My second day of work began with my arriving at the office a good ten minutes early. I don’t want anyone to think that we Americans are slackers. Of course, everyone else was already there, hard at work. I was warmly greeted with “Why are you here?” This confused me. “Because I work here?”
There followed a lengthy discussion about which days I was supposed to work in order to complete my part-time obligation of 20 hours per week. I thought we had agreed on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. (Yes, I know, three eight or nine hour days is more than 20 hours, but we’re talking Korea here.) Others had other opinions. Finally, we agreed that I would in fact work Monday through Wednesday and would come in on Thursday and Friday as needed, or if I felt like it.
I started work on revising the information brochure for foreigners but was interrupted by my friend Cho Han-sic who showed me the online publication in the Daejeon Post of yesterday’s interview. http://www.djpost.kr/detail.php?number=2193&thread=22r11 Because the interview is in Korean, I’m not sure what I’m quoted as saying, but I assume there is no relation to my being denied a residency application later this morning.
Whether I need to apply to the Immigration Office for a Certificate of Foreign Registration has been a hot topic of discussion the last day or so. Based on information that is in the booklet I am editing and a fairly clear explanation on the Daejeon City website, I was pretty sure I didn’t need one; only foreigners who are staying longer than 90 days must apply. Since I have a 90 day visa, I don’t have to register. Finally, my hosts agreed.
However, the City of Daejeon wants to provide medical insurance coverage for me while I am working here, which is nice. And in order to cover a foreign national, that person must be registered with the Immigration Office. So, after many phone calls to the Immigration Office, it is determined that registration for me is optional and I should choose to register so I can be covered by insurance.
The Immigration Office is across town and, since everyone else is busy, Miss Park is chosen to take me there. Miss Park looks about fourteen, she very softly speaks very little English, and she admits to being terrified of having the foreigner entrusted to her. We move the large stuffed animals from the passenger’s seat of her car and head out.
At the Immigration Office, Miss Park has various conversations with people at various desks and on her cell phone. Then we fill out the Certificate of Foreign Registration form; I complete some parts in English and she writes other sections in Korean. I notice that she has filled out the section called “Reason for Application.” I fear she has put down something like “This man may be an axe murderer; please do not let him stay in our country.”
Anyway, we take a number and sit down in a large room that looks sort of like a driver’s license renewal office, except that if you fail your driver’s license test, they don’t generally deport you. Our number is called, we go to the appropriate booth, and, after lengthy discussions in Korean and English, it is determined that I am not eligible to register because my visa is for only 90 days. Very sorry.
Poor Miss Park is mortified that she has wasted my morning and so, rather than returning to the office to work, she takes me across the street to buy me some lunch. I try to point out that it is only 11:00. We have poguki, which is a sort of mixture of vegetables and thick round noodles in a spicy tomato sauce. My nose immediately starts to run.
Back at the office there is general commiseration around my failure to get registered but a pledge to find some sort of work-around. Then several people want to take me out to lunch, because Miss Park has assured them that I did not eat all that much. I convince them that tomorrow is another day and I am happy to actually get some work done while they take their lunch hour. But first, I brush my teeth.
My big event in the afternoon was opening a bank account at Hana Bank, which has a branch in City Hall. Even though I have no Certificate of Foreign Registration, the process was actually pretty fast and efficient. Mr. Cho Jungjae, my guardian, assisted me and afterwards bought me a traditional Korean tea with chopped filberts to celebrate. Now I can receive my pay through direct deposit, just like a real city employee, instead of being handed bricks of cash every month.
There followed a lengthy discussion about which days I was supposed to work in order to complete my part-time obligation of 20 hours per week. I thought we had agreed on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. (Yes, I know, three eight or nine hour days is more than 20 hours, but we’re talking Korea here.) Others had other opinions. Finally, we agreed that I would in fact work Monday through Wednesday and would come in on Thursday and Friday as needed, or if I felt like it.
I started work on revising the information brochure for foreigners but was interrupted by my friend Cho Han-sic who showed me the online publication in the Daejeon Post of yesterday’s interview. http://www.djpost.kr/detail.php?number=2193&thread=22r11 Because the interview is in Korean, I’m not sure what I’m quoted as saying, but I assume there is no relation to my being denied a residency application later this morning.
Whether I need to apply to the Immigration Office for a Certificate of Foreign Registration has been a hot topic of discussion the last day or so. Based on information that is in the booklet I am editing and a fairly clear explanation on the Daejeon City website, I was pretty sure I didn’t need one; only foreigners who are staying longer than 90 days must apply. Since I have a 90 day visa, I don’t have to register. Finally, my hosts agreed.
However, the City of Daejeon wants to provide medical insurance coverage for me while I am working here, which is nice. And in order to cover a foreign national, that person must be registered with the Immigration Office. So, after many phone calls to the Immigration Office, it is determined that registration for me is optional and I should choose to register so I can be covered by insurance.
The Immigration Office is across town and, since everyone else is busy, Miss Park is chosen to take me there. Miss Park looks about fourteen, she very softly speaks very little English, and she admits to being terrified of having the foreigner entrusted to her. We move the large stuffed animals from the passenger’s seat of her car and head out.
At the Immigration Office, Miss Park has various conversations with people at various desks and on her cell phone. Then we fill out the Certificate of Foreign Registration form; I complete some parts in English and she writes other sections in Korean. I notice that she has filled out the section called “Reason for Application.” I fear she has put down something like “This man may be an axe murderer; please do not let him stay in our country.”
Anyway, we take a number and sit down in a large room that looks sort of like a driver’s license renewal office, except that if you fail your driver’s license test, they don’t generally deport you. Our number is called, we go to the appropriate booth, and, after lengthy discussions in Korean and English, it is determined that I am not eligible to register because my visa is for only 90 days. Very sorry.
Poor Miss Park is mortified that she has wasted my morning and so, rather than returning to the office to work, she takes me across the street to buy me some lunch. I try to point out that it is only 11:00. We have poguki, which is a sort of mixture of vegetables and thick round noodles in a spicy tomato sauce. My nose immediately starts to run.
Back at the office there is general commiseration around my failure to get registered but a pledge to find some sort of work-around. Then several people want to take me out to lunch, because Miss Park has assured them that I did not eat all that much. I convince them that tomorrow is another day and I am happy to actually get some work done while they take their lunch hour. But first, I brush my teeth.
My big event in the afternoon was opening a bank account at Hana Bank, which has a branch in City Hall. Even though I have no Certificate of Foreign Registration, the process was actually pretty fast and efficient. Mr. Cho Jungjae, my guardian, assisted me and afterwards bought me a traditional Korean tea with chopped filberts to celebrate. Now I can receive my pay through direct deposit, just like a real city employee, instead of being handed bricks of cash every month.
My street at night--on the way home from work!
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