Mt. Hood:
4-T Trail
Random Daejeon
Global Gathering
Chuseok in Seoul
Chuseok in Seoul part 2
We Are All Purple!
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Pictures
This post is a bit out of order, but I've put up a number of pictures. Here are the links, and blog posts will go up soon (I hope).
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Regular life in Daejeon
Now that I've updated to school I'm going to switch focus on my posts from a day-to-day log to general topics and cool things that happen. To start this trend I'm going to provide an overview of how life in Daejeon goes on a daily basis during the week.
I have a 20 min bus ride so I usually get to the bus stop at about 8am. Assuming the bus isn't too full with students getting off at the next stop (which is not always the case, I've had to wait for the next bus multiple times) I get to school at about 8:25, just in time to start at 8:30. I don't usually teach until 9:30 though, the only exception is Friday.
I teach 22 classes right now, five on Mon and Wed, 4 each other day. My classes are evenly split between 1st and 3rd graders. Their English level varies from nearly fluent (not too many of these) to almost none (way too many of these). This makes it very difficult to have effective lessons for everyone in class. I end up doing a lot of group activities and games to try to get everyone involved.
I get off at 4:30 and head home, usually getting there about 5. Then my plans depend on what day it is:
Monday - nothing routine!
Tuesday - climbing or Korean Class
Wednesday - Go up to Sintanjin for dinner with friends
Thursday - climbing, Korean Class, and/or hanging out with friends over by Chungnam University
Friday - nothing routine, but I'm never just sitting around
That takes care of the regular week, next up, my wonderful weekends.
I have a 20 min bus ride so I usually get to the bus stop at about 8am. Assuming the bus isn't too full with students getting off at the next stop (which is not always the case, I've had to wait for the next bus multiple times) I get to school at about 8:25, just in time to start at 8:30. I don't usually teach until 9:30 though, the only exception is Friday.
I teach 22 classes right now, five on Mon and Wed, 4 each other day. My classes are evenly split between 1st and 3rd graders. Their English level varies from nearly fluent (not too many of these) to almost none (way too many of these). This makes it very difficult to have effective lessons for everyone in class. I end up doing a lot of group activities and games to try to get everyone involved.
I get off at 4:30 and head home, usually getting there about 5. Then my plans depend on what day it is:
Monday - nothing routine!
Tuesday - climbing or Korean Class
Wednesday - Go up to Sintanjin for dinner with friends
Thursday - climbing, Korean Class, and/or hanging out with friends over by Chungnam University
Friday - nothing routine, but I'm never just sitting around
That takes care of the regular week, next up, my wonderful weekends.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Daejeon!
We arrived in Daejeon on Aug. 27th. The buses dropped us off at the Metropolitan Office of Education (MOE), which is the agency responsible for education in Daejeon. We were quickly sorted and shown into an auditorium and met our head co-teachers. My head co-teacher is named 박혜경, or Hyekyeong Park. She is about 40 and has a 15 year old son. After a few speeches from the head of the MOE we were dismissed to collect our luggage, which was on a truck just outside. I grabbed my stuff and we left for my school. It was a very quick departure with very little time to say goodbye to everyone. This is where the orientation bubble really burst.
Hyekyeong took me to my school, Maebong Middle School, where I met the principal and vice-principal. There were no students in the school because it was still closed. This actually worked out well for me because I was starting on the same day the students came back. I was shown a desk and got a few introductions, then we went over to the office. I was given some bedding (a little girly, but at least it isn't flowers) and the 300,000 won settlement bonus. I wasn't expecting that money until around the first payday so it was pretty nice.
Next was the really big step, seeing the apartment. I found out it is about a 20 minute bus ride, so it was a little bit of a drive. By the way, drivers here are crazy and very fast to use their horns. We arrived at my building and it was not what I was expecting. As we drove up I had a strong feeling of "ghetto," but it turns out my building is brand new and fairly nice. It isn't a high rise, which I had been expecting, but thats ok. My apartment is on the first floor and (a complete guess) about 200 sq. feet. I have a washer, one stovetop, a microwave, fridge, tv, desk, and of course a bed. Hyekyeong did some quick translations so I could use the washer and turn on my hot water and AC, then we went to Home Plus to start stalking up on supplies.
After this quick trip and unloading everything at my apartment Hyekyeong showed me to the subway, which is about a 20 minute walk or 3 minute bus ride away. I got my T Card, which is used to pay the fare, and Hyekyeong left. I headed downtown to meet up with other English teachers in Daejeon. Some people from the Feb. intake had set up a meet and greet. It was pretty cool to meet people with specific knowledge about Daejeon. I hung out at the Yellow Taxi for a while. Yellow Taxi is a pretty sweet foreigner bar, complete with pool table, dart boards, and Guinness (though that is 10k/bottle)! At about 1:30 I decided to head home.
Unfortunately all public transportation shuts down between 11:30 and midnight, so I had to take a cab. Usually that wouldn't be a problem, but it didn't go as planned. I got in a cab and showed him a card my co-teacher had given me that lists my address. Unfortunately addresses here are not like back in the states, where they make sense. Buildings here are numbered as they're built, so you will find number 10 next to 25, next to 4. It makes it really difficult to find your place, or for others to. This is what happened in the taxi. I have no idea where he took me. We get to some random location, try to talk for a few minutes, then end up calling some of the guys I'd just met. They talk in Korean a bit, then the taxi driver takes off again. I eventually end up at Fashion Island. I have no idea where that is, but I got out here because the driver was making me mad. It ended up costing 20,000 won, which is crazy expensive for a taxi here, even when you take into account the extra 20% they charge after midnight. Eventually, after spending 15 minutes looking at a map trying to figure out where I am, I get in another taxi to try it again. This one has a GPS and the driver puts in my address from the card. He takes off and 15 minutes later I'm at my door, for 8k. Much better experience.
