So here's the deal...

Have decided to leave Korea early. Gave my letter of resignation to my school on Monday, stating that my last day will be February 28. I didn't realise that it was a Sunday, but they are cool with it. The teachers handling the situation are being very understanding and supportive. Since Feb 28th is exactly 6 months, I don't have to pay back the re-imbursed airfare and settlement allowance of 300,000won. Also, since it's exactly half of my 1 year contract, they are allowing me to have half of my holidays. I've got 5 days in Jan (the first full week of Jan, so 1st through to the 10th), and then 5 days in Feb (from Lunar New Year - Feb 13 to Feb 22), and then the last 4 days at work, preparing things for a new (possible) replacement.

It wasn't a decision that I made lightly. I haven't been enjoying my job pretty much since I got here. I have no big regrets (small ones, yes, but not big ones) about taking this job and trying something new in a place I've been before. One thing that this experience has emphasised more for me, is that you're the only person who can truly look after you. I now know that Korean public schools aren't my thing. Outside of work, I am enjoying my life here in Korea, but to have to go to a place you don't want to go to 5 days a week, is hard.

I've got issues that I have to deal with back at home as well, and I'll be honest, if these issues didn't come up, I would have tried to stay in my job for 12 months, and I think I could have. But, this is just the way it is. You gotta do the best with what you've got.

As Kenny has said:

You gotta know when to hold 'em
know when to fold 'em
know when to walk away
know when to run

For my own sake, it's time for me to fold 'em and walk away, so I can come back feeling better than ever.

Yeah, I do want to come back to Korea. This chapter in life has taught me to look before you leap, test the waters before jumping in. I think a part of me was so eager to get back to Korea, that i jumped into this job a bit too quickly. If you have to go to a place 5 days out of 7, you should may as well enjoy it - and I'm not.

So this is how it works:
Feb 26 (fri) - last working day
Feb 28 (sun) - last official day, and moving out of apartment day
Mar 1 (mon) - public holiday (independence day)
Mar 2 (tue) - first day of the new semester
Mar 3 (wed) - meet my co-teacher in Suwon so that I can cancel my visa/sojourn properly
Mar 5 (fri) - get to incheon airport by 9, so that I can check in for a flight that leaves at 11am.

From my experience, Koreans can plan stuff pretty well, when they need to. I've given them more than 60 days notice as to when I'm going to quit (sure it's only 10 days, but any bonus is good), so that they have a bit more time to try to find a replacement. I've told them if they would like any help from me, then all they have to do is ask - it's the least I could do since they're helping me out too.

I've also sorted out places to stay from Feb 28 to Mar 5. Friends are awesome when they help out - I'd like to think that they know that I would do the same for them as well.

Is it sent or not?

Yesterday afternoon I sent an email to the Korean embassy, politely asking where my passport and visa was. I got this reply:

Hi there

I sent it out yesterday. You will receive it today

Thanks.

If it was sent yesterday, I would be able to track it online from sometime yesterday. Also, since it is Express Post Platinum, it means it would have arrived in my mail box today.

It wasn't there.

So, I called Australia post, and they confirmed that it hadn't been sent. If it had, it would be on their computer system somewhere, and I should have been able to track it. The call rep also told me about another person who has been in a similar situation, but had to wait 5 weeks for their passport/visa.

So, it got me thinking of possibilities... since that's what I do with stressful situations - overanalyse:

1. They guy from the embassy is bullshitting me - so that I don't worry about it. This is something that Koreans do well (with my experience). It falls under the "tell him what he needs to hear so he doesn't freak out, and we don't get into trouble" category. Firstly, telling me that it's been sent, when I can check that it has or hasn't, is just deep fried stupidity on a stick.

2. It's somewhere between the visa department after being processed, to the place where it needs to go to be in the embassy, to be taken to the post office to be sent. In other words, they've misplaced it. Which I think is also pretty silly.

3. It's somehow been lost at the post office where it was lodged. But then, it would have been scanned, and therefore would have been showed up when tracking. If it has been lost, then the call rep at Australia Post has said that the sender has to call Australia Post to start an "inquiry" to find it.

My bet is on either 1 or 2.

But, shouldn't have happened anyway.

I've cancelled a day of work, and $200, so that I can get this bullshit sorted.