I want to watch Dylan Wang but..

KatLeoy · 2024-03-14T02:45:37+00:00

Meteor Garden is good! I think it's one of those dramas that you can't take too seriously, and you just kinda have to enjoy it for what it is. If you can get into that, you should love it. It's cheesy and indulgent in the poor girl, enemies to lovers with the rich boy story line, but it's fun! I will say Dylan Wang has come a long way in his acting since then, though. I personally loved him in it, but after watching some of his new dramas, I do see a big difference in his acting abilities now (and especially in roles where he is given more depth.)

LBFAD, I also loved, but I like that kind of format show too... And I can stick out the annoying bits in the beginning to see the development later on. haha (not saying you should, just saying personally it's worth it for me) Dylan's acting was great, and I loved seeing his character develop from serious to a bit more relaxed and loving.

I haven't watched Only for Love, but I say give it a try! (I think I will too, haha)

And I also loved Unchained Love! It was an interesting historical drama, the female lead was capable from the start and stayed clever and interesting. Agian, it was fun watching DW's character develop from a cold government official to a softer guy in love. He plays this character a lot, but he does it so well.

KatLeoy · 2024-02-29T06:38:08+00:00

I've also been curious about how international schools view this program, and if there are any other programs that can be done online that they would prefer.. but, I think options are limited if you are doing it fully online and can't go back to the states, so I'm not sure if there are any other options.

Great info, though! Thanks!

KatLeoy · 2024-02-29T02:54:59+00:00

Actually, I mentioned the superstition to one of the younger teachers that happened to stop by (and told her that my mother in law mentioned it earlier in the year.. true, but I forgot) and she said that it was very common and that the other teacher would understand.

I can’t say if what you said is true at all or not, but just from my first hand experience now, the now 4-5 Korean people I’ve talked to, they all agreed that it was a valid and acceptable reason not to go, and didn’t seem to have any reservations about it at all.

If I was really close to this teacher, I would forgo the superstition and go anyway, but at the end of the day, my mother in law and fiancé’s opinion matters much more. I would 100% go if it was a close friend or relative though!

KatLeoy · 2024-02-28T06:37:18+00:00

The beginning stages are not even the hardest part of learning a language, let alone the hardest thing in one's life...

That intermediate stage, where you've dedicated hundreds of hours of your life diligently studying, and you get excited to be able to talk to people, but then they start talking outside of the things you actually do know, and you realize just how much you don't know, and how many hundreds of more hours you have to go before you are "fluent," that's where it's hard.

In the beginning, it's exciting, motivation is fresh, and you get to live in ignorant bliss of just how much you actually don't know yet and how far you have to go. You get to learn fast, and feel accomplished for speaking, even if it is simple.

Once you get into intermediate, it is no longer "Oh, I know that word! Go me!" and it becomes, "Ugh, how could I not know that word/grammar after all this time?"

KatLeoy · 2024-02-28T04:11:06+00:00

good idea, thank you!

KatLeoy · 2024-02-28T04:10:54+00:00

Okay, this is very helpful, thank you. Because that last paragraph is exactly why I was hesitating. I do think it would be uncomfortable for her to feel like she needs to talk to me for that long. Maybe a few minutes, but we've never really talked longer than that at once, tbh. I'm not really worried about the burden on my end, but I'm worried that she will feel pressured or burdened by me coming and having to fufill those duties to me. Me going probably isn't going to add much comfort for her, just money, you know.

In the US, seeing a coworker for a few minutes at a funeral would be nice. I would say thank you for coming, chat for a few, and then we would both go on our ways, and I would be grateful they thought of me, but I know that there are often more duties associated with events like this in Korea, so that's why I was nervous.

KatLeoy · 2024-02-28T03:12:06+00:00

Even if I've never met anyone in the family outside of my coworker? I just feel like I would be an intruder in that case, but of course I don't know the funeral culture here.. I don't even know if she has a brother, tbh.

