Emmigrating Part II

Thursday, August 23 - 10:45PM in Seoul (brain too tired to calculate any other timezone...)

Well, I arrived!! My flight landed at approx. 5:20pm, which was 3:20am in Houston. The flight was long, but also kind of short. I only watched the one movie, and attempted to nap (only succeeded once or twice, very short amounts of time). I ate next to nothing; I don’t trust airplane food, and this was particularly questionable. I drank 2 cokes which ended up being a problem... later they handed out sandwiches which I believe were Ham&Cheese, but smelled like they had mayo, so I didn’t eat that either. The last meal (they fed us alot, huh?) was “lunch” and I had chicken with rice. The chicken was less than appetizing, but I ate the whole portion of rice... with another Coke. 

By that time we were like 2.5 hours from Seoul, and the lights in the cabin were back up. I gave up on sleeping. We passed over Japan, and I think I saw Mt Fuji! I could be wrong, but it was by far the biggest in the vicinity that the map said we were near to the volcano. Anyway, you can see some photos I excitedly snapped. 

First sight of Japan

I think this was Mt. Fuji

When we got over Korea, we were so high and the clouds so thick I couldn’t see anything. Finally we lowered enough so I could see. I saw the bay area that is to the west of Seoul & Incheon. 

As you can see, Korea is not as pretty as the Japanese waters!

When we exited the plane, I headed straight for the bathroom (there was ALWAYS a line on the plane!) After that was Immigration, which had zero line for us foreign passport holders! They were so nice and gave me a stamp, even though I already had a visa (or maybe that’s protocol, I have no idea). 

Then to baggage claim! As soon as I got to the carousel, I saw my bag that I gate checked, so ran that down. I got a cart and then almost immediately saw my small suitcase (the original carry-on). Then I waited for my big suitcase, the REALLY bright floral hardshell that no one in their right minds could mistake for their own. And I waited... some more, and finally the carousel stopped going around. 

I asked a guy that I was pulling off unclaimed luggage, and he pointed me in the direction of “Lost/Found” - I filled out a report, giving my Director’s name and phone number. I think it’s pretty funny that this happened since while sitting in SFO waiting on the flight, I read all these great things about Incheon Airport - one of them being their excellent baggage handling stats. It claimed that the likelihood of getting your luggage lost in Incheon was 0.0001%, and you had a greater chance of getting struck by lightening. And yet... no bag. I was surprisingly not mad or frustrated or distraut. 

I headed to customs, claimed nothing, and got some money changed. I headed out of the doors, and immediately saw my name on a sign. The guy looked right at me and nodded his head like “yes, I can totally tell this is you, American girl!” Then he explained to me, in Korean, that there is another girl we were waiting on, and to follow him (No, I did not understand a word he said, but managed somehow to figure it out). We walked down the terminal a few gates, then he taped her sign on the pole, and told me to wait, that he would be back in 1 hr. This “conversation” took a lot longer than I am describing because as I said, it was conducted exclusively in Korean (and some Sign Language). 

I waited for 45 minutes, until approx. 7pm. The girl, Jamie, finally came out the gate and saw her name. I explained to her that the guy would be back very soon, and mentioned my lost bag. I said it was funny because the bag is so OBVIOUS; she asked what it looked like and I explained to her. Her eyes lit up and she says “I’m pretty sure I just saw that bag on my baggage carousel!” Ahhhh! Her flight was also from San Francisco, only on Singapore Airlines. 

I trekked down to Asiana Customer Service, but they only understood “lost bag” and wanted my ticket stubs, which I had already given when filing my report. She didn’t understand that I wanted her to call back to the baggage claim guys and just have them check the other carousel. Oh well, they assured me they would call tomorrow, so I’ll just have to wait until then. 

Jamie and I found our cab driver, who took our bags out to his van. We had a long ride into Seoul; probably an hour and fifteen. Tons of traffic - by the time we got into Seoul it was around 8pm, and it looked like rush hour! When we finally got to our destination, he carried our bags in and we got our motel rooms. Sean, the other new hire, was also there. He took us to go meet Kellie, the girl who is leaving in a week and training us / helping us transition. She took us to dinner around the corner from the motel at a traditional Korean  BBQ place. 

At this point, I had a “moment”. And by that I mean, Jamie and Kellie are talking about work and food and where’s the closest this-and-that and I’m sitting there wanting to throw up at the thought of spending a whole year here. It didn’t hit me on the plane, or saying goodbye to mom, but sitting in that restaurant I wanted to cry. Kellie just thought I looked tired (I”m sure I did!) but it took everything in me not to cry. Somehow I managed. I was starving but I could only manage to eat 1 slice of BBQ - it had SO MUCH fat on it! The kimchi for the table was RIGHT in front of me, and while I didn’t mind the smell so much, the look and thought of eating it made the feeling of “what did I get myself into” even worse. 

About 10 minutes later, 3 other teachers walked in to join us. This did nothing to appease my fears. They were all chatty BFF-ish and I felt more alone and overwhelmed than ever. Kellie mentioned that Jamie would be taking over her classroom of Kindergartners in the morning, but Sean and I would be working with the slightly older kids, anywhere from 7-13, in the afternoon. When she told me that it was Sean, me, and another guy and girl that were not at the table, I felt better. I’m not sure why... everyone was so nice. But sitting there made me feel out of place, and knowing that there were only 4 of us to work afternoons together made it better. 

After that I tried something on the table to eat, a rice paper wonton wrapper thing, and while it was certainly not a meal, it was something and I was trying. I do have work tomorrow, but I won’t have to go in until 1pm, which is my usual start time. So, while I had my first moment of regret and fear, I overcame it, talked myself down, and did not have a mental breakdown in the middle of a family restaurant in Seoul. 

After dinner, Kellie showed us the local 7-Eleven only 2 minutes from our motel and our future apartments (which are next door to each other). We came back to our rooms, and I got a shower. I think that shower has been my favorite part of the day. Haha! Now I have gotten my iPad charging, my sound machine working with the converter, and have determined that I am a genius for bringing my airport express, since Kellie mentioned that you must hardwire ethernet into your computer in the apartments (no wifi available) - so, I’ll just create my own! I love being an Apple nerd ;) 

My alarm is set for 8am, so I have time to get a shower and look decent, find food, and maybe get some wifi to post this :)

Emmigrating Part I

Wednesday, August 22 - 6:25pm Houston, 7:25pm Miami, 4:25pm California, 8:25am Seoul

Part one of my trip is complete - I made it to San Francisco, and am now on my next flight to Seoul. So far, fairly uneventful. I woke up at 4:20am and did my hair, but skipped the makeup since I figured it might be coming off later at the airport. My parents drove me to the airport, and I ended up checking both my large suitcase and my small suitcase, and moving the essentials to a handheld duffle. $70 extra but my parents were kind enough to pay the fee. (thank you dad!) 

