WanderingSalsero

The way things work in Thailand

No doubt about it.  They do things different in the Orient.  I can't say that I'm very surprised to discover what I just learned about the Thai education system (I'm researching some possible options there).  I've spent some time in Thailand before I already know that they don't get excited about much of anything.

But still, I thought this small post I found in a forum was very enlightening.  It's from a guy who taught in Thailand for several years.  And there were several more like it.  I'm sure the same thing happens in S.Korea too.....and Vietnam.  I guess this is kinda the Oriental equivalent of the stereotypical Latin American attitude of "manana".

Here it is:

LOL! My first serious job in Thailand was to write a PhD thesis for a Thai lecturer for a Japanese university. I'm a qualified geologist and the subject was sociology. Not knowing a thing, I got a heap of books and spent 3 months reading. I then spent about 3 years writing and researching an entire PhD for my lecturer about changing values in Thai society. Fascinating stuff but still pretty first grade level. I even convinced my lecturer's Japanese supervisor (who obviously didn't know about me) to stop being a committed Marxist and to do a 180 degree take on his views on sociology. The crowning moment was, was when I designed a 3-D theoretical framework of Thai society (over about 6 cans of beer). According to my lecturer, the supervisor had tears in his eyes at the "beauty" of the thing. Ha ha ha.

Eddie's right about how Thais view education. There is a quote by Neils Mulder (a German sociologist who has lived in Thailand for about 40 years) which goes something like: Education is viewed as a plaque on the wall. Once having attained the degree, Thais do not seek to delve further. One does not ask questions of Ajarns because they know. Their degree assures them of that.

I teach at a rural university. The best I hope for is to get my students to question things. I teach the book, Animal Farm, and try to show them that this story of politics is happening today (right now in fact). Some get it, most don't. But the few that do, it is very satisfying. I once asked the class, what animal in the book they wanted to be. A few said, the pigs, one or two Boxer etc. Then I asked them, what animal they really are in Thai society, and they answered "The Sheep." Was that a win?

Games in EFL classes......Dave and Art

Me and Dave Deubelbeiss, one of the most well known and respected ESL teachers here in Korea, got on Wetoku again tonight and had a chat about using games to teach our students.  Check it out:

Ever thought of spending some time in Thailand?

Have you ever thought of either visiting Thailand as a tourist or perhaps working there as an English teacher?

I know I have. 

Back when I was in Vietnam with USO and we were closing down all our clubs and I knew I'd have to find something else to do, I wanted desperately to stay in SE Asia.  And particularly I wanted to go to Thailand.

USO had clubs there but, unfortunately for me, they were all adequately staffed at that time.  So I came back to the US, went to graduate school and..........the rest is history.

But this morning I've been reading more about teaching in Vietnam and Thailand.  I actually know something about both countries (Vietnam more than Thailand) because I worked in Vietnam for 4 years and went to Bangkok several times.

Which brings us to the present day situation with teaching in SE Asia and Thailand in particular.

I've heard, since I've been here in Korea, that the pay isn't generally as good in Thailand.  For the simple reason that (1) they have so many backpackers who'll work for almost nothing, and (2) so many qualified ESL experienced teachers want to work there (or think they do).

I've also heard that the visa requirements have gotten a lot tighter in recent years.

You may recall hearing about the scandals involving foreign English teachers who were discovered involved in pedophilia, et.al.  I know for a fact that that's had a lot to do with regulations tightening.  But the fact remains that they still need English teachers.

So, if the need is still there, then it must still be possible to get the visas and get the jobs, right?

Well, today I found a very informative website, www.Ajarn.com.  I especially liked the page they have about visa requirements.... here.  Yes, it is a complex process but it can be done.  And I think it would be worth it. 

The big difference between Korea and all these other attractive places, like Thailand, is that Korea is one of the few countries where you can actually be recruited for a job and get all the preparations done while you're still in your home country.  That's why Korea is such a good place for somebody to get started in the ESL segment of their life.  And of course the best recruiter and information source that I know for jobs in Korea is my friends over at ASKnow.  They actually got me 3 jobs.

But I still think Vietnam or Thailand, and even Cambodia or possibly Laos would be a fun time.  Thailand has a lot of things you'd need to be careful of but as long as you do your homework before you make any committments, and watch your back once you're there, I think it could still be fun.

