December already??

Time is just a'flyin'! I cannot believe it's almost winter break. Where has the time gone? Oh yeah, teaching three classes, two special reading classes, planning, performance practice, etc. etc.etc. lol I knew that this wouldn't be a cakewalk, but wow! Constantly doing things, never a dull moment.

The kids did awesome at their performance, even though the sound guy completely dropped the ball. Boo at him. :( At least the parents were pleased, and since my ability as a teacher is judged almost solely on how the kids performed...I'm super proud of them though. One of the songs was prematurely cut off and they kept going. I even got "thank you" flowers from the parents. :D

Last week a ton of things were due all on the same day; report cards (for all classes), class summaries, and open class lesson plans. Doesn't sound like much, which it really wasn't but very time consuming. Some stress and frustration resulted from that, some complaining/negativity from other teachers, and not a lot of sleep. It made it a not fun week, but I came to the conclusion I need to walk away from the negativity. I cannot let other people's inability to put their big girl panties on and deal with their problems get to me. I did talk to my VP and supervisor and it definitely cleared up a ton of confusion. My frustration/stress level went done incredibly.

This week is parent-teacher conferences. I had my first one this evening and it went fairly well. My afternoon supervisor interpreted for me, so I basically sat and smiled and nodded. lol It was a bit amusing to me, but I hope that the parents got what I was trying to convey. Not sure how much was lost in translation. Then it was one-on-one with the parents that actually showed up, only parents for 2 kids. I wish more had come, but for time's sake I'm glad they didn't. I think the meetings went well, one parent was even pleased saying this was the best report card her son has received. I do love my BC boys, they are awesome.

Tomorrow is a meeting with only one of my BC girl's parents. Again, I wish the other parents would come just so I can meet them. I understand though why most aren't coming. Apparently the owner of the school repeats the same thing and most parents want to avoid hearing it...again. lol Plus I figure if there was an issue I'd hear about it. Most of these parents aren't shy about complaining to the Korean teachers. lol

Super, super excited about Friday. Not only is it the Christmas party for the whole school, but my honey is coming!!! I get to take a long trip (about 1 1/2 hours) by subway and train to pick him up. Crossing my fingers that I don't get lost and we find each other quickly at the airport. :)

So much to do before Friday! Still need to Christmas shop and then mail it all. I know it won't get to my family by Christmas...sorry!! Just been so busy, again where has the time gone?? Early day tomorrow so early to bed for me. Which means about midnight. lol

Been too long!

I cannot believe I've been here for almost 2 months! The time has totally flown by. Mostly working all day and enjoying a few evenings out. The weekends so far have been busy going out and seeing a few places in Seoul or meeting new friends.

Completely love my classes! My kindergarten class is the 7 year olds(6 really) that have been coming to CIS for 3 years, and my two BC grade 3 classes are definitely hard work, but the kids are great. I only have 4 kids in my kindergarten class, yes envy me, and they are wicked smart. They pick things up so quickly that sometimes I forget I'm working with 7 year olds. M-W-F I work with 6 boys in 3rd grade. They are a hoot most of the time, they do get off track VERY easily. However I absolutely adore them. T-Th I work with 2 girls also in 3rd grade which are a bit more of a challenge. I like them just fine, but they really don't like working. Which I can understand, these kids are in school all day then they go to more school, music lessons, math tutoring, etc. I don't know how they don't break down on a daily basis. I suppose it's because this type of schooling is all they've known.

The ladies I work with, both foreign and Korean, are just plain awesome. I've gotten fairly close to a few and nights out are usually spent with them. The night life on the weekend is crazy, but fun. Koreans work hard, but they party harder.

Food here is different, but I've enjoyed the majority. Still cannot get behind the seaweed soup, and kimchi on a daily basis has taken some getting used to. I really like the cucumber kimchi and radish kimchi. Korean barbeque is delicious too!

Sad news on the photo front. Flickr has decided to be a jerk and not let me on my account. So I had to create a new one. Perhaps tomorrow I'll find the energy to repost and add more pictures. lol

I cannot wait to decorate for Christmas! I'm sad I won't be able to bake, but maybe I can keep the tradition of making chocolate covered pretzels. Crossing fingers on that one. :)

Pictures...finally!!

I finally got around to uploading pictures. Not much so far, but mostly taking everything in. I'll be playing tourist when I get a moment to breathe. lol Which might be December. :D I will upload pictures, possibly a video tour, of my place sometime soon.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/89132178@N04/sets/

Unpacked...well mostly.