The moral of that story, take the taxis that have the city banners on them and say "It's Daejeon!" The taxis that only have the box on top of the car are private and I no longer trust them to get me where I'm going unless I can speak Korean. Still though, it was an adventure.
Hyekyeong took me to my school, Maebong Middle School, where I met the principal and vice-principal. There were no students in the school because it was still closed. This actually worked out well for me because I was starting on the same day the students came back. I was shown a desk and got a few introductions, then we went over to the office. I was given some bedding (a little girly, but at least it isn't flowers) and the 300,000 won settlement bonus. I wasn't expecting that money until around the first payday so it was pretty nice.
Next was the really big step, seeing the apartment. I found out it is about a 20 minute bus ride, so it was a little bit of a drive. By the way, drivers here are crazy and very fast to use their horns. We arrived at my building and it was not what I was expecting. As we drove up I had a strong feeling of "ghetto," but it turns out my building is brand new and fairly nice. It isn't a high rise, which I had been expecting, but thats ok. My apartment is on the first floor and (a complete guess) about 200 sq. feet. I have a washer, one stovetop, a microwave, fridge, tv, desk, and of course a bed. Hyekyeong did some quick translations so I could use the washer and turn on my hot water and AC, then we went to Home Plus to start stalking up on supplies.
After this quick trip and unloading everything at my apartment Hyekyeong showed me to the subway, which is about a 20 minute walk or 3 minute bus ride away. I got my T Card, which is used to pay the fare, and Hyekyeong left. I headed downtown to meet up with other English teachers in Daejeon. Some people from the Feb. intake had set up a meet and greet. It was pretty cool to meet people with specific knowledge about Daejeon. I hung out at the Yellow Taxi for a while. Yellow Taxi is a pretty sweet foreigner bar, complete with pool table, dart boards, and Guinness (though that is 10k/bottle)! At about 1:30 I decided to head home.
Unfortunately all public transportation shuts down between 11:30 and midnight, so I had to take a cab. Usually that wouldn't be a problem, but it didn't go as planned. I got in a cab and showed him a card my co-teacher had given me that lists my address. Unfortunately addresses here are not like back in the states, where they make sense. Buildings here are numbered as they're built, so you will find number 10 next to 25, next to 4. It makes it really difficult to find your place, or for others to. This is what happened in the taxi. I have no idea where he took me. We get to some random location, try to talk for a few minutes, then end up calling some of the guys I'd just met. They talk in Korean a bit, then the taxi driver takes off again. I eventually end up at Fashion Island. I have no idea where that is, but I got out here because the driver was making me mad. It ended up costing 20,000 won, which is crazy expensive for a taxi here, even when you take into account the extra 20% they charge after midnight. Eventually, after spending 15 minutes looking at a map trying to figure out where I am, I get in another taxi to try it again. This one has a GPS and the driver puts in my address from the card. He takes off and 15 minutes later I'm at my door, for 8k. Much better experience.
The moral of that story, take the taxis that have the city banners on them and say "It's Daejeon!" The taxis that only have the box on top of the car are private and I no longer trust them to get me where I'm going unless I can speak Korean. Still though, it was an adventure.
Monday, September 6, 2010
Orientation Days 5 - 8
Even though this post covers four days, it will be pretty short.
Days 5 and 6 were both lecture days with Korean classes after dinner. Bam, two days down.
Day 7 was interesting, we did lesson demonstrations. Basically earlier in the week we split into small groups to plan a lesson. We had 15 minutes to teach our fellow teachers, or students, a lesson on fast forward. My group's topic was "I'd like a cheeseburger." We set the lesson in a restaurant and did some role-playing and games. Overall it went pretty well but we did struggle a bit to fill the time. The problem is the games and such go extremely fast with native speakers, but they will take a lot more time with Korean students. But we got through and no one got deported.
After demonstrations we had lunch, then spent some time going over everyone's lessons with the evaluator. Then we finally found out where we were teaching. I am at Maebong Middle School in Daeduckgu. I teach 22 classes a week, 11 1st graders and 11 2nd graders. In Korea you start over when you go to a new school. So in western thinking I teach 11 classes each of 7th and 9th graders.
We ended day 7 with a farewell feast, which was great. There was a talent show that was pretty entertaining, and a Lion Dance, which was really cool. Then it was back to the dorms to pack, followed by a quick drink down at the bar to say goodbye to everyone. It's cool how we all became such good friends in such a short time.
The morning of day 8 saw us taking our luggage to the buses and taking off for our respective cities. Nothing too exciting happened until we got to the MOE (Metropolitan Office of Education), but that deserves its own post.
Days 5 and 6 were both lecture days with Korean classes after dinner. Bam, two days down.
Day 7 was interesting, we did lesson demonstrations. Basically earlier in the week we split into small groups to plan a lesson. We had 15 minutes to teach our fellow teachers, or students, a lesson on fast forward. My group's topic was "I'd like a cheeseburger." We set the lesson in a restaurant and did some role-playing and games. Overall it went pretty well but we did struggle a bit to fill the time. The problem is the games and such go extremely fast with native speakers, but they will take a lot more time with Korean students. But we got through and no one got deported.
