Time for a bit of an update on what's going on with me, the man behind the blog.

I had alluded before to certain 'events' at the hagwon I was working at. I still want to document the silliness in blog-form, but to make a long story short, I was canned.

We all knew the school would close soon. The signs were everywhere, from students and their inflated tuition dropping like flies, to the boss ranting in broken english, "Must close school soon," as he passed us in the hall.

I had assumed that myself and fellow teachers would all get the axe at the same time. Was not to be. My day of reckoning came when the big guy called me upstairs. Being the wellspring of tact that he is, he told me that the school needs a "fat Canadian woman" to instill some discipline.

He eventually found a Canadian girl who conformed to his size requirements, but alas, even she could not right the sinking ship that was VIKS hagwon.

The plaque above the secretary's desk reads 'since 2001'. And sadly, after close to three years of shaping the future leaders of Korea, the door swung shut for the last time this past Thursday. I'd like to say the school closed unceremoniously, but there was actually a graduation for the kindergarten kids. I hear it went well.

This unfortunate situation left me somewhat adrift. Lacking the appetence for another hagwon, I quickly decided to try and make a go of it doing 'privates'. Basically this meant I would tutor children or adults in the english language at rather exorbitant prices. I had reservations about this plan at first, but calmed myself after some quite reflection. After all, working illegally in a foreign country is a normal part of the career progression of any 20something Canadian these days.

However in the meantime persistance has paid off. After constantly harrassing the American editor-in-chief, I managed to secure myself somewhat of a real job. On a temporary basis I am now a copy-editor at one of the more well-known newspapers here in Seoul. That's good for several reasons; it's great experience, I don't have people screaming, "Me pencil no!!" when I walk into the office (although it'd be funny if I did) and most of all I no longer feel that a large portion of my day has been a fundamental waste of time.

Granted the pay is shite, I don't have a formal contract, and I'm about as low down the hierarchical ladder as possible without actually being underground. I enjoy it though, and if everything works out I may even be able to get on full-time.

Now that's out of the way, we can get back to once-monthly commentary of a decidely pointless nature.