Not yet she isn't.
G.E.T. stands for Guest English Teacher, and it's what I'll be called while teaching English in Korea. Exactly one year after receiving my master's in English literature from the University of Pennsylvania (I'll mention the name of my alma mater every time I get, since it's my greatest accomplishment so far -- although I'm fairly sure that most people in Korea have only heard of Harvard, Yale, Oxbridge, and maybe Brown... but Penn is a top university, too, I swear!) and a string of fruitless interviews (I blame it on the collapsing market and modern society's lack of appreciation for scholarly pursuits... and my lack of interviewing skills, but the other two surely contributed) later, I finally GOT A JOB... in South Korea! That's right, I had to go halfway around the world to find someone who will appreciate my degree and skills.
Well, they don't actually do even that, because all they were asking for in potential candidates was a bachelor's degree (in any field, not necessarily in English literature, but they say that's a plus) from an accredited university (not necessarily a top one, but I'm sure that was a plus, too. That is, if they knew that PENN IS PRESTIGIOUS -- I SWEAR!). In other words, in abstaining from Ph.D. ambitions and settling at a master's, I must stoop a little in my job expectations, because there are very little opportunities that cater exactly to that middle educational range. However, it seemed that my master's in English raised me a little bit above the minimum pay scale that the S.M.O.E. (Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education) offers to G.E.T.s, about 100 CAD more per month. So, that's something. The $50,000 (the cost of my time at Penn) will pay off, a little bit at a time.
The salary almost, and not quite, amounts 2000 CAD a month, but accommodations is already offered. My salary would pay for utilities, Internet, phone, transportations, and travel. And food, of course, but I will be as sparing on that as I possibly could while maintaining my health. I will not, and I think it's wise that I do not, be equally cheap in traveling. The best part about this job is seeing and experiencing a different culture, people, new sights and sounds, etc., and I hope to take full advantage of my time abroad and see all I could, not only of South Korea, but also its northern neighbour (I'll be respectful and smile a lot), plus Japan, Thailand, and China. (Maybe not China -- I was born there, so I already saw a lot of it, but then again, a lot of it has changed since I was last there and it'll probably be worth it to visit China again, but then again, there are those nosy, pesky relatives I'd have to get together with, but then again, they might be nice and fun, but then again, they'll take me out to restaurants that likely serve chemically-manipulated, questionable foodstuffs, because it's the PRC...). Either way, I plan to travel, which means, I probably would not be able to save any money over the next year. If I'm lucky, the money I'll make would pay off my expenses for the year, including the money that I spent investing for this venture -- new blazer and dress pants, new shoes, visa fee, degree translation fee, etc.
This look into the near future reminds me a little bit of Ishmael's prospects at the beginning of Moby Dick. If he's lucky, what he'll make by going on a three-year voyage on the Pequod would be enough to cover the cost of the clothes that he'll have worn away during this period. Admittedly, whaling doesn't seem to be a great money-making venture, neither is ESL teaching, but Ishmael goes whaling anyway. Why? The semi-spiritual call of the open seas. For me, teaching ESL abroad satisfies the call of international travel. Really. It seems that once every few years or so, I would go abroad, probably to sate some unconscious itch for new countries and cultures. To further this comparison -- Ishmael had gone on several sea voyages prior to the events of Moby Dick, but he's never gone on a whaling voyage. Likewise, I have travelled to other countries many times previously, through immigration and then study/exchange programs, but has never gone on a work leave, and never to teach English to people whose language I do not understand. So, what we embark on is both familiar and at the same time new, exciting, and just a little bit nerve-wracking.
I compare myself to a literary character not because I'm pretentious (although I am that a little bit, admittedly; I went to Penn -- it's a top school, I SWEAR!), but because Moby Dick is high on my mind. Recently, I've been reading Melville's masterpiece. (For the first time, too. As a master's in English literature, that's almost shameful). I haven't yet finished the novel, but I do know how ends the Pequod's voyage. Hopefully, my trip will go better.
The most important thing is that I'm going stop sitting on my ass, stop living in my old room that I stayed in when I was in high school (my parents didn't rent it out and put me in the basement. How merciful!), and actually get out there and try to earn my own living and be a contributing member of society. I don't ever plan to be rich, but rich in experiences.
(Nope, that's BS. I'm secretly hoping that my wealth in experiences will lead me to write a bestselling novel that translates into actual wealth. Ah the dream!).