"young buck"

"Certainly, travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living" -- Miriam Beard

So, the moment I've been waiting for...I finally got my notice of appointment!! I will be living in the province of Gyeongbuk, sounds like "young buck" but I'm sure that's not correct lol :) Still don't know the city...I'm assuming it will be listed in my contract (which I should receive in the mail in a couple days) but I do know that I will be in the south east part of South Korea. I did a little research and there are 10 cities in that province and I'm not too far from a few beaches. :)

And even better, they've already booked my flight for me! I leave from Austin on Wednesday, February 16th @ 6:45AM (eh, a little too early for my liking lol) and I fly to San Francisco, California to switch planes. I will end up in Seoul around 4:30PM, the next day. The total flight time is 16 hours. I really hope I'm able to sleep on the plane!

My final step of the official paperwork is to go to the Korean Consulate, which is in Houston, to apply for my work visa. I only wish that was the last thing to do on my "to-do" list!! I've been packing up my apartment and sorting through my "stuff" for an entire week. I took most of my clothes to Goodwill, gave away a few things to friends, and threw away junk. Now if only some magic "moving fairy" could appear and take care of the rest! Wait, that would be my brothers who are coming this weekend to help me haha :)

This was my last week of subbing, and I only have two more weeks left of working at Pluckers! YAY!!!

So, people have been asking me if I'm excited or nervous and here's how I break that down:

I am NERVOUS about:
* my crazy to-do list that I still have to do
* leaving my family & friends :(
* the possibility of forgetting a piece of paperwork
* figuring out what to pack!! (and the luggage weight limit haha)
* my super long flight & getting everywhere I'm supposed to be on time
* orientation and making lesson plans (I haven't done that since college!)
* working with a co-teacher
* which city I will live in and how many different schools I will work at (some people work at more than one, depending on the size of city you live in)
* using public transportation all of the time
* getting my life situated over there (cell phone, apartment, internet, bank, etc.)

I am EXCITED about:
* a fresh start & new opportunities
* experiencing a total different culture & lifestyle
* seeing my apartment
* meeting my students (I haven't worked with little kids in forever!)
* getting settled into a somewhat familiar routine
* meeting new people & making friends
* travelling & taking lots of pictures (hopefully I can buy a professional camera soon!)
* sharing stories & pictures with my family & friends back home
* working on my poetry
* trying new foods (yes, I know I'm a picky eater but I'm trying to change that!)
* learning the Korean language

I am definately looking forward to seeing all of my family & friends @ my "going-away party" on February 12th!

Amanda

time is flying by...

"The doors we open and close each day decide the lives we live." -- Flora Whittemore

Seeing how I only made one post in December, I decided to write with some sort of an update. No word yet on where I will be placed, which is a little annoying, but they did say that this would be the longest waiting period. However, it feels like January will be gone before I know it seeing as how I have alot to prepare for my big move.

My family is coming to Austin January 23rd to help me move all of my big furniture and most of my stuff to Columbus for storage. Since that's the only weekend they could help me and my lease isn't up until February 9th (I forgot to give them a 60 day notice so it got extended three days) they are bringing up a twin size mattress for me to sleep on for the remainder of my time in my apartment. I figured I could fit that in my vehicle when I officially move out.  I should probably get used to that size of a bed anyways, since I'm sure my tiny apartment will not have a queen size mattress lol.

I figured I'd work until February 4th since I have to pay rent for my "9 days" in February. So. I am paying $215.00 for the four days that I will actually be there! I'd stay and work longer to make it worth it, but I really want to enjoy time with my family before I leave so I will be living in Columbus from that time until I leave for South Korea. Plus this month is my "2 year anniversary" of working at Pluckers and I will be super excited to no longer have to wait tables! As far as subsitute teaching, my last day will be January 21st in order to get my last paycheck before I leave.

I still have so many things to do in such a short time it's crazy! It feels like every time I cross something off of my to-do list, I add another! While I will definately miss my family and friends, I'm starting to get really excited and I'm looking forward to starting my new life in South Korea!! :)

Amanda

success

"The ladder of success is best climbed by stepping on the rungs of opportunity." -- Ayn Rand

Not gonna write too much today, but just wanted to update that I DID pass my final interview! Now the fun of getting all my documents together, making tons of copies, and sending them all to South Korea begins! I'm about to go print out the checklist of how to organize them right now so I can get it out of the way. The sooner I send my documents, the sooner they find a specific school for me to teach at :)

Amanda


Below is a map of South Korea...I hope to get my first choice of placement which is Busan (or pronounced Pusan). If you click on the map, you can make it bigger.

a wasp? really?!

"Keep strong if possible; in any case keep cool."

So, I'm sure everyone has seen the news reports or read on the internet about the conflict between North Korea and South Korea...once again. When I originally looked into teaching abroad and discovered that South Korea was the most beneficial (best living situation & money)...the conflict never even crossed my mind until other people brought it up. My response was "they've been having issues for years & nothing has happened in a long time." Well, of course, just my luck, something happened. BUT, even though most people have advised me to not go, I still plan on going. Of course, if they declare official war before February I might have some thinking to do.

