Today is the day that I'm leaving for Korea. It feels pretty surreal, even now, to thank that I'll be in a whole different part of the world this time tomorrow. Even though I've been planning this for a little while now, It has kind of taken me by surprise that my adventure is finally here.
I was thinking yesterday about what I would miss most. I know I'll miss some "luxury" things, like Chik Fil-A, Target, gourmet pizza, etc. However, I can easily adapt to life without these things. I think it will be all of the great friends and family in my life that I will really miss. Although it is true that I can live without them, there is something to be said for a group of people onhand that constantly and unwaveringly support you.
JW
Monday, March 30, 2009
Thursday, March 19, 2009
My Visa is here!
So, after what feels like a lifetime worth of waiting my Korean visa finally arrived today. To be fair the whole process, from submitting the application material to receiving the actual visa, only took a week from start to finish. However, the whole process seemed so ambiguous to me that I really had no idea as to how long it would take.
Now that I actually have my visa, I'm starting to realize that I am indeed headed to South Korea in about a week or two.
Now that I actually have my visa, I'm starting to realize that I am indeed headed to South Korea in about a week or two.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Stay Calm...
So, I'm getting pretty close to leaving for Korea. Overall, I'm extremely excited about this whole thing. This excitement, however, is mingled with both extreme terror and the occasional urge to throw up.
To say that I am starting to freak out, on the inside, may be an understatement. On the bright side, All of my paper work is completed and should receive my work visa back in the next few days. This is really all I need to have in order to make it to Korea. However, now that this process is coming to an end, I have to pack, try to learn a little Korean and oh yeah, also prepare for a full-time job of teaching English to Middle School Students.
I think what is causing me panic is that I have been so focused on the actual process of getting to Korea, I feel like I have neglected to pay attention to the actual reason I'm going in the first place, my job. Also, having never officially been a teacher, I really want to be prepared and show everyone that I can be a good teacher.
The next two weeks or so before I leave are pretty busy. I have family to visit, friends to say goodbye to and some organizing of things to complete before I leave. On top of this, I really want to make sure that I focus some time and effort into really thinking about my lessons and doing some preparation for my classes.
JW
To say that I am starting to freak out, on the inside, may be an understatement. On the bright side, All of my paper work is completed and should receive my work visa back in the next few days. This is really all I need to have in order to make it to Korea. However, now that this process is coming to an end, I have to pack, try to learn a little Korean and oh yeah, also prepare for a full-time job of teaching English to Middle School Students.
I think what is causing me panic is that I have been so focused on the actual process of getting to Korea, I feel like I have neglected to pay attention to the actual reason I'm going in the first place, my job. Also, having never officially been a teacher, I really want to be prepared and show everyone that I can be a good teacher.
The next two weeks or so before I leave are pretty busy. I have family to visit, friends to say goodbye to and some organizing of things to complete before I leave. On top of this, I really want to make sure that I focus some time and effort into really thinking about my lessons and doing some preparation for my classes.
JW
Monday, March 9, 2009
So Here's Whats Happening...
Welcome to the very first post of my blog! As you may have already inferred, this blog will be about my adventures living in working in South Korea. Before go into any further detail, however, let me catch you up on what has transpired to get us to this point.
After returning from my somewhat disastrous cruise ship work experience (if you don't already know, don't ask) I decided that I would once and for all work towards becoming a teach and move to Florida, which I have wanted to do for a very long time. However, once in Florida, I began to experience the same weak economy that was hurting millions of people across the country.
My original plan was to become a substitute teacher once I got to Florida. I would then pursue education classes with the hopes of landing a full time teaching jobs. Although I made it through the first stage of the substitute application process, my plans were altered for me when I found out that the school systems I were applying for had an abundance of substitute applicants and not enough money in their budgets to use them. To add insult to injury, I was also unable to obtain any type of loan that would allow me to pursue graduate education courses.
This series of events had me asking myself questions about what I should be doing with my life. The one thing I knew that I didn't want to do was to go back to my previous career in video production and editing. I knew that even though my plans had been changed, I still wanted to pursue my goal of teaching.
Around this same time, I began to ponder the possibilities of teaching English abroad. To me this would not only allow me to directly enter into the field of teaching, but would also allow me to pursue my passion for travel. Although making the decision to give up my plans of becoming a licensed teacher in Florida to pursue a career of teaching and traveling may like a huge step, because it is, it was actually a fairly easy decision for me.
Because of my brief stint on the cruise ship a couple of months prior, I had already given up many of the objects and financial responsibilities that commit a person to one place. I had no car, no apartment, no job and very few possessions. I knew that if I stayed here and tried to follow my original plans of teaching in Florida, I would quickly regain many of the items I had previously gotten rid of, making it much harder for any future round the world travel. Also, like many other kids in their mid 20s, I knew that I was still not ready to settle down and join the status-quo.
So that pretty much gets us to this point. I've been through the interview process and already have a school assigned to me in Incheon, a city about an hour outside of Seoul. I'm due to leave in about three or four weeks, but still have a lot to do. I'm hoping to get my visa processed this week, but am very nervous because I keep hearing extremely conflicting stories about this process. I also want to begin planning my lessons, but am so preoccupied with everything else I haven't really given anything that's job related much thought.
Anyway, I'm sure that's enough for today. An extra thank you goes out to those people that actually made it to the end of this post. You must be really board. Thanks for reading.
JW
After returning from my somewhat disastrous cruise ship work experience (if you don't already know, don't ask) I decided that I would once and for all work towards becoming a teach and move to Florida, which I have wanted to do for a very long time. However, once in Florida, I began to experience the same weak economy that was hurting millions of people across the country.
My original plan was to become a substitute teacher once I got to Florida. I would then pursue education classes with the hopes of landing a full time teaching jobs. Although I made it through the first stage of the substitute application process, my plans were altered for me when I found out that the school systems I were applying for had an abundance of substitute applicants and not enough money in their budgets to use them. To add insult to injury, I was also unable to obtain any type of loan that would allow me to pursue graduate education courses.
This series of events had me asking myself questions about what I should be doing with my life. The one thing I knew that I didn't want to do was to go back to my previous career in video production and editing. I knew that even though my plans had been changed, I still wanted to pursue my goal of teaching.
Around this same time, I began to ponder the possibilities of teaching English abroad. To me this would not only allow me to directly enter into the field of teaching, but would also allow me to pursue my passion for travel. Although making the decision to give up my plans of becoming a licensed teacher in Florida to pursue a career of teaching and traveling may like a huge step, because it is, it was actually a fairly easy decision for me.
Because of my brief stint on the cruise ship a couple of months prior, I had already given up many of the objects and financial responsibilities that commit a person to one place. I had no car, no apartment, no job and very few possessions. I knew that if I stayed here and tried to follow my original plans of teaching in Florida, I would quickly regain many of the items I had previously gotten rid of, making it much harder for any future round the world travel. Also, like many other kids in their mid 20s, I knew that I was still not ready to settle down and join the status-quo.
So that pretty much gets us to this point. I've been through the interview process and already have a school assigned to me in Incheon, a city about an hour outside of Seoul. I'm due to leave in about three or four weeks, but still have a lot to do. I'm hoping to get my visa processed this week, but am very nervous because I keep hearing extremely conflicting stories about this process. I also want to begin planning my lessons, but am so preoccupied with everything else I haven't really given anything that's job related much thought.
Anyway, I'm sure that's enough for today. An extra thank you goes out to those people that actually made it to the end of this post. You must be really board. Thanks for reading.
JW
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