This Is Why I Am Always Busy
I am thinking about quitting my editing job. It will mean saying goodbye to about $1000 but it will mean I will be able to sleep more than five hours again, see ㅈ guilt-free, study Korean, exercise, read and generally live a fairly stress free-life. Most of this is probably due to the personality conflict between me and 홍, the lady I am editing for. She is finishing up her PhD at an English uni on the strategic use of honorifics in Korean. I have been editing this one document for her for a little less than a year and a half. At first, it was really interesting because it is very similar to what I studied in grad school, but I have already edited everything once (and most of it at least three times) and since it required revisions I am editing everything yet again. At this point I am only doing it for the money, making me something of an English whore. The last time I sent her edits she called me and asked me to justify many of the changes I had made (including commas.) She then wanted me to go over it "one more time." She worries incessantly that I am not making it British enough. She has gone back over stuff I edited and it typical Korean style put mistakes back in. Last February when I was staying in a 고시원 in 서울 for Korean class she wanted me to come back to 안동 so I could "work on her edits better.” Once, in passing, I asked her what she thought of a famous Korean novelist and her response was a blistering email about how I should not be wasting my time on Korean novels and should instead be only editing for her. She will send me stuff to edit and after I have worded on it for a while she sends me another revision to edit “instead.” The thought that keeps rolling though my head is that I am not in Korea to edit, I am here to teach English and learn Korean. There is also the feeling that since her standards are so skewed, this will never end. At the same time, quitting on her would mean not getting the money for the work that remains and on some of the work that I have already done (at least $1000 in total) as well as any possible future editing jobs from her. On top of that is the realization that I would be basically betraying her; without editing her writing will not pass muster. (There is a snarky part of me that thinks that because of this fact, maybe she should not pass.) Since I am leaving soon with no immediate prospects would it be wise to forego the money? Is the money worth the hassle and the stress? I have also been asking myself what is in it for me. There is the money but I hate just doing things for the money; I want to get something out of it. There is also the thought in the back of my mind that I am just being weak and want to give up because the road ahead looks full of long sleepless nights.