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Published: September 2nd 2017
Hey everyone,
It’s official! I will be leaving for South Korea next Tuesday, and after 22 hours of traveling (about 16.5 of which will be spent actually sitting on airplanes), I will arrive in Seoul on Thursday. Wow that’s a lot of travel time, considering I only flew back from China two weeks ago. Guess I’m trying to challenge Mom in the “most time spent on a plane” category.
It feels seriously crazy that this is actually happening, though. I feel like I’ve been trying to keep this more between family and friends for so long, worried that it wouldn’t actually happen that it feels weird talking about it here and on Facebook. To be honest, for a while there I was pretty certain it wouldn’t pan out, and I wouldn’t be offered a job at all, which would have been a serious bummer. While I was in Xi’an, I even started talking to some of my friends about other options, and was thinking of trying to find something here for a semester, and then finding a language program to attend next semester. Of course that option would have also been fine, but it did feel like giving up.
Those who are pretty close to my family have heard this already, but one of the reasons why I’m pretty sure it was so difficult for the company I hired to find me a job to actually receive any offers is because I am Asian (the schools received a picture of me with my application). A common misconception? assumption? stereotype? in East Asia is that white people will always speak fluent English, and are either native American or English. It is automatically assumed that people of other races (especially of Asian decent) will not speak English fluently or will not speak with an American or English accent. So oftentimes, schools—especially private schools that rely on tuition and therefore the satisfaction of parents—won’t hire people who look “too Asian,” and will instead opt for the nice white kid, for fear of parents’ assumptions that their children couldn’t possibly learn English from someone who doesn’t look “American enough.” Surprise, even in countries where I am of the majority, I face racial discrimination, and white people are privileged. Of course I’ve had to deal with this kind of racial profiling before in my travels around China, where I’ve had to argue with
people that I am, in fact, American; or instead of being praised for my Chinese level like my white classmate, people are judgmental of the fact that I’m not fluent.
Unfortunately, discrimination like this and the type minorities like myself face in the US is so common that it feels normal. When I was told, point blank, that no one wanted to hire me (because I’m Asian), I don’t even remember being all that disappointed or surprised. I mean, I was disappointed that I might not find a job, but finding out that they were having difficulties finding me a job due to my race wasn’t a surprise at all. I don’t know. It just feels so normal, which rationally I know is problematic, but emotionally doesn’t even register anymore.
Anyways, after sending them an introductory video, which showcased my accent, I did end up receiving a job offer. Of course it had to happen during my last week in Xi’an, so while I was busy trying to buy last-minute gifts, pack my stuff, and prepare for my final exam (because the best time to send students home is at 5 am the day after their final exams). I was told that following up on the offer couldn’t wait, so after wasting an afternoon waiting for an interview that never happened, and being offered the job anyways, I was told to mail a bunch of paperwork to Korea by the next day (final exam day), although I didn’t receive one of the requested components from their end until too late, which was a pain and involved asking my teacher to help me call the one DHL location in Xi’an and arrange for them to come to the school to pick up my package. That was not my favorite day, not by a long shot. Definitely a more stressful finals-eve than anticipated. But I got most of what they wanted to them, and it turned out the final component wasn’t sent to me until I arrived home anyways (meaning I really could have waited until I arrived home to send any of it), but that’s fine.
My visa application and passport are currently in the possession of the Korean Consulate, so I’m just waiting to get those back at this point. Oh, and hardcore procrastinating on unpacking my luggage from China so that I can repack for Korea, but what else is new?
Well, that’s all for now; I’m now just counting down the days until I leave. Once I settle in, I’ll probably write an update, so talk to you all soon!
Until next time!
PS. Completely unrelated, but I just watched this dystopian film on Netflix called
What Happened to Monday? The premise is that the Earth is facing serious overpopulation problems, so the government has enforced a one child policy, where siblings are forcibly put into cryosleep to be woken up once the population has dropped. The movie focuses on Septuplets who have reached adulthood by taking turns living as one persona. It’s an intense movie, especially considering my whole life is the result of a one child policy, but I definitely recommend it; it gives the viewer a lot to think about.
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Terry May
non-member comment
Korea Is Very Lucky
Korea is very lucky to be getting you as a teacher. Your students will benefit not only from hearing your heavy Colorado accent, but also your perspective, insight and experience. At its most basic level, discrimination is stupid - stupid people engage in it, discrimination's outcomes are stupid, and it's stupid we still have to be talking about it. At least in the U.S., we have the ability/responsibility to vote 'stupid' out of office. If we don't do it, just start telling everyone you're from Vancouver, B.C. All the best, and continue the updates! Terry