Archive for ‘September 2009’

So I'm finally leaving! Those of you who thought a left two weeks ago, ha ha jokes on you! Alas, things kept getting mixed up with the timing of when I was supposed to leave, and it kept getting postponed. I was technically supposed to leave today, but at the last minute my recruiter decided that she didn't like how the school was jerking us around, so last night I had an interview with another school, and they offered me a job. So I was booked a ticket, and I'm leaving tomorrow morning. Horay, it's finally happening, not like I had to wait long or anything, right?

So this new school is actually within the Seoul boundary, in a district called Dobong-gu. It just at the northern end of the city. Ha ha after years of surviving Pittsburgh and its... animal life... you know what the official bird of the Dobong-gu district is? The pigeon. HA. The whole area is only 8 square miles, but has roughly the population of Pittsburgh. It's a good thing I'm not claustrophobic!

And the best part about this new job? Since my work visa is job-specific, and since I am changing jobs, I have to get a new visa. Now, normally I would think this is the worst part, giving the hassle it took to get my previous visa. But since I will already be in Korea, in order to get my visa I have to go to Japan! And, it's a 2-day, all expenses paid trip there to get my visa. Awesome! I mean, don't mind the fact that I will be completely alone in a foreign country where the only word I know is "sushi" that's why the call it an adventure, right?

So last night I finished up the packing, which really wasn't much. I did it all in about 20 minutes. I just have a few more clothes, some last minute things to pack up which I will do tonight. So today I'm making my goodbye rounds. I stopped in at Clean Water Services, I actually saw ALAN who I was beginning to think didn't actually work there. Good to see that he looks EXACTLY the same as when I saw him two years ago. So I got to say goodbye to my old work buddies. Made a few phone calls. I'm going to stop by my grandparent's house this afternoon.

So I'll be leaving tomorrow morning, just in time to skip out on this ol' fashioned Portland weather!

Yesterday I spent the day traveling to and from Seattle. As you recall I had to make the trip to have my Visa interview with the Korean Consulate up there. The basica purpose of the interview is 1. to make sure I am in fact the person getting the Visa, and 2. simply to make sure that they are not allowing some crazy freak to run amok in their country. So seeing as how I passed both of those criteria, I assumed the interview would go smoothly. And it did. It wasn't all the formal, but I'm sure looking nice didn't dock me any points. The whole thing lasted about 10 or 15 minutes, where my interviewer asked me basic questions about my life, what I liked, what mand me sad, why I wanted to go to Korea. She was a very nice woman, and she said she liked me a lot, and that I seemed that I have a very adapting personality and that I would do great as a teacher. Shimmy! So I paid my $45 dollars for processing and $17.50 for them to send me my passport back (which I had to leave in their possession so thay could attach my Visa. Which means that both my Diploma and my passport are now in the hands of others) since I didn't really want tospend the time or the money to travel back up there and get it.

And now for the great news!! I told my recruiter that i should be recieving my Visa on Monday or Tuesday, and she's going to try to get me a flight out on Wednesday! Wednesday the 16th, as in five days from now! I know that's super soon, but seeing as how I should have already been tehre for about two weeks now, I was kind of expecting to leave at a moments notice. So, assuming everything goes as planned, I should be leaving the middle of next week! Exciting!!