Saying goodbye to my parents was a little easier than I was expecting. Everyone was determined not to cry, and although I can’t say there were no tears, it was reasonable. Only when I hugged my mom right before security did I start to tear up. As soon as I turned away from them, some more tears came, but I dried up for TSA since they might get all weird on me if I was bawling in the metal detectors. My silly parents waited on the  other side of the glass while I got through security, and I had one last glimse of my mom before I left. That also brought tears to my eyes. 

Mommy and Me saying goodbye!

Then, there was the two mile trek to my gate. (It's always on the other side of the airport, isn't it?) The duffle on my shoulder, as well as the 15lb in my backpack were beginning to dig in. When I got to the gate, they were announcing that the flight was very full and encouraging people to gate check their carry-on rolling bags. I asked at the gate and she told me that they could check it all the way to Seoul. I wouldn’t be charged for an additional bag (thank goodness). So, I decided that rather than try to carry around the duffle through SFO (San Francisco Airport), I’d just cross my fingers that everything makes it to Seoul. I grabbed my fuzzy socks out of my duffle and stuffed them into my backpack (which I was of course keeping on me). 

When called, I handed my boarding pass to the woman at the gate, and she stopped me and said I had a seat change and handed me a new boarding pass. Since I had paid extra in order to choose my own seat, an aisle, I wasn't why I would have a seat changed. When I got to the seat, I found it was a window, exactly what I did not want. Not only was it a window seat, it was the worst window seat I’ve ever seen. Next to me was a plastic panel, and the only windows I had any view from were basically behind me and way in front next to the seat in front of me. Hopefully you can imagine this; I think I explained it poorly. But, basically it was a terrible seat. Annoyed, I called my mom and told her to request a refund, since I was not given the seat I paid extra for. After about 10 minutes I realized I probably got more annoyed than I should have, since I got the extra leg room anyway. 

The woman sitting next to me ended up being nice, although I had my doubts at first. She was funny and we made fun of United and how dated plane we were in was. The flight was almost an hour late in taking off, but am I surprised? No, United sucks. We commiserated about that some more, talked a little of Korea, and I went to sleep. I took about 3-4 20 minute naps that flight. For some reason, airplane noises put me to sleep. I’m definitely not complaining, I only wish that there hadn’t been a baby behind me that kept waking me up. Thankfully, it was not a horrible screaming brat, but only made a few sudden loud noises that would startle me from sleep. 

When we were getting close to SFO, we hit a bit of turbulence. The captain came over the speakers and pointed out Lake Tahoe, which my window seat allowed me to glimse about 2” of. Regardless, it was neat. I’ve always wanted to go to Lake Tahoe; at least now I can say I’ve seen it! 

We landed in SFO, which was pretty neat since the runways go out on the bay; it looked like we were landing on water at first. We were only 20 minutes late in landing there, so I still had a fair amount of time to get to my next flight. I was starving so once I got the general vicinity of my gate, I found a food court and got a little pizza (overpriced of course). I was pleasantly surprised at how good it was (or maybe I was just so hungry?) After I snarfed that down, I followed the arrows to my gate. 

As I turned a corner, I was suddenly smacked in the face with ANOTHER security checkpoint. I’d already gone thru security at IAH, so I wasn’t expecting that. And, it was kind of a long line (I’ve seen worse, but still...) I started to freak out a little bit, but ended up getting through it in about 15-20 minutes. At this point I knew they wouldn’t stop me about anything in my bag since I’d given up the bag with my toiletries in it. 

Once I got through, my gate was very close. My seat-mate in my previous flight advised me to ask for an upgrade on my international flight, so that’s exactly what I did at the counter at my gate. All the upgrades were claimed, but she put my name on a waiting list for an aisle seat. I ended up not getting it, but Asiana is way better than other flights I’ve had and I am pretty happy with the leg room I’ve got in my window seat. (Hey, at least it’s not a middle seat!) 

That flight was also slightly late in taking off, and the ambient noise was so loud that I fell asleep just waiting to get to the runway. Man, what is it with me and airplane noises? So, now I’m somewhere over the Pacific ocean, maybe near Alaska. My original attempt to sleep during the initial hours of the flight were thwarted by my need for a drink (pizza has way too much sodium...) so that kept me awake. Then they served dinner. I was rather looking forward to trying the Korean dish, but I was informed that all they had left was beefsteak. Oh well, I’ll take it. I ended up eating half the side dish and a cracker. Well, maybe some cheese too. I didn’t even touch the questionable looking entree. I’m probably being a diva, but I wasn’t into it. I also watched most of the Hunger Games during this time. 

So, that about brings us to the present. I don’t want my iPad to die, it’s at about 60% right now. And I’ve got another 8-9 hours to go. I want to sleep, like I said, but I’ve also drank like 2 Cokes. Even if the caffeine doesn’t keep me up, the need to pee will soon hit me. So, I decided to chronicle my trip so far... nothing too crazy or exciting. I’m tired, but emotionally, I’m just avoiding thinking. Of anything. Although, on takeoff from SFO, I did have a moment of “this is the last time my feet will touch American soil for a year.” 

Oh, speaking of which, the girl in the seat behind me is also going to Korea to teach. She of course was telling her seat mate about it and for some reason it annoyed me. Maybe I subconsciously resent her for the attention; I’d like to be the special one. I can’t think I’m the only one doing this though! There's hundreds of schools and thousands of teachers hired each year. Anyway, airplane noises drown her out thank goodness. Annnnd the guy in the seat in front of me just put his seat back and now I can hardly see my laptop screen. I guess I’ll update again when I’ve actually landed! 

Not-Goodbye-See-You-Later Party!

Last Thursday, I had my going away party. Aka: this-isn't-goodbye-just-see-you-later party. I decided to keep it small, only my very close friends. I'd love to say goodbye to everyone in my contact book, but that's just not feasible, or an enjoyable attempt. So, 7-8 of my ZTA sisters headed to Luigi's Pizza, a BYOB pizza joint in Midtown Houston. We cracked some bottles of wine, reminisced over old memories at the House, in class, during Recruitment, at meetings, and many many parties... It really reminded me of how great my friends are.

