Okay, I've firmly decided I'm going to remain where I am in Daecheong Tower. I love this location—the close access to the Han River, to the Yangjae and Tan Creeks, the easy access to subway Line 3, the grungy old-Gangnam ambiance, the equal distance between Incheon to the west and Yangpyeong to the east—so I'd like to stay where I am.
I do need to check, though, whether staying here is even financially plausible. If the real-estate office says it can work with W10 million as a deposit and a rent of around W700K, then we're good. If, however, the deposit needs to be around W15 or W20 million... I might not be able to afford that. That would gobble up my entire severance package, plus some of what I have in the bank. I realize I'd be getting the money back whenever I might move out, but still, it'd be a crippling blow, at least at first. And there's no guarantee that I'll find a job that pays nearly as well as the one I have now.
Assuming I do get a favorable deal from the rental office, I then have to think about work. Going back to university teaching is probably my best bet, but my boss says he has a possible hook-up for me up the road in the Yangjae region (a translation center where I wouldn't have to translate), so I'll be looking into that. Uni work isn't as easy to get, these days, as it used to be: competition is tighter, and the market has apparently been shrinking according to one guy at Tom's birthday party. We'll see. I have some marketable skills after years in the education racket (and it is a racket), so I expect to find something.
As for going back to the States: not quite yet.
More thoughts later.
From my selfish perspective, I am glad to hear that you are not going back to the States yet. Good luck with the next step--I'm sure you'll be able to find something, even if you can't get back into the uni racket.
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