I understand the concern of my family & friends, but I have worked so hard to get this far and I still believe it will be an awesome experience for me. I spent numerous hours on a ten page application, wrote a two page essay, had to nag people to write letters of references for me, drove all across Austin getting documents, had to get a state background check & an FBI background check, spent alot of money for those background checks & a passport, spent more money mailing those documents & paying to get them notarized & apostilled, and I've had three phone interviews. The company I'm going through is very particular about every dotted i and crossed t, so they don't just choose anyone to work for them. Most people would have seen the ten page application & stopped there.

Ok, so here is what this blog is really about...my last phone interview w/ the actual company I will be working for. The previous two have been through my recruiting company (ASK-NOW) who double check everything before sending it to the company (EPIK). First off, my recruiter sent me an e-mail with my scheduled interview time. It said 10:10AM Korean time and 7:10AM Texas time. I focused on the Texas time and prepared to wake up early for my interview yesterday morning. After waking up, making coffee, & getting mentally prepared...thirty minutes later the phone never rang. I double check the e-mail and notice the Korean time, look up the international time converter chart...and it converts to 7:10PM! So I could blame my recruiter OR my lack of attention to the time...but either way, I went back to sleep lol. 

So, a few hours before my interview...for real this time...I start cleaning my apartment. I have my balcony door open because I was bringing in the christmas tree from my balcony storage closet. After getting back inside I notice a giant wasp on my blinds. No big deal, I knock him towards the balcony door and he flies back outside. I go outside again to close the balcony door, come back inside, and then leave to the grocery store. I get back, continue cleaning, then get ready for my interview. I have my papers set up with some basic interview questions and answers, my online application pulled up on my screen, and a pen & paper to write down anything I need to. The phone rings, we are discussing my basic application info and then he starts asking questions about my teaching style, methods, etc. This is when I start to hear a loud buzz above my head, see the wasp, and run w/ my phone to the other side of the living room. Of course the wasp doesn't stay still so it's flying all around me while I'm trying to remain calm and answer serious questions. Needless to say, the guy could tell something was wrong because I kept pausing. Finally I apologized to him & informed him that a giant bug was in my apartment. I finally just went in my room, closed the door, re-grouped my thoughts, and finished the interview (sans everything I had prepared).

Overall, the interview questions were fairly simple. I did have a hard time understanding his accent so I had to ask him to repeat a few things, but he said my application was flawless and that I did a great job answering questions. :) But come on, a wasp?! really?! Who does that happen to? Oh yea, only me! I'm sure the guy was thinking "this girl is scared of a bug, we can't send her to another country!" Lol! Thank goodness I chose a phone interview and not a Skype webcam interview, although that may have been entertaining for him!

I will find out what they thought in a few days. Then (assuming I "passed") they will start looking into which school I will officially be placed at and start making a contract for me. So that's about it for now. I will update again as soon as I find out! Wish me luck! :)

Amanda

and so it begins...

“Let your mind start a journey through a strange new world. Leave all thoughts of the world you knew before. Let your soul take you where you long to be...close your eyes, let your spirit start to soar, and you'll live as you've never lived before.”

Welcome to my blog! "Altering the color of my mind" basically means that I am opening my mind to new ideas and new places...such as teaching English in South Korea for a year!!

In an attempt to keep my family and friends updated, this is where you will find all my ramblings about my new life once I get to Korea. I also have a passion for quotes that I find meaningful or interesting, so get used to seeing them in almost every post!

As of right now I am complete with the basic paperwork process, which was a hassle, but not as bad as I envisioned. The rest of the process is my official phone interview, the company deciding exactly where to place me, signing a contract, & then finally getting my work visa. I got my passport in the mail yesterday so that was exciting!

I am scheduled to leave on February 18, 2011, where I will first have a 9-10 day orientation before going to my actual placement. I do not yet know where exactly I will be living in South Korea, but I will post that info as soon as I find out.

I've been working on this massive to-do list for everything that needs to be done before I actually leave. That includes what I need to do with all of my stuff, what I need to buy, and what I need to pack. I'm having a really hard time imagining how I am going to get everything over there that I need without going over the luggage weight limit lol.

So here's what my life looks like for the rest of my time in America:

November - Dustin's 21st birthday, Thanksgiving w/ the family, working both jobs, & trying to save lots of money!

December - more work/saving money, going through my "stuff" (attention friends: I will be giving away lots of things from my apartment!), Christmas w/ the family, & my 25th birthday (quarter of a century, geez lol)!

January - even more work/saving money, PACKING, Sarah/mom/dad's birthdays, visiting family & friends, and hopefully having some sort of gathering with my friends before I leave Austin!

February - no more work hopefully, move out of my apartment before the 6th, move everything to my parent's house in Columbus, DeWayne's birthday, get my work visa, and finally RELAX & enjoy time with family & friends before I leave on the 18th!!

Overall, I'm starting to get really excited about my new adventure. Of course I'm a little nervous about living in a completely different culture, but I think now is the perfect time in my life to try something new.

I also got Skype and a webcam to keep in contact w/ everyone while I'm over there :) so add me...it's amandakaye3.


That's all for now!!

Amanda