A nice lazy morning spent skyping with my honey started my day off very well. I managed a few more lazy hours before I walked across the street to Lotte Mart, it's sort of like a mini-grocery store. The food I picked up will hold me over for the next a few days.

Unpacking and organizing my little space has definitely made me feel more settled. I still need to hang up some clothes, but that will wait until after I get more hangers. For now, they rest on a little pull-out table thingy. Also, I need to ask a girl from work how to operate the washer/dryer that I have. I'm was very pleased to find out that it was a washer/dryer combo. I haven't hung clothes up to dry since I was very little. (Yes Mom, I still remember helping you hang clothes in the backyard.)

Tomorrow I will organize my desk/book shelf area. It's going to take some adjusting to having the main door less than 20 feet from where I sleep. Not that I'm worried about anyone breaking in. Between the sturdiness of the door and the awesome lock I feel safe. Also, I might consider getting some material to make curtains. Seeing as how my window faces the top of the building next door. Don't get me wrong I don't mind seeing/hearing the nice family next door, but I'm not 100% comfy with them being able to see into my home.

I think I need to learn the phrase, "Sorry, I don't know Korean yet." The last few times I've purchased/paid for something they rattle off in Korean and I stand there smiling like a "special" person. They are always unfailingly kind and try to communicate with hand signals or gestures. I will work on learning the alphabet, I'm told that REALLY helps.

I cannot wait for payday, so many things I need to get such as a converter, cellphone/someway to communicate, and I'd like to pick up a nightstand and lap (or two). For now I'm limited to email, FB, and skype. Oh, and running downstairs to ask a girl from work questions. lol And eventually I want to start actually going around and visiting/exploring Seoul and then other parts of Korea. It might have to wait until winter break.

Settling In

After a whirlwind race back from work to the hotel to the apartment last Wednesday I can now officially say I'm in my apartment. No photo's for now since it's a disaster. Suitcases littering the floor, seriously. Maybe I'll make a short video and post it after I've unpacked. So maybe next week sometime.

I can at least tell you it's not the apartment style I hoped for, but it's a good sized one bedroom/bath. There are a couple closets that I hope are able to hold all my stuff including my suitcases. And eventually the fridge will hold more than some yogurt, grapes, and juice. lol

So far I'm loving it here. Food is literally around every corner, every other store, being sold next to the street, from the back of trucks...it is freaking everywhere! Just found out that there is a Baskin Robins (with the most freakin' cutest cakes ever!) barely 2 blocks from my building.

Rode the subway for the first time ever! No, I don't mean just here...I mean ever. It was a weird experience. I had indian for dinner with some ladies from work. How is it that indian food here tastes a million times better than the one back home, which is owned and run by indians??

Oh, and the mystery smell coming from this lady's pot was not boiled walnuts/pecans as I thought. Nope, roasted silk larva. I can get behind fermented cabbage/veggies...I just can't get behind eating silk larva. I mean who looks at it and goes, hmmm that looks like something to eat! It boggles my mind. lol

Tomorrow(saturday) I was planning on going hiking, but with this head cold/nasal thing I'm trying to get rid of I don't think I will. Sleeping in and unpacking later sounds like a much better plan. I might go on Sunday. It is nice to walk to work and see mountains in the distance and fall colors in the trees that line the streets.

I do have to say though that despite all the newness and cool factors of my small experience  so far, there are too many people. I like people watching, but city living is not my ideal setting. I do love the experience so far and 6 years at the small, private (mostly run by the complaints of parents) school I taught at has really prepared me for this place. I don't feel like I've walked into a strange new world. It's pretty much been, "Oh, so I go with the flow like always? Cool." and "Yep, a big performance to prepare for? Sure, I can do that in 2 months." lol, you would have to have taught where I taught to trully appreciate the ability to change lesson plans last minute because of some random schedule change. It's more like I'm working with new people at pretty much the same school. lol

Now to crash. :)

Two in One

Since the hotel's internet doesn't like to let me post, I'm using the computer at school. So you get 2 posts in one you lucky, lucky people. Some of you already got these in the form of emails so you can skip. :)

Arrival....

