My New Place

I moved. I MOVED!! When I got to Bucheon, I couldn't believe what an officetel (Korean word for studio) that they put me in. It was dirty, there was only one bed for furniture and extremely bare. Outside people were bbq-ing every night (Koreans LOVE their BBQ), as there were restaraunts right outside my window. It was smoky, loud and the loud chatter would die down at 6 in the morning, only to be replaced by construction workers banging away. I asked to be put in my coworker's place when he left, to which my boss initially agreed and then took back. I asked once again and finally it has happened!I am in a new place and girlfriend, I love it!

Its clean, its chic and its everything that I have been waiting for. Never having lived this far high up, where I see a much different view of the city, such as the far off mountains (I didn't even know Bucheon had mountains), the millions of other buildings and other things, I feel like I'm living in the sky. This is my pie in the sky that I've been waiting one grueling month for.Allow me to give you a tour of my place. I walk to the door and push in the key-code. This is nice because I don't have to remember to bring my key. I walk in and enjoy the abscence of cigarette smoke. The floors are a bit wooden, there is a stove and washing machine to my left and on my right is the bathroom. There is no seperator for the toilet and shower, but that's okay, because I've almost become used to it. The bathroom is clean and the floors are nice! The water goes down the drain pretty quickly so the floor dries up quickly as well.There is a living space, which consists of a table, that's right a TABLE and, oh wait, what's that I see? CHAIRS!! Not just one, but TWO! That's where I set my lap top. There is a nice closet that's rather spacious. So I don't have to just throw my clothes everywhere, its so fucking organized, I could just die!It's hard to explain, but there is a stairs to where my bed is. It's on a loft, balcony, ledge type thing. Sometimes its too hot, so I put my bedding in the kitchen and just sleep on the floor there, Korean style. I feel like a housecat because I climb up in a high place to go to bed. But like I housecat, I change my mind and sleep on the floor, or some other random place. The place is mine to explore. On this weekend, I went into Itaewon to meet Susie and her friend, who was cool as hell. We had drinks at a cafe and then went to Yongsan Station to get our shop on. First, we went to an electronics store where I got screen cleaner and an adaptor, which I will have to take back. Then we went to a bookstore, which is always a favorite and afterwards we went to an Office Depot type place where we all looked for stuff for our classroom. I actually was more looking for home stuff, since my school is pretty good about supplying us with stuff. We then went to Emart, where I got some pillows, some cleaning supplies and soaps. Her friend went somewhere else, and Susie and I went to dinner. Afterwards we went to a Salsa class. I had no idea what I was doing, but at the end I did get a bit of a hang of it.Then I went home. I did invite Eun Ju and them to see my place, since I told them my old place was too dirty for them to see. They didn't come. Instead, Eun Ju told me to come to her place. So, who knows when they will just show up at my place. The non-teaching staff are probably my favorite people there. Unfortunately, the majority of them are quitting. Damn it. Oh well, at least I have the MN people to see on weekends :-)

Working on Saturday

I go from ups to downs. There are cultural barriers that frustrate me and in my distressed state are enough to make me want to go home. When a boss speaks to me in a way that I find condescending, to having my schedule switched two minutes before my day begins, to the overall relationship of the boss and coworker, I have had my fair share of culture shock. Its times like these we need to sit back and remember a motto that my former boss was always fond of using, "Seek first to understand before being understood". I came across this article last night when I was in the PC Bang looking up solutions to dealing with the Korean Workplace. I stumbled across this website posting of an article written by a gentleman named Kevin Smyth, that couldn't have been a better help to solving my recent mood swing. Like any normal human being, I desperately wanted to be understood and found it offensive that the Koreans weren't doing things the way that I was accustomed to. However, after I learned a bit about the Korean way of thinking in the workplace, I applied it to my situation and it made me think that things weren't so bad. I looked at the situation from their eyes and realized that they were simply doing what their culture has trained them to do. I will definitely talk about this technique I learned when asked in an interview to tell of a time I had a conflict in the workplace.

Anyways, after work, a bunch of the "part-timers" and I went out to eat chicken and beer. It was a good time for me to talk with coworkers and I really like these "part-timers". What have I been doing? Well, read below to find out!

This is a post from my other blog.