After demonstrations we had lunch, then spent some time going over everyone's lessons with the evaluator. Then we finally found out where we were teaching. I am at Maebong Middle School in Daeduckgu. I teach 22 classes a week, 11 1st graders and 11 2nd graders. In Korea you start over when you go to a new school. So in western thinking I teach 11 classes each of 7th and 9th graders.
We ended day 7 with a farewell feast, which was great. There was a talent show that was pretty entertaining, and a Lion Dance, which was really cool. Then it was back to the dorms to pack, followed by a quick drink down at the bar to say goodbye to everyone. It's cool how we all became such good friends in such a short time.
The morning of day 8 saw us taking our luggage to the buses and taking off for our respective cities. Nothing too exciting happened until we got to the MOE (Metropolitan Office of Education), but that deserves its own post.
Orientation Days 3 - 4
Day 3! This actually wasn't that exciting a day since it was our first lecture day. I won't bother putting up details of the lectures, but some of them are quite good. I also had a Korean lesson to work on learning the letters. The day ended down at the bar we all started going to. Huge pitchers for 12,000, not too bad, and they have pizza!
Day 4 was much more interesting. This was our field trip day. We started at a Buddhist temple that was outside of town a bit. It was really peaceful and beautiful. I'll link the photos as soon as I get them uploaded.
After the temple we went and cooled down a bit at the river that runs by the temple. It was interesting to watch the kids play and meet some more new people. Luckily almost everyone is wearing their nametags. After the river we went back to the busses and moved on to Hannok village. We had Bibimbap for lunch, which was really good. Then we went to our first activity; fan-making, a very popular choice just for something more substantial than our name tags to cool us off with! We got a brief education about Korean paper, then the arts and crafts began.
Once we were finished a group of us went through a wine museum, did some tasting, then went to a tea shop. That was pretty nice actually, it was AC'd and right across from the last event. I had iced pine needle tea, which was actually pretty good, if a little sweet. One guy got arrowroot, which was not. His was probably healthier though.
After a while a dance started across the street. It was some kind of traditional dance but I don't know the name. It ended up being very interactive though, and after a while there were Epik teachers beating on drums and a huge conga line stretching through the square. It was really fun and almost everyone got into it. We finished up with some group photos with the dancers and headed back to the busses.
It was a long and tiring day, but left enough time to go down to the bar for just a bit.
The next few days were filled with lectures, nothing too exciting. Besides lectures we went out to the bar or found other ways to hang out with all our new friends.
Day 4 was much more interesting. This was our field trip day. We started at a Buddhist temple that was outside of town a bit. It was really peaceful and beautiful. I'll link the photos as soon as I get them uploaded.
After the temple we went and cooled down a bit at the river that runs by the temple. It was interesting to watch the kids play and meet some more new people. Luckily almost everyone is wearing their nametags. After the river we went back to the busses and moved on to Hannok village. We had Bibimbap for lunch, which was really good. Then we went to our first activity; fan-making, a very popular choice just for something more substantial than our name tags to cool us off with! We got a brief education about Korean paper, then the arts and crafts began.
Once we were finished a group of us went through a wine museum, did some tasting, then went to a tea shop. That was pretty nice actually, it was AC'd and right across from the last event. I had iced pine needle tea, which was actually pretty good, if a little sweet. One guy got arrowroot, which was not. His was probably healthier though.
After a while a dance started across the street. It was some kind of traditional dance but I don't know the name. It ended up being very interactive though, and after a while there were Epik teachers beating on drums and a huge conga line stretching through the square. It was really fun and almost everyone got into it. We finished up with some group photos with the dancers and headed back to the busses.
It was a long and tiring day, but left enough time to go down to the bar for just a bit.
The next few days were filled with lectures, nothing too exciting. Besides lectures we went out to the bar or found other ways to hang out with all our new friends.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Orientation Day 2
Orientation was really busy. I think they were giving us a taste of what our students have to go through, but I'm getting ahead of myself.
Day 2 was pretty laid back. We just got separated into our groups, took a campus tour, and had an opening ceremony and feast. Only complaint is how hot and humid it was. That sucks a lot =\
The opening ceremony was pretty sweet. They had some cultural demonstrations for us that were really cool. The first one was a drum dance that was really cool. Then there was a taekwondo demonstration that was just incredible. They ended things with a traditional fan dance. Then we had a huge feast with more food then we could eat. That was all of orientation for day 2.
Day 2 was pretty laid back. We just got separated into our groups, took a campus tour, and had an opening ceremony and feast. Only complaint is how hot and humid it was. That sucks a lot =\
The opening ceremony was pretty sweet. They had some cultural demonstrations for us that were really cool. The first one was a drum dance that was really cool. Then there was a taekwondo demonstration that was just incredible. They ended things with a traditional fan dance. Then we had a huge feast with more food then we could eat. That was all of orientation for day 2.
Friday, August 20, 2010
Welcome to Korea
I'm here! I am currently sitting in a dorm room in Jeonju University waiting for my medical check. This is day two of orientation, but I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's start with packing and the trip over.
