Advertisement
Published: February 10th 2015
Edit Blog Post
Hello all,
Sorry it's been a while and a lot has happened so I have some catching up to do!
My birthday was on the 17th of January and a fellow teacher in Turkey, Paul took me out for a few beers to celebrate along with one of my Elementary groups who are of age, but just learning English. This is my 6th birthday outside of my home country and it was nice to experience that again this year. After a few beers, a little pizza and of course they tried to embarrass me with the whole let's secretly tell the waiter to put the happy birthday to you song on so everyone in the restaurant knows it's your birthday, but it didn't work as I don't get embarrassed easily HA! Anyway it was a good night with some cool people after about 4 beers it was getting late and I had an early class the next morning so I called it a night while they stayed.
I had been enjoying Turkey very much actually, except for the owners wife who was the "real" face behind the school as she is a local person
and as far as I know foreigners cannot own businesses 100%. I had faced off with her a couple times over nonsense as she was trying to run the school in a Hitleristic style where you couldn't talk with other teachers about any problems with classes, students, finances or scheduling hours. I got pulled into her office two times in one week for two separate "offenses" which was a definite first for me as with all the experience I have as a teacher and traveling she just had this....I don't know...look about her where she would look right through you and not at you, like she was belittling people. Finally I had enough and we had it out, mainly because she was an idiot who's English is semi understandable, but wanted to tell me how to teach English lol. I let it all out, in a professional way of course not shouting in any way just telling her a little bit about herself and how she comes off to people. Well, she of course didn't like that and me being the newbie there apparently I wasn't allowed to have an opinion let alone voice it.
The other
3 teachers that were there were Paul from Ireland, Kieran from Australia and I forgot the girls' name from South Africa. Only Paul and I were full time the other 2 were part time less than 12 hours per week and me and Paul were doing 30+. I was called in by Gordon the "owner" and the one who hired me on a Sunday afternoon and he sat me down and told me that the school didn't want to go any further past the 1 month probation period, but he couldn't tell me exactly why (Obviously his wife) so I accepted it, but at this point when I left Russia I was able to save about 1,000 Euro which was a monumental feat in itself considering the economic crisis the whole time I was there so immediately upon arriving in late December I was buying new clothes, boots, winter coat, pots and pans for the apartment and numerous other things and that 1,000 was obliterated within a few weeks. I certainly was not expecting to get let go after one month and I hadn't even been paid by the school yet so I was literally hanging on by my fingernails.
He told me he would give me a bonus of 500 TL lol I didn't question, but in my head I'm wondering why the fuck would you give someone who you just fired a $230 bonus??? Hmmmm...
It was very lucky that he did give me that bonus because without it I would not be able to afford a ticket out.....to where you ask?? Well I had been contacted by my old employer in Vietnam about possibly returning around mid January so I got in touch with her and told her yes I would be looking to go back, but short term contract only 6 months not a year. So I got my ticket and my invitation letter all sorted out to get my Visa on arrival in HCMC......
Wait just a minute though..the kicker came a day before my flight when the Gargamel looking owners wife called me in a frantic voice and sloppy English to tell me I needed to get to the office because I apparently owed 400 TL for gas and electric for the apartment....I said WTF I just paid both of those not even 2 weeks ago of course
she wasn't hearing that shit so I went to the office with the last of my money that I already converted to dollars and had $120 to my name until I arrived in Vietnam. She was on the phone speaking with the landlord and assuring me she wasn't ripping me off....hmmm so in 3 weeks I apparently used over $200 in natural gas in my tiny apartment! Makes total sense...then she goes on and on about how they paid for my flight from Moscow to there and my Visa to enter...I had enough and I exploded...The USA came out of me then I said "FIRST and foremost Gordon told me I would be reimbursed for the flight upon arrival so we agreed just for him to pay it outright since I was getting it back when I got here and 2nd this Stalin shit you try to pull on us teachers might work for Paul and Kieran who have been here for years, but you thinking you can control me and what I can and cannot talk about with other employees is horseshit and I'm glad I'm leaving, as much as I have enjoyed this country and the people you
are just an evil, self-centered and egotistical maniac!!" I threw the $115 of my last $120 on the table and I said "don't you ever make the mistake of thinking that you run shit! I will destroy your school on all the teacher forums that I know of!" lol and I walked out..I was HOT man lol!!! I was just tired of the bullshit and I let it go thankfully at the right person!
So I flew Qatar airways which everyone raves about, but terrible service and missed connections I thought otherwise.... I made it back to Vietnam and enjoying seeing some old coworkers now until after TET holiday when I will be starting my 6 month gig... it's good to be back in the tropics for sure! I also made a big decision, one I had been thinking about for over a year and that is I will be 100% returning to Latin America in September which I am ecstatic about!
Thanks for reading! I hope everyone is doing great wherever you are in this glorious world!!
--Greg
Advertisement
Tot: 0.097s; Tpl: 0.012s; cc: 22; qc: 47; dbt: 0.0517s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 2;
; mem: 1.2mb
Home and Away
Bob Carlsen
I guess you won't be needing your warm clothing any time soon...
You made the right decision leaving the situation with a terrible boss. Enjoy Vietnam...again!