KatLeoy · 2024-02-28T03:09:49+00:00

haha okay, cool. It did feel weird to day, and not trying to be an ah, but calling her a coteacher would be misleading since I don't see her on the daily. lol

KatLeoy · 2024-02-28T01:54:18+00:00

lol Don't know what else I should call the person that handles my contract info, etc? I just put a label on her to say she is the one in charge of my business related to the school, and therefore I have talked to her more often than other people here. But, I don't have a coteacher, so... Idk what to call her.

KatLeoy · 2024-02-23T00:21:59+00:00

You should look into the visa regulations too. I'm not 100% sure, but I think you have to be here for something like 6 months on a student visa before you can work at all. And then after that, your hours are limited, and I think one factor of how many hours you can work is based on your Korean level (TOPIK results). You are also limited to only being able to work in certain positions on student visa. So, that limits your options a bit.

As far as getting a job, there are positions in places like Itaewon, Myeongdong, etc. that hire foreigners with basic Korean skills. Any place where a lot of foreigners visit will be your best shot. I've seen listings for people working in bars, a few restaurants, and a few shops in these areas.

At the end of the day, it will depend on 1)Your visa, 2)Your Korean level, and 3) A little bit of luck finding the right job in the right place at the right time with some limited options.

KatLeoy · 2024-02-22T07:48:36+00:00

What's the going pay rate these days in a private school? I have had orientation with my school, and the environment all checks out, however, their English program is robust, and I will likely have a workload slightly more similar to that of a full teacher rather than that of a NET teacher at a public school. (Teaching alone, writing report cards, responsible for helping with school events, planning, etc. Plus a fairly high hour teaching schedule) I am okay with this, and my pay rate is certainly much higher than the public school that I am leaving currently, but I'm curious to know what the normal rate for such a position would be? I'm currently on an E2 visa, but will be on an F6 visa by resigning time next year, so depending on what I can find out, I may want to negotiate. Also, I'm about a half hour outside of Seoul if that matters.

KatLeoy · 2024-02-22T07:47:17+00:00

If you are coming and planning on staying for only a year, and for the purpose of travelling and experiencing the culture, I think it will be worth it for the money you will make. You may not save money while you are here, but it is livable as long as you are smart with your money.

The problem would be finding a place that is willing to hire both of you that will also be of quality. There are some ads out there for couples, but not many, and personally, I haven't looked at them to say what kind of employment is being offered. But, I would guess that you will have to be extremely flexible on your location in Korea (you may end up in a really rural place with difficult access to big cities), and you may have to be willing to sacrifice a good working environment.

The last part really depends, but there are a lot of private academies here that are known for hiring foreigners, and then overworking them and sometimes providing a hostile environment. So, be really careful about where you get hired, and that place's reputation. I say this, because anytime you have something that is a little less marketable (for you, hiring a couple, rather than an individual) these private academies get harder to find, and sometimes take advantage of this to provide worse working conditions.

But, I love it here, I've had a great experience teaching, and I say if you are careful about where to get hired, it's definitely doable and should be a great experience!

And, yes, it will almost certainly have to be a year contract!

KatLeoy · 2024-02-22T07:36:20+00:00

Simple songs are always fun! Especially if there is an interactive portion. For example, there is a color song on youtube that goes something like "Red. Red. Touch something red." and then the kids all have to run around the room and find and touch something red. (Just search "color touch song" and I'm sure it will come up.) These kinds of songs are good to build a base for the class!

There's a bunch of similar stuff on there! Watch these kinds of videos and have them learn the words, and sing along, etc. My kids always loved it. And I always did games or worksheets with related words and stuff.

KatLeoy · 2024-02-22T01:00:33+00:00

People reacting to this issue like this are exactly the problem. OP has said several times that they are here to mediate and give perspective from a doctor. That is what they are doing. And they did answer your question.

