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Picture if you will a poor little fat kid getting his first intercity bus. Its a 5 1/2 hour journey so he brought snacks. He is fat, thats what fat people do. Now picture him walking up to the driver

Yes, I can vouch that Ippy is a real person and a very messy room-mate!  

Ippy doesn't have sex though. He finds it troublesome, or something.

No targets (of course), currently trying not to die after each day at work. Just done another 7 classes on the bounce so fair puggled at the minute.

 

As for climate, it's pretty nippy out there right now... Maybe high single digits. I've alteady caught a cold and got chapped lips. It's proper cold on the mornings. If it wasn't so dry they'd be easy swimming in winter snow, but it all blows out the way.

 

Hating the schedule at the moment, hoping ill adjust, but haven't had to deal with the bullshit commute yet. Kids are really ****ing high level though... And enthusiastic... And cheerful... The rest of Asia is definitely onto a hiding in English for sure, and assuming their English level and progression is mirrored in other subjects, probably everything else as well. It's not just how hard these kids are pushed at school, it's their motivation and energy. I thought it was just because my main school is number 4 in the city, but went to my other school yesterday which is supposed to be "low level" and difficult, and watched those second grader middle school kids blind translate immediately passages I can only imagine high schoolers would struggle with in Japan. It was somewhat impressive.

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Me me me me!

 

Three fun things from China:

 

1. Sweet and sour sauce isnt orange. Its clear. The chicken is just as bad as ever mind you :)

2. Yesterday i watched as one of the teachers took his fag break down the corridor on the way to his next class.

3. I asked if i could get a meal to take away. No problem they said, 10 minutes later my dinner arrives on a plate. No no, said I, take away! After about 5 seconds of thinking the dude runs to the back, gets a carrier bag and tips the food into it. Problem solved!

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At least it sounds like the kids are good ippy.

 

I remember when I was teaching it was rather draining being in front of kids who were simply not in the least bit interested.

I kinda want to do a comparison.

 

On this point and in order of teaching fulfillment (based entirely on attitude, enthusiasm and interest of the kids).

 

1. China

2. Korea

3. Thailand

4. Japan

 

Though china may drop down the pecking order after a few months. Kids though are enthusiastic, high level, and energetic. Well, jhs... i have to teach SH and i hate every inte f that (but thats more becuase im genki clown dipshit by style and trade and it doesnt work on young adults). Korean kids were nice and the high motivavation kids were a JOY to teach, but really could be little assholes as well. Thai kids are mega sweet but way too low level and have zero interest in learning anything. And japanese kids... well, some of you teach them so you can draw your own conclusions.

 

In terms of being the laziest easy going teacher that money will buy:

 

1. Thailand

2. Japan.

3. Korea

4. China.

 

No one supervises your work in thailand. Hell, youd be lucky if all the teachers are actually teaching their classes. Plenty of times ive found classes without a teacher for the whole day.

In China i seem to be getting a lot of supervision. All classes have a co-teacher of sort, and their job is to sit in the back of the class and 'evaluate' your class. In japan you could just as easily phone it in. Korea gives you your own class, the co-teacher is T2, and the grade you give the students for their participation actually impacts the ss grade. So you kinda have to do the job a bit.

 

Wages:

 

1. Korea

2. China

3. Japan

4. Thailand.

 

Amazingly japan SQUEEZES past thailand on this one and only really because it has much more potential for savings. But realistically, without saving youre easily squirreling away 1000 US in Korea every month. In china its looking like you can save around 1000/month as well but the potential for belt tightening further doesnt really exist since its really the low cost of living thats carrying you there. In thailand, salary is the lowest (30-35,000 baht/month), but you can keep about 400-500 US (about 10-15,000). Whilst in Japan i was walking away (once youve paid your rent, healthcare and everthing else) with about 30-40,000 yen/month on average. It should be noted that we're talking crappy dispatch wages (around 22-24/month). You can save more of course, but in the three years ive been in japan not on jet, kinda wasnt happening. I should also add that if id been put on the national health system in Konosu )30k deduction) and had to pay full rent (45k), id have been living pay cheque to pay cheque with maybe the occasional 10-20k saving here and there).

