Spineless From Ottawa, Canada
Alex's Canadian coworkers finally did as we feared they would... they "fled" Gwangju last night stealing school property as they went. From the beginning we had reservations about them, and then news came that the Korean government was cracking down on English teachers for misrepresenting their qualifications. It turns out that a great many, and mostly Canadian English hires of late, have falsified their Bachelor's Degrees to acquire work here. Even Alex is scheduled to go to immigration with his diploma for scrutiny.
Our Spineless From Ottawa had often times seemed too young to have gone through Bachelor's Degree Program, and never seemed too clear on dates they did attend. They liked to get drunk and brag about crimes they committed back home - from breaking windows to breaking and entering. They had expected Korea to be like Japan, and then were angry when it wasn't, as though the country had misrepresented itself in all the books they never read.
Alex and I tried to help them adjust by taking them out for meals and showing them around the city, or inviting them to our apartment, but they were not very social by nature. They preferred to frequent only western eating establishments and shut themselves in otherwise.
It's sad for them really. It's sad for Korean, too, in a way. I'm sure they'll go home and spin yarns about how horrible their time was here. They'll take none of the responsibility for bailing on their contract, and they'll certainly struggle for a long time to realize that being an expat doesn't mean the country caters to you... you have to adjust to it.
Our Spineless From Ottawa had often times seemed too young to have gone through Bachelor's Degree Program, and never seemed too clear on dates they did attend. They liked to get drunk and brag about crimes they committed back home - from breaking windows to breaking and entering. They had expected Korea to be like Japan, and then were angry when it wasn't, as though the country had misrepresented itself in all the books they never read.
Alex and I tried to help them adjust by taking them out for meals and showing them around the city, or inviting them to our apartment, but they were not very social by nature. They preferred to frequent only western eating establishments and shut themselves in otherwise.
It's sad for them really. It's sad for Korean, too, in a way. I'm sure they'll go home and spin yarns about how horrible their time was here. They'll take none of the responsibility for bailing on their contract, and they'll certainly struggle for a long time to realize that being an expat doesn't mean the country caters to you... you have to adjust to it.
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