coming soon to a hakwon near you

Dear [sister and brother-in-law],

It has only occurred to me in the brief moment since I wrote your names here that I do not have your address. But I guess you must have already figured that out. Send it to me.

Things here are fine, more or less. You’d think that I’d be settled after having been in-country for over two weeks. Well, I am somewhat settled. I am also still a great deal up in the air, so to write.

I am living in an apartment one floor down from the home of the Director of the Foreign Language Institutes (Mr. Im). The renovations were completed this past week. I have two roommates (so far), Link, who arrived the same day I did, and Duke, who arrived two days ago. I think that in (what I think of as) my normal, everyday life, I would not have chosen either of them as friends – and I’m sure the inverse is true – but so far we’re all getting along fine.

I have yet to teach a class (or, for that matter, be given any concrete information about my future as a teacher) but I have to go to Olympiad Institute every day and sit through other people’s classes. I was told that this is so I can study “teaching methods,” but, as it is common knowledge that I do not speak Korean (and as these classes are taught by Koreans mostly in Korean) I cannot be expected to use these teaching methods. It has struck me as a huge waste of resources (specifically, me and the money that someone will have to pay me for the wasted hours) and I have found it boring and frustrating.

I only figured out yesterday that I am not really supposed to be studying teaching method, or, for that matter, doing anything, other than looking charming and American: I am being advertised. Since this insight I have continued to feel bored and frustrated, with the addition of manipulated. But at least it gives me hope that I will, at some point, be teaching my own classes. For the most part I just do what I am told (which, incidentally, is difficult due to the double fact that I am either told next to nothing about what is expected of me, or what I am told by one person is contradicted by the next). This operation is not efficiently managed.

What else? Learning Korean is slow, but I am making some progress. I’m ready for the next [work]book. And, I have a telephone number (where I live) and an address (through which I am told I can receive mail [although it does not correspond to the place where I live]).

I hope you are both (all three?) well and that all your tribulations vanish the moment you focus on them. Please give my regards to everyone who deserves them.

Yours, Oomph

P.S. Please give phone # to mom and dad – as I do not yet have enough new material for another letter.

encl.