I spent the morning in my room just hanging out watching American TV and trying to catch-up from the long trip I made yesterday. I was being picked up at 1:30pm by the director, June (Korean name) and his wife Chris (English name). As I waited I continued to practice my Korean. We arrived at the school where I was given a schedule to follow and observe classes (I would begin teaching tomorrow).
The School: MBC-OSS
The school is an English Academy for students as additional practice of English. Students range in age from 5-14 and are grouped according to their level of English. Students come for an hour and see two different teachers a day; a Korean teacher (instructs in English and Korean: 5 days a week) and the Foreign Teacher (me: 3 days a week) or their storybook teacher (instructs in Korean and English: 2 days a week).
My observation was very interesting because I got to see a sample of all the different teachers including one Korean teacher who had started only the day before. The students are at the end of their 3 month semester, so I only was able to observe a review for the tests they would be having. I met many of the students and got a fairly good idea of what I would be doing. The only difficult part is that I will be giving them their final exam, which is strange considering I don't know what they are expected to know at this point.
Throughout the day I was very tired and by the last class that I observed I was feeling very fatigued and ready to go back to the motel. I was instructed to prepare for the next day after the last class I observed which ended at 7:15, but this was hard to do because the head teacher, Rebekah, was in a meeting for an hour after. The only other person in the office with me was the new Korean teacher who couldn't really help me. I waited for Rebekah and she explained a little bit more to me. I told her that I didn't even know my hours that I would be working, so she found out that I would be working 2-10pm daily (which is different than I thought according to what Pushkin told me, but it is what it is). I asked what I was supposed to do for the 3 hours after the students left and I had no other classes to teach and Rebekah didn't really have answer for me at this point. I told her that I was very tired and that I could not do much more tonight because I was so tired (I even began to tear up--I was finally realizing that I wasn't in Kansas anymore...I was in Korea and everything would be different from this piont on). She asked if I could go home early because I just couldn't be there until 10pm. I left at about 8:30.
I still needed to get a few groceries and after asking a teenage Korean boy where the groceries were at Home Plus I bought some nectarines, bagels, cream cheese, and a cup of soup (things I could use in my room). I finally walked home and went to bed by 10pm.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
My First Glimps at Korea (Monday, August 23, 2010)
The weather in Korea is very humid and extremely hot (100 degrees F or in Korea 38 degrees Celcius.) I will have to get used to the metric system (good thing I bought a translator before I left; it also has a converter on it.) At this point I really needed a shower but I had at least 5 hours on thie bus until I even got close to one. The nice thing about the bus was air that I could control, unlike the plane.
Korea is very green and has much open space. The trees and mountains are very beautiful. There is also very pretty redrock. As we crossed the Incheon bridge it began to rain.
This bus ride was supposed to be 4.5 hours long (I boarded at 6:40am, which means I should arrive in Deagu at about 11:15am). We stopped around 9:00am for a quick break. I used the restroom and bought an iced tea. Thanks to my friend Jyson for giving me 1000 Wan becasue without it I would not have been able to buy a drink. I was waiting to exchange my money because the airport doesn't give you a good rate.
For the rest of the ride I tried to stay awake, but I couldn't. I'm glad I over packed my carry-on now, becasue the pillow and blanket came in very handy.
When I arrived at the bus depot I was greeted by Rebekah, the head teacher, Chris, the assistant director, and Max, the bus driver. They were all so happy to meet me, which made me feel very comfortable. They took me to the motel where I would be staying for a few days until Pushkin, the other teacher, had moved out. The motel is called the Chello Motel and it is actually very nice. They helped me to my room where I was able to take a quick shower and change my clothes. This was a daunting task becasue I didn't know where anything was. I did find some shorts and a t-shirt to change into.
They took me to a traditonal Korean restaurant for lunch (you must take your shoes off at the door and we sat on the floor to eat). We had wonderful seasoned pork (called Daegigalbi), which you cook yourself on the grill built into the table. There were many side dishes, which I tried most of: raddish soup, tofu soup (really delicious minus the tofu), rice, salad, lettuce and mint leaves for the pork, chili sauce, tempura potato, crab, and sweet potato noodles. Everything was very good and for dessert I had a cup of cold cinnamon cider.
