1. Thanks be to yee good fellows. Escape to the glorious Philippines. Why did I not visit earlier? Well I had a bad false impression. THAT has taken a U-turn. It is one of the most primo places I have seen anywhere. Lovely climate (south of Luzon Is. the winter is warm), the people are so friendly, curious and gentle and I speak ye true, they really are. I found lots to do and everybody knows some English. Avoid cities like Manilla, and that goes for most of the world in my books. In Canada I might be able to retire miserably, now, and make it to pension time at age 65. I'd freeze by butt, as is oft' said, and get taxed like a leech (yon ferocious worm). However, with the multiplication of a 1st world currency I am a millionaire in Indonesia, rural Philippines, Brazil (next goal), Nicaragua, hill country India, etc. etc. I kid ye not! I pull not thy lower member (leg). In Indonesia our 1000 won Korean note (I call it the Korean $) was exchanged for 6 of their's. Shop till you drop brothers and sisters. That's right 1 to 6. In China the exchange is 1:8 for US dollars, and the Canada dollar is similar. In places like rural India the buying power is even greater as local produce is so v. cheap. Now you can'na sail on down there an' be buyin books on Amazon and drinking the likes of Scotch all the while. Imported items are dear an there are those pesky tarrifs. Hoots mon! As Valdy sings "Give me the simple life, I want the simple life, don't want to worry 'bout tomorrow..".
Seriously. This is not an exploitive thing to do. Take your currency to where it is very much needed and appreciated. Open a small business. Keep teaching ESL if you can hold your breakfast down.

About the Korean Education systems.Here goes.... I taught hogwans (private after-school schools), highschools, lower grade colleges and ower grade universities. Are there any higher grade colleges in Korea? Example: I ran into so much cow dung at Hansung Science Highschool, Seoul (1995-6) (had to report the new principal to my embassey for 2 attempts of sexual assault against my co-worker). This school thinks it's elete, one of the top two. It's just a sweat shop for bright sleep-deprived kids. Too many colleges are private out-for-mom-and-dad's-money colleges and the degrees they issue are rubbish. I should know. I had hundreds upon hundreds of students pass beneath my dreaded red pen. These schools print their own text books to get more of the kids' cash and manipulate the marks all the time and quickly get rid of real teachers. Keep that oil flowing. OOPs Syriana flashbacks! Keep that tuition money flowing. Anyway, to be kind Korea has undergone huge social changes and, as discussed, there is only so much the generations can absorb before they begin to crack. Some kids do learn English especially if the moms put them in good hogwans early. Then it is a breeze for the kids to learn in 1 year. I'm proud of my 1st year there. Learning ESL as young adults just seems to be too much work with all the other things on their plates. The child's brain is less absorbant after age 7, that's neurological. Some college kids aquire English with determination and overseas trips. For comparison, my French would be much better if my parents had sent me to France or Quebec immersion during summer holidays. They didn't follow through, but I'm not bitchen. Ma an' Pop did a lot for us brothers four. Learning a language as an adult ain't easy for most of us and I refuse to make it work. I just let it seep in naturally like bad air (snicker), or I add a spoon full of sachrine to make the medicine go down.

Young Koreans are Ok. Anybody over 30.. be careful. They think only about their career ($$$$ = success = honour) and "are you of use to them???" The system screws them up once the little gentles leave primary school. Until 1997-98 girls going into Middle School were pressured to get most of their hair cut off at the neck level. There used to be laws against sideburns, facial hair and tatoos. The stick and punches were used liberally in schools. It really was an extreme right wing sort of place and that is not surprising with North Korea just across across the way. There you go, the nation did crack under all the pressure and is still not whole. Needs compassion. I love the place really, sounds wacky? "Nope", he says as he wipes away a tear from the corner of his eye.. It became my second home and I miss the good common people (not the snobs who are no better than their Japanese oppressors), the baudy language, the great food, the desire to improve themselves and the gorgeous mountain parks. I will give a hint to anybody going there. Love and a lies do not mean the same things as in the West. In Korea love is ok but money is better. Lies, well lies can be erased with the word sorry. Can it? I say can it!