The Value of Travel: My Journey to Southeast Asia

One of my favorite travel quotes of all time, is by spoken word artist and  punk activist, Henry Rollins:

"I  beg young people to travel.  if you don’t have a passport, get one.  take a summer, get a backpack and go to delhi, go to saigon, go to bangkok, go to kenya.  have your mind blown.  eat interesting food.  dig some interesting people.  have an adventure. be careful.  come back, and you’re going to see your country differently, you’re going to see your president differently, no matter who it is.  music, culture, food, water.  your showers will become shorter.  you’re going to get a sense of what globalization looks like.  it’s not what tom friedman writes about; i’m sorry.  you’re going to see that global climate change is very real.  and that for some people, their day consists of walking 12 miles for four buckets of water.  and so there are lessons that you can’t get out of a book that are waiting for you at the other end of that flight.  a lot of people — americans and europeans — come back and go, ohhhhh.  and the light bulb goes on"

I've read this quote a million times over and nodded in fairly complacent solidarity, that is, until I went to Southeast Asia. While I loved my adventure, I spent so much time thinking, Jesus do I really need this bag?this book? this kindle? these possessions? I don't want to call it a Westernized guilt, but there is something to be said for the tourists who go to foreign countries just to stare at the people that they ignore in their own.  There is a certain freedom you feel when you stop worrying about whether you're "doing  it right." Did you pack enough, is the hotel four stars, will you get an even tan, did you follow the travel itinerary...etc. In fact, getting lost is one of my favorite things about traveling. I feel comfortable being unaware of what I will find next, it's all about discovery.I met so many interesting people, with amazing lives, varying religions, backgrounds and social or economic statuses. I saw people more resourceful than I could ever dream of being, people living on a dollar or two a day, the same people satisfied with their lives, grateful and happy. It really reaffirmed for me what matters the most and the things that I love and care about. I don't travel just to get a stamp in my passport, I travel to meet people I could never make up in my wildest dreams, I travel to try foods that I never knew existed and I travel to feel something and to know that borders are simply man made things that keep us from realizing how unified we really are in the human experience. Southeast Asia is and will continue to be a defining moment in my life, and I feel so blessed to have been able to make such a journey.

How to Guarantee That You'll Have A Horrible Experience Teaching in Korea

Recently I have come across so many people with extraordinary opportunities to work in South Korea, who seem to think that they are "less fortunate"or owed something more than the rest of us.  Occasionally, you will meet a teacher who really has been dealt the shit end of the stick, but more often than not they are just folks who weren't prepared to be teachers in the first place and were expecting to breeze through without doing work. These teachers don't appreciate the struggles of teachers who are actually dealing with corrupt Hagwons, poor or late pay and little to no holidays. The public school experience is actually a very nice set up. Korea can be an absolutely trying and crazy experience, but you really have to make an effort to be totally miserable here! Want to guarantee that you too will become one of those Soul sucking dementor teachers? Follow these steps:

1. Maintain a generally negative attitude about your new country and your surroundings, as well as constantly comparing it to your home country.

2. Hang out with other negative teachers, or even date/marry them for the full pleasurable effect.

3. Never partake in any Korean activities or attempt to learn anything about the culture.

4. Don't make strides towards learning even the most basic Korean phrases, that will help you get by and be accepted as a polite, respectful, member of society.

5. Complain on the largest media platform you can find, in hopes of meeting other soul suckers such as yourself. Chances are you will just alienate your support system (the other native teachers). Of course, a little complaining is necessary from time to time and we all do it, but when it consumes all of your conversations it becomes really tiring, really fast!

6. Don't reach out to the other network of teachers, who are more likely than not, dealing with similar situations in a more mature and positive manner. If you did reach out, they might be able to offer you creative solutions or at the very least, some positive feedback and reinforcement.

7. Don't make your apartment feel like home. That would allow you to get too comfortable or take ownership over your habitat. Instead, you can continue to feel as if you are renting a space in a country you are not too fond of.

8. Do make random, sporadic attacks on people who are enjoying their time in Korea. Insist that they cannot possibly be having fun because you are not, or that they somehow have been "dealt a lucky hand." This will make you the life of the party!

9. Treat your time in Korea as if it is just a gap year or another drunken study abroad session. After all, how much work do you really need to put into teaching?

10. Blame it all on luck and never take your work ethic or attitude into consideration. Sometimes we need to assume personal responsibility, re-evaluate and approach a situation in a different way. As a teacher, this is invaluable!

Did you take note? Great! You are on your way to being the worst kind of person to spend time abroad! Alright, if you didn't pick up on my obvious sarcasm, then you may have just gathered that I  have been put off a bit by some of the negativity in the teaching community. Particularly when I have met such fantastic, positive people, sharing such a wonderful experience! Ups and Downs and all! I have had my share of troubles, but I have learned to face them with positivity and a wicked sense of humor. Sometimes that's all you can do.

Have you made attempts to improve your situation here? No? Well here is my sympathy face...

Want to make the most of your year teaching abroad? Check out these helpful tips for staying sane in Korea!

Top 10 Ways to Spend Deskwarming

How you feel the first two hours of deskwarming...

Okay, so many people do not enjoy deskwarming, I on the other hand, see it as getting paid for doing the things I would be doing if I were in the privacy of my own home. I haven't had to teach a formal class since the end of December.  I made it through a less than grueling winter camp an re-emerged just in time for graduation and my vacation to Southeast Asia. This week (the final week of school) I was asked to teach "fun classes" which included playing "would you rather" with students and watching Queen B perform at the superbowl. Since I have no 3rd or 2nd year classes this week, I literally am teaching 3 classes.

Enter deskwarming. Here is how I spend my time:
1. Facebook creeping on people I have little to no contact with in the real world
2. Writing angsty essays and submitting them to sketchy writing contests.
3. Catching up on "Girls" and "American Horror Story"
4.Planning the MESS out of my vacation, basically to the point where I will change all of my plans when I arrive.
5. Selling random things that I no longer need and non-existent items on craiglist.
6.Studying my Korean, which I only remember for about a day or two at a time.
7.Creating sassy Beyonce superbowl memes
8.Googling plane tickets for upcoming rugby events and live streaming the 6 Nations.
9. Adding items to my cart on I-herb/G-Market numerous times and then feeling guilty and cancelling my  order.
10.Dreaming about/skyscanning possible weekend trips outside of Seoul.

After week two of deskwarming...

What about you? What do you do with your desk warming time?

                                       Elle Varner is a great soundtrack to my boredom!