Throughout the meal I practiced my Korean and Chris and Rebekah all thought I had been studying at school becasue my accent was so good. Thanks YouTube!
After lunch I went to tour the school. The school is very nice and has about 10 differnt classrooms all decorated according to the children's age group. The desks were also sized accordingly. I met a few of the students who were very friendly. They all greeted me with excitment and smiles. I met everyone except the head director at this point and everyone was very friendly.
I tried to use the internet, but I had trouble accessing a few sites becasue they were in Korean. Gloria helped me fighure a few things out, but I still cannot access my gmail form any computer. Good thing I have a Yahoo account as well. Max gave me a ride home and Rebekah drew me a map of how to get back to the school and get to Home Plus, which is a 5 story shopping store (includes a grocery store, clothing, electronics, dry cleaners, and food court).
As I returned to my motel I reorganized all of my belongings (it felt good to know wher my things were again). I decided to walk back to the school to call Mya (a contact I was introduced to through facebook who lives here in Deagu). I tried to reach her but was unsuccessful. I used the computer at the school to email her. I walked over to Home Plus to buy some groceries. On the sidewalk they had a sale section and I bought a skirt for 3000 Wan (I decided to put on jeans to walk back the school which was huge mistake because it was still really hot and humid, so I was very sticky and sweaty). I walked through every floor and couldn't find the grocery section for the life of me. I kept seeing people leaving with groceries, but I couldn't fid that area (this was very frustrating; I should have asked but I didn't). At this point I was very hungry, so I ate at a buffet in the store. I tried a little of everyhting. It was nice because the food signs were in English and Korean. After I finished eating I walked back home (20 minutes away).
As I was about to take a well needed shower there was a knock on the door. Puskin, the teacher leaving my position, was here to greet me! He was right in time becasue I was getting very tired and ready to fall asleep and it was only 7:30pm. He waited while I got dressed. He took me to another Korean restaurant where he ate and we had a beer called "Hite." This beer was similar to Coors Lite, but a little stonger and had a better taste. We chatted about the school and how it worked. He also warned me to be very careful of the Korean food becasue after 6 months he was diagnosed with extreme high blood pressure and instructed not to eat Korean food because it was high in salt content. I will be very careful as well because I don't want this to happen to me.
He took mee to a bar called "Umber" where we met the bartender, Elvis. I had antoher traditional beer called Cass, which was darker than Hite and very good. Next to us at the bar was antoher American, Jim, who would be leaving back to the states in a few days. He was with his former Korean student from the University, which was located right across the street form the bar. After they left Sunam, a Korean girl, moved next to us and we bagan talking with her and Elvis more. I learned many new Korean words (fire-bul, cheers-gombae, kareoke-narabang, I think I will die (hangover)-chugeta, dance-shum, sunglasses-sunglasses, and nice to meet you-mannasaw bangabsamnida). Elvis said my pronunciation was right on! We shared a few drinks and then Pushkin and I shared a cab ride back to my motel. I fell asleep quickly.
I think my first day in Korea went pretty well. It was a very long day and I would come to realize this....Tuesday.
Korea is very green and has much open space. The trees and mountains are very beautiful. There is also very pretty redrock. As we crossed the Incheon bridge it began to rain.
This bus ride was supposed to be 4.5 hours long (I boarded at 6:40am, which means I should arrive in Deagu at about 11:15am). We stopped around 9:00am for a quick break. I used the restroom and bought an iced tea. Thanks to my friend Jyson for giving me 1000 Wan becasue without it I would not have been able to buy a drink. I was waiting to exchange my money because the airport doesn't give you a good rate.
For the rest of the ride I tried to stay awake, but I couldn't. I'm glad I over packed my carry-on now, becasue the pillow and blanket came in very handy.
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| Deagu, South Korea |
When I arrived at the bus depot I was greeted by Rebekah, the head teacher, Chris, the assistant director, and Max, the bus driver. They were all so happy to meet me, which made me feel very comfortable. They took me to the motel where I would be staying for a few days until Pushkin, the other teacher, had moved out. The motel is called the Chello Motel and it is actually very nice. They helped me to my room where I was able to take a quick shower and change my clothes. This was a daunting task becasue I didn't know where anything was. I did find some shorts and a t-shirt to change into.