Well, this last week I had to work on Saturday, for an event called Market Day. During class, we give out points for participation and the students get to spend their points on prizes, food and games. The event was chaotic but it was nice to see some of my students. After the event, we cleaned up our respective stations and the 2nd in command (the boss wasn't there) tried to tell us that we had to stay and help put the rooms back together. One of my coworkers argued that the part-timers (non-teaching staff) were actually on the clock getting paid to do this. The second-in-command told us that they were busy doing other things. My coworkers countered that we were told that the event was supposed to get over at 1 and that it was already almost 2 and that they had things to do. She tried to deny that she said that, but one of the other coworkers offered to show her the email. In the end, we were free to go. Anyways, afterwards I took a much needed nap and then took the subway for a 2 hour ride to the other side of Seoul. I ended up in Gangdong Office Station to meet Susie. Susie is a fellow Korean Adoptee that went to KIM (Korean Institute of Minnesota) with Leslie and I, back in the day. We walked around and she showed me her place. We exchanged stories on our experiences and compared schools. Her place is pretty nice! And, its clean. Afterwards we went to dinner at this Chinese Restaraunt after giving up on our failed attempt to find Western Food. After dinner, we went to E-Mart, which is sort of like Homeplus. E-Mart is a giant shopping center not unlike our Target or Walmart with multiple (around 6) floors, selling foods, to cosmetics, to home furniture, to electronics, at a discount price. She walked back to her place and I walked back to a subway station. Unfortunately, I didn't realize that the subway closes early on Saturday. I called Eun Ju to ask if I could stay at her place, because I wouldn't be able to get back to Bucheon. So I had to get off at Samsung Station, which is where I was originally located during the week of training. I took a taxi and told him to take me to Shillim Station. He kept driving even though I said, "here is fine". So I got out and went to another taxi. I told this driver to go to the apartment complex that Eun Ju lives in. He had no idea where it was, and of course it didn't show up on his GPS. So Eun Ju gave him some directions and somehow I ended up there. I ended up at her place at about midnight. She and her mom and dog were there. Eun Ju had just gotten done scolding Kerri (the dog) for peeing on the bed that she had set up for herself in her parents room. I thought it was kind of funny, but didn't say anything. Eun Ju's dad came home and me and her and her parents chatted until about 2. Eun Ju's Dad told me to tell you guys that I didn't find my birthparents, but rather made a Korean family where he and his wife are the parents and Eun Ju and Hae-Ri my sisters. Eun Ju said that was strange but the dad thought it was funny. He thought that you guys would think it was funny too. In addition to having an American family and a Korean family, I have an American dog and a Korean dog, lol. When it was time to go to bed, Eun Ju was in her room getting ready and Kerri walked in to pee on her actual bed. I think she smacked him. Now that was funny. Needless to say, I decided to sleep on the floor, in the living room. I turned the fan on and fell asleep.

Eun Ju's grandma lives with her, and she gets up several times in the middle of the night. She checked up on me at least five times, I think. I'd wake up and she'd be looking over me and then she'd walk around and then go back to sleep. She gets up approximately 6 hours earlier than everyone else. Daylight came and as she was walking towards the living room I woke up and she told me to go back to sleep. Except it was hard, when she sat down right next to me on my mattress and turned on the tv, which was blasting for about 6 seconds when she would turn it off to go back in her room. She did that about 3 times every 30 minutes. I woke up and found that the fan was gone. I'm pretty sure that she took it away. Koreans believe that you will die if you leave the fan on while sleeping without any windows. They call it fan death. Anyways, when it was time for me to wake up so I could make my other appointment, Eun Ju's grandma insist that I eat. I don't think she cooks anymore, because she brought out the bread you get from the gas station and made me eat at least 4 slices. She tried to get me to eat the whole bag, but I insisted I was full, so she had a few pieces herself. As I was getting ready, I saw her open the doors to everyone's room to peek inside and then close them. I asked if they had any extra toothbrushes since I couldn't find mine. She looked and couldn't find any so she told me to use her's. Um....I thanked her, went into the bathroom and told myself that if I couldn't find a toothbrush, I'd use my finger. Luckily I did find an extra one that they keep for such occasions. I said goodbye to her and she told me to come visit again. As I walked out across the street to the bus station, I got a call from Eun Ju telling me to come back and have breakfast. I have no idea how they all got up at the same time so fast like that. When I told them about the grandma feeding me bread, they thought it was pretty funny. Eun Ju's mom cooked some cold noodle dish that's good for your health and we all ate. Then I headed for the bus so that I could take the subway to Theresa's place. I met Theresa and her husdband and son at the Shinsege Department Store. It's a mall, whose bottom floor contains such stores as Louis Vuitton, Prada, Gucci, Hermes, etc. all within the same vicinity. We had pizza at one of the restaraunts upstairs. The area where Shinsege is is so much cleaner and nicer than Bucheon. The bathrooms are actually clean and have toilet paper, soap and paper towels. I really miss such luxuries. After lunch, the four of us walked around a park and then went to the bookstore. After browsing around the bookstore, Veronica met up with us. Veronica and I went to Dunkin Donuts to wait for the people who I met 3 weeks ago at the coffee shop, who were the children of her friend. This friend's daughter had a sister in law whose brother in law (or whatever) works at my same company. They had invited me to simply hang out with them.

It was a really nice evening! There is the daughter (whose a 30 something woman) and her husdband and four year old son. There is also her brother (who speaks English) and his wife. The young son gave me a picture that said, "I love you" and "Brother Andrew Good Boy". That was cute and made my day, lol. We drove somewhere to eat at an Italian restaraunt. It was a really nice dinner. Afterwards, we went to the lady's apartment to have coffee and hang out. Seriously, this was probably like the nicest apartment in Korea that I've seen. It was super clean and the bathroom floor wasn't wet. The lady paints/decorates furniture for a living so her place was really unique and beautiful. After the evening I went to Veronica's sister to spend the night. I made it back to Bucheon by taking an express bus.

One Month Anniversersary

It's been about one month since I've been in Korea. In a week, it will have been one month since I've been in Bucheon. How would I describe my experience? Well, being outside of my comfort zone: the familiar, I would have to say that its been a bit of a rollercoaster. I am a very stable person, but being abroad takes its toll on me and my personality whether its in Trier, Germany or Bucheon, Korea. I can be extremely happy at times and without warning, hit an all-time low.

