It is officially cold here in Korea, and as I walk the streets of downtown Daegu wearing my heavy, black wool coat I think about the weather inThailand: the heat, the humidity, the sweat rolling down the sides of my face and I can't decide which one I hate more: extreme heat or extreme cold. There is physical pain associated with being chilled to the bone, although it is not that cold here yet, but being hot is uncomfortable. I can find an escape from both but what I can't escape from is the way I'm affected emotionally by heat and cold. What I really don't like is the way that I complain about both: in the summer I'm too hot and in the winter I'm too cold. Acceptance of all seasons is the way--and not just in terms of what it feels like outside.

I just resolved some serious issues at work with my employer. A couple of weeks ago I started busying myself with the task of looking for a new job because I was dissatisfied with the situation I was in. My boss was paying me illegally--part of my salary was being direct deposited into my bank account and the other part of it was given to me in cash. I later found out that she did this so she could pay less taxes to the Korean government. This also made it impossible for me to account for the part of the salary that was given to me in cash. My boss was not paying me for overtime when she should have been, and I was working more hours than my contract said I should have been. She also paid me a day late during the month of October. For awhile it looked like I was having the teaching English in Korea nightmare that I heard so much about before I started applying for jobs here. I thought about going back to Thailand. I thought about going home. But then I thought about my goals for myself and I thought that if I couldn't work things out with my employer, I would find another job in Korea. I wouldn't give up that easily.

I started to question myself and berate myself for the situation I had gotten myself into. Why was I teaching kindergarten? Don't get me wrong, the children are adorable, but at the age of four and five, they're still learning their own language, so you can imagine what it's like trying to teach them a second language! And without a Korean teacher assistant! And I hated the school itself: the cramped, messy teacher's office, the two-stall bathroom for 38 people with two little trash cans that only get dumped once a week, the elementary classrooms with the paint peeling off the walls, and the second floor bathrooms that for some reason, never have toilet paper in the stalls. But in the end, I talked to my boss, and she wanted to keep me. She agreed to cut my hours back, and deposit all of my money to my bank account. I don't think I'll be getting paid late anymore since I put up such a stink about it. My boss was doing all those things because she thought she could get away with it, which she was, until I spoke up for myself.

My job isn't perfect, but it has its advantages. I get to be surrounded by the smiling faces and joyous energy of little ones in the morning and afternoon, I get a free lunch, and a break during the day so I can walk around in the fresh air and clear my head. There are times in life when everything flows easily and very little effort has to be put forth for anything, and then there are times when we have to work for what we want to see happen. The latter has been my life for the past couple of months. It's been draining, but I have learned from it. I have learned that it is always in my best interest to plan well for myself, which I will always do from now on. I just have to learn how to deal with situations that are less than ideal. Just like when I find it too hot or too cold, I must dress appropriately and go on.