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| Bathroom/Shower Chello Motel |
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| My room at the Chello Motel |
They took me to a traditonal Korean restaurant for lunch (you must take your shoes off at the door and we sat on the floor to eat). We had wonderful seasoned pork (called Daegigalbi), which you cook yourself on the grill built into the table. There were many side dishes, which I tried most of: raddish soup, tofu soup (really delicious minus the tofu), rice, salad, lettuce and mint leaves for the pork, chili sauce, tempura potato, crab, and sweet potato noodles. Everything was very good and for dessert I had a cup of cold cinnamon cider.
Throughout the meal I practiced my Korean and Chris and Rebekah all thought I had been studying at school becasue my accent was so good. Thanks YouTube!
After lunch I went to tour the school. The school is very nice and has about 10 differnt classrooms all decorated according to the children's age group. The desks were also sized accordingly. I met a few of the students who were very friendly. They all greeted me with excitment and smiles. I met everyone except the head director at this point and everyone was very friendly.
I tried to use the internet, but I had trouble accessing a few sites becasue they were in Korean. Gloria helped me fighure a few things out, but I still cannot access my gmail form any computer. Good thing I have a Yahoo account as well. Max gave me a ride home and Rebekah drew me a map of how to get back to the school and get to Home Plus, which is a 5 story shopping store (includes a grocery store, clothing, electronics, dry cleaners, and food court).
As I returned to my motel I reorganized all of my belongings (it felt good to know wher my things were again). I decided to walk back to the school to call Mya (a contact I was introduced to through facebook who lives here in Deagu). I tried to reach her but was unsuccessful. I used the computer at the school to email her. I walked over to Home Plus to buy some groceries. On the sidewalk they had a sale section and I bought a skirt for 3000 Wan (I decided to put on jeans to walk back the school which was huge mistake because it was still really hot and humid, so I was very sticky and sweaty). I walked through every floor and couldn't find the grocery section for the life of me. I kept seeing people leaving with groceries, but I couldn't fid that area (this was very frustrating; I should have asked but I didn't). At this point I was very hungry, so I ate at a buffet in the store. I tried a little of everyhting. It was nice because the food signs were in English and Korean. After I finished eating I walked back home (20 minutes away).
As I was about to take a well needed shower there was a knock on the door. Puskin, the teacher leaving my position, was here to greet me! He was right in time becasue I was getting very tired and ready to fall asleep and it was only 7:30pm. He waited while I got dressed. He took me to another Korean restaurant where he ate and we had a beer called "Hite." This beer was similar to Coors Lite, but a little stonger and had a better taste. We chatted about the school and how it worked. He also warned me to be very careful of the Korean food becasue after 6 months he was diagnosed with extreme high blood pressure and instructed not to eat Korean food because it was high in salt content. I will be very careful as well because I don't want this to happen to me.
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| Puskin and me at Umber |
He took mee to a bar called "Umber" where we met the bartender, Elvis. I had antoher traditional beer called Cass, which was darker than Hite and very good. Next to us at the bar was antoher American, Jim, who would be leaving back to the states in a few days. He was with his former Korean student from the University, which was located right across the street form the bar. After they left Sunam, a Korean girl, moved next to us and we bagan talking with her and Elvis more. I learned many new Korean words (fire-bul, cheers-gombae, kareoke-narabang, I think I will die (hangover)-chugeta, dance-shum, sunglasses-sunglasses, and nice to meet you-mannasaw bangabsamnida). Elvis said my pronunciation was right on! We shared a few drinks and then Pushkin and I shared a cab ride back to my motel. I fell asleep quickly.
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| Near my motel |
I think my first day in Korea went pretty well. It was a very long day and I would come to realize this....Tuesday.
Arrival
Like I said, the flight did not feel like it was 13 hours, which is a good thing! It was a very smooth ride. I just realized that when I changed my carry-on one last time at my house that I left my i-pod ( I really can't beleive I did that. I'll probably have to buy one here). Young helped me carry some of belongings whlie we went through customs and to the baggage area. The luggage carts were free thankfully at the airport becasue I really needed them to hold all of my stuff. I loaded the cart with my two carry-ons and my two large pieces of luggage. I had to drag my snowboard behind me (good thing it had wheels, but it was still heavy and akward.)
