new job, new apt, new approaches

it's raining. i've just finished eating 떡만두국 (dduk man doo gook--dumpling and rice cake soup) and my slightly burnt tongue reminds me that i've eaten my meal too quickly. i couldn't help it, it was the first meal i've eaten all day. i foolishly didn't take a break after my lunch class so one thing led to another and before i knew it, i was teaching my two evening classes without having had a proper meal. i did however, eat a delicious chocolate chip clif bar and savored a yummy caramel macchiato beverage.

my new job is working as a part time instructor in business conversation courses. the other part is working in research and development. apparently all the time i've spent talking has proven valuable! i can now call myself skilled in teaching and assessing conversation proficiency. sweet. ji sun's my name, talking's my game. my classes went well--my students, ADULTS!, are easy-going and were easily impressed by my "acting" skills. either i've gotten really REALLY expressive here in korea or koreans simply are not used to meeting people who use a lot of gestures when talking. one of my students, jay, told me that he liked my class while he was leaving. hey hey hey! i like that!

my new apt is only a 10 minute walk to/from the office. and while it's smaller than my pyeongchon officetel apt, it's cute and clean and absolutely functional. in fact, i think realizing exactly how much crap i own is a good reminder of how much stuff i don't really need. i have a mental and soon to be tangible list of my goals in korea:

1) learning and maintaining korean
2) health
3) classes (dance, cooking, and fashion)
4) DO NOT BUY ANYTHING (unless it's food) which will help me with #5
5) save money

i learned many valuable lessons from my last employer, one of which was that there are unpleasant cultural differences between the korean and american work environment. it seems that koreans seem to consistently do things at the last moment. they are reactive instead of proactive. this sort of behavior can drive an a rather organized person like myself bonkers. thankfully, i've been able to 1) recognize the patterns of apparent disorganization and 2) learn to go with the flow or at least, try not to expect what i've come to understand as western organization. so even if westerners work at a korean company, it's still a korean company and like the saying goes, when in rome, do as the romans do. when in korea, act like a korean.

my way of acting like a korean is to reconfigure my approach to work. after evaluating the variety of work experiences that i've had (even if they've been mostly western jobs)--and my goodness, it's certainly been a va-ri-e-ty!--i realize that i often give too much of myself and too soon. so, i'm learning to give just enough. it's difficult for me to do...but absolutely necessary to learn. otherwise, i'm privy to shameless bastardization. meaning i will be, very highly taken advantage of. it's been a sobering experience to realize these truths but i'm very glad that i know how to adapt to a changing work environment.

meanwhile, i'm getting around to knowing my new neighborhood. i now live in samseong, which is characterized by businesses--hence my business classes--but it's also close to a lot of other happening areas, gangnam and apgujeong. i'm still unpacking boxes and making my new place, a home. welcome to seoul.