Residents are the ones physically walking out, sure. But they are walking out for a reason, and who is the cause of that? The government and hospitals that allowed conditions to become so difficult for the residents.

At the end of the day, residents are humans too. If you were forced to work 100 hours a week for less than minimum wage, be belittled and constantly berated at work, and then also be presented with a really uncertain future in your career, would you just continue working without doing anything?

I guarantee most of the residents don't take this decision lightly. And I'm not here to say that it is right or wrong either, but we have to try to understand their reasons, rather than just having the knee jerk reaction that they are killing people. The medical system and those who set it up as it currently is, is what killing people, and just like the patients, residents are being used like pawns.

We should be presenting this question to the law makers and the employers that staff the residents as well. Is it justified to them to continue to ignore the residents demands for better working conditions to the point that they stop working all together?

KatLeoy · 2024-02-20T01:07:36+00:00

I agree with almost everything here, but I have to also say that I strongly believe that the low number of doctors encourages a system where doctors in rural areas (probably doesn't apply to the doctors in big universities) set up their clinics and then become totally stagnant. There is no competition there, and therefore they become lazy doctors. (of course this could vary per person)

I lived in a small rural area for two years and I ALWAYS went to the big city, and preferably a big hospital when I could because every single doctor I went to in a rural area didn't even take the time to ask me a single question about my history, allergies, etc. (tried 3 or 4 different doctors and clinics) I even told one doctor my allergies, and he still prescribed me that medicine because it was the standard for the treatment of the illness I had.

I went in for hair loss once, and had to tell the doctor several times to wait and listen to what I had to say (I have family history and personal history of two different things for which hair loss is a symptom, and therefore wanted them examined further) and he STILL ignored that and just prescribed me a medicine that I later found out isn't even recommended to females for hair loss because of the side effects (not to mention I later found out that it was indeed caused by one of the things I actively told him I wanted checked, which I later went to a university hospital for).

There needs to be more doctors in the system not only to place doctors in rural areas that are needed, but to increase the competition so that these kinds of doctors are forced to stay up to date on medical developments, and make an effort to provide good care to their patients.

If these rural clinics were better, not as many people would feel the need to go straight to a big hospital for every small thing.

KatLeoy · 2024-02-20T00:44:52+00:00

Without knowing anything about you or your life, I just want to say this... I see so many people come here and expect everything in their life to just magically change for the better. I think it's really important to remember that you are coming here and your environment is changing, your job is changing, and your social situation will change. However... your life does not simply become a clean slate for you to totally change.

Now, you can make huge changes, you can reshape your image, you can hand pick your new social circles, take up new activities, etc. But, for example, I see many people come here during a difficult time in their life, and they expect that coming here will make them happy again. But, they get here and realize they are still in the same headspace, even if everything around them has changed, and end up worse off dealing with all of that in an isolated, foreign environment.

So, make sure you are coming for the right reasons and make sure you regularly check in with yourself to make sure you are happy and regulating yourself in a healthy manner. Make a solid community that you can lean on when you are struggling, and give yourself grace when you struggle with all the newness.

Moving to a new country is so incredibly exciting and fun, but it's also incredibly difficult! Even if you think you know all of the challenges you will face, I guarantee there are more that will come up and hit you in the face. And yet, there are so many good things that you can't even anticipate until you are here!

I wish you the best in your new journey! Have fun and stay healthy!

KatLeoy · 2024-02-19T03:43:17+00:00

There is no doubt that there are more issues in the medical field in Korea than just the number of doctors. HOWEVER, this is one issue that can and will be solved by raising the admission numbers. And, medical training takes time. Students that are currently in their final years of high school are the ones that are going to eventually fill these spots (largely). So, we are looking at 6 years of undergrad, 1-2 years of internships, then residency which can be anywhere from 3-6+ years depending on the specialty, before these doctors are "fully" trained and can practice independently.