As I walked through customs, I was greeted by "Ka" who was holding a sign with my name on it. It still did not feel like I was really in Korea. He explained that I needed to buy a bus ticket to Deagu for $35. He helped me purchase this and then loaded me onto the bus. Everything went by so quickly. Luckily I had used the restroom prior to meeting him becasue before I knew it I had left the airport. I had nothing to drink and had no clue what I would do if I needed to use the restroom.
As I walked through customs, I was greeted by "Ka" who was holding a sign with my name on it. It still did not feel like I was really in Korea. He explained that I needed to buy a bus ticket to Deagu for $35. He helped me purchase this and then loaded me onto the bus. Everything went by so quickly. Luckily I had used the restroom prior to meeting him becasue before I knew it I had left the airport. I had nothing to drink and had no clue what I would do if I needed to use the restroom.
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| Just arrived in Korea, Incheon Airport |
Plane Ride
Of course after buying a bunch of travel gear from Target, when I got on the plane there was a pillow, blanket, headphones, slippers, and a mini toothbrush and toothpaste. My mom was right that I should have check about this before I boarded. I notoriously bring way too much on the plane with me (The first carry-on had everything I would need just incase my checked luggage was lost, including my jewelry, clothing, facial products, and make-up! The second one, which I stored by my feet had: blow-up neck pillow, blanket, eye mask, laptop, my purse and everyhting I normally carry in that like sunglasses, wallet...., magazines, books, notebook, pens, pencils, Korean study materials, snacks, change of clothes, and sandals.) Like I said, way too much stuff! Luckily I brought the change of clothes becasue I wore a sweat suit on board and my Uggs, which were way too hot. I changed into my shorts and sandals for most of the flight. I didn't read the magazines, books, or even eat snacks.....like I said way too much stuff!
After I got settled I asked Allie if I could use her phone to text my Mom, and she so kindly allowed me to. Our plane finally took off around 1:15am and about 45 minutes later we were served dinner. I chose to eat a tradidional Korean dinner called Bimnbop. This was interesting and I had to watch how Young put hers together because I had no clue! I mixed the rice with the ground meat, random veggies, pickled cucumbers, chili paste and sesame oil. It was not horrible, but not great either. I had seaweed soup, which I tried but did not eat. The best part of the dinner was the fresh fruit! Also, the coolest thing about flying Korean Air was the real silverware! It was really nice!
The flight attendants were very friendly and everyone was very beautiful as well, my friend Conn would have been in heaven. They all dressed so nicely and the women all had slicked back buns with a cool clip in their hair. I even practiced some of my Korean with one of the ladies. "Mul jom juseyo," which translates into "Give me water please."
I took a sleeping pill and was out for the majority of the plane ride, with the exception of waking up a few times becasue it was very hot and stuffy. The seats had a good amount of space for my legs and the chairs reclined back pretty far. I only had to climb over Allie and Young twice to use the restroom and stretch.
For breakfast I ordered the omelet instead of Green Tea Poridge and it was very good. The omelet was served with salsa, tater tots, and sausage links. Also, there was yougurt, fresh fruit, and a fruit danish! Real silverware again. I had some coffee and some orange juice. Breakfast was very good!
After I finished I began listening to Korean Pop/R+B. At this point we only had about two hours left. This flight did not seem like it was 13 hours long! Before I knew it we had landed at Incheon International Airport!
After I got settled I asked Allie if I could use her phone to text my Mom, and she so kindly allowed me to. Our plane finally took off around 1:15am and about 45 minutes later we were served dinner. I chose to eat a tradidional Korean dinner called Bimnbop. This was interesting and I had to watch how Young put hers together because I had no clue! I mixed the rice with the ground meat, random veggies, pickled cucumbers, chili paste and sesame oil. It was not horrible, but not great either. I had seaweed soup, which I tried but did not eat. The best part of the dinner was the fresh fruit! Also, the coolest thing about flying Korean Air was the real silverware! It was really nice!
