Thursday, 13 August 1998
The Situation:
I have been living in Johannesburg for seven weeks. I work in an office in an administrative capacity. I earn between R1500 and R2000 per month. I rent a room in Norwood for R500 per month. I don’t have a car. I don’t have a proper postal address. I have to pay R2000 per month on my student loans. I live in someone else’s house. In the evenings, I watch someone else’s TV. I have to rely on friends to go anywhere outside a 3-kilometre radius of my room (except when I go to work, thankfully). I can’t afford the social activities of the circle in which I move. I’ve been struggling with a broken tooth for the past six weeks because I don’t have money to do anything about it.
The Problem:
Seeing that the money I brought back from Korea is almost depleted, I have to increase my income by at least 250% very soon to prevent my current strategy of paying off my debt from stalling. I depend on other people for habitation, transportation, and even for good food. This is not a desirable situation. Everything in my life is uncertain. Something drastic must be done.
Possible Solutions:
1. I need to find a job in South Africa where I can earn a salary of between five and six thousand rand a month.
2. I have to start a project with which I can earn between six and ten thousand rand a month.
3. I have to go back to Korea, or to another country to teach English for at least one, but preferably two years.
______________________