The Life and Times of Redderick Milla Volume 3 (1)

Monday, September 26th, 2006

To say I’m a little behind in my updates and there are a few stories I have to tell…well that would be quite an understatement. I’ve been here, there and back again this summer and had a hell of a time all the while.

Where to start, where to start? I think I ended off last time working 10-7 at a private academy just south of Seoul. As my time on my visa was running out I had to choose to do a visa run to Japan and stay fro another 9 months or do the weaguk (foreigner) dash. The other teachers at the academy were awesome and it was relaxed environment where I could teach what I wanted, but the director there was a deceiving, lying and trashy *#&$#&*. After a talk with the manger who confirmed I couldn’t trust her if I told her I was leaving in a month I decided who needs morality, I’ve taken shit for the last three jobs in Korea and it’s my turn to be the ass. So, the mid May I get paid and I call her telling her I won’t be at work on Monday, she freaks out of course, starts crying and sobbing and all the rest (of course I’ve seen the act twice already with other teachers there), tell me if I say she’ll give me more money, less time and all the rest. Worst mistake of my last few months (and maybe my life), I thought hey, maybe I won’t take all my money out of my account just yet. Try it three days latter, nope, no dice, talk to a manager, its been put on hold by her in the other city, supposedly she had already paid me in cash and that was a mistake. So now me and my girlfriend (Sungku) have to go talk to her at the bank, she proceeds with the whole drama again, starts yelling at my gf (which made her break down in tears hours later as she said she’s never been talked to like that in her life) and pretty much blackmailed me with saying she would call the police. I knew she wouldn’t but wasn’t sure if I would be allowed back in the country if I did. Been told I was ok cause I dint have a working visa with her, but I wasn’t going to chance on being on a blacklist for 5 years…plus I knew since there were other illegal teachers there the school would pretty much get shut down and the 1 teacher who was really committed and gave 110% at work would get f*&^$# with only a month left in his contract and I couldn’t do that to him.

Finally being me and not able to get angry and not wanting to fight, said screw it all, gave her most of the money and left with just enough money to pay my girlfriend back for the ticket she bought for me to Harbin, China. I had power over the whole matter but for sure looked at it in the wrong way…a learning experience to say the least.

So now me and Sungku are on a plane to Harbin, China. She wanted to go to the Philipinees for a week, but I wouldn’t have been able to since I had to apply and pick up my Chinese visa, plus if I went there I would want it to be longer than 3 or 4 days. I convinced her of China. Got picked up by my bro and gump (a good friend from back home) greeted with beers and led to a taxi hat will take us home. Greeted at home by a fire-eyed ryan and sat hanging out while the rest of the Langley crew and other friends showed up. Pretty surreal to see how my bro and 4 of my good friends from Langley have developed their own life and I just kind of sat back and listened and imagined them all while they told their stories. Course out of the 15 people there more than 10 were smokers and of the room was pretty much boxed with all of them…hard the first night, but got used to tit eventually. In harbin for two days, girlfriend hated it as first as we were all crazy drinkers and lived the mai shi (whatever) lifestyle and that’s not what you want when your on vacation (sometimes). Luckily I wasn’t completely broke since my amazing Aunt Patty had given me some cash to do something I would not normally do for my graduation…I definitely wouldn’t have been able to go to Beijing without that cash, and still shoulnd’t have, but really I can’t have been in China twice and not been to the capital, great wall, forbidden city, etc.

So with bags and beer in hand (90% of my photos in china have beer in hand) me, Sungku, Scott and his girlfriend You-Jia go to the train station for our 11 hour train ride. The train was reasonable and since I had the lower bunk and Sungku the middle (they are 3 high on the train) me and Sungku were able to chill down on the bottom, read, talk, listen to tunes and plan the trip. Managed to even both pass out together in a hard bed (you can pay more for a soft bed, but we only booked two days before so no dice) and woke up with Beijing city in the distance and coming up fast.

China travels, more Korea, Langley, Vancouver, and the beautiful Sunshine Coast coming soon!

Peace, love and cheese,

Colin