Since I moved back out to Baytown aka Hell, I haven't gotten to see much of my sisters. Some are still in the collegiate chapter, others are moved on to bigger and better things. Either way, we don't see enough of each other. This party was small, but had more than enough love and memories and sisterhood. After dinner, we went out on the town. I won't get into any specifics, but we had a great time. Here are some photos from dinner, taken by my little Katie.

It's my party!

Pledge Sisters: Fall 2008

Eek! My cute little: Katie! Miss Photographer

So I drink champagne...?

Caught in the act!

Me & Jessica

Little #1 Lara

Pledge sister Kelly & I

Me & Steph

Brittany & I

Dreaming

I just have to share this dream I had last night...

*In my dream...* I was working at vet's office, and walking past a shelty on an exam table. As I passed, the dog bit me. I looked at it's paperwork, and realized it was in because it was rabid. I tell the vet, who informs me that *in my dream* there is no cure, rabies shots are only good before you get bit. So, in a few days I will go rabid as well. 

He tells me that I have a choice: wait it out and go rabid, or come back in in a few days and get euthanized. I decide that I'd rather not suffer, so I schedule a time to come back to be "put down." *how horrible, right?*

So, at this point, I'm like, "I need to spend as much time possible with my mom!" And proceed to visit friends, do everything possible with mom, call Michael, etc. When I see people, I don't want to tell them I'm about to die because I don't want to look like an attention-whore. 

Don't worry, I woke up before I died.

I think this dream was hilarious mostly because apparently modern medicine for humans and animals was the same. But also, quite poignant, since I am in the process of leaving life as I know it in 2 days. I am doing absolutely EVERYTHING with my parents possible. Things I wouldn't usually enjoy. Even helping teach at children's church this morning. Yikes!

It's kinda sad, kinda funny. But, it's appropriate. And with that, I'm going to go watch a movie with my mom. :)

Packing

I guess I can no longer avoid the inevitable: packing. I've been putting this off for, oh, 3 weeks. "But, seriously, how am I supposed to pack that far in advance? I'll need stuff between now and then!" Alas, "then" has arrived...

My plan involves 1 checked bag, less than 50lb, 1 carryon suitcase, and 1 personal item (backpack!) Since I will be living in a motel for the first week and a half til I get my apartment, I decided to pack my essentials in my carry on, and avoid getting into my checked bag until I get to the apartment. And all my valuable technology goes in the backpack.

In the 3 weeks I've been starting to pack, I've been just dumping things on the spare room bedroom as I remember I need them. Today, I had to sort thru the mess and actually get it in a bag. Thank goodness my dad is a Tetris master, and packing is basically the same thing.

I kept feeling like I hadn't chosen too much to take. I know that there will be plenty for me to buy there; I wear a small enough size clothing that I will find my size there, and shoes are also available for my size 7. (Shoes only go up to a women's size 8 there...!) Toiletries will be fairly easy to find as well. I am making a point to take my Bumble&Bumble hair products and 3 sticks of deodorant. Supposedly you can find it easily now, but I'd rather pay $0.88 at CVS than $10 at E-Mart in Seoul.

Basically, I'm attempting to bring enough of everything (or almost everything) and not too much of anything. I figure, I can bring what I need, when I run out, I'll buy more there. If I can't find anything I do need, I'll have enough time with my small supply to order more online or ask mom to send to me. Must be smarter than the suitcase...

I decided to try the "Army Roll" for my clothing in my carryon. Here is the link if you want to watch the video on this... It worked pretty well, but I'm not convinced that it created a significantly greater amount of space than my usual space bags. Oh well. No harm, no foul. For my checked bag, I packed normally....

In my carryon, I also packed several small bags, a tooth bag (toothbrush, trial size toothpaste, floss, etc), a hair bag (trial size shampoo, conditioner, testers of hair products, etc). I also packed an extra pair of shoes. The ones I am wearing on the plane are great, but I'd like to have an extra pair for that first week.

Speaking of shoes, I packed only like 4 pairs. I am wearing silver snakeskin flats on the plane (totally worn out, will prob throw away before returning home), packed my silver crochet Toms in my carryon, and in the checked bag, 1 pair of Sperry's, 1 pair of worn out New Balance, and ... well, I think that's it! I plan to buy my fall/winter boots there, as well as rainboots and hiking shoes. Luckily, I will be living in the same neighborhood as Dongdaemun Market, where I will have access to 24 hour shopping at 23 malls, 30,00 vendors, 50,000 manufacturers. Um, Yes.... this is real. And all within 10 blocks. *heaven!* So, being a "normal" Korean size, I am confident in my ability to get cheap, fashionable shoes in my neighborhood.

I also decided to pack my Canon Rebel DSLR camera and extra lens in my checked bag. I'm not so sure about this decision, but my dad says he got it extremely snug, it's in it's special packaging, and my suitcase is a hard-side. So, cross your fingers it stays safe.

Once I got everything stuffed in my checked bag, sorted out what to put in the carryon, we attempted to weigh this sucker. The limit is 50lb... this stupid thing was 55lb!!! So, we had to eliminate a few things... most of this consisted of vitamins and medicine, school supplies, and some electronic converters and stuff. My mom says we will just pack the stuff up and mail it out this week. So, I'll just have to wait for it and hope I don't need my Aleve Cold and Sinus between now and when it arrives. I think I'll be okay!

So, at this point, I have successfully got everything confined to 2 suitcases (1 significantly smaller than the other), and a backpack. I still have a few things to put in: makeup, hair products, all stuff I need on the morning I leave to get ready. And a few tops are in the wash, so they will get stuffed in the carry on as well. That checked bag is not getting touched, 49lb is incredible!!!!

At this point, I am trying to soak up every moment with my parents possible... and, trying to not have a panic attack.

What's there to be scared of?

In my Korean Countdown, I only have 8 days left. That's right, I leave 1 week from tomorrow...

I think I have been doing myself a disservice recently. Of course, anyone I talk to wants to know about my trip. When do I leave? Am I nervous? etc. etc. I answer their questions, and recently my stance on the "nervous or excited?" question has been "a lot of both!" I also use the word "scared"... but why is that? What do I have to be scared of?

I am leaving my friends and family - well, yea... but growing up means leaving them anyway. And I'm lucky enough to have both friends and family who support my decision and want me to live my dreams. My mom is willing to FaceTime at basically any point during the day, and Michael has not complained once, always telling me he's proud. I'm very lucky...