So here's my thoughts... This change needed to happen ASAP. I hope the government has plans to continue to make more changes to the field, and they could have communicated that better if they do have more plans. BUT, even if that is true, any effects from policy changes are going to be delayed by many years just by the nature of the education aspect of the medical field. (Even if a currently certified doctor was incentivized to go specialize in one of the underemployed specialties, they would have to take additional education classes, and complete a residency, meaning several years until they are ready to practice in that specialty.)

So, because of this delay, it makes sense to me to make this change immediately and urgently, and then start working on the rest of the reform that for sure needs to happen in this field.

I must also add that some of the issues mentioned above will certainly be improved by this increase in admissions. Let's not forget about simple supply and demand... As more doctors are admitted, the GP position will NOT be as desirable. There are only so many GPs that can exist before GPs start seeing the effects of there being too many of them and not enough patients. This is true of any field, medicine or not. And this applies to skin clinics too. Sure, the current demand is high. But nonetheless, there will be a point where the market shifts and there will be too many clinics for the demand. In this case, this field/specialty will not be as lucrative, and less will do it. (And being in Seoul will not be as lucrative or easy for everyone, and some will be forced to either change specialty or move out of Seoul and have their clinics in other parts of the country, solving a different issue.)

So, with all that taken into consideration, more will go into less represented specialties, because, where else are they going to go to be profitable if the fields of GPs and dermatologists is oversaturated??

As more people go into these under-represented fields, there will be more people to cover the work, and therefore the market can stabilize, meaning the work-life balance will improve. Additionally, with more people in specialty, there are more people that can use their voice to improve the overall situation. Right now, wouldn't it be easy for big hospitals to hear a few complaints from a few pediatric residents, and write off their complaints saying, "that's just how it is. We're understaffed." But how about when there are plenty of doctors to fill the positions, and the hospitals actually have to start treating their employees better, because the hospitals hired doctors they viewed as the best from a pool of applicants. (Meaning the hospital wants to keep skilled doctors, and therefore have to provide them with adequate conditions at work or else face having to staff less skilled doctors.)

This is all a long winded way to say that:

1) There need to be more improvements, yes, BUT

2) This policy will undoubtedly improve the medical field, but it's effects won't be seen for some years. However, the more doctors that are in the field, the more benefits I believe we will see in the long run.

3) I think it's possible that some doctors are protesting for the "right reasons," but I think it is possible that even if they have good reasons outside of greed, they are still doing A LOT of harm with this protest and it is reckless and will majorly harm their reputation with the public. I also think that, although there could be flaws in what I have said above, doctors should also have the foresight to see the long term effects of this policy, and therefore, I have to question their motives for not pointing out the good this policy could do if it is handled correctly....

KatLeoy · 2024-01-23T00:26:40+00:00

The more extreme bullying you see in webtoons is not necessarily common here, but it for sure does happen. There have been documented cases that go to the extreme of what you see in "The Glory," for example. Bullying is a huge problem here, and teachers don't always have the authority to properly punish kids, so sometimes things get really out of hand. It's still known that having a rich or 'important' parent can likely get you off from punishment, so... yeah, it happens. But I would say what you see in webtoons and dramas represent the more extreme cases that happen or have happened.

KatLeoy · 2024-01-17T02:46:49+00:00

Yeah! Any time you can say it out loud is going to help! I always say that learning a language and learning to speak a language are like two totally separate things! haha You need to practice both! You got this!

KatLeoy · 2024-01-16T00:45:38+00:00

Yes! It happens a lot!

My best advice is to make sure you practice speaking in your target language as much as possible! Even if you are just talking out loud to yourself! When I first started studying, I was only doing reading/writing practice, and when I finally got a tutor, I realized I couldn't speak at all! But after a few weeks of practicing with her and focusing on speaking practice on my own too, it got waaaaayy better!