A skydiving instructor was giving a class to a group of beginners and he took a few moments to their first-timer questions.

One fellow raised his hand and said, "Sir.....if our chute doesn't open, and the reserve doesn't open, how long do we have until we hit the ground?"

The instructor looked at him, and in perfect deadpan, answered, "The rest of your life."

I was thinking that's sorta like the answer to the question, 'When are you going to look into the opportunity to come to Korea to teach English?' 

Fact is, there's still a huge demand for native English speakers over here.  With the bad economy back in the US and Canada, lots more teachers are staying an extra year, but all the good jobs are not gone.  Perhaps it's time for you to give it some consideration.

Is it a perfect job?

Well, that depends on what you're looking for.  But I'll bet that, for a lot of people, it's better than what you're doing right now. 

You won't make a gazillion bucks but, really, what's life all about anyway?  Life is about more than making money isnt' it?.  Everybody, especially in America, gives that phrase lip service but you'd never guess it from looking at the drudgery that most of their jobs wind up being. 

What about your situation right now? 

• Are you really getting anywhere? 
• Are you really doing anything that 'can't wait' a year or two while you see an exciting part of the world and take some time to enjoy yourself in a job with good benefits, guaranteed pay, and great 'off-the-clock' opportunities for fun?
•   Are you really having much fun doing what you're doing now? 
• Does your job own you or do you own your job?

Teaching English in Korea isn't hard work.  The biggest challenge is one of some slight but important adjustments in your own attitude.  It's a big world we live in and the US is, although still an important part, it's certainly not the only part, of it.  If you'll come over here and just make up your mind to do the best you can and let the chips fall where they may... then everything will be fine.

If you salsa dance, you'll absolutely love it.  There's lots of opportunity in and around Seoul.  Seoul is one of the top salsa towns in the world.  In Seoul you'll find over 11 great salsa clubs.  Do you know of any other cities like that? 

For dancing styles you'll find 'on1' and 'on2' and even (lately) some casino rueda.  In general, most Koreans are friendly to foreign salsa dancers.  Especially if you're good.  There's clubs all over the city (i.e. South, Central, Western Midtown and Southeast) and at least 11 of them are within easy walking distance from a subway station. (there's a few clubs that arent' but taxis are cheap).

And I'll tell ya too......if you're really good, you could possibly wind up making some good money giving lessons.  You're not actually supposed to have any kind of employment other than your job but.....it is done both in teaching and in other areas.

Remember.......you've got the rest of your life to have all the adventure you want.  How much do you want and.......how long is the rest of your life?  If you'd like some free and comprehensive information about the opportunity to teach English in S.Korea, you can get it here.

Korean Tacos??!!

Yeah....apparently so.  I gotta give the Koreans credit.  They're not bashful about adopting anything from other cultures that'll make'em money.  From reading this article, the idea (of Korean tacos) has proven very popular and successful for these entrepreneurs.

I found this curious article, about Korean taco trucks, on a Vox blog.

Vox, as you probably don't recall me mentioning previously, is one of the free blogging platforms owned by SixApart.com, the same people who own Typepad.com (that what this blog is on). 

I've got a Vox blog but honestly I don't even recall the name.  But I do remember that it's a good blogging platform.  Very similar to Typepad and .......perhaps most importantly to some people/budgets.....totally free.

And BTW......I'm hearing that there's an increased number of applications coming in from the US from people who are interested in teaching over here in Korea.  Depending on your job situation back in the US(or Canada), it might be something for you to consider.  All the good jobs (which is most of them actually) aren't gone yet.

Teaching English in Korea can be a fun and interesting experience as long as you come over with realistic expectations.  If your the kind of person who isn't frightened by the word 'different', then you'd enjoy it.  If you're the kind of person who thinks that the American way is the only way then, don't come.

Korean kids are just like kids anywhere....sometimes it's like herding cats.  But at least you don't have to worry about any of them bringing a gun to school and shooting you.  And generally they're nice kids.  If you're a nice and reasonably good looking guy, the girls will love you.  And if you're a 'jock', the guys will worship you.....expecially if you're into soccer or basketball or baseball.  If you're a girl....pretty much the same thing applies except in reverse except that you might have to develop a firmer 'hand' with the boys.

