ULI

ULI: Universal Language Institute

This was my first teaching job. ULI was a private academy for mostly adult students, although we did have a few younglings there. In a preview of how I would feel later teaching children, I found myself loosing my rage upon a couple of kids who spent the class throwing paper at each other and being generally obnoxious. Then there was the 7-year-old girl who got placed into my adult conversation class.

Yeah, I knew early on that teaching English couldn't be considered a real teaching job, but then I didn't figure this would be anything more than a one-year gig.

I got the job at ULI as a last-minute change of mind. Originally, I planned to go to Gwangju, even going so far as to call the notorious Mike Oh, recruiter extraordinaire (who asked for $200 to place me at what undoubtedly would have been a shithole school). However, unbeknownst to me, my girlfriend Miriam had two friends working in Seoul. Upon learning this information, I called them to get the straight goods. Since they weren't demanding $200 for the favour of recommending me, I accepted the offer from ULI.

It was July 1995 when I came to Korea, right smack in the middle of monsoon season. Korea was in a bit of a transition period at this time, where it was just beginning to look like an advanced nation, but still had many of the trappings of a poor country. Roads washed away in the rain and ensuing flooding. The Sampoong Department Store had collapsed only 2 weeks before I came. The Bongo truck and Tico car were the automobiles of choice for many Koreans. And parents happily slugged their children in broad daylight.

My accommodations were quaint. I shared a two-bedroom villa with the aforementioned friends of my girlfriend (something they never forgave me for since it meant their friend Brian had to leave to make room for me). I got to see my first Korean shower stall/bathroom, where one takes a shower while standing in front of the toilet. The kitchen was pretty small, and there was no living room. My bedroom had no closet, but it did have a dirty mattress. The stifling heat and humidity was a nightmare for sleeping purposes, as I had no fan for a few days.

I had come to Korea with some brand new dress shirts and ties, thinking this would be required for a teaching position. I wore these on my first day and felt like a total dweeb. And I sucked as a teacher, too. So, on the second day, I scrapped the dress clothes and wore something that I felt comfortable in.

A really fun aspect of teaching at an adult hagwon (academy) was having to wake up at 5 a.m. In the summer it wasn't so bad. In the winter, this would be a horrible way to start the day, especially because I would finish work at night when it was dark, go home, and come back the next day before any hint of sunshine. I taught six hours a day, and this would be a split shift -- sometimes 4 in the morning, 2 at night, and sometimes 2 in the morning, 4 at night. In between, I'd go home and sleep.

It wasn't all bad, of course... it is just fun and therapeutic to talk about the stupid stuff right off the bat. Next time, I might talk about the good aspects of my ULI job. Or maybe I'll talk about some of the freaky expats I met there. Whatever, it will surely be of interest to me but be boring as hell for you (if there's anyone out there reading this!).