“But.” I like Korea, but…

[Edit = as it transpired, it wasn't my classroom, but the entire school that was on AC lockdown!]

I often think that it's too easy, too cheap, to see and speak about the faults of things and people. I detest bitchy people, to be positive is so much better, but, however, there a few times when we all need to unload, so here's a wee gripe about some Korean things I don't like…

For example, I ride my bike around the town I live in, Dongducheon, and this week there have been 6 (six) different ladies who have just walked blithely out in front of me without so much as a fleeting glance to see if there is anything coming their way. I kid ye not – six. It's as if they cross the road with their ears. "I can't HEAR a car, so it must be safe to cross." There's little doubt I'll eventually run someone over, and when I do, she will know, even if she doesn't speak English, exactly what I think of this non-visual crossing-the-road tactic!

Children also ride on the wrong side of the road on their bikes, straight towards me. Now I appreciate it's their country and ergo their rules, but next time this happens, I'm kicking the little fucker off.

Build quality. One thing matters in Korea – speed. Speed above all else. So you bought a new house, and there's screws sticking out of the wall, and they've missed bits they should've painted, and……Doesn't matter, they built it quickly, that's what counts.

What sparked this entire post was this. Today, my air conditioner in my classroom isn't working. So I told my boss, who went off to tell someone. He came back 10 minutes later to tell me that 'I'd used too much electricity this week, and it wasn't gonna be switched on until 1pm". They'd turned it off down at then office! It could reach 32 fucking degrees here today, and it's 27 degrees now! I have a classroom with 30-plus kids in it. Can you imagine how warm and stifling it is, even with the windows open?! My point here is that they don't seem to care about pleasing their employees. A quiet word would have done (not that I've been using it much anyway). Why treat their employees like small children? My immediate boss is very nice, and very apologetic – it simply wasn't his fault. Someone higher, and they LOVE hierarchy in Korea, just looked at the figures and switched it off. If I was to try and sum up Korea in one word, megalomania would be high up the list of words I'd choose from. Get up that ladder! To be powerful here, even, say, a principal in a school, is to be completely revered and obeyed. You cannot question their decisions or motives. If the principal says that all students are to have a test today, at the last minute, then they do. No teacher would speak up and say it doesn't make sense to do this. And I really must say that this level of conformity is a little grating. NO-ONE speaks up for themselves. Everybody eats the shit of the person above them. Honestly, it's kind of pathetic. Obey. Do. Work. OK…

I'll finish on a positive. I don't want you thinking Korean people are horrible and useless, because they are not; they are a helpful, kind, hard-working people. They really are, but what they consider to be common sense and normal, sometimes, is far removed from we would consider the same in the West.