Starting my journey to Korea

Pre-departure:
As I am leaving for Korea, most people are shocked to know that I want to leave the US for an extended period of time. My plans for departure have been quite accelerated due to some advice I received and the fact that a Korean friend was returning home. I am unable to speak Korean, but feel confident that I can manage my life in a new environment even with the communication barrier. Most people would say that my choices in life have been less than conventional. My career path may be on a tangent, but I believe that I need to take some risks. Most people with an MBA would have grandiose plans with their career path, but I don't. I am probably going to start with a job teaching English in Seoul. The economics of Korea allow me to take such a position with a high standard of living and pay back my financial obligations in the US for my many years education and study abroads to China and the UK.

Aside:
Almost everyone who reads this will know that I am an adopted Korean, so I have genuine interest in learning about Korea/Korean culture. I have decided that after graduating with my MBA that this is my best opportunity to discover my "roots" and try working/living in a foreign country for a year or two (possibly more). I have been told that I could accomplish three things while I am in Korea. One, I can find a job and make a living. Two, I can try to find my birth family. Three, I can find a beautiful Korean girl to marry.

Departure:
I left on December 18th with excitement and an amount of uncertainty. How do you answer the questions "where will you stay, how long will you be there, who do you know, what job will you have"? I guess most of my answers aren't definitive. I didn't know exactly where I was staying. I don't know how long I will be in Korea, but I did buy a one-way ticket. Yes, a one-way ticket is usually frowned upon at customs/immigration in most foreign countries. I only know Ah Rong and she will live in a city about 30+ miles away. I still don't have a job lined up, which with my initial plans, I would have taken a job before arrival.

All I know is that I have a contact through my friend, Ah Rong. She was a student at UND for one year. Her "uncle" is a professor at UND and he has many contacts in Korea. He arrranged for me to stay with a person in Seoul. Before arrival, I hadn't contacted Dr. Kim. I was flying back with Ah Rong and she was to direct me to the correct bus from the airport to a location that I would meet Dr. Kim.

After flying for 18 hours, we arrived in Seoul. I managed to pass customs/immigration without to much of a problem since I had some advice from a job placement agent. After finding Ah Rong and her family, she directed me to the correct bus. She told me to get on the bus and I was to get off at the Cheon-ho stop. She handed me some money and paid for my bus fare even though I had exchanged dollars for Wons. As I take the bus, I try to stay awake during the ride so I don't miss my stop. Luckily, the bus driver asked me what stop I was taking a few stops before. I departed the bus and looked around to find no one with a sign or trying to spot me. I stand on the sidewalk and fortunately, I am too tired to be nervous. Within minutes, a gentlemen comes over to me asking if I am Daniel. Yes, Dr. Kim found me and we put my bags in the back of his van. We go to his house which seems to be a small neighborhood with many very narrow roads. Once in the house, I meet Mrs. Kim and they take me to the room that I will have. It is quite small for American standards, but it is more than adequate. I have a twin bed, desk and two chairs, night stand with lamp, and a small closet and shelves. The bed is quite hard, but hardly unexpected since my experience in China.


Wednesday, December 20th
Yes, I lost a day due to flying and time zone differences. I wake up quite early and decide to see what is for breakfast. As I get out of bed, I discover the benefits of 'ondol' heat. The Koreans use a floor heat for their homes, so the wood aand/or vinyl floor is quite warm to walk on which is nice for cold feet. I go downstairs and Mrs. Kim is preparing breakfast. I have breakfast with Dr. Kim and his parents. For breakfast, we have soup, rice, vegetables, kimchi, and a few other things. This is a traditional breakfast since his parents are eating.

Yes, this is a traditional Korean home. Three generations live in the house, but it is starting to become a rare occurrence with the younger people. In the house, there is Dr. Kim (54), his wife, his dad (87), his mom (78), and two sons (18, 21). I am not sure if that is there real age because the Korean age is different from Western age by one year. Koreans when born are one year old.

After breakfast, I accompany Dr. Kim to his office. He is owns a small business that works with distribution of laboratory animals. He has a small office near his home with three employees currently. One employee, Winnie, has quite good English skills due to the fact that she did her uinversity studies in Australia. While in the office, I contacted an English teaching institute that I had contacted through a placement agency and make plans for an interview. The institute wanted me to bring all of my stuff since I had previously talked to before departure. They wanted me to start teaching the next day without going through any type of orientation. Dr. Kim will escort me because it is too far away and I don't know how to use the subway system.

For lunch, Dr. Kim, the other employees, and I go for a "special" lunch. Since it is my first day, they take me to a traditional Korean restaurant. We go to the second floor of the restaurant and take off our shoes. We pick a table and take a seat. This may seem normal, but the table is 8 inches off the ground and we are sitting on the floor. The table has two spots for grilling. It was big meal because we had grilled meat, kimchi, other side dishes, and a choice of soup or noodles after the other mentioned items.