 Arrived safe and sound yesterday (well today for you guys). I met a nice older Korean man, Byun Chang, before my flight from Chicago to Incheon. He is a history teacher/pastor/missionary and apparently decided to adopt me temporarily. I got to sit in the business lounge! I know, spiffy! I showed him Grandma's book and he is super excited about Ch. 11 (Guiding Principles of a Successful Relationship). He says he is writing a paper about how important it is that the people left behind when missionaries leave should be self-reliant. He asked that I copy a few pages, he is even going to try to get the church librarian to order Grandma's book for their library! I do want to get him an autographed copy once I get a mailing address. He also invited me to go to his Presbyterian church (about 50,000 people attend) which also has an English service. The church is not too far, by train anyways, from the school which hopefully means it won't be far from my apartment.

  Mr. Chang even stayed with me after we got off the plane. He insisted on staying with me until my driver arrived, even though I have a feeling he needed to go. He even insisted on calling the school for me, twice, to find where/when the driver would arrive. My poor driver spoke maybe 5 words in English and claimed his name was Mr. Bob. (My former students would get a kick out of that.) The ride from the airport was about an hour, traffic was busy going into Seoul. People drive crazy here! I thought it was bad in Ft. Myers, but those yanks and Floridians got NOTHING on Korean drivers.

 I was dropped off at a hotel, where I will be staying till Wednesday (from my understanding). I was met by three ladies, two of which I will be working with. Mary-Beth, is from Georgia, seems very nice and understanding of the whole new-ness of everything. The other lady, Bella, is one of the Korean teachers and will be my supervisor. Mary-Beth asked if I was freaking out, which honestly a small part is because of how different everything is, I responded a bit, but I'm looking forward to it all. To which she commented I seem like a free spirit. *laugh*

  My hotel room is smallish, most of it taken up by the bathroom which is enclosed by decorative frosted glass. They didn't stay long since they had plans to go out. Which was okay with me since sleep was desperately wanted. I crashed around 7:30pm, only woke up a couple times and fell back asleep. I set my alarm for 5am so I could call people, but my phone and phone card are not being cooperative. I will try to find a place where I can get internet free and/or get a phone card. Once I am all settled I'll be looking into getting a phone for here.

 The floor is heated/cooled...awesome! The bed is just my size, so anybody over 5'10 might find it a bit short. I'll post pictures online/email some as soon as I am able. Right now the blog is not working since 1)the hotel still uses internet explorer and 2) the computer is in Korean and I can't find where to turn it to English. Oh! There are shows/movies in English on TV so I've already watched a bit. Right now I'm watching a show in Korean that I've watched before with subtitles. So I'm pretending I know what they're saying. :p

 Anyways, I'm going to get moving and in a bit venture out for some breakfast.

First day...



Since I cannot seem to access my blog I'll be "posting" from here. My first day went very well, a bit long, but it was a good day. I have 4 students in my kindergarten class, which is the smallest and brightest class. So I am the envy of all at the school, lol. Not really, but sort of... The girl I've been shadowing is as organized as I am when it comes to running her classroom. What makes it even nicer is my lesson plans are basically set up by the school. All I have to do is fill in how I'm doing the lessons, which each week are emailed to the parents.

  In the afternoon I have a 3rd grade class, mostly boys. They are a rambunctious group, but I speak boy so I think I've made a connection. My morning supervisor, Bella (her English name), is super nice and told me that she asked the kids if they liked me and so far they all said yes. So, yay me! I will be working with a special reading group, which again is very small but the boys are a handful. It will be interesting to see how things develop with them.

  As of Wednesday I'm on my own, so slight EEP moment. I will also be moving out of the hotel and into the apartment of the teacher I'm replacing. Luckily it also houses the other English teachers so I'll have people to walk to and from work with. There are a lot of similarities between the school here and my previous one. Both a good and bad thing, lol.

  Tomorrow morning I go for my physical and hopefully will make it back to the school before lunch. Unfortunately the field trip to a palace is rescheduled for next week so I'll be doing some creative moving around of lessons. Well, off to crash for the night.

Countdown is now hours!!

Heading out in about an hour, picking up coffee (I hope), and then arriving at the airport 3am-ish. I'll be flying out 6:25ish, arriving in Chicago 8:30ish, looooooong layover, then on the way around noon. I get to travel into the future!! :p Okay not really...I'm arriving 4pm on Saturday while most of the people I know will still be asleep!

 Trying to maintain my calm. :D

T-minus 5 days...

So roughly 5 days till I go. There have been so many delays that I'm almost afraid to believe it's actually happening. I do have the promise of the director and, if it's to be believed, a fortune cookie that says my next trip will be to an exotic place. I guess that means it's official?

