So... here we are. Still.

My plan has not gone... to plan. Has it ever though, for anyone? Life is naught but one long series of curveballs. So, the plan had been to be in Korea by now, actually by about 3 months ago to be perfectly honest. I was waiting until after my friend's wedding on August 30th to depart for Asia and the start of a new adventure, that is until my mother casually asked in that not-so-subtle motherly hint whether or not I'd be around for the holidays.

And OF COURSE I'd be here for the holidays. I've put off the plan for about a year already, what was a few more months? And you know what? I'm glad that I did. Because in the last few weeks I've made a major revision to the plan, in that instead of Korea my target is Vietnam. Instead of working with a recruiter (who truthfully doesn't have my best wishes at heart) to arrange a job before-hand, and having the school tell me when and to where I'm flying in, and giving me an apartment (the quality of which is unpredictable), I'm going to take the driver's seat and control my own destiny.

So you may or may not be wondering; WHY would you trade the security and stability of the system Korea has in place for expat teachers for the unpredictability of Vietnam? So I'll measure out a few of the pros and cons.

PROS

• I can choose exactly when I move. Instead of being told when I'm leaving and hoping that I can get my affairs in order in time, I'll be able to get my affairs in order THEN leave when I'm ready. 
• I can choose where I live. To a small extent I could do this in Korea, in that I can choose which offer to accept then I'll at least know which area of the city I'd be in (apartments are almost always close to the school). In Vietnam I can move to Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh, Hue, anywhere really. Because they don't deal in absolutes (like the Sith do), if I don't like where I'm at I just have to move and find a new place wherever I end up. 
• I CAN MUST RIDE A MOTORCYCLE! If the capslock hadn't given it away, I MUCH prefer the method of transportation of Vietnam. While the crowds of interweaving motorbikes in HCMC seem harrowing and stressful, I can't wait to get on one of those bikes and join the throng. That to me seems like much more fun than riding a subway or a bus. I can choose exactly where I go and when, If I want to go see the countryside, I simply hop on my bike and ride off to chase the sunset. 
• The work is much more flexible. This is truly the biggest reason for my switch. In Korea you're contractually obligated to work a certain number of hours, even if they're not all teaching hours. This leads to what's called "desk warming", which is basically the teacher sitting at their desk in an empty classroom, killing time. Not only that, but you don't get much time off, usually about 10 days per year on top of the national holidays. Vietnam is almost the exact opposite, on average teachers will work 20-25 hours per week, some even less. Some even choose not to work in a school at all and instead offer private tutoring lessons. This means there will be substantially more time to explore and see the country I would be calling home. 
• On top of the reduced number of hours I'd be working, I SHOULD be able to save around the same amount as I would in Korea. Typical salary in Korea starting out is 2.1 million KRW per month, which equates to roughly $2,000 USD. In Vietnam the going rate for teachers is $18-$25 per hour, so if we calculate say a $20 salary and working 25 hours a week, that's going to gross $2,000, same as in Korea. When you factor in that I'd be working ~10 fewer hours per week, and the cost of living being substantially lower in Vietnam... well I think the choice is clear.
• Vietnamese coffee is AMAZING. And their food is just as good, having such a strong french influence from their time as a colony. I needn't say more. 

CONS

• Vietnam is (as far as I know)... hectic. Not that anywhere can't be hectic, but when you watch videos of the motorbikes haphazardly zooming down the avenues between cars, it can make you nervous. To go along with that, the pollution there is higher than I'd like. Lots of pedestrians and cyclists use face masks to attempt to filter out some of the pollution. Not just that, but there is light and noise pollution as well. If I live in district 1, where all the action is, I'll have to deal with near constant street noise, unless I manage to find a place on a side street or with really well insulated walls and windows. 
• It's still a communist nation. This isn't a big deal as I likely won't be paying much attention to politics over there, and they are still a free market economy to a large extent. As far as I know the internet isn't censored there like it is in China, so I'll still be able to access Facebook and Google and all that. 
• It's hot. Like seriously hot. Like, 95 degrees and super humid hot. Like layer of sweat on you all day kind of hot. I'm from a very temperate climate, and I have pretty fair skin. It's gonna take some getting used to, but honestly this isn't much of a con as I think I'll prefer consistent heat over the extremes of Korea's seasonal changes. Also, maybe I'll finally be able to get a decent tan? Who am I kidding, I'll just look like a lobster. 
• It's all on me. I am responsible for everything myself. In Korea you send the school your documents and they get you your visa. In Vietnam you go on a tourist visa and either renew every 3 months or hope your school will help get a working visa. In Korea the school sets you up with an apartment and helps you get acclimated. In Vietnam I'm flying blind, I'll have to find my own place, pay for it (another difference), and try my best to figure out how to survive. In Korea I'd probably be working alongside other foreign teachers, so I've instantly got some sort of network. In Vietnam I'll be by myself and I'll have to utilize the internet, possible neighbors, or helpful locals in order to find anything familiar. 
• Monsoons. I could have lumped this in with the heat as they're both weather-related, but I think the monsoons deserve their own category. Seriously, just youtube "vietnam monsoon" and you'll see an amount of rain you didn't know was possible. Forrest Gump wasn't kidding... "One day it started raining, and it didn't quit for four months. We been through every kind of rain there is. Little bitty stingin' rain... and big ol' fat rain. Rain that flew in sideways. And sometimes rain even seemed to come straight up from underneath. Shoot, it even rained at night..." Picture me in my nice teacher clothes, riding a motorcycle down a packed Saigon street, covered in a flimsy plastic poncho, as a torrential downpour threatens to wash the pavement from under my tires. Not a happy picture.

Overall, I think the positives far outweigh the negatives. I'll have more money, more time, less stress (I hope), and more control over my situation. Worst case scenario, I hate living there or hate some other aspect of my situation, or something urgently calls me back home, and I just pack up and move back. No worrying about breach of contract and sneaking out. This post is approaching that dangerous length limit where it becomes too daunting a read for most people, so I'll end it with this quote that has stuck with me for years, from the great Mark Twain

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do.”