Packing actually went pretty well. I had a baggage allowance of two 50 pound bags to check, one carry-on, and one personal item. I rolled all my shirts and folded my pants together, put my PS3 in my carry-on, my laptop in my laptop shoulder bag, and all my climbing gear in my backpacking pack. Once I got everything in my luggage, I ended up with a carry-on that weighs 27 pounds, two bags that are 48 and 45 pounds, and my laptop bag. The great news is they never looked at my carry-on, so I got all my luggage for free. Excellent! The one issue at check-in was some bad news. My flight was delayed up to an hour due to weather in San Francisco. My layover was two hours though, so that should be fine.
So after saying goodbye to everyone at the airport I went through security. That was painless, but I did have to take my PS3 out of my carry-on as if it was a laptop. I hadn't thought of that, but it makes sense. I went down to my gate. There, I checked in and found out it was possibly a longer delay but they weren't sure. So I waited around. They finally boarded us and we were on track to land with about an hour between flights. Shouldn't be a huge problem, just have to hurry. Then, once we're all on the plane, they tell us it will be another hour. Uh-oh.
We finally take off and have an uneventful flight. We get into San Francisco at 2:10, five minutes after the Singapore Airlines flight was scheduled to depart. At this point I'm resigned to the fact I will be staying the night in Cali, and I'm not the only one. There were several other people scheduled for the same flight. We figured we'd go down to the gate anyway on the off chance the plane was delayed and we could still make it. Naturally the departure gate wasn't on the boards or on our tickets. So we made our way to the International Terminal. On the way, I hear an amazing thing: they call me on the intercom and tell me to get to a gate. Does this mean the plane is still here?? I start jogging.
I get to the gate and it's great. There are a ton of people in line to get on a plane, and there's a jet sitting outside. I check in and get a boarding pass. We barely made the flight, but we did all get on. That's the good news. The bad news is our luggage did not have time to make the transfer.
The flight to Korea took roughly 11 hours. It was actually very nice. I had a window seat and was next to a kid about 7 years old. He was very quiet the whole trip and just watched tv or played games. His mom was in the isle seat and she didn't speak English. I spent the trip watching movies from the on-demand system. It had quite an extensive collection, including Iron Man 2. I had also called ahead and ordered the vegetarian menu, which turned out to be the same as the Indian menu. They brought out my food (along with the other veggies) before everyone else. All in all it was a good flight.
Once we landed there was no trouble getting through customs or anything. As expected my bags didn't arrive. I met up with a few other EPIK teachers and we filled out paperwork to get our bags delivered once they arrived on the next flight from San Francisco. I changed money at the airport, with the standard rate at about 1180 and the booth buying dollars at 1131. Then I went out of the secure area and met up with Gregg! We found the EPIK booth and I got a number for check-in, then Gregg and I walked around.
I ended up finally getting on a bus at about 9pm. The bus ride was pretty laid back. It was dark so really hard to see anything that was outside, so most of us slept. I met some cool people though. We finally got to the dorm at about 1230 am. I met my roommate and after figuring out how to get the AC working went right to sleep.
That was the end of day one.
Packing actually went pretty well. I had a baggage allowance of two 50 pound bags to check, one carry-on, and one personal item. I rolled all my shirts and folded my pants together, put my PS3 in my carry-on, my laptop in my laptop shoulder bag, and all my climbing gear in my backpacking pack. Once I got everything in my luggage, I ended up with a carry-on that weighs 27 pounds, two bags that are 48 and 45 pounds, and my laptop bag. The great news is they never looked at my carry-on, so I got all my luggage for free. Excellent! The one issue at check-in was some bad news. My flight was delayed up to an hour due to weather in San Francisco. My layover was two hours though, so that should be fine.
So after saying goodbye to everyone at the airport I went through security. That was painless, but I did have to take my PS3 out of my carry-on as if it was a laptop. I hadn't thought of that, but it makes sense. I went down to my gate. There, I checked in and found out it was possibly a longer delay but they weren't sure. So I waited around. They finally boarded us and we were on track to land with about an hour between flights. Shouldn't be a huge problem, just have to hurry. Then, once we're all on the plane, they tell us it will be another hour. Uh-oh.
We finally take off and have an uneventful flight. We get into San Francisco at 2:10, five minutes after the Singapore Airlines flight was scheduled to depart. At this point I'm resigned to the fact I will be staying the night in Cali, and I'm not the only one. There were several other people scheduled for the same flight. We figured we'd go down to the gate anyway on the off chance the plane was delayed and we could still make it. Naturally the departure gate wasn't on the boards or on our tickets. So we made our way to the International Terminal. On the way, I hear an amazing thing: they call me on the intercom and tell me to get to a gate. Does this mean the plane is still here?? I start jogging.
I get to the gate and it's great. There are a ton of people in line to get on a plane, and there's a jet sitting outside. I check in and get a boarding pass. We barely made the flight, but we did all get on. That's the good news. The bad news is our luggage did not have time to make the transfer.
The flight to Korea took roughly 11 hours. It was actually very nice. I had a window seat and was next to a kid about 7 years old. He was very quiet the whole trip and just watched tv or played games. His mom was in the isle seat and she didn't speak English. I spent the trip watching movies from the on-demand system. It had quite an extensive collection, including Iron Man 2. I had also called ahead and ordered the vegetarian menu, which turned out to be the same as the Indian menu. They brought out my food (along with the other veggies) before everyone else. All in all it was a good flight.
