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.

Flight Status:

Officially booked!

Done.

$737.40 later, I have my one way ticket to Korea. The flight changed a little bit. I'm leaving Boston at 6:10pm now, so my layover at LAX is a little longer, but I still get to Incheon at 5:00am.

Speaking of $737.40...I really need to step up my game on saving money. I've been doing alright this summer, but in the 2 weeks or so after my birthday I pretty much ran out of food. Which means that I've been spending around $20/day on meals instead of $70 for about two weeks worth of food. FML. I've since gone grocery shopping and stopped spending money on things when I can.

The official countdown is 23 days until I'm airborne. Crazy. I emailed Carrie my flight info last night. She replied saying that she thinks I have to prepare many things. That got me thinking, I haven't really prepared all that much. Now I'm dissecting every aspect of my life to figure out what I need to set up, cancel, or change in the next 23 days before I leave.

I'm going to be busier than I thought.