Korea is a very pretty country and you don't have to go very far to see it.  It's all around you.  The number of parks over here is incredible.  It's nothing like in the US.  Koreans are very, very much into the outdoors and communing with nature.  They wouldn't have it any other way.  If you like taking pictures you'll find endless opportunities for creative shutterbugging.  Take a look at my two sites... flickr and dropshots. 

You won't need a car....or the associated bullshit of car payments and insurance and safety inspections and worries about cops giving you a ticket....because the public transportation is excellent.

There's lots of clubs.  Koreans love to drink.  If you're into salsa dancing and can get a job in or near Seoul, it's the best salsa dancing town on the planet.  I mean, where else would you find 12+ clubs open almost every night of the week?  Other than Cali or Bogota or Medellin, Colombia I mean :-)

Another nice thing about it is the cops don't bother anybody.  Not foreigners anyway.  And in fact the times I've seen'em dealing with Koreans, they strike me as very patient.  They don't seem to 'have something to prove' like some American cops do.

I could go on with the pro's and con's of teaching English in Korea but, needless to say, I like it.  I've been over here 2.5 years already and I'm probably going to extend for another year (in December). 

The job isn't hard, by any definition.  And if you happen to be one of those smart people who understands that the internet is where the opportunities of the future are, then Korea will give you plenty of time to work on whatever internet direction you want to go.  That actually was one of the biggest reasons I wanted to come over here.

So, if you'd like more information about coming to Korea to teach English, check out this very informative website, www.asknow.ca/teach.  These are the folks who got me my job and start in Korea.

Student's funny story

The following is a funny story I'm just now reading in a writing assignment I'm grading for one of my other Korean co-teachers.  I don't personally know this kid and I'm wondering if he/she wrote this story somewhat 'tongue-in-cheek'.  Regardless, it's funny. 

I happen to know that the average person, statistically, farts 17 times a day.  So, the kid here really should feel so bad although I kinda remember it being a big deal when I was in school too :-)

Here's the story:

I have something to worry about these days.  I can not stop farting.  I have did it for week.  When I studied English in library, I crack a fart.  It is making me embarrased.  I have did it many times with I'm at home.  Sometimes I crack a fart in public place.  This is a real problem for me.  I really don't know what to do.  What should I do?

Grading papers is fun!

It's a beautiful day here in Happy Suwon, just a 30 minute bus trip down the road from sassy, sizzling Seoul, S.Korea, the salsa capital of not only Korea and Asia but very possibly the entire free world. 

I'm sitting here grading writing papers for (I think) 8th graders (in Korean 'middle school') while I listen to Cesara Evora (world class 'morna' singing sensation from Cape Verde Islands).

Yeah, it's a tough life.  But somebody's gotta do it.

Grading papers isn't actually within the job description (far as I know) of what we 'native English speakers/teachers' are supposed to do but for some reason I didn't mind.  And it's turing out to be sorta fun to see what these kids are writing.  It's sad but true that a decent percentage of them actually have more than enough intelligence to learn to speak OK English. 

Their only problem is that they don't get enough conversational practice and their Korean teachers are somewhat constrained in their ability to advise the kids because of (1) the necessity to complete that frigging 'textbook' and (2) sad but true, some of the Korean teachers just don't have the cultural familiarity with English that we (i.e. somebody from Dallas, Jacksonville, etc.) does.

But it a beautiful day and I'm getting  paid for it.

I understand that a greater percentage of the teachers here, like me, are renewing their contracts because they're aware of the reality of the bad job situation back home.  So it's fast approaching a 'buyer's market' over here. 

That's not to say that jobs can't be had though and I'd advice anybody who's looking for some decently compensated adventure (i.e. pay, benefits, adventure, etc.) to get in touch with my friends at Asknow, click here.  They got me my first job and are a first class group of very experienced teachers and recruiters.

Major update to Typepad

I discovered today that I had the option, as a member of the Typepad Beta team, to try the new design they've come out with.  I really like it. 

Two things stand out right away.  For some reason that I don't know but it's undeniable, I'm able to type much faster with this new user interface.  On the old interface I never understood why but there was always a slight but noticable lag in the time it took my text to actually appear as I type.  Now it's virtually instantaneous.

