Or Not, The Beginning of the End

May 17-23, 2010

Waking up at Blake's on the Monday to start this week was unexpected, but worth it for the weekend I had. I got up and off around 12, so that I could make it home and make some food before having to be at work myself. Goah was very happy, yet some what grouchy since I had been away all weekend. So between making food and getting ready for work, I flipped her frogs around and gave her a much needed brushing.
At work, the week started out normal. I was getting ready for classes and making small talk with some of my teachers. In general trying to get into my place at the school. Ten on Tuesday the downward spiral started. On Tuesday, the head foreign teacher told me that on Thursday we would be switching classes, but said nothing about it being permanent, and that we should get together before classes on Wednesday or Thursday to talk about each others classes. So as usual, I showed up to work at 330 on both days, while he never showed up until 430; leaving us with at the most 20 minutes to talk. He however had nothing to say and took none of what I had prepared for my classes. He simply told me the topic of the week for his classes and had things already prepared for my classes, because he was apparently in the know about the situation.
So as bad as Thursday was, it had nothing on Friday when he showed up again and failed to remind me that we had indeed changed classes for good. I was all ready for my regular classes when he got up and went to my room, and when I asked him what was happening, that's when he said it was a permanent thing. Needless to say I was pretty upset, but tried to make the best of it, and not rip his face off.
That weekend was a long weekend for most people, however our company goes around the years, every day except Sundays. So since I had to work Saturday, I felt solace in the fact that it was an early shift Saturday, and that I might head out of town after work for a couple nights. That was until the school decided to mention that we had a mandatory branch activity day on Saturday. Raising the rage-ahol level just a bit more, I put on a happy face and went to activity day. At said activity day, we were broken into teams and then competed against each other in games such as three legged races, hacky sack, arm wrestling, jump rope, and a company spirit dance show; after which we had an 1.5 hour lecture in Korean, followed by dinner, drinks, and Korean teacher suck up speeches to the owner. Now I can play games and act like I don't mind, but when I start having my freedom to make decisions and speak my mind (in a polite manner) taken away, I get pretty angry.
It started with the owner and his camera crew (which he always has around to feed his ego that everybody loves him) following us around and getting in our faces, when we had nothing to say. At one point they tried getting me to take my shirt off and wouldn't let up while I talked in circles about the company. Then when the boss had us gather around with the camera crew so he could graciously give us the illusion of having a choice to watch his 1.5 hour Korean lecture, or have his translator talk to us about it separately. We told him that having it done separately made more sense, he simply said, "But I think you should see it". So we had no choice but for the cameras he had to make it look good. Then during his lecture he called on me, probably since I wasn't paying attention, to read a blurb from the English booklet he gave everyone. I did so after telling him that I had no idea where we were, and he complimented me on doing it very well. I went back to drawing. Following the lecture, as luck would have it, I ran into him in the washroom, where he asked me if it was my first time in Korea and how I felt about his school. I told him it wasn't my first time and that his school was O.K., not that it was the greatest place I have ever been a part of like he always hears from everyone else. He was not happy about that and got away from me as fast as possible. Then during dinner, things seemed to be picking up with the food and drink, until the Korean teacher's speeches started. We had to sit for another hour, and at one point I was talking to Emily and Jacky in the back and was told to pay attention; to which I replied "Why? It's not like they are saying anything I understand. How would you like it if I got up there and spoke for an hour in French?" This was met with silence, but I couldn't have cared less, because I was tired of listening to everyone be little lap dogs to the owner.
After the activity day we came home and called it a night. On Sunday the weather was pretty cloudy, and I spent most of the day inside.

The storm's a brewin'.