Settling In.

Hello Friends & Family!

I am mostly settled into my new apartment in Saha-gu, Busan, South Korea. It is a studio apartment, but it's bigger than I expected, so that's a happy surprise. I think that it is definitely a place that I will be happy in for the next year. It needed a little rearranging, but I think it will work just fine.

Our last night in Jeonju was a lot of fun. There was a closing ceremony, with a talent show, and a huge buffet. Our class participated in the talent show, a few of us danced to Michael Jackson's ABC 123, holding up little signs when our letter/number/word was sung. It was a lot of fun and we were glad that we decided to be involved in the talent show.

After the closing ceremony, we packed our suitcases on the truck and then went out to have some drinks. It was a wonderful night, but I was a little tired the next day!

I start teaching on Friday, March 2nd. That is the first day of the new semester/school year. I'm a little nervous, but I hope that I can remember all the things that I learned at orientation!

Nearly There!

On Thursday we got to skip our classes and go on a field trip. It was a nice respite from our lectures, which were informative but tiring.

We visited the Jeonju Hanok Village, which according to Wikipedia is a traditional-style village located in the heart of Jeonju. It was a little chilly, but a glimpse of how a traditional village would look.

The photo on the left is a man working to make hanji (paper) in the traditional way. We also got to do some crafts using hanji, we covered a box made of hanji with hanji paper however we liked. It was a bit of a mess, but a lot of fun to try something new.

Today was our last day of classes. I'm really glad to be done, but a little nervous about all that the next week will bring. Tomorrow we get to find out where we will be teaching and living!

Day 1

Yesterday was a long day of traveling, but I made it safely to Incheon (just outside of Seoul). I am very glad that I don't have to get on any airplanes in the near future. Today I joined up with some of the other EPIK teachers who will be teaching in the Southern Region, the group that was on the bus this morning seemed really nice and I'm already looking forward to getting to know them better as well as those that I haven't met yet.

We are staying at Jeonju University for the duration of orientation. It will be a jam packed week with lectures and lots of information to take in. Our orientation packet is about 2 centimeters thick, so there will be a lot of cramming this week.

I haven't even seen very many things to take pictures of yet, but here is a picture of my corner of our dorm room and a picture of the view outside our room, not in that order. I think it's a view that I can deal with over the next few days.

Finally, Confirmed Flight Info. :)

It seems like I have been waiting for forever to put my flights together,

waiting on a contract and then a visa.

There is a light at the end of the tunnel!

My flight is finally scheduled. Phew.

I will be departing from Minneapolis on Fri. February 17th at 1:20pm.

Also, I know that I mentioned to some of you that I wasn't sure if I would keep my MN phone number or not due to a monthly fee that will be charged to maintain the number, but I have decided to keep it. This will ensure my ability to have a phone upon my return to the States to get in contact with everyone.

If you're available to come out to visit at my going away party, I would absolutely love to see you!

Thurs. February 9, 2012.

4pm

Happy Hour at Crave, West End.

And it will continue into the evening, ending up at The Ugly Mug at 10pm in Minneapolis.

Hope to see you all there!

Counting down, One Month to go

-24C in Minneapolis is making 9C in Busan look rather balmy.

I'm hesitant to leave the apartment, and wouldn't if I didn't have to work. I would so much rather curl up with my book and a cup of tea.

I have made progress this week, albeit small.

I found out that I passed my TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) course. That makes the 10+ hours that I spent on the test last week completely worth it. The course should help with classroom management and lesson planning.

My visa application reached the consulate in Chicago, and I should get it back from them sometime next week. After that I'll finalize my flight arrangements... but it's all just a waiting game.

Looking forward to more exciting news next week!

Have a great weekend!

Paperwork in hand.

Finally at the stage where I get to apply for my visa!

Welcome!

Welcome to my blog.

Hopefully it will soon include pictures and stories from exotic places. :)

I want to send out a huge thank you to all of my friends and family who have supported me tirelessly throughout my life and in my journey to travel to the other side of the world.

I will do my best to update you here as much as possible as well as share pictures. Always know that your comments are welcome and I look forward to hearing from you!

Stay tuned for updates to come this weekend or early next week!