Odds & Ends

ESL Teachers: Here is a list of odds and ends that you may find helpful to know. I'll append the list as I think of more items.

RANDOM DAYS OFF:
Korea has many national holidays. They also have many other non-school days that pop up for various reasons. For example, I didn't have class at one school on Monday, May 31st because the students went on an overnight camping trip. We then had Wednesday, June 2nd off for the national election (this wasn't random). The following week I had Tuesday, June 8th off. Each school celebrates the founding day of the school by canceling classes. June 8th was founders' day at Baeksu-suh Elementary School. Founders day for Baeksu-nam Elementary was Nov. 15th so I had that day off as well.

Friday, October 15th was a school-wide picnic day at Baeksunam Elementary School. I was fortunate to find out in advance so that I could plan a weekend trip to Seoul. Tuesday, October 19th was picnic day at Baeksusuh Elementary School. I was not told in advance so I found out when I arrived at school which was rather frustrating.

The trick with random days off is to find out in advance. Most ESL teachers have stories about finding things out at the last minute. In the case of the camping trip a student mentioned it to me on Friday so I asked my co-teacher. He then confirmed that I did in fact have Monday off. If I hadn't heard about it and asked, I would have just shown up to a school without students.

BEER PRICES:
As a former student of economics I cannot figure this one out. A 355ml can of beer (12-ounce can) costs 1,200 Won at the market downtown. Interesting enough, a 500ml bottle of beer costs 1,150 Won. Normally in America bottled beer is more expensive and certainly you expect to pay more when you get more. Anyhow, stick to bottles.

SHOPPING BAGS:
In Korea you pay for plastic shopping bags at the market. It's very inexpensive (typically 40 Won) so it's nothing to worry about. However, since it appears on your bill you need to tell the clerk that you want a bag before he/she is finished ringing you up. I don't know the Korean word for bag, so I usually just gesture.

Random Rides Home
I have been given rides from school to my apartment by many people. It's not something I would ever do back in the US but Korea is an extremely safe country and they people are just trying to be helpful. Usually they just see me walking toward the bus and slow down, point to Yeonggwang, then point to the passenger's seat. Sometimes it's a little awkward because we can't converse but it has always worked out.

READING THE GAS METER:
Unfortunately my apartment only has gas for cooking. I wish it gas for heat but it has oil. Anyhow, once a month you need to read the gas meter and report your usage. I my building they put a sticker on your door for the whole year with twelve spaces numbered for each month. Some time around the 19th of the month I have to check the meter on the back porch and write the number on the door sticker.

WESTERN TEACHER FURNITURE:
This isn't really important, but I think it's funny. If you look at some earlier posts we have put up pictures of a few apartments in the area. I think it's helpful to have some mental image of where you will be living for a year. Anyhow, you may notice that we all have the same furniture. I don't mean similar, I mean the same. The same sofa, table & chairs, desk, etc. I'm assuming it all comes from the same furniture rental company. So don't complain to another ESL teacher that your couch is really uncomfortable because we know already.

ATM FEES:
ATM fees are minimal in Korea, but there is one quirk that makes no sense to me. If you use bank ATM during banking hours there is no ATM fee. However, if you use the ATM after the bank closes, even a free-standing ATM on the street you pay a 500 Won fee.