Something About More Changes

Wow, what a busy day. I found out this morning that my plan to start early at Woosong was a no-go. I'll be starting August 23. The contract at my present school finishes on July 18. As you can see, that leaves more than a month free. At 7:3o this morning I emailed a university about working at a summer camp and they emailed me back at 7:45. I had a phone interview at 8:00 a.m. and was offered the job this evening. So, here is what is going to happen:

• July 14: Move my things from Nonsan to Daejeon. I am able to move into my Woosong apartment early.
  
• July 18: Say good-byes to my kiddies in Nonsan.
  
• July 19-20: Go on a visa run to Japan for my C4 work visa.
• July 21: Start my 4 week summer camp at Hankuk Aviation University in Ilsan
• August 20: Finish my 4 week summer camp at Hankuk Aviation University in Ilsan
• August 21-22: Yet another visa run to Japan, this time for my Woosong visa
• August 23: Start my orientation at Woosong.

As you can see, I've got myself booked solid until September. Presently I'm spending most of my days cleaning and packing. There is one slight problem: I can't bring Venus with me to Ilsan. I'll be staying in an upscale residence/hotel and I can't have pets. If anyone is able to cat-sit for me I would appreciate it.

Something About Changes

After spending 3 years at the same school in Korea, I've decided to make a move to greener pastures. The decision was made late last year, but it has taken until now for my plans to become definite. I've been offered a teaching position at Woosong University in Daejeon and I'm going to accept it. I should start in early or late August. That said, I am going to miss Nonsan. Yeah, I complained that it was a small city with barely any foreigners, but it's been my way of life for 3 years now. I'm going to miss having a car to get around with every day. I can always buy a car when I'm in Daejoen, but I'm not sure if I want to risk driving there or not. I'll have to make a short trip to Japan sometime in the near future to get a new work visa. I think I might stay for an extra couple of days just to relax and take it easy. That said, I'm not going to make it home this summer. I am going to try very hard to make it home for Christmas, something I haven't been able to do for 4 years now.

Something About Being Disapointed

I'm really disappointed. After a decade of liberal rule in which democracy was replaced by old cronies insisting that MP's vote along party lines, I honestly thought things had changed. Well, Stephen Harper, this is strike 1. Why on earth would you fire an MP for voting with his conscience? Not only is this undemocratic, it is complete reversal from what your Minister of Foreign Affairs stated just last month:

We will not throw a member out of caucus for voting his conscience. There will be no firings on budget votes as we saw with the Liberal government.

If you want to win the next federal election you must differentiate yourself from the Liberal party. Pulling stunts like this will make it very difficult for voters to trust future promises.