Once we landed there was no trouble getting through customs or anything. As expected my bags didn't arrive. I met up with a few other EPIK teachers and we filled out paperwork to get our bags delivered once they arrived on the next flight from San Francisco. I changed money at the airport, with the standard rate at about 1180 and the booth buying dollars at 1131. Then I went out of the secure area and met up with Gregg! We found the EPIK booth and I got a number for check-in, then Gregg and I walked around.
I ended up finally getting on a bus at about 9pm. The bus ride was pretty laid back. It was dark so really hard to see anything that was outside, so most of us slept. I met some cool people though. We finally got to the dorm at about 1230 am. I met my roommate and after figuring out how to get the AC working went right to sleep.
That was the end of day one.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Busy busy
I have been so busy lately. I'm currently sitting in a hotel room about 10 minutes from the PDX, with my flight at 10 am tomorrow morning. So now I have time to take a breath and update everyone. Now, where to begin.
We had a going away party in Portland last week with a lot of family and friends from around the area. It was great to get to see everyone one last time before setting off. I'm working on collecting photos from everyone, those will be going up hopefully in the next week.
I started digitizing my media collection. I got myself a 1.5TB external hard drive and started ripping DVDs to it. That will save a lot of space. Isaac will appreciate this - I have all the bond movies at my fingertips all the time =)
My Mom threw mini-parties for me and my sister to celebrate our birthdays, Christmas, and every other holiday for the next year, complete with presents. That was kind of fun.
I had to get everything packed of course. That took up most of my time for the last few days. I'm allowed two 50 pound bags, one standard carry-on, and one "personal item," which I'm using for my laptop bag. Overall I ended up getting all my stuff (including my climbing gear!) in one 48 pound and one 44 pound bag. My carry-on is about double the weight allowance though because of my PS3. Nothing I can really do about that, so I'm hoping they don't check the weight.
I'm pretty excited to get started on this trip. It sounds like a bunch of people from the Facebook group at my orientation will be going out Wed night, giving us a chance to finally meet in person and try out this soju we've heard so much about!
My next post will be from the other side. Hopefully I'll be able to get some pics and vids up soon.
T minus seven hours to the airport!
We had a going away party in Portland last week with a lot of family and friends from around the area. It was great to get to see everyone one last time before setting off. I'm working on collecting photos from everyone, those will be going up hopefully in the next week.
I started digitizing my media collection. I got myself a 1.5TB external hard drive and started ripping DVDs to it. That will save a lot of space. Isaac will appreciate this - I have all the bond movies at my fingertips all the time =)
My Mom threw mini-parties for me and my sister to celebrate our birthdays, Christmas, and every other holiday for the next year, complete with presents. That was kind of fun.
I had to get everything packed of course. That took up most of my time for the last few days. I'm allowed two 50 pound bags, one standard carry-on, and one "personal item," which I'm using for my laptop bag. Overall I ended up getting all my stuff (including my climbing gear!) in one 48 pound and one 44 pound bag. My carry-on is about double the weight allowance though because of my PS3. Nothing I can really do about that, so I'm hoping they don't check the weight.
I'm pretty excited to get started on this trip. It sounds like a bunch of people from the Facebook group at my orientation will be going out Wed night, giving us a chance to finally meet in person and try out this soju we've heard so much about!
My next post will be from the other side. Hopefully I'll be able to get some pics and vids up soon.
T minus seven hours to the airport!
Friday, August 6, 2010
Flight & Pre-Orientation
I have a flight! PDX --> SFO --> ICN. I leave Aug. 17th at 10:20am and get to Seoul at 6:45pm on the 18th, after about 20 hours of travel time I think. Total cost was $801.
I've also started the EPIK online orientation course. So far it has just covered developmental psychology, which I actually find interesting.
I'm moving from Portland back to Seaside today to start packing. I'm not looking forward to that, but I guess I need to get started.
I've also started the EPIK online orientation course. So far it has just covered developmental psychology, which I actually find interesting.
I'm moving from Portland back to Seaside today to start packing. I'm not looking forward to that, but I guess I need to get started.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Orientation
Well things have started picking up, thats for sure. I just got my info for the online orientation course I need to do, which is 15 hours of the 60 I need for EPIK, with the rest being the actual orientation when we get to Korea. I also got my visa documents shipped off yesterday via FedEx ($15 for overnight from Portland to Seattle) so I should get it back next week. I had to send them my actual passport and I have to say, it's a little strange to not have it and be leaving the country in three weeks.
I've also been on facebook a lot with the EPIK 2010 group. There's been a ton of great info and discussions. There is a pre-orientation meetup of sorts starting around the 15th that would be fun to go to. I guess its finally time to start looking at flights.
I've also been on facebook a lot with the EPIK 2010 group. There's been a ton of great info and discussions. There is a pre-orientation meetup of sorts starting around the 15th that would be fun to go to. I guess its finally time to start looking at flights.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Daejeon Intro Video
Someone posted this video on facebook. It seems to be a bunch of tourist ads strung together, but you can get an idea of what the city will be like. I'm pretty excited about it!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bYcgCUuyns
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bYcgCUuyns
Monday, July 26, 2010
Contract
I finally got my contract and NoA (Notice of Appointment) yesterday! It's official, I'm going to Daejeon! I need to be in S. Korea for orientation beginning Aug. 18th. The next step is to mail the NoA and a few other documents up to the Korean embassy in Seattle to get my Visa.
I've also been working on my TESOL certification but it's taking longer than expected. I won't have it finished by the time I go over, which means I'm not going to worry about it too much. I can finish up after I get to Korea.
