just want to run home. But, I don’t think that is a wise move nor is it what I think God would have me do. I am praying that if I stick it out a month or so, that the homesickness will fade a little bit. Let me know how all of you are. I still check my email all the time. I don’t always reply right away, but I read every one, I promise.

Much love to you all,

Rachael :0)

 

 

 

 

Advertisement