The perks of an F4 visa

Since I have "at least one parent or grandparent who renounced their Korean citizenship", I am eligible for the "overseas Koreans" F4 visa. This gives me the same residency rights as Korean nationals for the next two years and I am not legally tied to my job. Even though many people take on private tutoring for some extra cash under the table, I am now legally entitled to do part-time work. Score.

So lately, qualified by my British accent, I have been recording part-time for English text books. Example sentences include:

1) useful everyday phrases, e.g.: "The living room communicates with the dining room", "It is abnormal for a two-month-year-old baby to have teeth", "He caught our eyes with his characteristic beard";

2) patriotic indoctrination, e.g.: "Korea worked a miracle in economic development";

3) political generalisations, e.g.: "Old men tend towards conservatism";

4) motivational slogans, e.g.: "No reward without toil", "Don't drink raw milk";

5) observations of the heart, e.g.: "A good wife is a household treasure", "Children and lovers like to blow bubbles", "Young men should not yield up to any temptation", and, one to watch out for, "Silence often implies consent".

I have actually found that I occasionally have to take educated guesses at the pronunciation of some of the more advanced vocabulary, and it is thus that I will endeavour to stop carrying around my Korean phrasebook and replace it with my English dictionary for perusal during my ever-dwindling free time instead. :P

Regarding my visa, I am currently considering what I am actually going to do between the time my non-existent contract at the kindergarten is up at the end of February, and the time I start my masters next September. Hence, I am in the process of re-negotiating my present working agreement to work in favour of both the school (not having to hire and train a new teacher) and myself (not having to find a job in the increasingly expensive UK, or having to take on new and inevitably bratty children).

I shall keep the blog posted.