Gifts (and re-gifting)

Due to leaving Imja and not wanting to cart the world with me, I have told my co-teacher that I would give him my oven.  I had purchased it (with his help) about 10 or 11 months ago, and I certainly got good use out of it.

I made pizzas for myself when I was horribly depressed, and pizzas for students on odd days where I didn't have to teach anything serious.  I used it to cook pork tenderloins, chickens, and an old favorite from a Canadian friend, bannock.  The students in my winter and summer camps love it because we made all of those things and more...peanut-butter cookies and chocolate chip cookies.

I gave it to him rather than selling it because he helped me in so many ways, far more than my actual co-teacher did.  As I leave, I think I realize she just doesn't really know what she's doing concerning native teachers.  Perhaps none of them do.  I am confident (as was my supervisor through the Jeolla Language Program) that she got the vacation thing wrong.  I will ask when I get where I am going, as I've heard she is the real deal.

And this morning she told me I wouldn't be getting my exit allowance.  I do, but it's not called that.  I get the 2 million won, which is my exit allowance of 1.3 million, plus a re-signing bonus of 700,000.  While I thought I got it tomorrow, my last payday with them, I found out I get it "some time within a month".  She said I didn't get it at all.  When I told her I thought she was wrong, she began the Korean chatter.  I showed her the sections in the contract.  The chatter stopped.

So my oven was going to my elementary co-teacher, and he deserves it.  Though when I dropped it off at his house last night, he said, "Jeff, my sister in law *really wants this oven.  Can we take it over there?"  I just got re-gifted...or is that considered, "Indian re-gifted" right up in my greel.  The re-gifting was all up in there.  And I don't care.

I don't care, because tomorrow is my birthday.  I am not a huge fan of them anymore, but this one might be ok.  I am giving myself one of the best gifts I have ever given myself, the completion of my contract and the getting of the fuck off this sand blasted island.  Happy fucking birthday to me.