Really need to be productive the next two days. Not really a whole lot to pack, but I do need to go back over what I'm taking on the plane with me. I keep thinking I can pack less, then I start thinking that I might need that item for something. A bit on the frustrating side I'll admit.

Hung out last night with my big bro. It was fun going on a midnight run to Wally-world, chowing down on s'mores, and watching a slightly cheesy movie. Looking forward to hanging out with family before I fly off.

For now, kitties are giving me the "feed me now human" look. After I finish "Equilibrium" of course.  ;p

...and it's a promise!

Whilst visiting the great north (aka Canada) I received an email from the director of the school. To sum it up... there is yet another delay. However it's merely a few days vs. a few weeks...so light at the end of the tunnel etc, etc, etc.

I've been told this is the last delay and my plane ticket has been purchased ensuring no further hiccups . I also have the director's promise and my itinerary has been confirmed (via the nice, but hard to understand, traveling agent man from NY). In other words I am pretty-almost postively-kinda believing-holding onto it by a teeny-tiny,microscopic thread sure that I will be leaving the 12th of this month.

Although now that I think about it, I may have just jinxed myself. Sweet.

So slight change in the visiting family before I take off, but not by much.

Ooo! I almost forgot! On the last leg of my flight home I ended up sitting next to this rather "posh" looking British gent by the name of John Hale. It seems all it takes to turn him into a chatterbox is a small gin & tonic. A few sips later and he turns to me and starts talking. And when I say talking I mean he almost put me to shame! That is saying a lot if you know me. (Hush those of you that do...yeah especially you...and you...oh and you too!)

Anyways, turns out he is a retired publisher who has ventured into the world of publishing online writers. He even wrote his own mystery book based around a fraud case he helped bust wide open (his words, not mine). I thoroughly enjoyed talking...well ok listening to him. He was very intelligent and his vocabulary made the geeky-girl in me go "squee", all mentally of course. :p

His website started out as being a place for writer to publish/post their work and for people to read for free. Eventually it turned into a sort of mini-Amazonesque (shush real word now) site. You can view the first chapter of each book and if you like, purchase. What makes it better than Amazon, in my/his opinion, is that it actually tells the author what is viewed the most (the cover, backside, the free chapter). This allows the writer to have an idea of what might need to change. Honestly, there have been a few books I haven't even bothered to check out based on the cover. And yes, I do know the whole don't judge a book...blah blah blah.

I could go on about how cool it was conversing with him, but part of me is reminding me the purpose of this blog/journal thingy. ;p

If you are interested, check out his website Virtual Bookshop . His book btw is "Probus Enigma".

Random postings will continue until something amazing happens...lucky you.

I feel as if my theme song for the next few weeks should be an extended version of the Jeopardy theme song. 

So the weekend diversion didn't turn out to be the diversion I hoped it would have been. On the flip side, on Sunday, I ended up seeing an old coworker and going to a free Hoobastank concert. They sound amazing live and the lead singer is as short as he appears to be in pictures, however he's a pretty cool dude. What also made the evening enjoyable was the ego-boosting compliment I recieved from one random guy (apparently I am in the "cute, no I mean really seriously you are very cute" category) and getting the not one, but two of the biggest kisses I've ever received on the cheek from the most laid-back Jamaican/Brit guy.

It was awesome just chillin' with the Jamaican/Brit guy, who apparently had really made the day of one of the ladies I was with when she had a bad day. Apparently he brightened her day by simply asking if she was okay and if she needed anything. Small world, but it shows that good people are out there. LOL Plus, while they were reminiscing over how they met he offered to cook dinner for her, her husband, and their kids...at his house. He was all about helping and being friendly. Nicest guy you'll ever meet.

What's on today's agenda? I know you wait with bated breath...is probably another afternoon at B&N with a coffee. Then I might scrounge around, very carefully, through my suitcases for clothing I'll need for my quick trip to Canada to see my man.  Of which I'm super excited. I actually get to make it up there for a season other than winter and summer. He claims spring is something I shouldn't miss either. Someday I'll experience it.

But first! A very quick trip to see the family before the Canada excursion. Oo! This means I get to sleep in a bed vs. my couch. I've almost forgotten what a bed feels like. Okay, not really, but let's pretend for dramatic purposes I have forgotten. :p Mmmm...bed...*happy far off look*

Anyhoo, time to stop being a bum at home, and go be a bum somewhere else! :D

Ok, the ha ha time is over now...

