A Royal screw-over and a Rascist Letter

So Amy and Kyle are approaching the end of their contracts and it has been quite a week. And by quite a week I mean the week from heII. This story is a mess...but bear with me ok? 

So background for you:

Amy's school (my school) is really good, and Kyle's school really sucks. Amy's enjoyed her job and Kyle has hated his....our boss is great and his is a wench. Amy and Kyle's visas run out on the 29th, but their contracts don't finish till the 30. They didn't really want to work that extra day....plus it is technically illegal.....(side note...we are required to leave the country the same day that we got here the year previous....how is this possible? Think about it...we all have year contracts...no one starts the day they arrive...you do the math...)

Also important: all ESL teachers here get paid a big severance bonus for finishing their contract...k, so get this. Kyle's contract doesn't finish till Thursday....and this week Kyle's boss tells him he can't go to work on Thursday and she's going to withhold that bonus money because he's a bad person/terrible teacher etc etc. Poor Kyle was really down. Who wants to hear that from their boss after their year of working here. As if his experience wasn't bad enough already...I was really upset about all this....I hate that he had such a hard time this year...and this wasn't a good ending.....but focusing on the practical...if Kyle doesn't finish his contract then he really can't complain cause he didn't finish his year. So what to do? 

They needed visa extensions. So me and Jenny got up early two days ago and drove them to the Provincial capital to extend their visas. So now we're legally good to go. Jenny was very handy to have along. Her Korean is a little better than mine. 

Kyle goes back and talks to his boss again. She says she's still keeping the money and he can't work on Thursday. He secretely records this conversation with my mp3 voice recorder. She is now doomed in court. But then to win that court case, Kyle and Amy have to stay another three weeks. She knows this, they know this. 

Jenny, saves the day again by talking to the legal office responsible for this sort of thing (they don't speak English...again how is this possible...how could they help any English teachers having problems?) She says his boss will lose in court but probably won't change her mind for any other reason. She calls said boss anyways to explain. Boss lies and says Kyle doesn't want to work on Friday and she's being very generous and will give him part of the severance package even though he's not done. 

Kyle walks into work and boss apologizes profusely for the events of the week....but still keeping around $550.....Kyle calls me and he sounds so much happier. I guess the boss had been humbled a bit and this was a better ending to the saga and he needed to hear that from her. So that's good. 

I'm still a little p.o.ed that the boss gets away with manipulating the situation, but, if Kyle's happy than that's a good thing. Kyle and Amy aren't going to stay three more weeks to fight her for that much...it's not worth it....and everyone knows that. I think that's why she kept that amount. Sigh. It has been one of the most draining weeks on record. Haven't slept well....and far too much stress. I will have to explain part II the rascist letter in a different installment. Part II will outline the massive stress mountain that was MY workplace this week. Ugh Ugh Ugh.