Thursday, February 22, 2007

How I Got this Gig, Part 2.

Yeah, continuing from the other night, basically I ran into some barriers that impeded my goal of grabbing a teaching stint abroad:

1. Being "Asian:" little did I know that while looking for a job was that for Koreans, they believe this silly stereotype that white people "speak" and "teach" English the best, because they believe that's the people who represent the English-speaking majority; they basically want a white face in the classroom. Most of the ESL teachers in South Korea today are white actually, and that's a reality because of the stereotype. So, there were some moments of frustration when I sent various applications/e-mails in to teaching programs, and would never hear back from them because of the photo I sent of myself (all programs require need your photo for obvious identification reasons). It would get even more frustrating when I would send an application in, get a reply of interest from the supervisor, and then when I sent my photo via e-mail, I wouldn't get anything back. Sucks to be them, because they missed out on a great candidate.

2. Time: I applied too early. I realized that when getting this job, you have to be readily available with your degree in hand and ready to leave for the nation. I thought that you could land a job months ahead like any other white-collar job, but this was a job situation where I had to wait. Schools only want teachers who have graduated and are ready within a month.

3. Public vs Private Schools: There are two kinds of programs for English-teaching: Public schools, which are backed by the Metropolitan School Boards, so the main advantage is that you get public holidays off and you are guaranteed on-time payments for salary. The other are private schools. Yet these are not like the private schools in America: private schools in this definition means that many children in South Korea go straight from regular public school to these paid "after-school" programs, where a private, BUSINESS institution will specialize teaching in a specific subject. This is a way of extra-curricular improvement and achievement. These are called "Hagwons" (Korean), and the specific schools range for music, math, literature, and most importantly, English. The whole goal of these hagwons are for college preparation. Koreans shell out mad cash-funds just to send their sons and daughters to these schools for the extra help. Keep in mind that Korea is a very education-oriented society: your education proves your worth in life. I, personally, opted to try to apply for public school programs because you know they are backed by the government. However, the issue is that they are more difficult to get. With the private institutions, they are more easier jobs to get because of lack of requirements, yet the real issue is that when a school is run as a business, shady practices could be the result. I have read horrible testimonies from people who went to Korea excited to teach, only to find themselves scammed from paychecks or other benefits. It's a tough lot.

So, with these three barriers, I was still determined to trust in the Lord to provide a way for me to get there. And let me tell ya, it was a long road. I was getting frustrated because I would get an interview, but end up not getting the gig because of some technicality. Then in November, I got a job offer from a "hagwon," but the main drawback was that it required long hours, and the possibility of teaching on holidays. Yet, I was considering this position because they had flexible location options.

However, in November 2006, after getting that offer, I got another interview offer from this recruiting company called "Canadian Connections." At first, I did not even bother checking it because it said "Canadian." I am sorry, sometimes I have a bad stereotype stuck in my head about Canadians. Of course they are fine lot, but just the name of "Canadian" attached to the company name caused some unease at first, just because we Americans have this ongoing rivalry with our northern neighbors, those Canucks.

However, the supervisor of the company, Shane, offered me an interview for a public school job. So, not really caring, but saying "why not" at the same time, I allowed him to call me. Keep in mind, I did not even think I would be getting this job in the first place, so I was really lackadaisical when he called me.

Yet that's when God worked with me. The funny thing was, all of my interviews with various schools beforehand were really intense, because this is the first time I did job interviews. Since I did not even care for this interview, the ironic thing was I was very relaxed and just laid-back when I answered all of his questions: in other words, I was behaving like myself. All of the other past interviews were very carefully done, and I tried my best to sound professional and focused, but this time around, this interview was special because I was acting "real." He asked me various questions about my background, my teaching experience, and my experience in Korea. He asked me more serious questions about what would I do to handle culture shock, what are my weaknesses, and what would I do with my spare time. Each question I gave thorough, honest answers. The man himself, Shane, was a very nice guy who did not sound intimidating at all and worked well to keep me informed about the whole hiring process. So, the irony is, instead of being anxious and trying to do my best in an interview, I ended up being the real me and answered each question with ease.