*deeeeeeeeep breath*

My flight is set for October 8th. What was that? The 8th of October you say? Oh my! Why isn't that 3 weeks away? Why yes it is!

*squishes hysterical laughter*

It seems that the last 2 weeks of September are open-class for the parents and the 1st week of October is Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving). The school didn't want me to feel pressured by having parents dropping in whenever or be all alone. I appreciate their thoughtfulness...I just really really really want to be there. Should have been there by now. *grumbles again at visa process* Even the guy from the company expressed his surprise at the lateness and apologized.

We are working to see if the date can be moved a little bit earlier and the flight out be moved to Orlando vs. Tampa. It probably won't happen, but one can ask and see. Worse case it remains the 8th and I get to Tampa the day before my flight.

Really doing my best to not see this as another set back. It is all for a reason. I'm not the most patient person when it comes to things I really want. So this whole thing is extremely trying on my patience. If this is God's way of teaching me to be patient, alright I get it already!! If my going crazy is providing some amusement, because let's face it God has a sense of humor, than can the ha ha time be over now?

The not working/doing anything is starting to get to me. I mean I have plenty of things to watch, internet to browse, game to play, etc. My people interaction is not as much though. I want to be in the classroom working with students again. I'm going slightly stir crazy here.

You know those cartoons where the character opens his wallet and a fly comes fluttering out? I have that feeling whenever I reach for my wallet to pay for things. No, I am in no way THAT financially strapped. I just am very aware that money is not coming in at the moment. Which causes me to twinge at the diversion I'm taking tomorrow. Some analyzing later...it is a much needed fun diversion with people I know who will lift my spirit and keep me going.

Now to figure out how to occupy my mind the next few weeks...ippy skippy.

*Insert Awkward Happy Dance*

I got my visa! I got my viiiissssaaa! *happy dance* Who got their visa? That's right...ME!!*more happy dance to make us both feel awkward, but only one of us really cares...happy dance with some raising the roof*

Ok, now that I got THAT out of my system! *happy dance*

-.- Ok, NOW *happy dance*....let's just pretend for the rest of this post that I'm doing my happy dance.

At 10:30ish this morning I heard a knock at my door. I open it and this lovely lady from the US postal service is at more door with...could it be? YES! It is the giant envelope encasing my passport/visa in her hands! Apparently I SHOULD have received it on Saturday, but for some reason it wasn't scanned in or something along those lines. At this point, who cares?!?!? I have my visa in hand!

*collapses* Thank you God.

Honestly, if I had one more set back with the visa process I would have seriously considered saying forget it and then "Would you like fries with that?" Ok, not really but let's face it...things were getting me down. Now, I don't have to!

So, what now? Besides the occasional squeal of delight, poor kitties I think we've reached a whole new me weirding them out level, I wait again. *lol* I sent off an email to the person I've been working with so hopefully I will hear back by this evening or tomorrow to find out about my flight. It might even be a day or two more than that. I'm just glad that I have the silly thing!

Now, to straighten up a bit and maybe go hunker down with a book and some coffee. Ooo coffee.

As the Visa Turns and Turns and Turns...

*headdesk...repeatedly*

Ok, what started as this awesome journey to new life experiences, new opportunities, fulfilling dreams, etc. has now become an angsty teeny-bopper drama combined with the cheesiest, most stupidly suspenseful soap opera. I sent off what I thought was the last of my paperwork, for my visa, last week. *insert maniacally hysterical laughter*

Funny. Of all the paperwork to be missing I did not include the consulate's checklist. A checklist. A simple here's what's inside checklist. Really??? *ultimate facepalm* Granted I don't remember, and yes I checked (6 times actually) to see what I needed to send to them. I do not remember them mentioning a checklist. I'm sure it is mentioned somewhere, they are very thorough.

On top of this...*insert another hysterical laugh* they won't take reusing the gigantic envelope I sent all my paperwork in because *pause for dramatic effect* it isn't already stamped ready to be returned.  All they had to do was slap a label (which I included inside) on the same envelope, which was a reusable one. GAH!!!!!*strangled noise*

I don't know if you can feel my frustration in all this. I want this so much that every little hitch in my giddy-up is making me seriously want to *insert aggressive physical behavior upon something mostly likely innocent*.