I won't have access to modern amenities - in fact, this is not true. South Korea is extremely advanced technologically, and considered a first world country. Yes, things will be different (hello, wet showers!) but, I'm not going back to the dark ages.

I won't be able to communicate with locals - most of Korea is pretty English-friendly. The subway system is marked in Korean and English, many Koreans want to practice their English on you, and the culture is extremely hospitable. Even if they can't say the words, I'm confidant that most people I meet on the street or in the shops will make an effort to be understood. Furthermore, I will be working with other foreigners, we will all speak English, so that will be a relief.

I won't know anyone when I arrive - technically untrue. I've been able to get in contact with Tab, a girl from my hometown who is teaching in Seoul as well. She got there last week-ish, and has already been a big help on my packing situation. Also, I was lucky enough to sign a contract at a school who only hires awesome people. I know this because my recruiter put me in touch with Sean, another American who signed a contract to start at the same time as me, at the same school. We've been emailing, and he is awesome.

I can only pack so much - well, this is very true. And I'm still not sure what that looks like as far as quantities of items... my spare bedroom is my drop off point for "ooh, I'll need this!" moments. And, so far, I don't really have that much. I was smart enough to mail myself a few of my essentials that are on the bulky or heavy side (aka: mattress topper and towels). Currently, my suitcase contains clothes (duh), a few pairs of shoes, medicine, hair products, school supplies, and a few other this-and-thats.

I will be lonely - damn, this is true. I get lonely when my parents go to Baytown on Sunday afternoons and leave me at the house! But, my coworkers will be living in the same apartment building as me (including my buddy Sean), Tab will only be 2 subway express stops away from me, and I've got a checklist of things to do. I will have to force myself out of my apartment sometimes, but I know I will be glad I did. Plus, looks like Tab has already started exploring the bar scene and has found it to be good. I know she will make me go out!

I am the pickiest 22-year-old I know - I honestly don't know how I will manage a diet of kimchi (fermented cabbage) and seafood, but I must find a way. That way probably includes Amazon Grocery shopping for super sized packages of Mac&Cheese, but we shall see...

I won't get paid for a month, at least - I've done a fairly good job of saving for this rainy day month. I will definitely have to make and stick to a budget, but I think that is possible. My problems will probably come from wanting to eat out all the time, but Sean is excited about the cuisine options, so maybe he will force me into going native. PLUS my mom found some good websites where I can find secondhand furniture or other things I might need. It looks like I can get a lot of things for pretty cheap! This is bueno; I like a deal!

I've never taught before, and I'll be responsible for lots of children each day - well, no, I've never taught. And no, I don't have any idea what I'm doing. But, something like 200,000 teachers come over to Korea to do this, each year! (Okay, I made that statistic up, but it is a large number...) so, if all those other people can do it, I sure can. I don't want to brag, but I'm pretty awesome ;) Plus, education is in my family... and, my dad lent me some books. Ha!

I'm a certified princess - Well, I never thought I was until the prospect of moving somewhere where Western comforts were at a premium came about. Like I mentioned before, I was diligent in researching the culture, and found a creative solution to my problem (IE: mailing myself the mattress topper and towels). If there are other things I need, mom can order and ship to me :) Plus, I just KNOW that my loyal fans and wonderful friends out there, reading this, will send me lovely care packages!! :P

It's a WHOLE YEAR - Actually, it's JUST a year. My parents have always told me that I can do anything, even things I don't like, if I can see an end in sight. A class I hated in college - "You can do anything for a semester", a position that gave me headaches and want to punch people I loved in the face (*cough, cough*) "You can do anything for a year"... you see what I mean. So, really, I CAN do anything for a year! (I just proved it in ZTA)

So, I guess my conclusion is, there's really nothing to be scared of. There's some initial things I am a bit nervous to get sorted (living in a motel for a week before getting my apartment, actually getting my apartment and figuring out how good or bad it is, etc), but all in all, I chose a great country, and a city that is particularly Westernized. I'm getting good money, and have a nice setup with my rent covered. I know I'll see my mom in November when she comes to visit, and Michael is looking at flights as we speak... so really, what's there to be scared about? My focus now is excitement...

Baybrook

This blog is not about Korea.

I got to go to my old store today, and see some coworkers that I had missed. One of them reads my blog, and I want at least her to know how much it meant to me to see everyone today.

I went for an appointment to get my phone replaced for a friend to borrow while I am out of the country, but getting to see my friends was an amazing blessing.

I've only been gone from the store for a little over a month, and not much has changed. I know things are happening internally, and I probably shouldn't know these things, but the faces are the same and I miss those faces. Even the first step in the door, I got a smile to my face. I really loved my time at Baybrook.

When I left my job at the store, I was on the brink of seeing my boyfriend, Michael, again after a few weeks without him. I was so excited that leaving the store didn't have as big of an effect on me. I think today it really hit me how much I miss it.

They don't even know, but the friends and relationships I made at work over the past year meant so much to me. I grew in my time there... emotionally and mentally, professionally. I learned about life and  work... And those were the people to help me through it all.

This blog isn't really to inform anyone about anything... it's simply a reflection. Sitting in my store, I was shaking. It wasn't exactly nerves or excitement, but an emotion I can't put a name to... sadness and a certain loneliness and feeling like I was back among friends, but had to leave them again. I don't know... but I wanted any of my coworkers who read this to know that you all meant so much to me. Your friendship was treasured and our time together was incredible.

I'm on the cusp of leaving everything I know for an opportunity to push myself even further in life... I pray that my future coworkers have half the intelligence, charisma, companionship, humor, and love for each other that I felt at Baybrook. If I can have even that, I know my time in Korea will be worth it.

I miss you all, Baybrook. xxxx

School Supplies!

Something I've noticed in my endless digging through teacher blogs and expat websites is that Korean kids love American school supplies. They go ga-ga over stickers, kookoo for posters, etc. Since it seems to me like getting such things is not too easy in Seoul, or that their selection is limited, I decided to track down some good ol' American goodies...

I have many friends who are teachers, most of which teach youngsters like mine. I posted on FaceBook with the question: "where should I get teacher supplies?" - several commented that I should check out the Dollar Store. I was surprised, and skeptical... but, why not?

So yesterday when I was on the nice side of town (aka: not where I live) I decided to see what the local Dollar Tree had in stock. I walked in and the first aisle I happened to check was the teachers supplies (and students' supplies down at the end).