The flight attendants were very friendly and everyone was very beautiful as well, my friend Conn would have been in heaven. They all dressed so nicely and the women all had slicked back buns with a cool clip in their hair. I even practiced some of my Korean with one of the ladies. "Mul jom juseyo," which translates into "Give me water please."
I took a sleeping pill and was out for the majority of the plane ride, with the exception of waking up a few times becasue it was very hot and stuffy. The seats had a good amount of space for my legs and the chairs reclined back pretty far. I only had to climb over Allie and Young twice to use the restroom and stretch.
For breakfast I ordered the omelet instead of Green Tea Poridge and it was very good. The omelet was served with salsa, tater tots, and sausage links. Also, there was yougurt, fresh fruit, and a fruit danish! Real silverware again. I had some coffee and some orange juice. Breakfast was very good!
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| Yummy omelet |
After I finished I began listening to Korean Pop/R+B. At this point we only had about two hours left. This flight did not seem like it was 13 hours long! Before I knew it we had landed at Incheon International Airport!
Seat Mates
Allie-She was from Park City, Utah heading to China to teach English. She is meeting a friend who was already teaching there. She would be teaching Chinese people from ages 17-22. She has traveled a lot considering she is only 23. She has been to Argentina ans several South Asian countries while she was in college. She plans on staying in China for a few years!
Young-Young was traveling to Korea for a high school reunion. She went to her senior year of High School in Korea and was going to visit for three weeks. She has a few chldren, whom live in the US and her son is actually in movies (I didn't catch his name). After talking we discovered that she used to live in Ventura and her daughter went to Buena High School. And on top of that her sister lives in Park City, Utah and Allie thinks she probably knows of her! This is an example of a small world at its best.
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| Young, Allie, and me on Korean Air |
Young-Young was traveling to Korea for a high school reunion. She went to her senior year of High School in Korea and was going to visit for three weeks. She has a few chldren, whom live in the US and her son is actually in movies (I didn't catch his name). After talking we discovered that she used to live in Ventura and her daughter went to Buena High School. And on top of that her sister lives in Park City, Utah and Allie thinks she probably knows of her! This is an example of a small world at its best.
The Final Pack and Waiting for Departure
The Final Pack
Getting to LAX was easy, but packing to get here today was absolute insanity. I was prepared for my journey abroad with the exception of shipping my additional belongings. I should have done my homework way far in advance becasue I waited until a few days before the flight to pack and I found out that this decision a bad one one the hard way. I did the research on which company was the cheapest, but I did not research the actual process of international shipping.
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| Everything fit into 3 pieces of luggage and a snowboard bag |
Waiting for Departure
My frind Kris, my Mom and Tom took me to the airport, luckily they all came because there is no way I could have checked in for the flight without their help (way too much stuff). After everyhting was situated I spent $160 to fly with one additional bag and one overweight bag, which is not so bad (at least I didn't have to document everything for customs this way).
I went through secrurity and began waiting at the gate. As I waited for the plane I tried to practice a few more Korean phrases. This was pretty successful. I learned, "I cannot speak Korean at all." Which is, "Hangumal joenhyeo motayao." I tried to work wireless internet at the airport , but apparently you have to have some type of wireless service (I have no idea about how to use wireless becasue I have had a desk top for the last few years). I began watching a movie that I brought with me until we boarded. The plane was 25 minutes late to board, but overall not too bad. Korea here I come!
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| Kris and I before departure |
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| Me, my Mom and Tom at LAX |
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Final Days to Take-Off
I finally received official notice of my flight itinerary on Tuesday of this week. My flight is out of LAX on a 747 at 12:50am Sunday, August 22nd, arriving in Incheon International Airport, Korea on Monday, August 23 at 5:30am. 12 hours and 45 mins then more traveling after to get to Deagu (Not sure how I'm getting there yet).
I'm telling you I am doing very well with all of this not knowing what's going on business. For all of you who know me I am "Ms. HaveToHaveEverythingPlannedOut" so waiting until it was four days before my actual flight to get official notice has been a true challenge for me. I think that this journey so far has been a great learning process. I have to trust that things will all work out instead of freaking out not knowing every tiny detail. While I waited and waited and waited for my flight information, all I could do was to prepare for it instead of stress over it.