 

Lifestyle:

 

1. Japan

2. Thailand

3. Korea

4. China

 

Its why youre all in japan and why i stayed there despite kinda never being that enamoured with the job, the money and er whatever else. Its just such a nice place to live. The mountains are beautiful, the pace of life is perfect and its genuinely an amazing place to live, shop, and just get around the country. Thailand on the other hand is a cluster****, but its still exciting and fun. If you have money, youll love it. If youre broke, youll feel trapped and bored out of your gourd. But still, fun place to live. Korea: kinda japan but dirtier and smellier. Maybe like osaka, only you can dance in the clubs. Rural in korea is timewarp stuff, whilst big city life is vibrant and energetic. Finally china, feels too messy, spread out and a bit filthy. That being said, might improve once i get some time to look around and have a bit of cash.

 

On balance (money, lifestyle, job):

 

Genuinely no honest idea, ive written down four different lists, and theyve all been deleted. Theyve all got something going for them. China has its amazingly fast development, the fact that you really do seem to be doing a job and the kids are light years ahead. The money is also decent and having excellent wages whilst living in a city with access to all the things youd need for mod-cons (i have a concert hall, an imax and a mall just down the road (well, three malls but two of them are goods that are so upmarket id need to be living a different life), and am 3 subway stops from downtown tianjin - about 10 minutes) and dont have to take a shitty wage for the privilege (cf. Tokyo, Seoul) is kind of a big deal. The people are super nice as well. I liked them right away. Just the right side of curious and interested.

 

Korea of course balances the lot of them perfectly. Its kinda my first choice, but it comes with the pain in the ass of korea being kinda small and not altogether interesting. Theres this law they have in Davesesl i foget the name, but its something like Fun and quality of life decreases the further away from seoul you live. Its kinda true. Living in naju was lovely, but it was out of the way and despite gwangju being great fun, it did lose its sheen a bit. But f you want a job n seoul, youre going to have to drop the wage demands and become a young graduate fresh out of college to be honest (or at least have something very valuable to offer - i dont).

 

Japan is a great place to live, its an easy job, possibly the easiest, but the pay sucks (and is sucking harder and harder), the cost of living was outrageous and the job itself (for me) was soul crushingly miserable.

 

Which leaves thailand. I was told, possibly on this forum in fact, that its a great place to go on holiday, but a shit place to live. And i now understand how true this is. Thai people really can be the nicest, but they can also be absolute dicks. Of all the countries, possibly the people i ended up liking the least. Which is rather amazing for a country declaring itself the land of smiles. Mercenary, cynical, mean, opportunists.

 

But still the one thing that will live with me about thailand is the night i was wandering around bangkok late at night (probably around midnight or thereabouts), and i saw a woman in her full business uniform (not sexy, just business) fifty or so meters away. She looked around rather suspiciously i thought (which is why i paid attention) then pulled a sheet of this metal 6 foot fence to the side slightly (so she could get through) and headed under it. This wasnt some kind of shortcut anywhere. She was basically working her ass off at her job, and coming home to some disused run down hotel with the soi dogs. Its burned in my memory and it tempers everything negative i have to say about thai people. Its a ****ing hard country to live in and you really feel that the shitty pay you get is way too much than you deserve.

 

It didnt stop me leaving mind you for better pay :) But when youre paid almost as much as the principle, and almost twice as much as their english teachers, you really cant help but feel youre a parasite. At least in korea and japan teacher pay overtakes you after the third or fourth year... so thailand i cant honestly get my head around.

 

But in lighter news, and the category GG is no doubt waiting for:

 

1. Korea

.

.

.

2. Thailand

3. Japan.

4. China

 

fun point number 4:

Saw a woman in SNAKE SKIN thigh high boots drop her kid off at elementary school last weekend. Was hilarious. Sometimes i think with al the black, spandex, and thigh highs (and we're talking proper stripper boots here), that chinas fashion industry stems entirely from some dudes motley crue video collection.

 

That being said, the only outrageous fashion in china comes from the mid 30s ---> late 40s group. Theres definitely a thesis in this. The younger kids seem much more conservative and dress down. Make up also lacks any sophistication being either very basic or slapped on with a shovel. Maybe in Bejing its different, and i do live in the ghetto, so who knows? You do see the occasional nine or ten, but theyre maybe once a week rather than once every 5 minutes. Im not exactly rubbernecking it here.

 

Japan ive always suspected lives and dies almost exclusively on makeup and fashion. Whilst korea is just filled to the rafters with beautiful people. Thailand has its own share of beautiful men and women, but i do suspect that the men are way hotter than the women if you were being objective.