First thing I found were rolls of "motivational stickers" (like, Great Job! on homework, etc.) I started looking around the box for the price, and my friend informed me that, unlike many other "dollar" stores, Dollar Tree ACTUALLY only has one price - $1. My eyes lit up! The whole roll of 180 stickers was only $1... I grabbed 5. (Hey, they had a variety!)



The next of my finds was posters... a Happy Birthday banner. You know, each month, swap out the names? Well, I wasn't too convinced I needed that, but I kept digging through the posters and found some that WERE what I needed. Each pack had two posters. I got "Opposites/Positions" to learn things like "in/out" or "happy/sad" - these could be great for vocab lessons, right? Right behind that was "Animals" with one poster being marine life and the other wild life (think African safari...) Some of these animals might be a little more complicated in their names, but it won't hurt! Plus the pictures are GREAT! Finally, the jewel in my poster-crown... the name chart. You know what I'm talking about... A chart where all the names go down the left side, and accomplishments across the top. Each time one of the students completes something, they get a coveted STAR. I LOVED this when I was in school... I couldn't wait to see my stars kick all the other rows of stars' butts! (Call me competitive...) Luckily, right after grabbing that set of posters (the other side was a Happy Birthday poster with each month and a box to write the kids names, much better than a banner...) I happened upon packs of foil stars! Goldmine! I grab two boxes of 440 stars each, and considered another, but decided to hold off...

My last finds were some cute motivational erasers (prizes??), some Mickey Mouse flashcards for colors and shapes (gotta know that stuff, right?) and finally, "Grow Your Own" capsules... wild life variety. I figure kids like that kind of sciency weirdness, and we can do them when learning animal names. :)

Man... these kids are so lucky that have an awesome teacher like me! ;) I spent a whole $15 on them! LOL I'm pretty proud of my spectacular finds... I'm sold on Dollar Tree!!

Lazy

Since I got home from Florida, I've been simultaneously lazy and overwhelmed. I want to revel in my soft and comfy bed, cook the foods I want to eat, and watch all the Netflix and Hulu I can handle. Unfortunately, I need to be preparing for my imminent departure in, oh, just like, 20 days.

AHHHHH!!!

Some things I've been doing this week to prepare (which doesn't amount to much...)
- Throwing random little things I want to take, such as adaptors, converters, power strips (I think those will be very handy!), medicine, and some spices (Italian seasoning, garlic powder, rosemary, etc), into a suitcase laying permanently open on my bedroom floor.
- Mentally putting together outfits which I think would be appropriate for work, and also noting which clothes I couldn't live without (aka: Victoria's Secret PINK Boyfriend sweatpants for lounging around my apartment).
- Begging insurance to let me get my annual eye exam 2 months early and not pay for the appointment or order while abroad (BTW the answer was no... but if I can get an itemized receipt in English they will cover a whopping $35...) The good thing is I think medical care there is relatively inexpensive. Maybe I won't go broke getting contacts...
- Ordering replacement heads for my Clarisonic face brush. These are way too expensive but I found a twin-pack on Amazon with free shipping, so that will last me 6 months then I can ask my mom to send me more hehehe
- Making a massive list of the movies and tv shows to get put on an external hard drive for me. Nothing illegal here, folks. Just a friend doing me a favor... So far, the list is 1 page, 3 columns, 12-point font...
- Making sure my laptop is up to date with all my files and music and photos from my iMac.
- Researching places in Seoul such as an eye doctor, a church, where to buy cheese, etc.
- Emailing with a guy who is also going to teach at my same school. My recruiter (bless her heart) gave me his email and he seems like a nice guy. We're even Facebook friends, and he doesn't seem to be creepy so that's a huge plus! ;)
- Picking the brain of my friend Tab who leaves for her Seoul adventure TOMORROW! We grew up in the same small town in North Texas, but were put in touch by a mutual friend. I'm so happy we could talk before we got to Seoul, and we will have each other to keep us company all those lonely times.
- Attempting to decide what items are of emotional or symbolic value that I must take. So far, I KNOW I must take my turquoise blue embroidered ZTA blanket from my Big, Kristen. My pillow (nothing beats it), and trying to determine what best reminds me of Michael. I would love to take photos, but I hate not having frames - I would need to buy frames over there, and would hate to print photos in a size they don't have frames for in Korea. I'm mildly OCD about this, but frameless photos annoy me for some reason. My mom crocheted me some winter slipper booties, and I must take those. Also, she made the cutest little scarf and I talked her into letting me have it :) After all, she will probably need it far less than I will.
- Turning off my Verizon cell phone service. Good thing I broke my phone so close to needing to cancel service anyway. I have gotten a Google Voice number and finally got Talkatone and Gmail set up to allow my iPad to function as my phone for the next 14 months.
- Selling my car. Well, not actually. I told my mom to sell her car and take mine. She's always loved my car and still has payments on hers; I am such a nice daughter :) Haha! So, no more mode of transportation for me!

Well, for now, that's what I am up to. I can't wait to hear from Tab once she arrives in Seoul and gets relatively settled. Hopefully she can give me some advice!

Comment if you have a recommended movie or tv show I should take with me!

Chick-Fil-A

With how frustrated I am over all the Chick-Fil-A business going on with Facebook today, I almost don't want to write this. But, it's my blog, so why not!

I've known since I was like 11 that Chick-Fil-A was a Christian-founded business. I thought it was cool from the start that someone in society actually stood up for their beliefs. So suddenly, in 2012, why are people getting up in arms about it?

The guy simply said what he believed. He never said "we don't serve gays" or "we give sub-par service to homosexuals". He simply said that his family doesn't support gay marriage, and they choose to give Sundays off to their employees. Big, freaking, deal!

What I want to know is WHY it's such a big deal for someone with conservative, religious beliefs and values to exercise his right to free speech, to say what he thinks, but if he had said the opposite, it would have been championed as free speech.

The thing is, people who think that Chick-Fil-A is evil are pissing me off, but the people who are smearing this whole thing over social media are also upsetting me. Christians are called to love everyone, but this campaign is making us look like the bad guys. I'm not apathetic to the issues going on, but annoyed by the outrage that Christians are yelling about on Facebook.

The way this started, a simple call to support someone who had courage in the face of a society against him, was just. But now, "sticking it to the gays" and "fighting for conservative values" - I'm sorry, when did how much money a company makes have any effect on someone's lifestyle. And did I miss the "vote" for gay marriage when I walked into Chick-Fil-A today?