In the evening, Dr. Kim and I start the long journey to the school. By this time, I am already tired and it took two hours by subway with a couple of tranfers to reach the general area where the school is. We take a taxi to the school and wait. Once I meet with the HR person, it is a non-stop pitch to take the position and start the next day because the current session has already started and they are short a teacher. I am able to observe a class, which seems somewhat boring because the system is quiet structured for only improving scores on the iBT TOEFL test. If you don't know about the Korean education system, then here is a brief idea. Students from ages 10-18 go to regular school in the morning until two or so. After that, the parents send their kids to private institutes for extra classes that focus on English, math, science, etc. These institutes are open from 3-11pm, so the kids are studying almost all day (M-F) except for transit and sleep time. I was then shown the curriculum that I would be teaching, but I was still hesitant about taking the job. They wanted an answer, but I told them that I would need a day to decide. We head back home. Dr. Kim gives me some advice, but says that I am the one that is going to make the final decision.


Thursday, December 21st
In the morning, Dr. Kim prepares breakfast for his parents. Dr. Kim is a very traditional Korean son. He follows the Confucian beliefs of son taking care of parents. Later, Dr. Kim and I eat. Yesterday, he asked me what I would normally eat for breakfast. He said that he will make something that is more suitable for me and himself. He makes prepares eggs, toast, ham, and some other things and we make breakfast sandwiches. At the office, he looks over some of my documents since I tell him that I want to go to the immigration office to change my visa status. I am initially on a tourist visa, but I am eligible for a F-4 visa since I am an overseas adopted Korean. This visa would allow me to work with any company and stay in Korea for two years with being able to renew. Dr. Kim has Winnie make some arrangements with another teaching institute.

In the afternoon, Dr. Kim takes me to the Wall Street Institute. We meet with a HR person, but he tells me that they don't work with Asian-looking people even if their native language is English. This institute advertises that students will learn from Caucasian teachers. After this meeting, we take a walk to the next place. We could have easily jumped back on the subway and rode for two stops, but Dr. Kim thought it would be ok to walk. Well, I was still jet-lagged and not used to walking so much. Dr. Kim walks at a rather brisk pace and our walk was all uphill similar the "Royal Mile" in Edinburgh, Scotland. At the top of the hill, we reached our destination, Social Welfare Society. This is the Korean adoption agency. We talked with a representative and they will look to see if they can contact my father. I should know by next week, if not, Dr. Kim says there are other methods in the Korean network.

After work, Winnie has made arrangements for me to visit a friend of hers. She runs a small institute out of an apartment by herself with some help from her brother. This would be a part-time opportunity for me. Dr. Kim drives Winnie and I to the location which is a lot closer to Dr. Kim's house than the institute visited yesterday. We meet and talk. Dr. Kim says that it would a good start for me to decide if I want to teach. Dr. Kim mentions that Winnie's friend is similar in age and single. Yes, she is beautiful, but somewhat embarrassing when she is present.

At home, I talk to Dr. Kim because I told the G1230 school that I should make a decision about working or not. I asked Dr. Kim, if I should give the school a definitive answer or not. He said that the Korean way will have a opportunity, even if the Western timeframe seems like there isn't. I decide to delay my decision since I am supposed to be meeting Chairman Go in the morning.


Friday, December 22nd
Dr. Kim and I take a later start since we have plans to meet with Chairman Go. We end up being short of time so Dr. Kim sometimes starts running for the possibly departing subway or trying to save time. Running in a suit and new shoes is quite tiresome. We reach the Pagoda Institute and go to the 20th (top) floor of the building. Later, I find out that the Chairman owns the building. We meet with Chairman Go and I observe since the conversation is in Korean. Soon, in comes an HR person and he interviews me. He asks me about Dr. Kim and "how do you know the Chairman?". He was caught off-guard because he was called after our arrival that the Chairman would like to speak with him. After the interview, the Chairman, Dr. Kim, and I go to a cafe for coffee. It is was quite interesting to see the amount of respect that the Chairman receives. After the meeting, Dr. Kim informs me that he will hire me, but I will have some obstacles to overcome since they usually don't hire Asian-looking people for classes. I will be starting in a tutoing position rather than teaching group classes. The pay should be more than adequate since the institute is quite large with 1200 teachers and 50,000 students. Most of the students are university students or business people unlike the other school I interviewed with had all young students. The Chairman and Dr. Kim think that this could be a great opportunity for me because I will get to know some people in the business field and may use teaching connections with future use of my MBA. Korea is a highly networked place with many opportunities coming from various connections through school or work.

For dinner, Dr. Kim takes me to meet some people for dinner. I didn't catch exactly how he knows the three people. At Insadong street, a popular traditional Korean area with antique shops and many restaurants, I am introduced to Mr. Kim, Mr. Park, and Mr. Lee. These surnames are a few of the most common in Korea. We eat at a traditional Korean restaurant, but choose a table and chairs over the sit on the floor area. Afterwards, we go to a teahouse. Dr. Kim picks a delicious sweet tea for me. During the evening, I have the opportunity to use a little of my Chinese language skills because Mr. Kim studied western medicine in China. On the way home, I realize that getting anywhere in Seoul is time-consuming challenge that life in Grand Forks never faces. We have an hour subway ride home, which is common occurrence for Dr. Kim, if he is to meet friends or businessmen. Tomorrow, I will join Dr. Kim and visit his elder sister who lives outside of Seoul.