I live in an Officetel in the Sangdong part of Bucheon. I am located in the redlight district, so I definitely can't say my neighborhood is boring! Although there are fights about everynight between drunken businessmen, Korea is pretty tame and as a man I feel overall very safe at night walking alone by myself (I'm not sure how it would be for a woman, since I'm a man and therefore benefit from male privilege). So what is my day like? I usually wake up in the morning at around 11 AM. When I first got to Korea, I would wake up at 7 or 8. Mornings are the hardest part of the day. Homesickness usually hits me the worst there and there have been times when I had absolutely no desire to get up. I would miss home like crazy and my emotions would reach rocky levels not seen since my adolescence. I drag myself out of bed, shower in my lovely bathroom, get dressed, walk down the street to work and make a stop at the convenience store for my daily cherry coke, rice-filled seaweed cakes or sandwich. Then I go up to the 5th floor into my classroom and prep for my classes. If I haven't already, I correct tests, grade online homework and look over my books at the material I will be teaching. Then, classes begin! Once my students get there, I usually have a positive outlook on life. My kids are ages 8-12. I have an average of 7 classes, each running about 40 minutes. I work from 2-8 PM. My kids are all good kids and a lot of fun. They seriously make me smile both inside and outside. We read each chapter per lesson and I will either teach a reading section or a speaking/conversation section. It's really quite simple and I have finally gotten the hang of it down. I've come a long ways from the scared-to-death newbie I was on my first day. I feel much more comfortable interacting with kids and a lot of my parental instincts have begun to kick in. Afterwards, I usually like to correct my tests and other homework. I could go home, but I prefer to do it right there. Once work is finished I get something to eat. There have been times when I've gone out with my coworkers. So far I've gone out to eat, I've been to the bar a few times, I've sang karaoke to the point where my voice didn't work right for two days, and I've gone bowling.

I work just five days a week, as opposed to the six days a week I've heard that others have to work. On the weekends I usually go to Seoul. It takes about an hour. I have to take a 20 minute busride to Bucheon Station. From there I take the subway to Shindorim Station, where I transfer to Shillim Station. Once I get off, I have to hop on a bus to get to my friend's house, where I usually stay on the weekends. Me and her, her boyfriend and her sister usually hang out, go shopping, go to the park, the PC Bang (Internet Cafe) or simply hang out and watch tv. To be honest, I haven't been keeping up in this diary because I've simply been writing about what I've been doing in my letters home and because I've been so fucking homesick. But, things are starting to look up. A few of my Korean coworkers have asked me to go out with them next week. I may be able to get out of this shitty Officetel and I may have a new "Sprachpartner". Thing I would like to do: Get involved with the Korean Adoptee Community in Korea, find a good church, find a Korean class where I can learn about the culture, language and history, find volunteer opportunities where I can meet like-minded people, keep up with my piano lessons.

Bucheon

Okay I am super down right now, but rather than rant on this blog and bring more negative energy in, I am going to do this exercise that worked well when I was feeling the same way in Germany. By focusing on the positives, I will bring more positive energy into my life. Here goes. I was able to get done with training really fast and will start working right away. The material seems easy enough and I think that things will go well, I am excited to start teaching and think of it as a new adventure. My family is a phone call away if I really do need something. My friend from Japan is a two hour plane ride and is at least on the same side of the world, which is comforting. I have some great friends and my host family in the same country that are here if I need them. They are just an hour away and in fact, some of them live in the same province. I trained with just one other person, which gave me the opportunity to ask good questions. I have my own place, which is MINE. I am independent now. I get to decorate it how I want it and it is in the city. Bucheon is actually a pretty good size and there are flashy neon lights. I am confident that the Good Lord has brought me to this place for a reason, this place I'd never even heard of before I came here. He has a plan for me and I just gotta trust in Him. I'm anxious to discover the gift He has laid before me. I am confident that I am going to meet great people down the road. When I was first beginning university I didn't find my group of friends until like a couple months down the road, and they were none of the people I met during orientation. In fact, even though they were at orientation, I hadn't noticed them. During my study abroad to Germany, there was an orientation for Auslandstudenten and I remember feeling super lonely and missing my friends back home. I remember EXACTLY sitting at that restaraunt like it was YESTERDAY (even though it was almost two years ago) sipping wine and mingling with the people at my table and feeling lonely because I knew we didn't click. They were great people, but I didn't see them much after that. The people who I cliqued well with didn't come into my life until I was settled down and the person who impacted me the most, Kim, didn't come into my life until a couple of months afterwards. I hadn't even noticed her, even though she was living in my same Studentenwohnheim (dorm). So, logic would dictate that the people I am to meet are right here. They will come into my life when they are meant to, I just need to give it time. I'm going to get internet and an adapter so that I can use Skype and everything in my Officetel. Also, they are going to put in a TV, which will be nice. I have my own stove and fridge and washing machine. The shower isn't right next to the toilet so I will be able to keep the bathroom pretty clean. There is good shopping in terms of food. The food here is really fresh and it will enable me to eat healthier. I can't wait to see the results in a few months (in Germany I dropped 40 pounds, then gained back 20 after being back home). There is this new city that I have to explore and master. It still is a city to me. I mean I come from Minneapolis and it seems similar. Oh and I will have the perfect chance to work on my Korean, which will verbessern die Chance fuer eine gute Karierre (improve the chances for a good career). I plan on keeping up with my Japanese as well, which I studied throughout high school and college. Korean and Japanese have similar grammars, so once I can jump over the barrier that's blocking my current progress in Korean, it'll enable me to improve my Japanese as well. I can't wait for the opportunity to comunicate with more people. Well, I feel a little better already. I only work 5 days a week, as opposed to the 6 I anticipated. I have weekends off which will be swell. I will be able to take the KTX down to Busan to see Kim!!!! (The girl who had the biggest impact on my life while I was in Germany). Who knows, maybe I might finally find a boyfriend. Yeah, I feel better.

