The International Schools Review Forum

Greetings!!

Thank you folks for your kind words and encouragement. It looks like we'll be going to YISS in Seoul to teach history and Grade 3. We are very excited and have managed to get the grandparents onside. Now the craziness of packing and countless other decisions await us.

Thanks!!

Congrats jbiersteker! I remember being in Korea back in 2006 after a missile test. It was a little tense when we visited the DMZ, but otherwise, life went on just fine. I understand the parental freak out...definitely dealing with it on this end.

Thanks, everyone for the input. I did ask around quite a bit before declining the offer I had and spent two solid days agonizing over the choice in front of me. Ultimately it came down to people I know who are from that country telling me not to go. Maybe I overreacted, but what's done is done. C'est la vie... :)

I also have the luxury of having a great job here in the States to fall back on - I'm not going to starve without an international teaching job...but my life will be much less interesting!

I have definitely enjoyed the fact that almost every day there's a new posting. I feel like there is hope. The interview I was supposed to have this week never happened - they must have filled it already, which is fine. I'll keep on keeping on.

I really have to say that all in all safety isnt the biggest concern, considering the USA is one of the most dangerous places in the world. I had friends in Thailand/Bangkok during the coupe and one of them commented when I asked how they were doing and if they were alright "There was a coupe?", except in cases of kidnapping and ransom or isolated terrorism, most political conflicts avoid westerners and foreigners. The state department travel advisories make every country out to be more dangerous then "home".
What really causes people to worry and be concerned is their lack of familiarity with the culture and language. If you dont know what to do in a crises, youre (and your family) are more likely to have unresolved fears and apprehension.

[quote="PsyGuy"]I had friends in Thailand/Bangkok during the coupe and one of them commented when I asked how they were doing and if they were alright "There was a coupe?"[/quote] and [quote]Unless there is a little red line under the word its spelled correctly. I think im going to aggregate the grammar conventions and just write all variations as "rog", there i simplified the term.[/quote]

Bet there was no little red line under "coupe," either. Unfortunately your phonetic spelling technique won't work as coup is pronounced "coo," and coupe is pronounced "coop."

I used to have a very indulgent principal who got a kick out of my edits of his memos; sometimes he would deliberately (so he said) put some bizarre spelling or phrase in to make me crazy. I often wonder if you're doing the same.

I was teaching in Bangkok during the political demonstrations a few years ago, when the government slapped a curfew on the city.
It created more traffic during rush hour and forced you to eat earlier to ensure you got back home in time, but apart from that it was no big deal.

In fact I remember finding the errie silence at night quite fascinating.

@heyteach

::Giggle::... Shiny.