unemployed in Greenland

"Princess Bride": (Vizzini) And you: friendless, brainless, helpless, hopeless! Do you want me to send you back to where you were? Unemployed in Greenland!

I am now unemployed in South Korea. Yes, my school closed on Friday. I found out (accidentally) from the receptionist on Thursday. I wonder just when they were planning on telling me.

"We know you’re a foreigner living here in such a very foreign country where you’re still dealing with culture shock and homesickness fairly regularly, and you’re here alone with your son, and for the whole year we never paid you on time, and in fact we still owe you for July and August, and we never registered you with the authorities but we still took tax out of your pay, and we took money from your pay to pay the utilities bills but we didn’t always actually pay them, but waited till your phone or hot water was cut off, then we paid them.. and oh, by the way, the school is closing tomorrow."

Well, that’s what I imagine they wanted to say to me, if they spoke English or I spoke Korean. Instead I ask the receptionist for the attendance sheets for September so I can mark the kids off on the roll, and she says so casually, "No. Tomorrow EIS closed."

What the?

Anyhow, I’m glad it’s finally happened after eight months of financial instability at that school and at least I don’t have to worry about the school actually closing.. now I just have to figure out whether to go home, or stay and find a few months of work, in which case I need to do a visa run to Japan.

You deserve what you accept is echoing in my head.

Oh yeah, and there’s a Super Typhoon heading for South Korea. Super Typhoon Nabi.

In light of recent world events, I have to admit, I’m scared.

And unemployed.

Yet hopeful.

In a foreign country.

As Helen Keller said, "LIfe is either a daring adventure.. or nothing at all!"

A daring adventure indeed…