Raw Fish, Pizza and the Zoo

May 28
I didn't do much in the morning that day. I took the subway and then the bus to Eun Ju's house. Her parents were really surprised that I was able to do it myself. The Korean Transportation is really quite efficient and isn't so hard to figure out, I think. So to me, it wasn't a big deal. I went with Eun Ju's parents to Theresa's parents house in the "burbs" of Sungnam City in the Gyeong-gi Province. To be exact, they live in the Bundang District. I think. We picked up Veronica and Jae-Min and went to Veronica's place. We sat around for a while and then went to eat black bean noodles. Afterwards we went back to their home and Thomas (Theresa's Dad) came home and said hi and I briefly saw Theresa. Veronica took me to a movie. The only thing is, she went to one movie and I went to the another. So we both sat in separate theaters watching a movie at the same time. I went to go see Terminator and she went to see some other movie. Christian Bale, who played John Connor was cute but in Terminator 2 I had the biggest crush on Edward Furlong back in the day. Afterwards they dropped me off at Veronica's sister's place for the night.

May 29
That day I went with Veronica and four other old ladies to their Pastor's apartment for a bible study/church service. We then went to the countryside to visit the ocean. On the way, we stopped at a rest stop and then at a restaurant for raw fish. I put on my Minnesota nice smile and prayed that I wouldn't throw up. The fish was slimy and if you think Sushi is raw, you haven't had this. There was salted minnows, raw slices of fish, cooked fish, clams with hot sauce, spicy fish soup and these unidentifiable food objects. All I knew was that they didn't look like fish, were slimy and tasted...interesting. Well, with the help of some Soju (cheap ass Vodka) I got it all down. The Pastor kept toasting everything, from my arrival, to the death of the former Korean President and just about everything in this life to keep his drink going. In the end, the Pastor threw up.

Yeah, I don't really want to think about that anymore, so next subject. We arrived at the ocean near this strip of cute little coffee shops. We sat by the ocean and the ladies started singing folk songs. The Korean countryside is quite different than the city. I had gotten quite accustomed to being in the chic Gangnam District. The Coex Mall makes you feel like you are a guest star on the Jetsons. I don't know if its the glass elevators, the cute beeps and chirps that machines make, flat screens pouring out advertisements in front of escalators and even on the credit card pad where you input your signature, the giant interactive touch screen map in the mall, the elevator buttons that aren't buttons, but touch screens or the chic fashion statements that people make, but I really feel like I'm in the new millennium. The countryside has a slower pace of life, but it has trees and plants and GRASS, and is quite different indeed. Anyways, afterwards we had to make all these pit stops to visit some of the ladies' relatives that lived in that area. We finally made our stop at a noodle house to have cold noodle soup (mool naeng myeon) before we went home. FYI: There are some drivers in Korea that actually obey the stoplights! I had to sleep at Veronica's sister's house again.

May 30
I spent that day with Veronica's sister, who ever so graciously allowed me into her home. We went to go shopping at a store, had lunch and then I was on my way to Seoul. It was really nice to be back at my hotel. It's just me, I like to be independent and having to depend on other people is kind of uncomfortable for me. I checked my mail and got a message from my company telling me that I had to be there at the hotel the next day because they were going to hand out thermometers and provide entertainment, because we had all spent the whole week in the hotel avoiding the Swine Flu. Oh wait, no we were SUPPOSED to, that's right. Oops. Seriously, NONE of us followed that rule, I'm guessing. Chungdahm Learning did however, shut down their schools, I heard from another person's blog. I told my recruiter that I had plans. He said that it was okay for me to leave the hotel, and just be sure to constantly wash my hands and avoid touching or talking to people and wear a mask. I simply told him, "why of course!". I was supposed to have dinner with Eun Ju, but she had to cancel because of work, so I was able to set something up with Soon Oak. Its a good thing because it was getting a little hard staying with Eun Ju's Aunt, who was constantly prying into my business, interrogating me on what methods I would use to survive ALONE in Bucheon, nagging me, screeching at me to sit up straight and monitoring my every move (which is a Korean way to show parental love and affection). I should say that I'm glad my parents are actually pretty fucking cool. Anyways Soon Oak came to meet me and told me that her parents would want me to stay the night. She knows that I like to sleep in my own bed and am uncomfortable at other people house and told me she felt the exact way so she just came up with an excuse for me. Her mom had cooked dinner and we ate. I played with Soon Bae's kids and Soon Bok's kid. Soon Bae's husdband is super nice and told me that I should probably spend the night, as our plans for the next day required us to get up early. I told him I had something to do that night that my company required of me. I took the subway back by myself.