I ate Chick-Fil-A today because I get great service and good food. I do think EVERYONE has the right to say how they feel and what they think, no matter who likes it or doesn't. (I've been offended by the left wing party and anti-Christian organizations many times) But, this whole messy business is ridiculous.

Eat where you want, believe what you want, just love everyone. Speak kindness, no matter your opinion. This goes for both "sides" of this ordeal...

Mistake?

When I first began my job search for teaching in Korea, I didn't know what to look for. Still today, I feel unprepared. But, I consoled myself that I would be making slightly more than several other jobs I'd seen (2.1 mil Korean Won, vs. 1.8-2.0 mil at other schools). But today I realized and admitted to myself that I may have been too hasty in accepting a job. I will be working in a private school, which means...

Pros: smaller class sizes, more foreign teachers to connect with

Cons: significantly less vacation (8-10 days in a year, vs. 4 weeks at a public school), significantly less sick leave (3 days vs. 15 at a public school)

These are only the ones that I know of at the moment. My friend, Tab, is working at a public school and I can already tell she's got a better deal. She arrives 3 weeks earlier than me, but also gets a week vacation before she starts teaching! Ugh...

I hope I am not going to regret my decision to go private. Just telling myself that fewer students means I can connect with them more and make a difference. *fingers crossed...*

Booked

A few days ago I received my airline ticket itinerary from my school. I will be leaving Houston at 8:50am on Wednesday, August 22, arriving in San Francisco at 11am, continuing to Seoul at 1:10pm on Wednesday and arriving at 5:25pm Thursday, August 23. Basically, I lose 2 whole days, accounting for flight times and time zone changes. It will be 3:25am in Houston when I land. Good grief! 

Seeing my itinerary, with my real name on it, with actual flights, is insane. Is this really happening?! All my preparations are actually paying off. I am MOVING to ASIA for a YEAR! I can't believe it. I also can't believe I will have to pack so little for an entire year!

I looked up my airlines, and the international portion of the flight is through Asiana Airlines. They allow 2 checked bags up to 50lb. Alright,no problem there. However, getting to that flight I have to fly through United which, besides the fact that I hate basically every domestic carrier besides Southwest, allows ZERO free checked bags. So, I must pay $25 for the first, and $35 for the second. Now, most of the time, if you book an international flight and your domestic carrier doesn't allow for the same baggage as the primary carrier, they must accommodate you. However, I did not book this ticket. A travel agent did, who worked with my school and recruiter. So, I have a dilemma... 

If he booked my flights separate (which may have been cheaper), not only must I pay for the bags to get to San Francisco, but if my first flight is delayed and I somehow cannot make my international flight, I am screwed. I will have to attempt to get in contact with my school/recruiter and get another flight, which could take FOREVER (literally). However, if it was booked as one ticket, the airline must help me get to Korea.

Of course, when I emailed my recruiter to ask about how the flight was booked, she had no information. She said that the travel agent will call me this week to make sure everything is good to go. However, I have yet to receive this phone call...

Ah, well, such is life. I am more annoyed about the baggage and more scared about missing the international flight. I could be so screwed! :/ Yikes!

At least now I know that I can have 2 50lb bags, and may or may not have to pay an extra $60 to get them there. Now I can really start planning my packing...

I have read that I should not worry toooo much about clothes. Being a female, and a fairly style-conscious female at that, this is a dilemma. I want to bring ALL my clothes, not a few! I've read that the clothing there is inexpensive; also, if I buy it there, I know I will not make some horrible faux-paus of wearing a low-cut shirt to a traditional dinner or some other terrible ordeal. I still have no idea what my school's dress code is, but I guess I will just find out. So: pack only a week or two worth of clothes. 

Now this is disturbing: Koreans do NOT, I repeat, do NOT wear deodorant. "How is this possible?!" you ask?? I too would like that question answered. But, it matters not. Because I DO wear deodorant. Thus, I will be bringing 3 sticks of deodorant.

I can't seem to figure out if Korean women use certain feminine hygiene products... Sorry, guys! But we ladies are picky about what we use, and if they don't have some Tampax Pearl, I might die. Well, not really. But if anyone can answer that question, I'd be grateful. Should I pack my own preferred brand of tampons?

I am prone to body-aches and headaches and all kinds of aches, especially when I am not sleeping in my usual bed which has 2" foam padding. Therefore, I have determined to bring my own Ibuprofen. I know it can be gotten in Seoul, but I would rather not take the risk of getting the wrong thing, and would rather not pay through the nose for it. So, Economy-size bottle of pain killers, vitamins, sleep aids, and other necessary medications.

Of course, my carry-on will contain my laptop, iPad, iPod, iPhone, and other various i-Devices. As well as their chargers! The great thing about Apple is their chargers are conveniently already equipped as power-converters. All I need is the Korean adaptor piece. The world travel adaptor kit that Apple sells contains one of these magic items, but with all my iStuff, I really need more. If you or anyone you know owns the travel adaptor kit made by Apple, and do not foresee going to Korea within the next 13 months, I'll happily take it off your hands. I can pay you for it, or return it to you after my time abroad. Please comment if you want to help me get Apple adaptor plugs for Korea. I suppose I will also need a few converter/adaptors for normal plugs, and of course some Korean plugs with USB or Mini-USB input. I am crossing my fingers I can find some either online at an expat buy/sell/trade site or some cheap ones at mini-marts in Seoul. 

I am certain there are more things I will need to remember to pack, but for now, I will leave it at this. If you have any suggestions or ideas of what I desperately need for a year in Korea, comment! :)

I will be on a cruise next week and the following week returning to Houston for the Big Pack-a-thon, and will be updating you all further with my musings and findings of what I will need. Til then...

Visa

Today I got my Visa back from the Korean Consulate. I already began describing all the preparations that go into preparing for a trip such as mine, but receiving this reminded me of all the hard work that went into getting it. 


After all my paperwork was gathered (detailed more in "Redtape"), I had to mail it all to my school in South Korea. I say it again, MAKE COPIES of your papers before you mail them! I mailed my stack of papers via DHL, and it cost $54 to send priority. Holy crap! It is worth it though, because once they receive the papers, the school must submit them, as well as their own paperwork, to the Immigration office. Immigration then reviews everything, makes sure I am not a criminal or a dropout, then gives the school back a visa-issuance number. That process took almost 3 week after the school received the papers. This is not even the last step! That's why I put a rush on the papers' delivery.

