screwed

right. so i'll start at the beginning. about two weeks ago, i had my school apply for my work permit. the process usually takes about a week, but was delayed as i had to submit proof of the last time i paid taxes. this meant taking a whole morning to visit the tax office, get the form i needed, and drop it off at the correct school branch. not a big deal in itself, but an annoying mrt ride which was time-consuming. when i got to the school, it wasn't open so i shoved everything in an envelope and went on with my day. about an hour later, i received a phone call from the school administrator saying that i needed to sign the photocopied pages of my passport and that is why she told me to come in after lunch. actually, she didn't tell me a time but i wasn't in the mood to argue and was trying to be accomodating. so, another trip back to the branch to sign the copies and then it was sent off that day.
yesterday, i got my letter from the labour board which i need to turn in for my alien resident certificate, or ARC. i didn't get the letter until my last class yesterday, so i decided today would be the perfect day to get it done. so, i bustle off to the immigration office to start the process only to discover from the clerk (after waiting for 45 minutes to be served) that i am missing a letter from my school which guarantees my working schedule. so, another cab ride to the other school branch to grab the letter, then back to immigration to try it again. i didn't have to wait too long and everything was in order EXCEPT that my contract was only for 6 months. as such, immigration won't grant me an ARC, but instead will extend my visa for 60 days at a time up to a maximum of 6 months.
i was baffled. then i was a little scared about it. then i got frustrated. and then i got angry.
i called up the school immediately and started raving on the phone to the poor girl who works the desk. she must've said sorry like a million time, but sorry's aren't solutions. she suggested calling the head teacher. i did call home (after calming myself down) and he was shocked and then angry about it as well. he said he will straighten it all out tomorrow, but i have my doubts. the immigration lady told me that i would have to reapply for a work permit with the new information, which will take yet another week or so. i got through the first time without having to show more proof of my education (transcript, letter, etc) but i sincerely doubt that this will be the case this time round. that means even more delays while i try to work through the proper channels and deal with the time change. not to mention the long-distance phone calls, admin fees and postage to have it here quickly.
in a nutshell: i hate where i work. this is not the job i was meant to have and while i have been trying to move past this, none of this would even be happening if it weren't for that fucking stupid new boss at the magazine. instead, i'm worried sick, running all over the goddamn city like a madman and spending a small fortune trying to get it all done. so far, i figure this stupid work permit has cost me around $7500NT ($300 CDN)

no wonder people work illegally in this country.

sometimes, it just doesn't pay to try and keep things on the up and up. i'm seriously considering fucking my school over at the moment and just saying they can cram it with walnuts. i mean, it's not a great school to begin with but i have been trying to do the best job over the last 6 weeks and still haven't been paid (more on that in a moment) i do realize that i am only part-time, but that doesn't suggest that i should be treated like a part-time person.

as far as payday is concerned, there is confusion there as well. i was told i would be paid on the 5th of each and every month. well, monday came and went and no pay so i called up the admin lady (complete wench) to try and get some clarification. not only was she rude, she seemed annoyed that i even bothered to ask why they haven't paid me yet. well bitch, i ain't doing this for the good of my health, nor am i teaching out of the kindness of my heart. she explained that because i am on probation, i would receive my money on the tenth. well, the tenth is a saturday and standard taiwanese-employer procedure is to make their employees wait for their money. (i don't even want to get into that right now) so, i figured i would have to wait until next monday until i realized that i work on saturday and guess what? i will be paid. end of story. if they don't give me my money, i'm just going to walk out the door at lunch. i don't really want things to end like that, but i strongly feel that i need to stand up or continue to be manipulated.

the job itself isn't so bad, but it is disorganized, dirty and has a high turnover (i think we can see why) i have worked for a lot of schools here, but have never had this many problems straight out of the gate. maybe i should abandon ship right now...i do have another 60 days on my visitor visa...ample time to find another job, but i don't really know what the consequences will be if i don't continue to work for the school. there could be a fine. there could be a denial of further work permits. there could be deportation for all i know. at any rate, i don't want to risk it so i guess i will stick with it for now....fingers crossed that things will sort themselves out by tomorrow.

and of course, yet another example of the tuesday curse. i really should just stay in bed on tuesdays.