May 31
I got up really early and went to their district so that we could meet. I went to Soon Oak's parents house and we had breakfast and then we all headed for the Zoo. FYI: Soon Bae's daughter is incredibly clingy and does not by any means understand the concept of personal space. We watched various animal shows and went around looking at different animals. We had lunch at the zoo and then we went home and stopped to pick up PIZZA!!! Afterwards three of the sisters and their spouses were going to the public bath. Soon Oak and I went to the subway station and she got off at her stop and I got off at mine. I'm back at the hotel and its night time. I had received a message from the company saying that my training will start on Tuesday and that we may not take the elevator at the building because of the potential to catch the swine flu.

Land of the Morning Calm

I finally made it to Korea! I've been here a few days but I will document the first few days that I was here. These were taken from my facebook blog/emails.

May 23, 2009
I am finally here in the Land of the Morning Calm. I left yesterday, or whenever on May 22. I left the airport and said goodbye to my family and left for Chicago. Being a holiday, it was pretty crowded but I was able to make my way around. I boarded the plane, which was very crowded and was on my way to Korea. The flight was really, really, really...long. I sustained myself by sleeping, watching two or five movies and eating the meals. I flew Korean Air, so the flight attendants were really good about bringing hot towels, food and drinks. The only thing is, that it was really hot, but maybe Koreans have less body heat or something. The two girls next to me had on blankets. I arrived at Incheon Int'l Airport and had to fill out a Quarantine Form as well as get a scan. There is a huge paranoia about the epidemic formerly known as "Swine Flu", which is called Influenza A or something here or H1N1. I think the paranoia is even bigger in Japan because Japanese tourists came wearing masks. I'm not kidding either. So I had to go through immigration and then I met Eun Ju, Theresa and her husdband Tony. It was really good to see them and they were there to meet me and give me a ride to the hotel. I called my recruiter and as it turns out, there was a change of plans. I tried to search through my brain for the emotion called surprised but couldn't find it. Korea is a lot different than say, Germany, where people's days are planned to the leather. So we came to a different hotel. It actually works out spifftacular because I have a room to myself and I don't have to have a roommate! Thank God! Or as Madea would say, "Hallelujer" I took a shower and then the four of us went to a Traditional Korean Restaraunt to eat. I had some spicy soup. For desert there is this cider drink that is traditional in Korea I think. Then afterwards Eun Ju and I went to "play" around the town. Being downtown in the chic district of Gangnam, the nightlife was bustling. Like, I mean I really couldn't believe it. Whereas in other places of the world, everything is closed by 9 or 10, things are still busy then. It felt like it was the middle of the afternoon because there were so many people. Nightlife in Korea isn't just necessarily bars and nightclubs. People here shop, shop, shop. Stores are super crowded and the movie theaters are even more packed. In fact, you sometimes may have to make reservations for hot movies a day in advance. Eun Ju and I went to a cafe, Paris Baguette to have PatBingSu, which is a delicious Korean dessert. We said goodbyes and then I slept. I think I have handled jetlag really well! I got up once at three and just layed there and was up again at around 6 or 7. I had breakfast (Eun Ju and I bought my breakfast while shopping the night before) and cleaned a little as well as took care of some emails.

May 24, 2009
I am in my hotel room right now. The hotel room has a tv, fridge, bathroom, bed and a bunch of nice free things. It is super small, but that's okay. I am doing some work right now, I have to look over a bunch of grammer things to prep for tomorrow before training. Its interesting because I find that I don't understand a lot of the rules, because English is my first language. But once I translate some of the English words to German, (because the grammar of English and German is similar) the lightbulb in my brain turns on! I will go shopping today with Eun Ju. I will look around for cell phones and take my cell phone with and ask. (I got a call that day from my recruiter saying that training was canceled and to sit tight. Luckily I know people here or I might've gone crazy!) I went to Eun Ju's house for dinner and to spend time with her and her sister and mom. Btw, Eun Ju is my host sister from 10 years ago. It's hard to believe that its been 10 years (1999) since I was in Korea for the first time.

May 25, 2009
Hi Dad,
No, I don't think the flu is actually spreading, but I am not 100% sure. There is a huge concern and I was called by the central office asking about my health. I told them that I was fine. We all have to get a physical tomorrow, as policy of the company. As for today, I went hiking with Eun Ju's mom and Eun Ju's dad came home. He was very kind and most hospitable and told me that his home was mine. He told me to come back later that evening to spend the night. I thanked him a lot. Eun Ju's mom and I then went to the hotel to wait for Soon Oak. I met Soon Oak and her husdband. She told me that she just got married last November. I was really surprised and thought that she was just kidding. We went to her and her husdband's place and it was really nice. Afterwards we headed for a place to have dinner with her and her family. FYI: I videotaped a little bit of it, but I had to be discreet in naming the sisters. Although the sisters all know, their husdbands are unaware of E's (my sister) existence. I will have to show you a picture of them, we took a picture later. When I saw the youngest sister, I thought it really looked like E. Not a carbon copy, necessarily, but really, really similar. Her personality though, is not like E's. We then went home and waited for the second oldest sister to come home. I'm really , really tire so I'll teld more tomorrw. Btw, is North Korea on the news? Its been the only thing on the news today, as well as the Japanese news and I saw that it was on a bit of the American news, but I don't have full access to the news back home?