The waiting periods during this whole process are obnoxious. Waiting for the background check, waiting for the apostille, waiting for some approval, waiting for a signature. Now I have to wait for the country of KOREA to tell me it's okay that I come.

Finally, I got the email back from my recruiter giving me the issuance number. The email thankfully included lots of other documents about what to do from here. Basically, I fill out 2 more forms, pay some more money, and give the copies of everything as well as the documents to the Korean Consulate. I was extremely lucky because there is a Korean Consulate in Houston. I looked it up and there are like less than a dozen in the country, and one was 45 minutes from my house. Thank goodness! If I hadn't been able to drop my stuff off at the Consulate, I would have had to mail it in, and that just scares me. Lost mail, wrong or incorrectly filled out documents, etc. Yikes! 

The funny thing was that when I took my paperwork to the Consulate, the processing guy told me that all he needed was the application, photo, and the money. (ps - here is where an additional passport photo is needed. You now have used 5/6 photos, 4 in the packet sent to Korea, 1 here) I thought it was hilarious that I went through all the trouble making sure I had copies of everything, gathering all of it up, and triple checking my checklist. He needed basically none of it. If I had mailed my application I would have included all this and they wouldn't have even needed it. So, at least now I still have copies of all my stuff (just in case!).

Once I submitted my application for the visa at the Consulate in Houston, it was ANOTHER waiting game. For one more time, I had to wait and hope they would not stamp my application with a big, fat "DENIED". 

Four business days later, it was ready to be picked up. Unfortunately, it was ready about 7 hours after my flight left for Miami. Really?! Thankfully I have amazing parents who went to get it for me. :) They mailed it to me here in Miami since I will need it on my cruise in a few weeks. So, I finally laid eyes on my long-awaited Korean Work E2 Visa. Wow! All that hard work for a little sticker in my passport (granted, it is a badass sticker!)

Now I wait for my school to book my ticket to Seoul! I want to say this is my last step, but realistically it isn't. I still have to pack, take a lonnnnng plane ride, go through an extensive health exam, apply for an Alien Resident Card, go through orientation, and then actually begin learning how to do my job. THOSE are my last steps.... Ha!

But for now, I have an awesome addition to my passport. :)

Technology

I have arrived in sunny Miami, Florida! I know this blog is about my experiences in going to and preparing for Korea, but I am so excited to be here! I will be here all of July, taking an extended vacation to spend time with my boyfriend before I leave for Korea in August.

So far, I have managed to be extremely lazy, get a sunburn (curse of the fair-skinned) and eat. A lot. I thought I would use a portion of my obscene amount of free time to continue my blog, which I apologize has been neglected for a week or two... oops!

I certainly do not claim to be a technology guru, but I would say I am a bit of a junkie. Especially following my last job, where I learned about TONS of awesome stuff you can do with your technology, I now have a bit of everything. So I thought I would share my preparations for Korea regarding technology.

I am a Mac. I hope that I do not offend anyone, but if you are a PC, your life probably sucks. ;) JK... kinda. Hehehe
Well, I am a Mac, and following college, I got a desktop iMac (27" if you must know). It is my beautiful wonderful magically baby. I guess it was the extended amount of time spent with my 13" MacBook (white) on my lap in bed in college but I just don't like laptops anymore. I like the big screen, big power comfort of a beast of a machine. So with the prospect of moving to Korea, to a itty bitty apartment, I realize that toting along my iMac is impractical. Actually, it's almost impossible for me. I do have an iPad, but since I am not a 70 year old woman who only uses email, I need a computer. I was lucky enough to be able to work out a deal with my mom wherein she buys a new MacBook Pro (for herself) but loans it to me for my year abroad. While I am away, she is at liberty to use my iMac. Basically, we switch for the year. This works because her iMac (about 6 years old) is getting, well, old. So, after much hoo-ing and haw-ing (ps, where does that expression come from...?) we decided on a new 15" MacBook Pro. It is NOT the retina display (damn! too much money...). I originally wanted the Air, due to the weight, but I simply wanted a larger screen. My mom agreed. We know it is more of a computer than either of us will probably ever need, but oh well! Now I just need to find a Korean plug for the charger. 

By way of a phone, here is where my problems begin. I am spoiled on my iPhone. Absolutely spoiled! As you may have guessed with my introductory sentence above, I am loyal to Apple. This includes phones. I don't understand other smartphones. I'm sure there are good ones, but I don't want to try them. I like my iPhone. However, I use an iPhone 4 (I know, I need to upgrade...) The 4 is NOT a world phone. Mine is also tied to Verizon. I have been desperately trying to search forums and websites about using an iPhone in SouthKorea. Apparently, iPhones are available, but the way their networks work is different from America (and the rest of the world) AND if you bring your own, you have to register the phone with the GOVERNMENT to get the serial number approved to use on a line of service. I found some service plans that would work, and are certainly cheap enough. However, even if Verizon unlocked my phone, I believe the network will not work due to the technology that goes into the phone. So my options are thus: bring the phone and try to get it approved and put on a line of service (about a 30/70 chance of working, not in my favor) OR buy an iPhone there (cons being that i have to sign a 2 year contract which I cannot do, or pay full price for the phone, can't afford) OR buy an iPhone 4S here (world phone!) but we all suspect a new phone in the coming months, plus would have to pay full price which i just cannot do. 

So, being the devious little imp that I am, I start talking to my crazy-smart coworkers about my dilemma. One of the suggests, in a tone which implied that I should have already known this, that I could use Google Voice thru Talkatone app to make free calls to US numbers (also texts and voicemail). This is so unbelievably brilliant, I can't help but doing a happy dance. Now my only problem is to get data on my iPad. I will need to obtain the same approval from the government for my device (I do NOT understand this process) and then purchase a SIM-card for the iPad. So far, I am not 100% sure I can do this, but it is possible in almost every other country in the world, so I am crossing my fingers. If this works, I will buy a cheap flip-phone for local use over there, but keep iPad with data to make international calls to America (taking away the need for calling cards or international calling plans). Can I just say that technology is INCREDIBLE. Seriously, it just keeps getting better! 

