Martin
- 2010-07-23
This daft letter from 2004 has been around on this website for long enough! MunHwa was and is a great school run by a great team. I'd recommend a stint at MunHwa to any interested teacher: I taught there 2 years at different times and enjoyed my time there. Btw, there is even a MunHwa veterans page on facebook, check it out!
Sandy Combes
- 2010-03-07
I would like to post a reply to this woman's letter about Mun Hwa...I have worked at Mun Hwa for two years, and all I can say are good things about it!
The woman who wrote the previous letter actually stayed in my current apartment when she became so disgusted. Frankly, I don't know how. The apartment is hugely spacious, with two large bedrooms, a living room and a kitchen (with an oven!). The balcony does look over a market, but the occasional (and I mean very occasional) smells are part of living here. Also, a few repairs were done to the apartment during my stay, and all of them were taken care of by Mr. Kang and Mr. Lee (the owner and manager of Mun Hwa) without complaints or demands for extra money. The complex is also in a nice, safe neighborhood.
Speaking of the school itself, I can honestly say that the people who work here are some of the most honest and friendly people I have met. Mr. Kang is a very honest business man, who always pays his staff on time, and makes sure there are no problems running the school. He is also a passionate teacher. He encourages us to come to him with new ideas for the classroom, and he also gives us a lot of free reign in our individual classes. Foreign teachers' scores also hold wieght at Mun Hwa, because our test scores are averaged together with the korean teacher's scores. This, I have found, is a special thing to happen here!
Beyond the owner, the other staff memebers are all kind and loving people as well. The staff acts as a small family because most of them have been working at Mun Hwa for over five years, some of them over ten! I truly enjoy stepping into the office everyday. It is a happy environment to work in, and I would encourage anyone to come!
Leigh Donevan
- 2004-10-21
I was saddened, and frustrated, when I visited my old school last weekend in Gwang Ju, Korea: Mun Hwa School. I was astounded when the director told me about Ms. Rose Lynde who they had hired, brought to Korea and who had left the next day!
My name is Leigh Donevan. I have lived in Korea for 6 years including THREE years at Mun Hwa School! I know the director very well and I am very familiar with the living conditions at the apartments.
I can truthfully state that I never saw any apartments that had "exposed areas around piping" with "rampant cockroaches (inside and out)" and "mice droppings" with "encrusted layered dirt" and "rancid digusting" ovens. Also the description of "garbage all over" with "open ditches" and "overpowering urine smell" outside of the "filthy" apartment is quite an exaggeration.
I have seen, and helped clean, many apartments for the school as new teachers moved in over the years. I never experienced such conditions as described by Ms. Lynde. In fact, the apartments are not only clean but they are also quite big (for Asian standards) and are located in a nice neighborhood. Also, it is my personal, and professional, opinion that Mr. Kang, the director of the school, is one of the best bosses I have ever had both in Canada and in Korea. I thoroughly enjoyed my time at the school and only moved on to study in Seoul in a Masters Program.
So... be careful about what you read and believe on the net. Check things out very carefully because you may miss a great opportunity... such as the one Ms. Lynde only took 16 hours or so(mostly at night and after a 15ish hour plane ride) to explore.... pity! It is a great school!
Sincerely, Leigh Donevan
PS. you can contact me at the posted email address if you have further questions.
> After travelling from Vancouver, Canada to Gwangju, Korea, this email
> was a direct notice to MunHwa Language School school as I fled the
> scene the very next day. Didn't even get inside a classroom!:
> I wasn't about to wait for our suggested meeting on Thursday. My
> immediate exodus was prompted by the following:
> When I awoke early morning to the clatter and sounds of hammering and
> pots banging, I got up to further investigate. By now its daybreak
> and I can see
> my surroundings. I opened sliding door at living room
> to discover a market of stalls below the apt with
> garbage all over, open running ditches. Noise and overpowering urine
> smell in addition to a filthy apartment! I don't think so.
> This contract was doomed from the start. Arriving in Korea didn't get
> any better. Not being met at the airport is really inexcusable.
> Eventually being taken to apt to find my bedroom was without a light,
> as was the bathroom. The bed was without linens or towels for
> freshening up. Going shopping on arrival for essentials after a
> journey half-way 'round the world is not my idea of being welcomed to
> new country and surroundings.
> With the light of dawn I could inspect apt more thoroughly. There
> were exposed areas around piping rampant with cockroaches (inside and
> out) and mice droppings. The kitchen was encrusted in
> layered filth and the oven in a rancid disgusting state. At this
> point I decided 'I am out of
> here'; wake up the roommate with these same words.
> Adeline (roommate) said she mentioned more than once about the
> lighting (or lack of it), no linens and the cleaning
> requirements for incoming roommate.
> You not only need a co-ordinator for staff, you need to develop a
> system for your incoming/outgoing staff. You really have done more
> harm by your inefficiency and turning a blind eye to simple matters.