Write tomrorw more,

Andrew

NOTE: I waited that day for E's second bio-sister to come home. She seemed a little quiet and was a little hard to talk to, unlike the other siblings. I was so tired that night I came back to the hotel and crashed.

May 26, 2009
I got a new phone!! I went with Soon Oak to get a phone. It's a really, really sweet phone. Companies here give there phones names like April or Autumn, Icecream or Lollipop. I got the icecream phone. It lights up in the front and makes sounds that are funny and not unlike those heard at the casino. It can write in both Korean and English and I think that Rubie would really love this phone. Two words to describe it: Colorful and Cheerful. The model is LG-LU1600. It can make international phone calls. Oh and it allows me to watch tv too, listen to radio, look at a subway map and go on the internet. It takes pictures and video. I guess the only thing it doesn't do is cook! lol. I will send pics of it once my computer has access to the internet. Also, here is my phone number if you are in Korea: 010-2475-xxxx. And now about me. Yesterday I went with Soon Oak to the doctor. We are required by the company to get a physical. Even though I got one in the U.S. and many others had to pass one to get their teaching visas, the company only trusts the Korean doctors' word, I guess. The process actually went fast. I had to do a blood test, urine test, interview, blood pressure/weight measurement, and xray. I was literally in and out for each of my stops. Its really efficient and I was probably out within a half hour. Afterwards I went to dinner with Soon Oak and her friends. We had Korean BBQ. Then I went home. Btw, Korean phones here are really advanced.

May 27, 2009
So far I've taken it easy today. It's really hot, so I've stayed in my room and read and watched t.v. I will go to dinner with Soon Oak later. We will meet at the Coex Mall. There is this map, that's an interactive map. It's like an iPhone, where you touch the screen and you can get directions that way. The Koreans thought it was normal, but I'm like, "whoa". Tomorrow I'm supposed to see the rest of the host family and spend some time with them.

T-Minus One Week

Can you believe it? In a week from now I will leave Minnesota for Korea. Yesterday I said some goodbyes. I said goodbye to my hairstylist who I've had since I was a teenager, at the salon that I've gone to my entire life. I thanked her for all the years we've had. We reminisced on the times we've harassed each other (playfully), when my dog was a puppy and had a biting problem, middle school, high school and college along with all my fun part-time jobs she got to hear about.

My mom and I were both getting our hair done and we went to get lunch at Hoban, my fave Korean restaurant that I've been going to since I was a youngling. I said goodbye to Mrs. Kim and thanked her for the food all these years. I said goodbye to some of my co-workers at the country club, as well. I spent some quality time with my dad. We went to Murray's, a place in Minneapolis for lunch with WCCO's Sid Hartman. Hopefully we can all see Angels & Demons on Sunday, after my niece's birthday.

Almost There

I can't believe that I'm almost going to be in Korea! To-Do-Before Tasks I've completed:

• Obtain the proper travel documents necessary to work/reside in Korea (I got my F-4 VISA a long time ago)
• Sign Contract
• Purchase Plane Ticket (I already got me plane ticket!)
• Have Bonvoyage (See more below)
• Complete Current Job (Almost there~~~)

So my parents and siblings threw me a grand party in honor of my college graduation/bon voyage. It was a great party and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. My relatives came as well as my friends. Everybody came at once and it took a lot of energy on my part to schmooze with everyone. But the house was really crowded and everyone seemed to be chatting and enjoying themselves. It went over really well! I got some money as a congratulations for graduating but more so to help me in my upcoming sojourn. To be honest, it feels like my high school graduation open house was just yesterday and I reflected on how the circumstances of my life have dramatically changed in such little time. The future is definitely a most uncertain thing, for "always in motion is the future" as Jedi Master Yoda has articulated.

I'm almost done with my current job. I can't believe how fast it's gone! When I first started telling people about how I didn't really couldn't stand the atmosphere, everybody told me, "it'll go by faster than you know". Wow, they were actually right! I survived our two really big events, Easter and Mother's Day brunches, where its nonstop moving, carrying and lifting. I have my last day this coming Saturday.

I plan on spending the last few days I have with family and friends. I'd really like to see the Star Trek Movie as well as Angels & Demons. I read the book during my down time while in Germany and have thus waited for them to finally make a movie out of it! Yet even though I've come a long way, I still have some things to do:

• Sell my car (and get the cash so I can start paying off my student loans)
• Start packing (I've made a list of what to pack and have edited it, but I won't actually start till later)
• Buy some nicer clothes to wear
• Buy necessary toiletries
• Tell my bank and loan companies that I'm leaving

Seriously, I can't think of anything more, but if I do, I'll add to it.

My Plane Ticket

Today I bought my plane ticket! I looked a little yesterday and then gave up and thought I should rest on it. But today, my Dad and I were searching. He was on his desktop and I was on my laptop and we were comparing notes. There was a great deal that would allow me to fly Singapore Air for about 600.00. But the flight arrived in the evening. I want to arrive in the morning. It's best to have enough daylight hours in case I get lost or something unexpected occurs. So we found a deal on Expedia and I leave in the morning and fly Northwest. I fly from MSP to Chicago O'Hare.

Of course I have a bit of a layover in Chicago, but its not super bad. There was a Canada Air Flight that would have had me waiting for 11 hours. Not my idea of fun. Anyways, from there, I will go onto Korea, flying Korean Air.