Thanks to facebook I already know a bunch of people that will be at my orientation and in Daejeon. Sounds like there will be plenty to do, and I even already have climbing partners! I leave in about three weeks, time to start a countdown. And start packing.
I've also been working on my TESOL certification but it's taking longer than expected. I won't have it finished by the time I go over, which means I'm not going to worry about it too much. I can finish up after I get to Korea.
Thanks to facebook I already know a bunch of people that will be at my orientation and in Daejeon. Sounds like there will be plenty to do, and I even already have climbing partners! I leave in about three weeks, time to start a countdown. And start packing.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Location
I just got some e-mails from my recruiter confirming I have been placed in Daejeon! They also sent a FAQ and extra details about getting my visa and what I need to take. I also now know I will be flying out between Aug. 16 - 19. I can't wait!!
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Position Confirmed
I just got a confirmation e-mail from EPIK, they've found a position for me! The e-mail they sent was a general notice so I should be getting specifics from my recruiter shortly (hopefully tomorrow). Now I just have to bust ass to get my TESL certificate done before August.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Accepted!
I got tired of waiting so I e-mailed my recruiter to find out if I passed my interview. Turns out I did and my documents are already out to schools. Now I'm just waiting for a Notice of Appointment (NoA) and contract, which should both be sent out in July!
Monday, June 7, 2010
Wedding!
Congratulations to Joel and Ashley on their wedding. It was an honor to stand for you and I wish you both the best of luck and endless happiness.
Another Visa Update
My recruiter got my visa packet last Wed, 6/2, and sent it on to EPIK. I'm not sure if that means they heard back after my interview yet, but it seems they wouldn't send on the packet if they hadn't so I'm hopeful.
Friday, May 28, 2010
Now the Waiting
I sent off my visa packet today. It cost $80 to send to Taiwan. Now I just wait to hear back. I hear this may be the hardest part of the process, I guess we'll see.
I'm now back in Oregon and got all my stuff moved in with my parents. Now I get to concentrate on weddings and a TESOL certificate.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
EPIK Interview
I just finished my interview with EPIK. I gotta say, my interviewer was clearly just doing a job. I guess I can understand that since they are doing so many interviews, but I tried to get him to react to something and was completely unsuccessful. Nothing like my interview with my recruiter. The guy also didn't know the answers to most of my questions. Talk about frustrating.
Overall though I think it went alright. I should be hearing back from my recruiter next week. The biggest issue is going to be location. We talked about a couple options but I really want to be in a city, so I need to be more specific than location. I was not prepared for that discussion so hopefully I'll be able to do some research before EPK gets back to my recruiter. I just e-mailed them some questions about that and a TESL certificate. I don't know if I'll have time to get one before I go over, but if I can I would like to.
On a side note, man I have been busy this week. Packing and getting ready to move, climbing as much as I can, and trying to sell my car. On top of it all my internet has been turned off so I have to go to the clubhouse to get e-mails. I can't wait till I'm back in Oregon and everything is calm again lol.
Overall though I think it went alright. I should be hearing back from my recruiter next week. The biggest issue is going to be location. We talked about a couple options but I really want to be in a city, so I need to be more specific than location. I was not prepared for that discussion so hopefully I'll be able to do some research before EPK gets back to my recruiter. I just e-mailed them some questions about that and a TESL certificate. I don't know if I'll have time to get one before I go over, but if I can I would like to.
On a side note, man I have been busy this week. Packing and getting ready to move, climbing as much as I can, and trying to sell my car. On top of it all my internet has been turned off so I have to go to the clubhouse to get e-mails. I can't wait till I'm back in Oregon and everything is calm again lol.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
EPIK Interview
Finally! I have my EPIK interview tomorrow at 7:30 pm. Right in the middle of my move, but that's ok. I just got the e-mail about it, so over 24 hours notice. I've got some prep to do.
Friday, May 14, 2010
Apostilles pt. 2
Man I'm busy right now lol. I'm packing up my apartment, making arrangements for the move and getting back to Oregon, and trying to climb and hang out with everyone as much as possible before I go. It will get easier tomorrow because its my last day at work!
On a visa note I got my Apostilled documents back, so I now have everything I need for my visa, with the exception of passport photos. Those take 30min to get, so I can get everything shipped out the day after my interview. Its been a long costly process, but I'm so excited.
I did hear back again from my recruiter. EPIK has my application and I'm in line with everyone else waiting for interviews. Its annoying, but part of the process.
That's all the time I have now, so much to do to move!
On a visa note I got my Apostilled documents back, so I now have everything I need for my visa, with the exception of passport photos. Those take 30min to get, so I can get everything shipped out the day after my interview. Its been a long costly process, but I'm so excited.
I did hear back again from my recruiter. EPIK has my application and I'm in line with everyone else waiting for interviews. Its annoying, but part of the process.
That's all the time I have now, so much to do to move!
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Apostilles
I got my Oregon CBC back the other day and had my recruiter look over it. All good on that front. They also approved my community college transcripts. The school put a label over the envelope seal instead of a stamp so I was concerned about that. I sent off the copies of my degrees and my Texas CBC to get apostilled, total cost $45.
I also got an e-mail today saying no one has been sent a notice of appointment or even been recommended for a placement. That's good to hear, I've been getting anxious to get a position nailed down! Sounds like everything is going fine though.