Deep breath. It's been handled. I will keep telling myself that any big changes in life will come with some "interesting" turns...twists...planet-sized roller coaster loops even. All of this will be worth going to S.Korea. That I will one day return to a normal sleeping pattern and all will be settled.

Until then...I'm playing GW2, cleaning, and napping. Yes. All at the same time. Why? Because I think I can jump through a few more hoops of crazy today.

Visa....*headdesk*

Ok, so no trip to Atlanta. My bank account thanks you oh twisty visa application system. On the other hand it would have been nice to visit Atlanta again. When I was in youth group back in high school we went to inner city Atlanta on a mission trip. I remember the park that was near the CNN building which had an awesome gift shop dedicated to the Braves. Still have the hat. Good times and memories, even if it was only a week.

Anyways. I finally, FINALLY received my visa confirmation number last night at 3am. And yes, I was up at that time. My sleeping pattern has been screwy this past month. I cannot get to sleep before 2am. Maybe my body is subconsciously getting me ready for its new time zone? Going to go with that vs. the things-aren't-in-order-or-in-my-control-so-I'm-going-to-worry-and-analyse-and-and-and... *headdesk*  ;D

Two trips back and forth from my home to the Fed-Ex place, a few incorrectly filled out forms (GAH), and one poor envelope having to be torn open because I'm not all together today...and the visa application is off to the consulate in Atlanta. *collapses*

To regain some mental, and physical, strength I chilled out with some really bad for me food and watched Disney's "Holes". Why? No idea, just a sudden urge. lol Probably because Disney movies = happy place.

I'm all packed up, save for a few throw in the suitcase things. Family came last weekend and helped me partially fill up the moving van to drop things off at my Dad's for storage. I'm super grateful Dad and little bro have room for my stuff and the muscles to handle the few, but heavy, pieces of furniture.

Surprisingly, it didn't take long to load or unload my things for storage. What took the most time was getting the truck and driving it to and from my place to my dad's place. And wheeee I got to drive the truck. Now I see why some of those big truck drivers are all "this road is MINE!" So yay for things getting done quickly. Yay me for being organized and ready for the move and YAY for awesome family willing to help me out. Even bigger yay that I have a couch to sleep on. (And yes, thank you to everyone who has offered me a bed to sleep on till I go. No worries, the couch is comfy I promise!) Poor Cordy, she keeps chirping and stubbornly sleeps in the middle of the room right where her spot on the bed was as if it will come back.

Marmee (kudos if you get the reference) came down last Sunday to help me pack my suitcases. Yes, I did need that much help. I'm fairly organized, however I've never moved across the world before. So having some expertise on what to bring, how to fit things, etc. was much needed. I had to laugh though. When we were done Marmee hugs me and says, "I'm so proud of how grown up you are." To which I respond, "Yep, so grown up I still need my mommy to pack for me." It's true. (It's still 3 suitcases, a smaller carry-on suitcase and a backpack...again how the frill to I have so much stuff...still???)

The application/papers should get to their destination by tomorrow morning. And this time I won't be checking its location every 5 minutes...it'll be 15 this time...right... O.o  It's not in my hands anymore, again...lol I'm really, really, really working on being patient and not anxious about this whole process. Honestly, it's the waiting in between things and not knowing exact dates that makes the OCD/I need to know everything NOW side of me go all twisty of the innards. Hopefully, my passport will be back by Thu. of next week....*crosses all fingers whilst praying fervently*

I could keep rambling, but I think I should do something else. Maybe I'll be geeky-gamer girl now and go play GW2 (which I'm LOVING), or sleep, or be productive *snort*. Productive...I'm funny. LOL

Road trip!!

Wheeee! Guess who gets to take a road trip to the heart of Georgia?? Give you three guesses, but the first two don't count. Yep, lil ole me.

  Apprently I misunderstood the Visa process. I thought it was all taken care of on the company/school's end, but surprise suprise! lol Eh, this is becoming and andventure to get to my adventure. Life is anything but the loittle kiddy ride at the local fair.

  It's all good though. As soon as I get that confirmation number then me, the proper documents, and possibly a fellow road tripper are off to Atlanta! Woot!

  Oh the places I'll go indeed. :)

Done?? Nope...more waiting time...

So the documents made it to their rightful destination. Now I get to wait for a visa number, which I then send to the nearest Korean Consulate...which is in Atlanta. LOL More waiting and then maybe an actual flight date?

Woot!