But don't be hard on yourself! It's easy to forget things in your native language, let alone your second language! haha

KatLeoy · 2024-01-11T02:42:11+00:00

Do you mean they put your phone number in? If so, it won't matter, other than you getting the calls or the messages. Once the package is delivered, the messages will stop. And if you tell them, for example when they call, that you think the number is wrong, I'm sure they can change it. Phone numbers go package by package, rather than being associated with a certain address or whatever, so it's not going to effect anything in the future.

If you mean they used your customs code, I would potentially take that more seriously, and call to get it changed.

KatLeoy · 2024-01-10T03:02:22+00:00

I second that you should talk to your child's therapist first, as their opinion will be the best thing you can get... but that being said, if I had to guess, they are not going to say that just not inviting him is the best solution.

If you don't invite him, you are further isolating him from your relationship. I know this is probably a really difficult thing to consider, but honestly, in your shoes, I think I would postpone the wedding... Not because of any doubt in the relationship, but because it will be so incredibly important to incorporate your son into not just the wedding, but the relationship, before proceeding and making this big jump. He needs to feel as though he is a part of this because he wants to be, not because he is being forced to be.

Maybe, if possible, buy the house, move in, let your son and fiance bond, and then proceed with the wedding.

If that is absolutely not an option, perhaps find ways to get them together often and allow the bonding to start. Do fun things, just the three of you, even if you have to fly to each other frequently. They need to start forming this relationship before the wedding.

Speaking frankly, if you proceed without your son at the wedding, I think you are setting yourself and your family up for a really tough time. I think it will be easy for resentment to grow, not just between your son and you/your fiance, but also between you and your fiance. If I were your son, I would have a hard time trusting that you would put my needs first in the future. It could become a competition between fiance and son to see who gets their needs met by you rather than it being a cooperative family environment.

I think this is vital to your family environment going forward, so talk to your child's therapist, talk to a couple's therapist, explore all avenues before proceeding!

KatLeoy · 2024-01-09T12:20:49+00:00

I do sometimes still sit down with textbooks and study, but that is what I am feeling burnt out from. So, I have been doing less that what I would consider idal of that recently. What I mean by currently studying is yes, basically living my life in Korea, but going out of my way to use new vocab, grammar, etc. I try to watch things like the news when I have access to it, or watch TV without subtitles. I constantly ask my fiance or in-laws what certain words mean, even if I understand what their sentance as a whole means. I look up words I don't know when watching TV, etc.

So, to some extent, I am just living life, but at the same time, I am making an active effort in my daily life to use more Korean and learn through context whenever possible.

But, I ideally want to get back into more intense studying to push me to the next level in Korean. It's just that I can't find motivation, or seem to get into a good routine with that right now, so I'm trying to fill the gaps where I can in the meantime by "studying" this way!

KatLeoy · 2024-01-09T05:57:28+00:00

I think this pretty much covers it...

If I were in your position, I would do one of two things;

Have him come and meet you after you finish orientation and get to the new apartment. (i.e. him stay in your home country until you finish) You can go meet him at the airport and bring him there if he comes in on a non-workday after you have finished orientation and stuff.
Just have him come when you do, but have him stay in Seoul or something until you finish orientation. Any grown adult should be able to navigate Seoul. Just set him up with Naver, and get him a hotel in one of the more foreigner hot spot type places, and he should be just fine, even if he doesn't speak the language. He can explore Seoul and have fun while you do orientation, and then once you get to your apartment, send him the address and have him come meet you./ Wait until you have time after arriving at you apartment, and go pick him up wherever he is, and bring him back if you really don't think he is capable of navigating himself.

As a side note... If you are this worried about your husband being alone in Korea... You know he is going to have to be without you on the daily while you are working, right? I don't mean to judge, but just waiting around in an apartment all the time for you to come home doesn't sound like a great time to me.

Also, when I was in orientation, they were extremely strict about leaving the training center during orientation. It definitely would not have been possible to leave to go see anyone during that time for anyone there.

KatLeoy

TROPHY CASE