> Rose Lynde
Adilene
- 2004-10-13
> After travelling from Vancouver, Canada to Gwangju, Korea, this email
> was a direct notice to MunHwa Language School school as I fled the
> scene the very next day. Didn't even get inside a classroom!:
> I wasn't about to wait for our suggested meeting on Thursday. My
> immediate exodus was prompted by the following:
> When I awoke early morning to the clatter and sounds of hammering and
> pots banging, I got up to further investigate. By now its daybreak
> and I can see
> my surroundings. I opened sliding door at living room
> to discover a market of stalls below the apt with
> garbage all over, open running ditches. Noise and overpowering urine
> smell in addition to a filthy apartment! I don't think so.
> This contract was doomed from the start. Arriving in Korea didn't get
> any better. Not being met at the airport is really inexcusable.
> Eventually being taken to apt to find my bedroom was without a light,
> as was the bathroom. The bed was without linens or towels for
> freshening up. Going shopping on arrival for essentials after a
> journey half-way 'round the world is not my idea of being welcomed to
> new country and surroundings.
> With the light of dawn I could inspect apt more thoroughly. There
> were exposed areas around piping rampant with cockroaches (inside and
> out) and mice droppings. The kitchen was encrusted in
> layered filth and the oven in a rancid disgusting state. At this
> point I decided 'I am out of
> here'; wake up the roommate with these same words.
> Adeline (roommate) said she mentioned more than once about the
> lighting (or lack of it), no linens and the cleaning
> requirements for incoming roommate.
> You not only need a co-ordinator for staff, you need to develop a
> system for your incoming/outgoing staff. You really have done more
> harm by your inefficiency and turning a blind eye to simple matters.
> Rose Lynde
Well, I think some people were meant to be interns in the White-House. By any standards, Munhwa is one of the best Language Institutes in Korea. I understand your concern but your accusations are beyond limit. We all have different expectations as per our countries standards. It is unfortunate that yours were never met. That doesn't mean your judgement on this institute and the Apt was correct.
I wish you the best in your search for luxurious necessities.
Korea is Korea... Canada is Canada... Be adaptive!!!
Laowai
- 2004-10-08
> After travelling from Vancouver, Canada to Gwangju, Korea, this email
> was a direct notice to MunHwa Language School school as I fled the
> scene the very next day. Didn't even get inside a classroom!:
> I wasn't about to wait for our suggested meeting on Thursday. My
> immediate exodus was prompted by the following:
> When I awoke early morning to the clatter and sounds of hammering and
> pots banging, I got up to further investigate. By now its daybreak
> and I can see
> my surroundings. I opened sliding door at living room
> to discover a market of stalls below the apt with
> garbage all over, open running ditches. Noise and overpowering urine
> smell in addition to a filthy apartment! I don't think so.
> This contract was doomed from the start. Arriving in Korea didn't get
> any better. Not being met at the airport is really inexcusable.
> Eventually being taken to apt to find my bedroom was without a light,
> as was the bathroom. The bed was without linens or towels for
> freshening up. Going shopping on arrival for essentials after a
> journey half-way 'round the world is not my idea of being welcomed to
> new country and surroundings.
> With the light of dawn I could inspect apt more thoroughly. There
> were exposed areas around piping rampant with cockroaches (inside and
> out) and mice droppings. The kitchen was encrusted in
> layered filth and the oven in a rancid disgusting state. At this
> point I decided 'I am out of
> here'; wake up the roommate with these same words.
> Adeline (roommate) said she mentioned more than once about the
> lighting (or lack of it), no linens and the cleaning
> requirements for incoming roommate.
> You not only need a co-ordinator for staff, you need to develop a
> system for your incoming/outgoing staff. You really have done more
> harm by your inefficiency and turning a blind eye to simple matters.
> Rose Lynde
My god! How long had the roommate lived under these conditions? Is it possible that SHE would have been more problematic than the digs?
After travelling from Vancouver, Canada to Gwangju, Korea, this email was a direct notice to MunHwa Language School school as I fled the scene the very next day. Didn't even get inside a classroom!:
I wasn't about to wait for our suggested meeting on Thursday. My immediate exodus was prompted by the following:
When I awoke early morning to the clatter and sounds of hammering and pots banging, I got up to further investigate. By now its daybreak and I can see
my surroundings. I opened sliding door at living room
to discover a market of stalls below the apt with
garbage all over, open running ditches. Noise and overpowering urine smell in addition to a filthy apartment! I don't think so.
This contract was doomed from the start. Arriving in Korea didn't get any better. Not being met at the airport is really inexcusable.
Eventually being taken to apt to find my bedroom was without a light, as was the bathroom. The bed was without linens or towels for freshening up. Going shopping on arrival for essentials after a journey half-way 'round the world is not my idea of being welcomed to new country and surroundings.
With the light of dawn I could inspect apt more thoroughly. There were exposed areas around piping rampant with cockroaches (inside and
out) and mice droppings. The kitchen was encrusted in
layered filth and the oven in a rancid disgusting state. At this point I decided 'I am out of
here'; wake up the roommate with these same words.
Adeline (roommate) said she mentioned more than once about the
lighting (or lack of it), no linens and the cleaning
requirements for incoming roommate.
You not only need a co-ordinator for staff, you need to develop a system for your incoming/outgoing staff. You really have done more harm by your inefficiency and turning a blind eye to simple matters.
Rose Lynde