Brittany and Andrew and Ebony go to White Castle

The other day I went to White Castle with Brittany and Ebony. I actually met them at Borders and we sat in the cafe. I used to work at that particular Borders before I transfered, so it feels like another lifetime ago. I bought the Foreign Service Officer Exam. There are a lot of questions regarding Politics that I didn't know, that I need to brush up on. There were some questions that I knew from reading random books (ex: asking about the Wahabi Sect). I haven't looked at the math thing, but I'll have several years to prepare. We went to White Castle and had a nice time, just the three of us. It was nice to talk and vent about our daily frustrations at work. Afterwards we went to Brittany's place. We were watching "Friday" and I really wasn't feeling well. I took Ebony home and went home. The next day I was really sick. At first I thought it was the White Castle. Ebony and Brittany said that they felt fine, so I figured it was a flu of some sort. I had babysat my niece a few days ago and she was sick, so I might've gotten it from her. It did take a while to get to me though.

The day after that I was really sick and couldn't move well, because my body had the chills (I also had a fever). I checked the mail and got a letter from a person at CDI. I had been accepted to an April Franchise in Bucheon. I had never heard of Bucheon before and was hoping to get paid hourly, as you take home more money. However, after doing some research, I found that there are some nice benefits to monthly: they pay your rent, some things are taken care of, you get some more days off that are paid, etc. I talked to a friend online and did some asking. Apparently, Bucheon is about an hour away from Seoul. That's not super bad. It's an hour away from where I live to get to St. Paul. And to get from each of the Districts or "Gu's" within Seoul is about 40 minutes. Here is some info, courtesy of Wikipedia

Area: 20.63 sq mi
Pop: 850,731
Density: 41,230/sq mi

Recruiter's Emails

I don't really have much to say today. I just went to work and watched Korean Dramas. I am really into Seoul 1945! I'm almost done with it. Here is a copy of the letters. Certain things have been censored.

First Letter--Aclipse Interview
Feb 15
Dear Andrew, Thank you for submitting your resume to Aclipse recruiting. I have had the opportunity to review the details of your application and I am very interested in discussing it further with you. I will be conducting initial phone interviews this week and next week and would like very much to schedule a time when we might be able to speak at length about the details of our current opportunities as well as your own experience. Please give me a call at my direct line below so we can coordinate our schedules. If you have any immediate questions, feel free to reach out to me at my direct line below. I look forward to speaking with you soon! Best regards,

My Response
Greetings Mr. Jacobson, Thank you for the message. I would be interested in discussing my resume and any available opportunities. I am available during the weekdays after 4:00 PM, Central Time Zone. I look forward to speaking with you as well! Thank you, Andrew
I didn't know that I sent my application to them. At this point I hadn't heard back from CDI or E-Spirit, so I thought I'd give them a try.

Interview Confirmation
Feb 27
Dear Andrew, Laura will contact you on Friday, February 27th at 5:00 PM CST. I will follow up after the interview so we can talk more about Chungdahm Learning. Attached please find a brief pre-task. If you could complete it and e-mail it back to me before our interview, it would be appreciated. Kind regards,
I was initially confused, but my brain eventually pieced it altogether :-) I was contacted by a woman named Laura, whose voice sounds exactly like my German Professor/Academic Advisor!! So I stressed for a week. I was worried I didn't get it (I over-worry a lot). I was told however that I would be contacted for a second interview. That's usually a good sign, so I anxiously waited for my second interview.

Chungdahm Learning
Mar 4
Dear Andrew,Congratulations! After having made our final assessment of your interview results and application we feel that you would be a great candidate for a teaching position with Chungdahm Learning. We have attached a file with more information about the position and the company. Chungdahm Learning is one of the most successful and highly regarded private language schools in South Korea.To continue the process we need to collect from you the following:1.) The Chungdahm Learning application essay2.) The Chungdahm Learning application3.) A fresh copy of your resume (please be sure your e-mail address is included)4.) A photo of yourself (friendly and professional)5.) A photocopy of your passport photo page6.) A photocopy of your college diploma These can be scanned and e-mailed back. The initial application shouldn’t take more than a couple of hours, so we ask that you please submit these materials no later than one week after receiving this e-mail. We will forward them to Chungdahm Learning, who will make the final decision on your candidacy. If their decision is favorable, they will send details confirming your location and salary. If successful we will require that we collect the following documents from you in order to process your work visa: 1.) A photocopy of your college diploma with apostille authentication (see attached instructions)2.) Official, sealed transcripts (get 2 as you will need one for the final visa application)3.) 2 passport-size photos (we recommend getting a total of six as you will need them at later stages)4.) A local police department issued criminal background check with apostille authentication (see attached instructions) We strongly recommend beginning the background check and apostille procedures immediately after submitting your application materials. The more paperwork you have prepared in advance, the more desirable a candidate will be for Chungdahm Learning. We would also like to point out that should Chungdahm Learning determine that they do not agree with our recommendation, we will be able to use the materials you submit to apply for a position with an alternate employer. We would like to stress that Chungdahm Learning prides itself on the preparedness of its instructors; consequently they have a very thorough training program. They have asked us to make sure candidates are aware that all instructors must pass Chungdahm Learning’s initial training program to ensure teachers are prepared for their first day of class and can deliver the level of instruction that students are accustomed to. Teachers who initially have difficulty with training are offered extra support and additional opportunities to pass the session. In the rare case a candidate cannot pass training, he/she would have to either secure another job on their own or return home at their own expense. We would be happy to discuss this with you in more depth.If you have any questions or concerns about the position, the paperwork, or life in Korea please don’t hesitate to give me a call. Thank you for your interest in Aclipse and I look forward to working with you in the coming weeks. Kind regards,
So I didn't have to go for a second interview! But it was really stressful, because no one wants to be partly in the door. What if the door closes and your crotch gets stuck???

