Changwon Nam Middle School runs an interesting ad. They pay a bit above the going rate and advertise single furnished accommodation. A religious school was an option I hadnt considered, but then I asked myself why not. At least I could expect better than average behaviour. So, I signed a contract with them. The e-mail contact I had had with one Mr. Ryu was congenial, so I decided to take a chance.

Got met at Kimhae Airport by Mr. Ryu, his wife, and baby daughter. You are so fat! So fat! called out a chubby homunculus from the crowd at the arrivals gate. An atypical greeting, but I let it slide. Before I loaded my bags into his car, I gave him, his wife, and his daughter some expensive gifts. Why didnt you buy anything for my sons?! They are going to be angry!

Was anticipating getting ensconced in my apartment, and we were one block away from it when Mr. Ryu told me that my roommate was already there.Roommate? Worthy of star billing on A and Es Hoarders, my roomie was a slob, a smoker, and the ultimate narcissist. He would alternately offer advice on how I could break up the king-coilers that he left in the toilet and crow about his amorous conquests. His used condoms were everywhere in the apartment. They provided a topnote to complement the rotting food, the coffee grounds, the cigarette smoke, and the dirty laundry that lay everywhere.

Were the students at least a saving grace in that school? A co-ed school, the girls were angels. Unfortunately, the boys were criminals-in-training. They would shamelessly write F*ck you! on the desks right in class, and if they could, they would rip the top veneer off of the desks. My classroom walls are always full of posted resources , but the boys delighted in taking their razor knives to them, so I had to replace many of them on a weekly basis. These boys were so rude that many of the male Korean teachers wanted to beat them half to death. A common scene was to see a boy running, a teacher in hot pursuit, and the student would be phoning the police. Officers would show up a minute or so later and then force the teacher to apologize to the student.

In the classroom, the male students would often take the proffered handouts and, upon being requested to take one and pass the rest back, toss the lot out the window. Another surprise in the classroom was that Mr. Ryu, a history teacher, would sometimes visit for a few minutes. More often than not, he would yell, "This is boring!" and then leave. This from a guy who also defended himself in the staffroom by shouting out, "My IQ is testend two times! I am 92! I am normal!"

It was futile to try and change their behavior. I realized that I was banging my head against a wall when some of the schools male students made it into the newspapers for raping female students. The rapist and his parents would be at the police station along with the victim and her parents, and the police officers would harass the victim and her family for wanting to disgrace their school and community. Korea fosters and encourages bullying behaviour.

There are a lot of factories in Changwon and thus, a lot of foreigners. Should you be tempted to teach there, stay away from Changwon Nam Middle School.