What do you think of my plan? If you have any insider knowledge that I need to know, please comment! I want to cover all my bases before I get there. BUT please do NOT comment that I need to stop being so picky and get a phone over there, that that is the land of technology, or some other negative-nancy comment. I know what I want! So there :P

Oh, also, this is neat. I bought an AirPort Express router (Apple also). This little baby is awesome! It is about the size of a deck of cards, and I expect will be extremely helpful over there. When I get my internet hooked up, my American AirPort Express will be able to use English (without the horrible attempts at translations). I am excited to have an English router. It just hooks up into my modem or my ethernet and broadcasts my internet :) I can control it in English settings from my iPad. This way, when I am at my apartment, I can use the iPad (or iPhone in WiFi-only settings) to call home, thru google voice also. Finally, I can take the AirPort Express with me when I travel. Anywhere that has ethernet, I can plug this baby in and create my own little WiFi network. Brilliant!

If you don't speak techno, I probably just simultaneously bored and confused the hell out of you. But, if you can follow that, I hope I gave some good information. Please feel free to comment questions or advice! I welcome all help! :)

Redtape

After the excitement of actually getting a real job offer, I had to start collecting all my paperwork. Actually, before I had my interview I started this process because it is a somewhat long and tedious one. I just REALLY had to make it happen once I had signed a contract. My recruiter sent me a list of things to get done...

I suppose for those out there who don't have the benefit of a recruiter, I will go into some detail here.

First thing to request: Background check from the FBI. This takes the longest to complete, so request it straight away! I got my fingerprints done at the local police office (check with your station because they may do fingerprints only on certain days). They have official fingerprint cards there, but you do have to pay a fee to have them done. You will later need to get an apostille from DC of your completed background check, so be sure to request a "pre-authenticated" check. I typed out a short letter to "whom it may concern" requesting it, printed and signed. Include that letter, your background check request application (found here the FBI website), and your fingerprint card, and payment (no personal checks accepted, you can print a cc authorization form from their website which is probably easier than money order or cashiers check). Include all this and a completed FBI checklist in a priority mail envelope (I believe you need to include a prepaid for return envelope, but check on the FBI checklist!)

Second most time consuming process: requesting an apostile copy of your diploma from the Dept. of State. You must take a photocopy of your actual diploma to a notary, each of you sign and date, and send that off to your capitol, Austin in my case. Unfortunately, the first time I did this, I forgot to sign (actually, I didn't forget, i just didn't know!) This process should take a few weeks or less (mine was about 2 weeks).

Make sure you have 2-3 copies of your transcripts

You should definitely have ALREADY obtained your passport (you want to work OVERSEAS, right? hehe) You also need several copies of a passport photo; HOWEVER, most countries need it in their standard form. For this, rather than trying to get the Walgreens photo specialist to understand why I didn't want US-standard sizes, I went to the website here. You can select the photo size you want, upload your OWN photo (yay!) and choose how many. For the standard 2 photo sheet, the prices is about the same as Walgreens. But I needed 6 photos, so their "best value" of 6 photos was DEFINITELY cheaper! I was very happy with this service.

To be honest, this is a process I went thru about 2 months ago, and I am now staying in Miami (rather than Houston) so I don't have immediate access to all my paperwork to refer to. I will try to go back and edit this post when I get all my information back at hand. 

Oh, don't forget - make photocopies of EVERYTHING! Make 2 copies just in case! You will need copies for the Visa office later down the road... ;)

Preparations

It has been a few months since I have started my preparations for my adventure in Seoul. All the while I have been scouring the internet for others' experiences in preparing paperwork, obtaining a visa, packing, etc. While I have found some information, I feel like there were still many questions that remained unanswered, despite an enormous amount of Google searches.... Hopefully this blog can assist those future teachers of Asia in their preparations.

First I will tell you about where I am going. I will be teaching at a private school in Seoul, South Korea. It is a language school, and I will be a foreign English teacher. (Pardon me if my blog does contain some grammatical or spelling errors; yes, I can be anal about these things, but this is also a personal blog that I write on my spare time for FUN. So I may not be too picky as I type... bare with me.) I decided that before I settle into a career and family, I wanted an adventure (preferably one that can also pay the student loans stacking up...) So, I did a 60-hour TEFL certification (which I came to find out I did not really need...) and started applying at recruiting sites. I applied at several, but the one I ended up working with was the one who personally reached out to me to set up a time, and worked with my chaotic retail schedule. I worked with gone2korea.com out of Canada. I have not had any complaints, but go with whichever recruiter floats your boat.

After an initial interview with some guy in Canada, who wanted to know basic things like Why teaching? Why Korea? etc, they confirmed my place with their agency. I did NOT pay for this service! If anyone tries to get you to pay them, DON'T DO IT! These recruiters make their money from the schools that we work for; do not pay them a dime! Anyway, after that interview, my primary contact was a Korean (I assume) who also spoke great English. I think of her as my middle-man. She basically found out what levels I wanted to teach, what type of school (public or private), my resume/qualifications, etc. Then she basically found school(s) that fit my criteria, and I fit theirs.

Once a suitable school was found, she emailed me some information on them. If the sample contract looked good to me, she would set up an over the phone interview with the school directly. (I accepted an interview from the first school she asked about - how was I to know the difference?!) The interview has been my ONLY direct contact with the school. I'm not sure how I feel about this, but it seems pretty normal when you work with a recruiter.

One other thing my contact did was put me in touch with another teacher currently at the school I was interviewing with. This was a HUGE help! There are many websites that "rate" schools and work experiences, but I have found that those are biased and only the very unhappy seek out the sites to vent to. So, after reading some unsettling claims on one website, I was able to email my contact at the school and talk candidly about my concerns. She definitely gave me a better perspective. I felt much better after speaking with her.

During my interview, the director of the school asked normal interview questions, some of which I had prepared a little bit for. I kept my resume in front of me (since I knew she was also looking at it) and referenced that. She asked a few questions that threw me off such as "What is the most important aspect of learning English?" and "What do you do to relieve stresses of daily life?" I had to think on my feet but it ended well. I felt very good about the interview!

Only 2 hours later, I received an email from my recruiter saying that the director liked me a lot and has decided to offer me a position. She sent a contract offer with all the details for me to look over. I only had about 2 full days to look it over and make a decision. The schools are usually in need of people year-round, and are trying to fill spots ASAP. I had no idea what I was looking for, so I signed and faxed my signature back. (Since this time, I found a website where veterans of teaching abroad will look over contracts for loop holes and pit falls that inexperienced teachers may fall victim to. It is here at "Dave's ESL Cafe." Thank goodness by the time I found it and uploaded my contract, no one found any major flaws!

In my next blog, I'll go into all the details of collecting paperwork! What a tedious business... Hope you're either very interested or have nothing else to do! ;)