  Documents have officially landed in South Korea as of 8:37am(their time). It's sitting in Incheon, which is an hour away from Seoul. So it looks like they make get there sooner then the estimated date (Friday). Crossing my fingers that I finally get to find out when I'm leaving!

The countdown...

  All documents are officially on their merry way to the office in South Korea. I cannot tell you the HUGE sense of relief I felt when I handed over the documents to be mailed. I'm so happy to have one more item checked off my ridiculously long list. The list is probably a wee bit longer than it needs to be, but hey I'm an analyzer/worrier so yeah...it remains longish for now. :D

  I started packing up my life..er...things the other day. So far the living room has been dealt with, well the decor at least. The furniture is left to my brother to handle. I think next will be the decor in my room, once I get the mound of clothes taken care of. lol Even though I've gone through my clothes,and had two of my best-ies sort through them as well, I still feel like there is too much clothing. How did I end up with so many clothes??


  You never realize how much stuff you have until you get ready to pack/move. Thankfully though, last summer and this past spring I went through much of my belongings and consolidated. So, this round shouldn't be too bad. Also, I have plenty of boxes to pack up my things. Sugarhoneyicetea! Just realized I forgot to buy packing tape...*Sigh* That'll teach me to NOT pack a writing utensil in my purse.

*Pauses mid-typing to rescue baby lizard from the clutches of kitties who think it perfectly fine to stretch up the wall and then scratch like crazy at the poor infant reptile that is CLEARLY out of their reach...returns to typing after scolding the darling furballs...*

  I am happy that tomorrow I will get to see the teachers from my now former school. Hopefully they will all be able to hang out after their meetings.

"Tomorrow promises to be a much, much bigger day."

Aaaaand they're off!

  Contract is signed, scanned, and emailed. I have about 3 1/2 weeks to get all my stuff sorted, packed, and ready to be stored/given away. Gah, I need 4 more of me to get all this done. Or some serious motivation, whichever is the more likely to happen.

 

Potential Contract

  I just received an email informing me that the school I interviewed with would like me. Of course who wouldn't want me? I know right? :p  Seriously though, I had a couple questions that needed clarification, so when I get the response email I will more than likely be sending off a signed contract.

  And eeeep! Am I seriously doing this? Is little somewhat of a homebody me actually going halfway around the world? I've had to squelch the girlish squeals of giddy-happiness.

  Today I visited my, okay former classroom to add some more notes to a few binders. I know that whoever takes over is still going have their head in a jumble from all that has to be done, but hopefully having my notes, lesson plans, and a copy of my USB will help. While I was there my now former administrator stopped by and asked me to stay, even jokingly offered to pay for an apartment for me. A part of me feels bad, however opportunities like the one I'm about to embark on do not come around all the time.

  So, a bit more waiting and then I'll either be waiting a bit more or finalizing things to head on over. Eeps.

The Interview

  Gah! My stomach was doing flip flops all day. I think I checked my email at least a dozen times every 15-20 minutes for any word of when the school was calling (wed. or thu.). The interview itself lasted about 20 minutes. "Troy" didn't ask too many questions, but the ones asked were pretty pointed; what would I do if a student didn't understand me, what my teaching experience with ESL students was like, etc.

 I found the hardest one to answer was; what could I tell him about me...EEP! I never know how to answer that question, and said as much. So I stumbled my way through that question with all the awkward charm I possess. (lol) Hey, at least I had him laughing...ok chuckling...a couple of times. Let's face it though, I can get almost anyone to laugh at..with...whatever. :D

 What I find interesting/comforting is that the school is basically the same size as the school I've been at the past 6 years. The class sizes will be smaller though, which I mean really...YAY!!! :-p It is located in Seoul (the capital for those that don't know) and seems to be a good one. My plane ticket and accommodations will be taken care of and the salary is essentially what I make right now so that is a plus. There are 10 other foreign teachers there already, since the school is what you would call English immersion. That means they teach class as they would in a typical English speaking school.

 So, we'll see how it goes. Now I get to wait to hear if they want me...I mean really who wouldn't?... 
  

Biting the nails now...

Just sent off an email confirming that I'm available to be interviewed by a potential school. Crossing my fingers that the interview is short, sweet, and to the point. Most important of all...I hope they like me. lol

Now it's just excited knots!

