Life Is Good
Life is good! The doctor said this is as bad as it will get. So I still have my health, I still have my life. The diminished feeling is inconvenient but that's it.
Having said that, it is unnerving (pun intended) to one day notice, that the feeling is diminished. But....it is almost certain that it is not a stroke, aneurysm, tumour, or anything worse. Is it a hundred per cent? No, but then nothing ever is except perfect math. I have been examined by two GP's, a neuroligist, two residents, a neurology intern, and a dental surgeon. For all it's shortcomings, I am grateful for the care I have recieved from the Ontario health system. I don't think this would have been possible in most countries of the world. One of the many reasons I am so glad I am a Canadian. Yes, there are some things I don't like about Canada, but I love this country. And that's why I know I will miss it when I first get to Korea.
It is an unfortunate fact of life...there are too many people looking for fault, and too few people looking for solutions. The ones trying to find solutions are too busy to sit around complaining. I'll get out of the pulpit now.
Anyway, the bottom line is, I'm going to Korea all the sooner, so that if the my health becomes an issue, at least I'll have done that. Quitting smoking is probably part of the solution.
Enough about the writers health.
Back to Korea. How should it be done? Clearly being recruited in Canada and signing a contract in Canada appears to be the kiss of death. The advice I am getting from people who are there presently, or who have spent a minimun of two years there is this. Save some money to be able to survive four months in Korea. Buy a return air ticket. Go to Korea as a free person. Choose where you want to work in Korea and, above all, choose who you want to work for. In other words why would you want to get into a year long contract with someone you don't even know let alone trust. Clearly, it is a recipe for failure and grief. Unfortunately, this is how it is usually done.
So, let's allow C$500 for a yeogwan, $300 for food, and $200 for miscellaneous expenses. That adds up to $1000 a month. That means I will need $4000 to ensure survival for four months, plus around $1500 for the return air ticket = $5500. Now that's a pile of dough even though it is Canadian dollars. However I will probably get a job within a month paying roughly $2000 to $2500 a month and by month four will probably have 5-8 privates paying $1000 to $1600 per month. Let's say we'll go with the lower figures, that means... after four months I should be earning at least $3000/month. So the payback time on my $5500 loan, er, I mean investment, should be three months time- 3x$2000= $6000. That way if I do get a won jon nim who tries to not pay me around month 8 or 9 of my contract, he/she doesn't know where I live and can't throw me out of his dumpy lodgings, I am still earning some money and am already self sufficient, and, if all else fails at least I have a plane ticket out, if I decide I want to leave Korea. This way I still have some control and choice. I can still give Korea a chance. I won't have to bail, or even worse, be forced by circumstances to work for free. Hmmm, I may even have saved enough to not have to work for a month.
Well, it all sounds good on paper, I better sleep on it and see how it feels in the morning. Good night all, sleep tight. Manna Mike.
Having said that, it is unnerving (pun intended) to one day notice, that the feeling is diminished. But....it is almost certain that it is not a stroke, aneurysm, tumour, or anything worse. Is it a hundred per cent? No, but then nothing ever is except perfect math. I have been examined by two GP's, a neuroligist, two residents, a neurology intern, and a dental surgeon. For all it's shortcomings, I am grateful for the care I have recieved from the Ontario health system. I don't think this would have been possible in most countries of the world. One of the many reasons I am so glad I am a Canadian. Yes, there are some things I don't like about Canada, but I love this country. And that's why I know I will miss it when I first get to Korea.
It is an unfortunate fact of life...there are too many people looking for fault, and too few people looking for solutions. The ones trying to find solutions are too busy to sit around complaining. I'll get out of the pulpit now.
Anyway, the bottom line is, I'm going to Korea all the sooner, so that if the my health becomes an issue, at least I'll have done that. Quitting smoking is probably part of the solution.
Enough about the writers health.
Back to Korea. How should it be done? Clearly being recruited in Canada and signing a contract in Canada appears to be the kiss of death. The advice I am getting from people who are there presently, or who have spent a minimun of two years there is this. Save some money to be able to survive four months in Korea. Buy a return air ticket. Go to Korea as a free person. Choose where you want to work in Korea and, above all, choose who you want to work for. In other words why would you want to get into a year long contract with someone you don't even know let alone trust. Clearly, it is a recipe for failure and grief. Unfortunately, this is how it is usually done.
So, let's allow C$500 for a yeogwan, $300 for food, and $200 for miscellaneous expenses. That adds up to $1000 a month. That means I will need $4000 to ensure survival for four months, plus around $1500 for the return air ticket = $5500. Now that's a pile of dough even though it is Canadian dollars. However I will probably get a job within a month paying roughly $2000 to $2500 a month and by month four will probably have 5-8 privates paying $1000 to $1600 per month. Let's say we'll go with the lower figures, that means... after four months I should be earning at least $3000/month. So the payback time on my $5500 loan, er, I mean investment, should be three months time- 3x$2000= $6000. That way if I do get a won jon nim who tries to not pay me around month 8 or 9 of my contract, he/she doesn't know where I live and can't throw me out of his dumpy lodgings, I am still earning some money and am already self sufficient, and, if all else fails at least I have a plane ticket out, if I decide I want to leave Korea. This way I still have some control and choice. I can still give Korea a chance. I won't have to bail, or even worse, be forced by circumstances to work for free. Hmmm, I may even have saved enough to not have to work for a month.
Well, it all sounds good on paper, I better sleep on it and see how it feels in the morning. Good night all, sleep tight. Manna Mike.
posted by Mike at 4:36 p.m.
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