For the last few days I have been gathering all the necessary supplies for the trip. I thought I had "everything," but the more you talk to your friends and family about leaving the more they suggest things for you to buy and do. I am grateful for all of the suggestions because they are things I truly didn't think about.
Suggestions: International Calling Card (went to buy one today at this market that was recommended to me by the checkout lady at target...couldn't even figure out how they work...gave up on that one and bought some candy with my sister from the shop next door); MagicJack (recommended by a friend living abroad via facebook to use as a land line, bought it at Target...tried to install it...spent about an hour with tech support...doesn't work on my computer for some reason...will return and try again...I hope it works because it is an awesome concept...and cheap!); Water Purification Tabs (great suggestion, but went to the sporting good store today and they don't have them, but they do sell a cool portable water filter drink thing...only $15 but decided against it...may go back tomorrow when I have to return MagicJack); Travel Pillow (While at target I found a cool travel set...blow-up pillow, mini blanket, eye mask...sweet deal on $10); Snacks (Heard the food on the airline (Korean Air) not so American friendly...so got some high calorie munchies to add to my carry-on); Electronic Translator (went to Fry's to buy one...they had about 20 different ones...asked for help...but realized there was only one that translated to Korean...easy choice...started to use it...I guess it will do); Plug Converters (So I didn't even think about this either...got one at Fry's...I guess it should work....it is universal...I will need to use lap top, hair straightener, and blow dryer); and Korean Wan (It was recommended to have some Wan when I get there...asked my dad where to get it and he said check with my bank...well too late for that one...they have to order it and of course won't be here in time...went online to figure out how I could do it at the airport...found a forum that stated not to do it at LAX, but to wait until I arrive in Korea because they gip you on the exchange rate....even though they may gip me I found out they are open until midnight, which is great considering my flight is at 12:50am...the rate is 1152 per $1at LAX compared to 1172 through the bank...I'll try to figure it out).
After buying more stuff, I still needed to figure out how was going to get everything to Korea! Well after finally finding out the airline and researching their site I figured out the luggage situation. I called the next day to verify, and they confirmed the details.
I can travel with my snowboard bag and snow stuff as long as it is under 50lbs for FREE! I can travel with my large luggage (gift from my bestie and her 'rents) as long as it is under 50lbs for FREE!
Anything between 50-70lbs is $50 extra per piece....ok not so bad. Also I can have one carry-on luggage and my "EXTRA LARGE PURSE" as long as they were under 25lbs each. Got that situated!
So now that the luggage was figured out I needed to weigh my bags so I could have an idea of what I would travel with and what I would ship. I didn't have a scale, so tried to use my Wii Fit to weight my Snowboard bag. Drama! Batteries in remote were dead...batteries in balance board were dead...got yelled at from my Wii for not working out in over 279 days...then it didn't work out!
So I went back out to Kmart to buy the scale (which led to buying the snacks for the flight). Came home, weighed the bag....only 40lbs with all my snow gear! What a relief...I thought it was like 70lbs. So tomorrow I need to pack my other pieces of luggage and see how much I will need to ship. I also had to do laundry tonight so I could pack tomorrow!
Another thing that I had to figure out was shipping....International Shipping is a whole other ball field. Shipping via Freight was recommended to me by my recruiter...must be over 150lbs and is way expensive...plus I don't think I have that much extra to ship. Asked a friend who lived in Hawaii and he said ship by "boat," may take a few weeks like freight, but cheaper....this doesn't exist according to USPS or UPS. Was having dinner with family friends and learned about "FedEx Great Rates," so of course I checked it out and it is super amazing. Way cheaper to ship abroad, like dramatically (regular shipping for a 20lb box $388....Great Rates ONLY $88). Well the moral of that story is that was just a quote, I need to have specifics to get a better quote and then I have to ship out on Friday (which apparently is the day that helps give me a "Great Rate.") Yeah for GREAT RATES!!!!
