Excerpt from Seoul Train
Marty Fields is fed up. Bored with the same old office routines, bored with England and sick and tired of waiting for trains. He craves adventure and it arrives in the form of an English teaching job in South Korea. Scared and excited at the same time he embarks on a journey of change that forces him to look at his life, his friends and the not so great Britain. A funny rollercoaster adventure abroad, uniquely told and based on a true story.
About the Author
Gary Mulcahey was born in Liverpool in 1973 and grew up in Warrington with his mother, father and sister. He enjoys travelling and in his teens worked in America and Europe. After graduating from University he spent much of his twenties working in sales offices in the NorthWest of England before taking a teaching post in South Korea and then travelling around Asia.
My Life as an English Teacher in Korea
Peter Lee drove me to my apartment, which was only 5 minutes away from my school. He told me to get some sleep and said he would come by later and introduce me to the other teachers. My heart sank a little as we reached the building, and it sank a little more when we opened the door. My apartment or room was quite pokey. It was in the basement of a 4-story building, the window was only half above ground level, and the room itself was completely below, so it had very little natural light.
And the furnishings
It had an old single bed, a TV and video, an ancient, rumbling refrigerator, and a few turquoise blue cupboards. I couldn't help feeling that one of Mr Manic's suits would be hanging in the prewar wardrobe. I could hear the people next door, the cars outside, and the people above. There was no bedding, and the place was dirty. There was a laundry room next to the window, hosting a yellow washing machine that was once white, and some sliding glazed-glass doors to shield me from prying eyes.
Hey, I need to get some sleep!
I suddenly realized that I hadn't slept for nearly 30 hours. I'd been in Korea for perhaps 5 of those, it was now about 4:30 in the afternoon, and I was exhausted. I lay down, closed my eyes, and drifted out of consciousness.
What seemed like 10 minutes (but was actually 3 hours) of blissful sleep was rudely interrupted. Mr. Manic was back and in fine, hectic form.
Time to show my face
"Hey, geddup! You not sleep now! Come on! I arrange for you to meet the other teachers... everybody waiting for you!" he ordered.
"Sorry, Mr. Lee," I mumbled with one eye still shut. Somehow managing to peel myself from the bed, I made my way to the bathroom, only to discover there was no sink... just a shower and toilet. Off came my shirt, on went the shower, and the still-sleeping eye was jolted awake.
Out on the streets
10 minutes later I was following Manic Lee, marching through throngs of Korean shoppers, drinkers, and evening eaters toward one of the neon-sign-covered buildings. The smell of grilled meat was dragging my nose toward every restaurant window we passed. Inside I could see low tables surrounded with people sitting cross-legged, a drink in one hand and a cigarette in the other. We went up 2 floors and took a sharp left turn, and we were in the bar.
Within minutes of our sitting down, a beer was thrust in one of my hands and some scrawny fried chicken in the other. It was handshakes all round, and then we ate, drank, and talked.
The English Teachers
There were 6 teachers there in all. Jim, or Jimmy, was from Ireland. Jimmy came across as very intelligent, although at first I couldn't understand a word he said. He'd been in Korea for a year and was just starting his second. He was slightly overweight, with a chubby, hairless face and curly hair, and he wore glasses and swore a lot... but in a comedic way.
His friend Alan was from somewhere on Merseyside and had a friendly face. He spoke softly, almost as if he were tired. He was a bit round, with thick, dark hair and an infectious laugh. He had met Jimmy at the airport in London, where they'd discovered they were headed for the same school.
Alan's girlfriend was called Rebecca. She was from Canada and quite tall, with heavyset features and long, brown hair. She was actually the first Canadian I'd ever met and seemed quite polite but a little scattered. She had started seeing Alan about 4 months earlier.
