Last Day in the States

Hey everyone!

This is my first post, mostly as a test.  I leave tomorrow morning at 5:10 for the airport, so I'm a bit nervous, especially considering that I am not packed yet.  I have everything I need, just not in bags.  I seriously hope it all fits.

We have to go to the bank today and get some Won for me, because I won't have a Korean paycheck until the end of August, and without a Korean paycheck and bank account all I have is dollars.  So we have to figure out where they'll do that.  I bought a phrase book yesterday and realized that I already know how to say hello in Korean, but only because of Arrested Development (Anyang!).  I also need to print out the lesson plans and curriculum to study on the plane, along with my Frommers South Korea and my phrase book.  I'm really excited though.  Terrified, clearly, as it's a huge step in life and a rather sizable change, but more excited than anything.

I know that I haven’t talked through this decision with everyone, mostly because there are too many people to explain myself to everyone personally.  I finished up my degree in May, and though I had been searching for months, couldn’t find a job that sounded even remotely interesting either in Oregon or New York.  The economy is so bad right now that a friend of mine who has been interning for a magazine for two years, who built their website by herself, has been told there isn’t a paid position at the website for her because the only entry level position available is being taken by the former CEO of a Fortune 500 company.

So I tried to think about what I wanted to do.  I have been working with kids as a part of my work study for the last four years, and I have loved doing it.  So working with kids was a definite possibility.  I wanted to be able to travel somewhat, and have adventures in other countries.  Entry level positions don’t pay much or offer much time off, so that would be difficult to do from a home base in the states.  Then I remembered an old friend who was a teacher in China, and who had done the same in Chile and Vietnam.  After talking to him I signed up for a program to get my TEFL certification and started looking for jobs.  Four interviews and four job offers later, I decided to move to Suwon, South Korea.

Teaching in South Korea has been gaining in popularity over the last few years because the demand is becoming higher and higher all the time.  While most economies are suffering, Korea’s is close to the top ten strongest, and getting stronger all the time.  The job is teaching kindergarten and a few elementary school classes five days a week.  In exchange, they provide my apartment, my airfare, a pension, health insurance, and around $2,000 a month.  Not a bad deal if you ask me.  Better than anything I’d be able to find here at home.

So adventure I must, and adventure I shall.  Stay tuned to find out how it all goes.