Oooh, one thing to add to this scientific study... chinese kids are kinda tall. Not sure what happened, but anyone around the age of 16-28 seems to be much taller on average than the rest of society. I had a rather awkward and uncomfortable moment (for my pride) walking down the classroom with the students all standing by their desks, only to realise that i was surrounded on all sides by kids towering over me. Im 5.9. Now i know how my dads generation probably felt when we shot past them (hes 5.7). I dunno if its just a china thing because im so used to teaching middle school (this was high school), but it was one more moment to my increasing disappearance from releavnce as a human being :)

 

There we go, lots of unwitting racism, xenophobia, and stereotyping from a single standpoint of limited experience masquerading as some kind of universal pronouncement on 4 nations of people. :)

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Japanese women are hot.....I love em :)

 

The sights you see as an elementary school teacher at Susukino Elementary School in Sapporo is rather eye-opening.......mothers who drop their kids off just before they go to bed for the day after finishing a "shift"........metal detectors and security guards on the doors and entrances (where else in Japan have you seen that?!) and other kids getting dropped off in large shiny cars with blacked out windows :)

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1. Korea

.

.

.

2. Thailand

3. Japan.

4. China

 

I thought I recall you (sorry if not) saying that they 'go quickly.

 

Can't believe Thais are above Japanese. Bit too 'boy-y' for me, can't explain.

Japanese rule. And are rather lovely in their 30s and 40s too.

 

I'm talking about personality of course.

 

:evilgrin:

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  • 2 months later...

Seriously, Korean wim are mostly surgically enhanced. Spot the difference

 

k-bigpic.jpg

 

East Asian women are sexiest (and The Sexiest There Are) when they quit messing with their Asian features and love being a sexy Asian woman.

Oh yes. It is the truth.

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sorry dudes, didnt even see. Schedule is pretty busy, at the moment since they have me at the main office (winter break at middle schools and in order to maintain my salary i have to teach 28 classes still) so teaching 1 on 1s for the past two weeks. Time isnt so hard, 10-12, 1-3 and then 3-5. Classes are bananas easy. This eikaiwa lark is an insult to proper teaching. Sit there, work through a text book, find ways to relate it all to one kid. Fill them full of attention, voila, 2 hours knocked out of the park with no effort or thought. All these years i thought "i cant do eikaiwa! how will i keep them entertained?" and now i finally realise its pure zombie teaching. Looks like ill have zero problems finding a teaching gig in japan or korea now though since my options are now once again wide open :)

 

Still, that being said, this whole commute thing means 8am to 8pm. It doesnt help when you have a very chatty boss who likes to chat away while youre on your lunch break and youre desparately trying to wolf down your subway sub before the next kid starts their lesson. Or youre just about to leave, throw out a courtesy bye bye, and get the "hey ipps, have you got two minutes!" No, not like that pervert!

 

Im also doing such a bang up job that they really want me to move from downtown. Only trouble is they want me to do MORE lessons. And 28 seems plenty enough.

 

Ill probably say yes though since a) theyre paying for the relocation, b ) itll keep them sweet; c) it might mean no more senior high classes (2/5 days a week), and d) i have access to a gym, chinese lessons, and maybe even guitar lessons. Im DYING for classical guitar lessons. Teda area is pretty international compared to where i am in downtown Tianjin, so much better place to live. Plus bigger roads, less chaos, less pollution (slightly), more localised and clear center, as well as pretty much every creature comfort you might want.

If however they dont give me a concession on it, ill be sure to remind them of the HUUUUUUUUUUGE favor im doing them by moving there. (:

 

Of course this is the second story, the main story is that three pay cheques in and i still have yet to break 5000RMB (which is ever so slightly just above what you need to live i think - 4000). Month 1 and 2 i had to pay back the loan on getting the house set up (5 months rent in advance - 3 in advance, 1 deposit, 1 agent fee). And this month the rent is due again, so thats 3 months taken out (in advance).

So maybe at best im really only getting a few days on the slopes this year if even that before the end of the season here (mid march i reckon). Bit of a killer to be honest. Particularly given that i have almost two weeks holiday from the 29th to the 9th and no money to waste on it. I definitely need a substance abuse problem so i can zap those days out of existence and avoid the temptation. And even then the money woes dont let up. That just gets me to equilibrium for the china set up. Ive still got that credit card to pay off. Thats a good three months as well of half wages. So this move in effect has cost me 6 months of my life in an odd way (financially). After that im solvent again and can start scratching at that whole "get the **** out!!!!" itch that always finds a way to irritate the shit out me just as i start to come out ahead (:

 

If only for the cosmic balance of all moaning, given all that tripe:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DhFy4qZ0ah8

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