On another note I turned in my resignation on Monday. Now I'm working on prepping for the move back to Oregon. So much to do, so little time.
I also got an e-mail today saying no one has been sent a notice of appointment or even been recommended for a placement. That's good to hear, I've been getting anxious to get a position nailed down! Sounds like everything is going fine though.
On another note I turned in my resignation on Monday. Now I'm working on prepping for the move back to Oregon. So much to do, so little time.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Visa Stuff
**Warning: Very long post about Visa stuff. TLDR: Getting Visa docs together is expensive and annoying.
Ok so here's a post about my visa process.
The requirements for a Korean Visa seem easy enough. I got a list of required docs from my recruiter:
Since I've only been in Texas for a little over a year I have to get a Criminal Background Check (CBC) from both Texas and Oregon. In theory I only need the one for Texas Apostilled, but since I'm moving back to Oregon at the end of May I'll probably have them both done just in case. The extreme annoyance has been with actually getting the dang things ordered.
To start out I had to get fingerprints. Turns out that isn't nearly as easy as it sounds. My city only does fingerprinting Mon - Thurs and I had started on a Friday. This meant I couldn't do anything for my Oregon CBC until the next week. One already delayed. There is another option for Texas though. The state is contracted with a company to do electronic fingerprinting, which is sent right down to Austin. This was pretty convenient, except for the fact that you have to set up an appointment at least a day in advance. I found this out when I went to the office and talked to the girls that work there. They were doing nothing, just chilling with music and the internet. But they couldn't order my CBC because of the regulations. At this point I was already pissed off because I had gone to the city police, who sent me to the jail. Both were useless! I tried the department of public safety, but the office was also completely useless. Why doesn't Texas just have a regular state police force with an office I could go to to get this thing ordered? That's what I did for Oregon. Just call up Oregon State Police, tell them what I need, get instructions on how to get it. That didn't happen in Texas. Not even close. I finally ended up setting up an appointment for the following Monday (other pain in the ass is the office is only open during regular business hours, which is what I work). So nothing I could do for my Texas CBC that Friday either.
The other insane headache was getting the copies of my degrees notarized. They have to be notarized in order to get an Apostilled. I went to my bank, the post office, another bank, FedEx, and UPS. None of them would notarize the copies. This was on that same Friday and at this point I was just ready to kill someone. So I gave up and came home. Video games are a great way to cool down, let me tell you.
So I was telling all this to one of my friends and guess it turns out (figures) her notary had expired two weeks ago! The saving grace there was I didn't even know she was one to begin with so I hadn't really lost anything. It did get me thinking though, are there other notaries in my office? Turns out there are! So I talked to one of them and she was kind enough to go into detail about why she couldn't notarize the copies. So then I called the Secretary of State to figure out the way to solve this little dilemma. She told me to just write a statement saying the copy was true and correct and sign that, and that the notary would stamp my signature. So after everything, I have a stamp saying I made the copy of my degrees. How is that not shown by the copies themselves? I guess that's immigration though. So now I have my degrees notarized and ready to send off for an Apostille as soon as I get my Oregon CBC back (I got my Texas one back today, only took a week to get).
So for now I'm on standby until I get that Oregon CBC. In the mean time though, I find out I have to get transcripts from the community college I took a few summer courses at while I was at OSU even though the credits show up on my OSU transcripts. Originally I thought that would be no big deal. Turns out CCC is not as advanced as OSU. I had to fax them a request to print the transcripts, and they charge for them! That will teach me to go through a community college to get ahead. So I faxed in the form and talked with a woman in the office. I told her I need a stamp across the envelope seal (required for the Visa of course). She tells me that is standard. I got the transcripts the other day and there is no stamp, just a printed label! Again, community college. So now I need to find out if those will work or if I need to call them again and get them to actually stamp the things. On the bright side they forgot to charge my dad (who picked the transcripts up for me), so I saved $20 there.
So that's where I am with my Visa process. I know its a long post, sorry about that. I figure only people interested in teaching abroad will read it all, and they're probably looking for details about getting a Visa. I know I tried and didn't find anything this detailed. So last thing for this post and something that hadn't even occurred to me until I started, the costs for a visa (so far):
Texas CBC (including electronic fingerprints) - $24.95
Fingerprint card for Oregon CBC - $10
Oregon CBC - $33
Oregon CBC notary - $5
Priority shipping w/ delivery confirmation for Oregon CBC - $5
Total: $78
This doesn't include the costs for the Apostilles, which is $15 per document in Texas. I have to get copies of both degrees and my Texas CBC done, so there's another $45. Plus 4 passport photos, probably $10, and misc. shipping charges. Then actually sending the documents to Korea will probably be $60. Good thing I'm still working I guess.
Ok so here's a post about my visa process.
The requirements for a Korean Visa seem easy enough. I got a list of required docs from my recruiter:
- State Criminal Background Check with Apostille
- Four sets of official university transcripts
- Copy of Bachelor's Degree(s) with Apostille
- Signed EPIK Application
- Copy of the first page of passport
- Four official passport photos
- Two original letters of recommendation (part of the regular application process)
Since I've only been in Texas for a little over a year I have to get a Criminal Background Check (CBC) from both Texas and Oregon. In theory I only need the one for Texas Apostilled, but since I'm moving back to Oregon at the end of May I'll probably have them both done just in case. The extreme annoyance has been with actually getting the dang things ordered.