Result? Job offer, the next day. The pay is basic, starting. However, there are chances for an upgrade in pay if I sign on for the next year. But, let's take it one day at a time for now, because, I am not even there yet!

Tuesday, February 20, 2007

Second Blog: How I Got this Gig, part one.

Well, how did I decide to go to South Korea in the first place? Well, it took place in the Summer of 2005, when I first went to South Korea for the first time since I was a baby. It's a fascinating story.

Korea has obviously changed since I was born (84'), and going back was a special moment in my life. After getting over some culture shock of Korean culture and meeting some family I haven't seen my whole life, I was really enjoying being in this foreign, yet familiar land. My mom's best friend and her son were taking me to Insadong, which is a very famous art district in the middle of the capital, Seoul. I was at one particular art store, browsing through many antiques of the old Koryo Dynasty days (don't ask me about the history of the Koryo Dynasty), and I happened to talk to a Canadian who was also at the same store.


We did the usual small talk, then I asked him what he was doing here in Korea. He told me he taught English at a school, and said it was the easiest job he has ever had. I was like, "really?" Beforehand, I thought that most foreigners who worked in countries like Korea, China, and Japan were businessmen, merchants, missionaries, or teachers who were required to speak the natives' language. But then he tells me that all you need is a regular, 4-year degree and that's it, as long as you speak English as your first language. I was like, "You got to be kidding me." He told me it was a great job and you have the benefit of traveling around a nice land, and they pay you to do it, all expenses covered, from airfare, lodging, and benefits of health care and pension. What a package!

After wrapping up my 2-week stint in the Motherland (and believe me, it was not enough to experience the whole culture), I thought about this whole idea of traveling some more. Throughout my college career, I never had the opportunity to study abroad due to financial reasons, which I was okay with because I did not like the idea of my parents or myself paying mad $$$ for a short stint in a foreign country anyway. So, I did some research online about how to get a English teaching gig in South Korea. It seemed simple, because the minimum requirement is a B.A. or B.S. in ANY discipline, as long as you were a native English speaker from the major speaking countries such as the US, Canada, New Zealand etc. I thought, well, this might more simpler now.

Keep in mind at the time I was working an internship for the government, which was a cushy job with good pay, considering my age. But, as graduation loomed, I was looking around my government building settings and asking myself, "Mark, do you really want to be sitting in an office chair for the next five to ten years?" Because, seriously, that life is cool for some, but not for me, because it can get really repetitive, really quick, and I know that 9-5 is my impending doom in the long-term future anyway! (Sitting in a chair all day, getting fat, and producing paper/numbers) Then, after some prayer and guidance, I decided I wanted to do this, because this is the only shot I got: I'm still young with energy, curious about the world and my heritage, and I do not have a girlfriend (which I hope it might change when I go TO Korea :0). Why not do it when I can?

Well, unfortunately, it is 2:46AM Wednesday morning, and I am dead tired, so I'll finish this wonderful story tomorrow, it really is a great story, but in due time...

Check out my Wizards-Timberwolves game photos from 2/20/2007 later.

Tuesday, February 13, 2007

First Blog: Who I Am, Establishing Me.

Welcome...to my first official blog, "Mark the Transformer." Thanks for taking the time to sit down and read it!

A little introduction about myself and the purpose of this blog: this is an account to you, about my current and future adventures teaching ESL (English as a Second Language) in the land of my mother's birth: South Korea. I am a 22-year old individual who is unique, just like everyone else. I am just emerging from the ashes of my undergraduate degree experience, seeking to find adventure in this interesting world, and I have finally found that opportunity in this future teaching gig. I will explain how I got the job at a later time.