  My meeting went well this morning. I still felt like a bit like I'd kicked a puppy, however the sense of relief has been much more present. The rest of the day was spent chillin' at a friend's place and now I'm about to pack for a quick two day trip to see some friends I haven't seen in a few years. It'll be awesome catching up with them. :)

  Now, if only the paperwork I sent off would arrive back. Getting the documents off was easy, waiting for them to receive the apostille is making me worry my lower lip. I just need to be patient. Things have fallen into place quite well and quickly so all this "in my head" stuff can just shush. Now, the real work begins...

(Listening to "Dog Days are Over" by Florence & The Machine...a bit appropriate I think. lol)

Feeling like a Heel & I was Right!

  Went to the bank this morning with my older bro and wrapped up getting him on my accounts, ya know...should anything untoward happen to little ol' me. Stopped off for a few hours at my soon to be former classroom. Tidied up the filing cabinet and room a bit before dropping by to set up a meeting with my administrator. I feel like such a heel. My older bro claims it's because I'm too nice, to which I reply "Psh!" Granted she is getting a 6 week notice...I shouldn't feel this bad should I? I feel like I'm abandoning the school, we're so small so it's easy to feel like my leaving would "devistate" the place. She'll find a replacement for me that will do a good job I'm sure. Just can't shake the nagging feeling I'm a terrible person for "springing" this on her, which I'm not?

  In other news, I had my eyes checked last week at the ever so "friendly" eyeglass world. Why don't I just go somewhere else? To answer that because 1) I forget how surly they can be since my check-ups are every 2 years and 2) I'd like to think that maybe the next time I'll get a chipper, or at the very least a half-way happy, person. No luck so far, perhaps next time? Anyway...I bought two new pairs of glasses and picked up one pair last saturday. I put them on Sunday and something was just off. Turns out they did exactly what the doctor said NOT to do. They put my contact prescription, which is a quarter difference, into my glasses. So this afternoon I will be picking them up, again...Bascially I was right, I'm not crazy or going blind. Woot!

  It's looking like my kitty, Cordelia aka Cordy aka Orca-kitty aka Fatty McFatkins...you get the point...isn't going to be coming with me. :( Just as she starts to get cuddly and wanting of my attentions. So like a cat! Crossing my fingers my older bro can find a place that suits his needs/wants and will be able to have pets. *adds less than silent prayer to the crossing of fingers*

  Last night I watched a ton of videos on other's experiences in S. Korea. I can live with the apartment size, which would be about the size of my current room give or take a foot or two, and I'm super excited about the food delivery. I mean McDonalds brought to my door? Take my money now!! I did find one couple that were very informative, in their humorous way. Still processing feelings of excitement, dread, overwhelming nervousness, happy-hyper exciement, etc. Just need to give myself time to analyze and process. I know things are going to turn out as they should.

I cannot believe I'm doing this. Wow. LOL

Preparations are at hand!

 Finally! After trying to do this and having it flop then get pushed onto the burner in the WAAAAAY back, all is set in motion for a year in S. Korea. About time don't you think? I'm nervous as all get out about making a major faux pas and insulting someone while I'm over there. Hopefully the people there are as understanding as I have been led to believe.

 I've never really been faithful about consistently writing in a journal, or blog for that matter. However, for the sake of my sanity, as well as family/friends, I will do my very best to put something on here every day. I'm thinking about posting a video once a week. I hope that I can do that on here, if not then I suppose I'll cave into the evil YouTube and post there.

 I supposed I should cover where I'm at in the process of getting over to S.Korea. So far I have a clean background check (once again thank you for helping me with that thing, you know who you are) and notarized copies of my degree off on their way to have the apostille done. 

 What is an apostille (uh-pos-til) you may ask? *ahem* An apostille is "a special sign established in 1961 for certifying foreign documents". Basically it states I have the thumbs up from my governement. Oh, and don't trust the autocorrect spelling...it will make you choose apostle and when you try to use it as a verb and conjugate it you get apostatized. Which makes your brother laugh at you and your mother worry about your sudden renouncing of your faith...just take my word for it.

 So, yeah...documents sent off for that and well, just a few more odds and ends of paperwork and I'm set. Then it's onto the "What do I take?", "What do I pack?", "What to store?", "What to give away?", etc. I think that will be the most daunting of the tasks I have. Besides what to do with my kitty. :( Ah well, it will work out how it should work out.

 For now, not too many posts. Although I suppose I should get into the practice of posting daily...eh we'll see. Oh, and yes I do have Skype and email so feel free to keep sending hello's and such. :)