Also, I haven't done it yet but......you remember yesterday I mentioned the new MP3 upload feature?  And I tried it but it didn't work, right?

Well, I haven't actually put it on this post yet but I was just successful in uploading a file, an MP3 file of music that Benjamin Nande gave me (the one I mentioned yesterday).  So I'm hoping that I'll be able to successfully get it in this post.  I know I uploaded it to somewhere!!

I don't know if or how much of a file limit there might be but........if there is, I'll find out.

Anyway, it looks really good to me so far.

Another comment I can make right now is that today I only have two classes.  I've already done one and I've got one to go.  Yesterday I only had one class.  I've always said this isn't a hard job, right?  But you might wonder how I can get by with only one or two classes a day.

The fact is that I actually have 19 classes a week.....i.e. 3 or 4 a day.  Yesterday and today however, the first level students (you'd call'em 7th graders) are on some kind of field trip.  It's called a 'mind and body training trip' but of course that's bullshit.  They're gonna be raising hell like they always do.

Later this year the other two classes have trips too.  I heard that I'm getting to go on one of them.  I guess that'll be fun.  I still say, even though the exchange rate and currency fluctuations have really hurt the value of my pay relative to the US dollar, teaching English is Korea is still a pretty good gig. 

I'm not saving as much money as I otherwise would if I didn't have some expenses denominated in US dollars.  If a person was over here and didn't have any, or many, US expenses they would save several hundred dollars a month.  Add that to the end-of-contract bonus of one month's pay and you'd be going home (or moving on) with a pretty good chunk of change in your pocket.

I've recently hired an outsource so some of my online planes are into a different gear now.  Hopefully more productive.  My goal has been to not have to do anything like this (i.e. teaching in Korea) but rather to be able to semi-retire someplace like the Philippines or Colombia or Argentina or Croatia or Spain or Thailand or Cambodia.  On the other hand, there's always the possibility of getting a super easy job that didn't pay very much but did give me a visa and a legal option of staying in the country while I continued to work on my internet empire dreams.

I'm not really trying to make a fortune.  Just enough to be able to live comfortably wherever I am.  Regardless, if you'll like some information on the opportunity of teaching in Korea, the salsa capital of Asia, visit http://www.asknow.ca/teach .

This had to be fun.......!

Here's three separate little pieces, not related really, that I thought I'd share with you tonight (er.....uhhh, this morning....it's 4:04 a.m. now....thursday).

First is a video of a guy feeding a koala bear.

We all know Koala Bears......those cute, pudgy little tree critters from 'down under'.  I'd always heard though that they can bite.  When I saw this video I kept waiting for the little fella to chomp down on this guy's hand.  But he didn't.  It had to be a lifetime experience, I'll bet.

I've always wanted to touch a dolphin or a seal.  Have any of you ever done anything like that?

Second is an interview Glen Beck did with former US Ambassador to the UN, (?) Bolton(did I spell that right?) and Carl Rove (Republican political strategist) talking about the problems on the Mexican border.  It's good too.

 

And I saved the best for last.  This is "50 Cent Interviews" that I think is really sweet.  This is the kind of thing I think would be so much fun to do.  This guy just sets up a table in a place where there's lots of people and then offers 50 cents to anybody who'll let him interview them. 

 

It's kinda like something you'd hear on NPR (e.g. This American Life).  Lots of insight into the stuff of real life of real people.  This particular interviewee just finished walking across the entire United States.....on $217.  It took him 5+ months.  That's all!!

 

 

That's it!  I think I'm going to bed now......dammit!  Pissed away another evening via my 'open mindset'.  Oh well....it's not a job...it's an adventure....teaching  English over here.  If you'd like some info on how you can get a great job teaching conversational English over here in Dynamic S.Korea, the Salsa Capital of the Free World, get some info first at www.asknow.ca/teach .

Konglish

Over here in Korea we English teachers, and even some of the Koreans, make jokes about the way Koreans change English words and use them.  I don't know where the term came from but we call in "Konglish".

I thought that would be a good idea for a line of funny T-shirts and in fact I had seen one small site before that had a few T-shirts.  But they weren't very cute or funny and the site wasn't too good either as I recall.

This site is much better.

http://www.baboshirts.com/

I don't know where they are.  Probably someplace in Korea.  I've thought about getting a couple of the shirts myself.