To start out I had to get fingerprints. Turns out that isn't nearly as easy as it sounds. My city only does fingerprinting Mon - Thurs and I had started on a Friday. This meant I couldn't do anything for my Oregon CBC until the next week. One already delayed. There is another option for Texas though. The state is contracted with a company to do electronic fingerprinting, which is sent right down to Austin. This was pretty convenient, except for the fact that you have to set up an appointment at least a day in advance. I found this out when I went to the office and talked to the girls that work there. They were doing nothing, just chilling with music and the internet. But they couldn't order my CBC because of the regulations. At this point I was already pissed off because I had gone to the city police, who sent me to the jail. Both were useless! I tried the department of public safety, but the office was also completely useless. Why doesn't Texas just have a regular state police force with an office I could go to to get this thing ordered? That's what I did for Oregon. Just call up Oregon State Police, tell them what I need, get instructions on how to get it. That didn't happen in Texas. Not even close. I finally ended up setting up an appointment for the following Monday (other pain in the ass is the office is only open during regular business hours, which is what I work). So nothing I could do for my Texas CBC that Friday either.
The other insane headache was getting the copies of my degrees notarized. They have to be notarized in order to get an Apostilled. I went to my bank, the post office, another bank, FedEx, and UPS. None of them would notarize the copies. This was on that same Friday and at this point I was just ready to kill someone. So I gave up and came home. Video games are a great way to cool down, let me tell you.
So I was telling all this to one of my friends and guess it turns out (figures) her notary had expired two weeks ago! The saving grace there was I didn't even know she was one to begin with so I hadn't really lost anything. It did get me thinking though, are there other notaries in my office? Turns out there are! So I talked to one of them and she was kind enough to go into detail about why she couldn't notarize the copies. So then I called the Secretary of State to figure out the way to solve this little dilemma. She told me to just write a statement saying the copy was true and correct and sign that, and that the notary would stamp my signature. So after everything, I have a stamp saying I made the copy of my degrees. How is that not shown by the copies themselves? I guess that's immigration though. So now I have my degrees notarized and ready to send off for an Apostille as soon as I get my Oregon CBC back (I got my Texas one back today, only took a week to get).
So for now I'm on standby until I get that Oregon CBC. In the mean time though, I find out I have to get transcripts from the community college I took a few summer courses at while I was at OSU even though the credits show up on my OSU transcripts. Originally I thought that would be no big deal. Turns out CCC is not as advanced as OSU. I had to fax them a request to print the transcripts, and they charge for them! That will teach me to go through a community college to get ahead. So I faxed in the form and talked with a woman in the office. I told her I need a stamp across the envelope seal (required for the Visa of course). She tells me that is standard. I got the transcripts the other day and there is no stamp, just a printed label! Again, community college. So now I need to find out if those will work or if I need to call them again and get them to actually stamp the things. On the bright side they forgot to charge my dad (who picked the transcripts up for me), so I saved $20 there.
So that's where I am with my Visa process. I know its a long post, sorry about that. I figure only people interested in teaching abroad will read it all, and they're probably looking for details about getting a Visa. I know I tried and didn't find anything this detailed. So last thing for this post and something that hadn't even occurred to me until I started, the costs for a visa (so far):
Texas CBC (including electronic fingerprints) - $24.95
Fingerprint card for Oregon CBC - $10
Oregon CBC - $33
Oregon CBC notary - $5
Priority shipping w/ delivery confirmation for Oregon CBC - $5
Total: $78
This doesn't include the costs for the Apostilles, which is $15 per document in Texas. I have to get copies of both degrees and my Texas CBC done, so there's another $45. Plus 4 passport photos, probably $10, and misc. shipping charges. Then actually sending the documents to Korea will probably be $60. Good thing I'm still working I guess.
Friday, April 23, 2010
Ah the beginning
I wonder how many people really put a lot of thought into their first blog post. Hopefully not many, but who knows.
So this blog will be all about my experiences going abroad to teach. I'll post about anything and everything I feel like. But first I guess you may need some background.
I graduated in 2008 and it took about 8 months for me to find a job. I ended up in Dallas working at a mortgage company. There were good times and bad times, but long story short I'm ready to move on. So I'm going to follow a friend from college to Korea and fix my biggest college regret (not going abroad).
I started my application process on April 1, 2010. I'm going through a recruiter and applying for the EPIK program. I've had my first interview with my recruiter and they have already have my application and electronic copies of my letters of reference. Now I'm waiting to hear when my second interview will be and working on gathering all my Visa documents. Man that is an intense process and I'll post about it soon.
For now I'm going to work on getting the blog up and running. I hope you enjoy reading. If you don't, my advice would be to stop =)
So this blog will be all about my experiences going abroad to teach. I'll post about anything and everything I feel like. But first I guess you may need some background.
I graduated in 2008 and it took about 8 months for me to find a job. I ended up in Dallas working at a mortgage company. There were good times and bad times, but long story short I'm ready to move on. So I'm going to follow a friend from college to Korea and fix my biggest college regret (not going abroad).
I started my application process on April 1, 2010. I'm going through a recruiter and applying for the EPIK program. I've had my first interview with my recruiter and they have already have my application and electronic copies of my letters of reference. Now I'm waiting to hear when my second interview will be and working on gathering all my Visa documents. Man that is an intense process and I'll post about it soon.
For now I'm going to work on getting the blog up and running. I hope you enjoy reading. If you don't, my advice would be to stop =)
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