| The JLS Experience |
| Year 1 at JLS: 2000-2001 After two years of poverty in Canada, my wife and I decided to return to Korea. Since May 1, 2000, I have been teaching at JLS in Bundang, which is a satellite city of Seoul. JLS (Jeong Sang Language School) is a children's school. It's the highest-paying teaching job I've had yet in Korea, and I don't have to get up at ungodly hours of the morning. JLS is not a perfect school, but it is the best one I've worked at in Korea. How many schools have pizza and chicken night twice a week??? (Update: pizza and chicken night has been reduced to special occasions like birthdays. I'm considering quitting.) The first year went by fast and, as according to my plan, I re-signed for a second year with JLS. The first year was very satisfactory. We travelled to Beijing for Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving), but that was followed by a bout with the mumps! I also tracked down my former employers with ULI to get my contract completion bonus. But the biggest news of year #1 at JLS was the fact that my wife and I were going to have a baby! Year 2: 2001-2002 On September 6, 2001, Renee was born, bringing an exciting addition to our family. This basically kicked off a greater explosion of baby-making in my family as a few of my cousins would be having babies in the weeks and months to follow. Some other important events in year 2 included a week-long vacation in Malaysia in May 2001, as well as a Christmas visit by my parents to see Renee. In February 2002, Heather, Renee, and I visited Guam for the Lunar New Year holiday. Year 2 concluded, and I did as expected and signed another contract. Year 3: 2002-2003 This has been quite the year. Not only did Renee grow and delight us regularly, but we went and had another child. Kaitlyn was born on November 29, 2002 after one of the strangest birthing experiences I could imagine (see link for details). So now, our family is four. Year 3 has been marked by a number of amazing experiences. The month of June 2002 was dominated by the World Cup, and Korea was definitely THE place to be for this event. Although I'm not really a soccer fan, the World Cup was a month-long party that was made even better by the surprising success of Team Korea. I went to one match - Denmark vs. Senegal - and had a fantastic time. This was another year for vacations. In late July, Heather, Renee, and I travelled to Singapore and Indonesia. Singapore is a place I've been wanting to visit since I was a kid (do you remember the TV show Bring 'Em Back Alive?). The beach resort on Bintan Island, Indonesia, had the best beach I've seen yet at a resort. Then, in October, Heather and I (Renee stayed with Grandma) did a walking tour of Tokyo. I've been to New York and Hong Kong, and Tokyo ranks right with both of those cities for sheer energy and excitement (and prices!). We both agreed that this is a city to be visited again. At school, I did a lot of work developing the TOEFL writing program along with another teacher. Probably because of this, I get to teach older kids now - middle school and high school kids. As of this writing, I am preparing to sign yet another contract with JLS, which will be year 4. To go along with a new contract, there are a couple of other important developments. Heather, Renee, Kaitlyn, and I are moving into our new apartment, and I am starting a Masters Degree program through the University of Phoenix Online. Life gets busier but more exciting, which is what I was hoping for when I came back to Korea in the first place. |
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