NaNo

25 July 2008

commonality of errors

People I hate currently: me; everybody else; the weather gods.

Possibly I'm exaggerating slightly, but really not by much.

I finished working at Jongno yesterday (and again was allowed to bugger off early), boy does time fly when there isn't very much of it. After four days I'd already got a bit annoyed with the other teachers. Two of them, Aaron and Crosseyes, were fine and dandy, but I think much longer and I might have hit one of the other two. One of them, G, wasn't actually too bad, he was at least generally pleasant and very chatty with everyone, but he was also incredibly smug. There was something really unlikeable about the way he strolled around smirking benignly at everyone as if he owned the place, plus I really didn't like his little piggy face. Not that I'm a completely shallow, irrational bitch or anything. The last guy, R, was the one that I grew to really dislike- he was just incredibly rude, not in a funny way- but just outright impolite. He barely made any effort with people, he was completely unsympathetic whenever anyone had a problem and was utterly uninterested in anyone's lives.

More than the irritating aspects of their personalities though, what I really disliked was the divide between them and the Korean teachers. Quite a few times the guys would be cracking jokes, but then refuse to explain them to the Korean teachers (all female, by the way) because "they wouldn't get it", which could be true I guess (although I don't really think so since they all speak awesome English, most of them like native speakers due to being educated in the US/Canadia/Aus), and it just seemed divisive and rude. I also saw G proudly talking about reviewing porn on his college radio show (and if you'd seen his little piggy face light up because he was talking about something "naughty" you'd have probably been just as repulsed as I was) to a couple of the Korean teachers, and it was so evident that he wasn't trying to share an anecdote in friendly way, he was trying to make them feel uncomfortable.

It just made me aware of how much nicer things were at Yeouido, partly because the native English speakers weren't so homogenised and cliquey, but also because they were honestly friends with the Korean teachers. I seriously couldn't imagine the guys and gals of the Jongno branch all going out for dinner or drinks together. Working there wasn't a terrible experience or anything, and it was nice to be in the centre of town, but all in all I'm pretty glad to be out of there.

I was also treated to one of the most bizarre and complicated conversations yesterday, basically the Jongno manager was trying to work out (for me, or possibly from me, I'm still not entirely sure) when I was starting at Sinchon. This involved having the same conversation repeatedly, talking to various people on the phone who didn't have a clue what was going on and finally concluding that I was starting on Monday (which was what I had thought all along) without any new evidence to support that. Ms Manager also felt unable to have a serious conversation with me until I was wearing my lab coat. I'm already so sick of the important attached to these idiotic garments, even if the novelty of walking around in one hasn't quite worn off yet.

I had wanted to go and sort out my ID card yesterday morning before work because wonderful, wonderful D had managed to find out what my future address in Sinchon will be so I can actually fill out the form. However, she emailed it to my company email address which I can't check from home, and in my extreme idiocy I forgot to write down or email myself the info, not just on Wednesday but yesterday as well. Luckily J, also being a star, logged into my account and forwarded me the email this ayem, and I eventually tramped off to the Immigration Office. I was cutting it a bit fine because I'd woken up this morning after 4 hours sleep, sorted out all this email minutiae, and then promptly passed out again for a few hours' kip. I had to contend with some hassle to get change for the passport photo machine (I didn't want to risk using the photos I'd had taken for the hospital because those were 30x40 cm and apparently I need 35 x 45 cm ones for this... of course) and a long walk in the rain. Then when I finally got there I realised that I'd forgotten my passport! I seriously could have cried. Or smacked someone. Or both.

Instead I just tramped off home pouting and muttering. It isn't the end of the world, I'll just have to go early in the morning on Monday or something, but it is bloody irritating. It was something I had really hoped to achieve this week since I wasn't working much. I'm also not exactly loving the fact that I got turned into a drowned rat for nothing. Blah.

[Cause its just blah blah blah. You hope for blah. And sometimes you find it. But mostly its blah, and waiting for, blah, And hoping you were right about the blahs you made and then, just when you think you have the whole blahed thing figured out you are surrounded by the ones you blah, death shows up. And blah, blah, blah.]


However, I have been mildly amused by such things as:

*stupid over-interpretations of Supernatural which don't make much of the sense (I love good analysis of my favourite shows/books/films/whatnots, this isn't that... in contrast check out this recent, decent Buffy essay, comparing it to Othello)
*Youtube making me wonder why the hell I ever stopped watching Dawson's Creek (even if Jensen had stupid hair)
*the archive of The Devil's Panties
*My MP being on Facebook and soliciting friend requests!

I think I might go back to sleep now.

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