So tomorrow is Thursday.....I need to start learning Korean! I'm going to go to the gym...take a shower...go to Starbucks (o btw I bought the instant Iced coffee from Starbucks to take with me! So good!) and teach myself some Korean! I found out that the city that I'll be living in, Deagu, Korean people are not comfortable speaking English on the streets (unlike Seoul and Busan), so I better learn survival Korean and quick! I do have a book and now my translator and will use an online program to help as well (Rosetta Stone is not compatible with Macs---GO FIGURE!) I should also run back to Target, exchange the MagicJack, then possibly buy the water filter thing at the sports store. Oh yes, I just remembered that tomorrow is also the day to pack if I am going to ship my "extra" box out for my GREAT RATE through FedEx.
If anyone said that moving abroad was an easy process I would like to meet them!
More: Set-up Skype the other night...very cool...paid my bills...sold my car (I could probably write a separate post on selling the car in itself, but won't)....trying to set the parents up on Skype, but computer outdated I think...have been eating really bad (I figure it's my last chance for this kind of food)....honestly I am so ready to just go....only three more days till my life changes!
I think I'm ready............see ya in Korea!
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Before the Big Trip
So up to this point I have not been overly excited or nervous, but as each day gets closer and closer to my Flight Date (tentatively August 20th) I am growing increasingly excited and nervous. Actually writing this blog is giving me butterflies in my stomach because my travels are officially becoming a reality!
For all of you who don't know the history behind my travels here is a brief rundown. As I was sitting in the lunch room at a school that I taught as a substitute teacher last December, one of the teachers suggested teaching abroad since the job market was looking so glum for new teachers. I had never thought about this before, but I was very open to her idea! Thanks Melora!
I decided that I would go to Spain, so that I could come back to the states fluent in Spanish (this would help get me a job when I returned). Well I found out through my research, that teaching in Spain, although very beautiful and I am sure exciting to see, would not provide me with much money. They would pay me just enough to get by while living in Spain. This would not work for my current lifestyle of student loans!
After discussing my options with a representative from the TEFL Institute (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) I decided that I would explore South Korea. After my certification course (2 month process), which I completed in April, I researched various areas of South Korea. I decided that I wanted to move to Busan, which is located on the South East end of the country. After working with my job recruiter from TEIK, Brad helped me find a great school nearby in Deagu. After more research I decided that this would be a great place to love.
Deagu is the third largest city in South Korea and is near a mountain where I can go snowboarding (my new favorite past time--Thanks Kris) and hiking.
The night I was preparing for a potential interview I got a surprise phone call from a lady in Korea from a school in Deagu for an interview. Although, I was not quite prepared I completed the phone interview. After waiting several days I was notified that I got the job. I spoke to the current English teacher at the school and got more info, everything checked out so I accepted.
As all of this was going on I was collecting all the paperwork necessary for my work VISA. What a pain! It took about two months to collect all of the appropriate documents and get signatures. Well it paid off, because I got my work VISA on Tuesday of this week!
I think we are about caught up....got 5 vaccinations, had a garage sale, trying to sell my car, bought a lap top, sold my computer, went shopping for all the necessities you can't find in S. Korea...deodorant....shampoo....face wash...spices...and tons more...It will take at least 2 months to pay myself back.
So my last day at the Cardio Studio is tomorrow and having another going away party...yes another one! Had one in San Diego a few weeks ago, had one for family and close friends in Camarillo last weekend, having a work one tomorrow and one last one with friends on Saturday night!
I guess I better go now that I have said bye to everyone. Oh yeah over the past 8 months I have gone on vacations and tried to visit as many friends and family as possible. Went to NY to visit my grandparents, went to Palm Springs to see my brother, sister, and nephew, went to San Jose to see Sabrina, went to the lake with my Aunt, Uncle and Cousins.....and the list goes on and on. I had a blast! It's probably the most fun I have had in a long time.
Now I am preparing to pack! Boy is this a process. I also need to learn at least 20 phrases in Korean before I get there. Not sure when I'll fit that in....I started to learn some Korean a few months ago, but got overwhelmed with everything else going on. I guess I better get on it.
My flight is not 100% official yet as of today, but it looks like it will be next Friday, Aug 20! It'll be 12-16 hours on a plane. I think I may learn Korean in that block of time!
I hope you follow me on my crazy journey!
More soon, Tiffanie
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