Yet first, I must establish myself to you. First of all, nice to meet you. You may be asking: why "the Transformer?" Of course, you got to dip your hand into the nostalgia cream and dig out some old flavors from the 80's for this one. I am an eighties baby, born in '84, my brother and I growing up with the hit cartoon show, "Transformers." These stellar robot were always meeting the experts eye-to-eye, displaying their versatile skills in the ongoing struggle between the good, democracy-supporting Autobots and the bad, dictatorial Decepticons (don't worry, I added the political affiliations myself).

What's unique about this show is that you have these robots who, like the show title implies, who transform into something more, into an unique form where they possess powers beyond their original scope. You have some Transformers turning into automobiles, or some into airplanes, or some into...well literally, a gun. They had unique powers where they could rise to the occasion and bring usefulness to the battle scene. Taking this show's fundamental aspect of transforming, lock and load, and ready to fight evil, enter...me.

Why am I a "Transformer?" Well, most of us in life today believe that we are "stuck" with our personalities and current state of being. Some believe we are a product of Freudian history, where our past experiences determine our present. However, I do not believe that at all concerning my life. I believe that when we have a purpose where we can worship the One who created human life itself, life makes sense because we have more reasoning behind what we do. And when I write about "worship," I do not mean singing. We sometimes limit the word worship to just the vocal aspect, but true worship is giving your 110% of your energy and determination to all that you do, ALL of it, to the One who gave us breath in our lungs. Makes sense, right? So, you rightly assume that I believe in God, the Being who determines and gives us our existence, and made us for His pleasures and glory.

Ultimately, as a Transformer, it comes down to my transforming experience of meeting Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and Savior, and hence, my faith in the unseen. Jesus is the Son of God who died for us, and gave us the chance again to worship God. Para mi, accepting Christ as my Savior was the best decision I have ever made in life. Yet sadly in this world today, I have never seen so many people who mock His name yet fear His name at the same time. Jesus was the most powerful human being on the planet, because He was direct from the Source of Life, and what He had to say was real and life-transforming. For my life now, transformation not only is necessary, in fact, it is a part of my life. Why? Because the nature of Jesus Christ calls us to become like God, to become Holy, to transform to become who we were originally meant to be: in God's Divine Image.

So, I never believe that my life is stuck because God uses all circumstances, especially the bad experiences, to draw a born-again Christian closer to Him. See, people today think that Christianity is a religion; a pick and choose buffet line where we can tailor our faith according to our needs. In fact, many people in America are religious. They go to church and do the lip services at service. They give, but they go back to their Mon-Fri schedules with melancholy and mundane mediocrity, which I believe is the American Tragedy.

Not me. My life is more than this. Instead of expounding on it more, I'll let this hook from Christian/Indie hip-hop artist, Mars Ill, sum up my attitude towards my life's experiences:

My life moves and it changes and it grows/
My life, I fight for life throughout the highs and lows/
My life is sacrifice, open wounds and broken habits/
My life, come here, take a second look at it/
My life moves and it changes and it grows/
My life, I fight for life throughout the highs and lows/
My life is just a token, a tool for you to see with/
It’s my life, but here, you can take it if you need it…

Yea. Now, why am I writing all this philosophical truth stuff, and about my Savior? Simply put: to understand this blog and to understand my perspectives, I have to establish the fundamental purposes behind who I am and what drives me in life. I am an immature man with a willingness to grow, but experienced enough to know that I cannot control all things. I have to trust the One who made all things perfectly, because I have no choice. Yet ironically it is my trust in God which opens up more choices and opportunities than ever before.

So, for the next few weeks, as I prepare for the greatest journey of my life so far, I want to let you know who I am and see what I'm about. Then, the rest of these ramblings will make sense. I will meet new people daily in Korea, learn about a new culture, language, and struggle to break barriers. Yet, what makes me stand apart from others is that I am assured that it is in Christ that I can break these barriers. Let's transform together.

Oh by the way...

Nice to meet you.

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Get It Done...
2010: The Year of the Soni Tiger