cutting it close.

It wouldn't be me if I wasn't cutting it close.

I was all set to go to the Korean Consulate today. I even got up early so I could afford myself time to be late. Nobody informed me that I needed an appointment. When I called, they informed me that the earliest they could fit me in was on the 17th. That's 2 days before I leave. Whats worse is that they want me to pick up my visa on the 19th. At 4pm. I need to be at the airport at 4pm. Looks like I'm going to have to beg and plead for them to let me pick it up earlier that day. Whatever, this whole process has been relatively easy so I'm ok with this taking a little longer.

More news about my apartment! The furnishings sound alright, twin bed (good thing I was an RA), coffee table, desk, nightstand...etc. But apparantly the TV is real decent and the best part of the apartment. Sounds good to me....what do I even watch on Korean TV anyways? They better have food network.

I was also informed that there will be 2 ragers the weekend that I get to Yeosu. Way to start things off right. Hopefully jet lag doesn't get the best of me. I was also informed that the parties there don't start till around midnight and usually go till 6am.

I think I'll be just fine.

getting things together

Seeing as how I only have 22 days (15 business days) till I take off for Korea, I'd better get my act together. I'm still waiting on my visa number to come through. Its getting down to the wire here. I need to have enough time to get to the consulate and have them process everything.

Some other things I need to do are:

• cancel my cell phone
• pay my credit card
• see if I can defer my student loans
• complete my loan exit interview
• get luggage
• figure out what to pack
• save money!

That's just what I could think of off the top of my head. I posted on the Yeosu Wayguk facebook group saying that I was coming in the 21st and if anyone had any tips for me. I also messaged the teacher that is at Jonggo MS right now asking him a few things. Its getting down to crunch time.

The last item on my list is proving to be the hardest. I got paid on friday. A little over $500. That same day I dropped $740 on my ticket. Ugh. Whats worse is that in my attempt to hang out with everyone before I leave, I end up spending money. There's nothing easier than grabbing a bite to eat with friends. If only I could order off the kids menu. Life would be easier haha.

Speaking of money, the Won is doing great right now. When I first applied for the job my salary of 2,000,000 Won equalled about $1,570. Now its upwards of $1,600! I know its not much, but every little bit counts when I have to send money home for student loans.

Sending the money home just got a little easier. KEB (Korea Exchange Bank) has a new type of account just for expats. It allows us to send money home over the internet and also issues us an international debit card. Score!

Now for some Korean flash cards.

I START WHEN??????

My two day long awaited email just came!!!

I START AUGUST 21ST AT YEOSU JONGGO MIDDLE SCHOOL!!!!!!!!

I don't think I could be more excited.

It really hasn't hit me yet that in less than 1 month I will be living outside the US for a whole year. Unreal. I don't have my visa number yet but I'm not worried about that. All I have to do once I get it is make an appointment at the Korean Consulate in Boston. At least I know what and where I'm teaching.

I went to the Yeosu Education website to find information about my school. The only part in English was the location on a map. pretty much smack dab in the middle of Yeosu. Can't complain there. I like being centrally located. There is also an email address, but I'll save that for tomorrow or something. Baby steps.

Mr. Sammarco the middle school teacher. Has a certain ring to it. I'm definitely OK with teaching middle school. Hopefully the kids have at least a little background of English so I'm not teaching them from scratch. I was able to find an English teacher list through the Yeosu Wayguk facebook group. On it I found the name of the teacher that was at Yeosu Jonggo Middle School this past year. I facebook messaged him asking what he thought of the school and if he had any tips...etc.

More great news, my flight situation is going to be WAY easier than I anticipated. Instead of flying from Boston or New York to LAX to Incheon, then taking a bus or train or something to Kimpo Airport and flying from there to Yeosu all on my own dime until I get reimbursed, I just found out that the school takes care of everything once I land in Incheon. They bring me from Incheon to Kimpo in a car and buy my ticket from Kimpo to Yeosu. All I have to do is buy my ticket from the US to Incheon, which I get reimbursed for. That cuts down the cost a bit. About $100 on the Kimpo-Yeosu flight and a few bucks and all the stress of finding a way to Kimpo from Incheon.

So much to do in so little time!

Brain Fart

Major brain fart. I can't believe I didn't mention my discovery today. Well...its not really a discovery. More like I found something really helpful to me that had been there all along. Lately I've been pretty concerned with my social network, or lack thereof that I would have when I arrive in Yeosu. I was on a message board about Yeosu expat networks when I saw a posting about the Yeosu Wayguk facebook group. Facebook??? Carrie did mention that I could find other native teachers using the book.

My first 3 seconds on the group were a flood of information. There were postings on just about every topic I was wondering about. What to pack, where to hang out, what to do, health insurance, vacation time...the list goes on and on. What I liked the most was one post that a soon to be expat started. She said how she was coming in August and just wanted to say hi to everyone. The other expats seemed so welcoming and interested in helping this girl even before she arrived. I found a lot of comfort in knowing that the Yeosu expat community was easy to find and easy to break into.