My Response
Dear Mr. Jacobson, Thank you for the good news! I was very happy to have received your message. I will begin preparing the necessary documents. I will turn in the CDI Application/Essay within the week. I will then begin the background check. I do have a question regarding the VISA application process. I am actually currently in the process of applying for an F-4 VISA. I have been working with the Korean Embassy and will mail in my necessary paperwork tomorrow morning. As for my diploma, although I did graduate in January and have been awarded a Bachelor's Degree, I plan on going through my graduation ceremony in May (and then work in Korea after, in June). However, I will do what I can to get my diploma earlier. Again, thank you very much for the good news, it was good working with Aclipse! I will send emails to follow up on my progress
I turned everything in--minus the diploma.

Chungdahm Offer
Mar 23
Dear Andrew, Congratulations on being offered a position with Chungdahm Learning! I would like to take this opportunity to offer my continued assistance. The process moves very quickly once an offer has been made, and I need to have your decision within 5 business days. If I can answer any questions or offer further information that will help you with the decision, please do not hesitate to call me. If you decide to accept, please sign, scan, and email us the Offer of Employment attached. I will then need to collect the remaining materials to finalize the employment offer and begin the visa process. Please refer to the attachment for detailed information and instructions. Congratulations again on your acceptance to one of the most highly-regarded language schools in South Korea. I look forward to working with you over the coming weeks.
I was so relieved to have gotten this message. I remember checking the mail everyday and feeling naseous. When I got this, I did a victory dance...naked.

My Response
Dear Mr. Jacobson, Thank you for the wonderful news! I was very pleased to get your message. I accept the offer!! I am therefore sending you a copy of my Offer of Employment. I have initialed all the pages and given my signature, date and passport number on the last page. For your reference, I am also sending a copy of: my F-4 VISA and my criminal background check. I will go to the post office tomorrow to send the following documents:1) Notarized criminal background check with attached Apostille2) Original Offer of Employment3) Original Application--4 pages. As for my original diploma, my school will not have diplomas available until Friday the 27, or Monday the 30 of March. I will forward you a copy of that message sent by my school to my university email account to confirm that. Once I get my diploma in, I will mail the diploma ASAP to the address. (if the school doesn't get me my diploma until Monday, will that hurt my chances?) Thank you very much! I will continue to keep you updated and look forward to working with you! Kind regards, Andrew
I eventually got my diploma in. It took a while for my uni to finally print it. When I got it I remember feeling so proud of myself, that I did it. Then I had to turn it in :-( Oh well. At least I will see it when I go to Korea. Now I am waiting to hear where I will be placed. And I need to be able to go ahead and buy my ticket!

Fabulous Day

Wow, so Monday was such a fabulous day. The country club that I work at is closed on that day, so consequentially, I don't work that day. I went to St. Paul, where my former school was, because I wanted to meet Alicia for lunch. First off, let me say that St. Paul is such a nice city. It's kind of small and boring, but I just like the atmosphere better than Minneapolis. The cities beats living way out here any day. Though it is where I grew up, the suburbs is not my thing. Anyways, Alicia and I had been planning on getting together for a while, but things kept getting in our way. She called to say that her friend was having a really bad day and would be coming along. I said that was fine. As it turns out, her friend was super cool! I really enjoyed her company. Alicia, her friend and I went to a Thai restaurant. I don't remember what I ordered, but it was delicious! It was really spicy too. The three of us talked about people we know from school, classes and professors we've had. Alicia asked me questions about Korea and what I would be doing. Alicia talked a little about her future wedding oh and we talked about boys. Her friend had to leave to go back to class so we went to campus. Alicia and I went to the cafeteria/stadium and just talked a little. Andreas showed up and we all talked some more. Afterwards, Alicia had to go to work.

I went to the Student Affairs Office where I used to work. I said hello to Melissa and then I sat on the couch. I actually fell asleep. I was there waiting for Crystal, but she didnt' show up. My two friends, Xiong and Vang showed up! I was supposed to have dinner with Xiong that day, but I hadn't seen Vang in a long ass time, not since she was at school. Afterwards I went to Crystal's house. Raquel was there along with Crystal's other friend. They were there watching Desperate Housewives. It was actually kind of interesting, but there was an episode where the family starts off showing you their smiles, despite all that they'd been through. It kind of annoyed me, because that is what suburbia is: the land of fake smiles...which is one of my pet peeves. Crystal told me that she would miss me, but that she was nontheless happy for me. I asked Crystal if she would come visit me while I was in Korea. Who knows if she actually will. She asked me how black people are perceived in Korea and I told her that it would be my guess that it wouldn't be much different than here. I told her that in Korea, they can be more straightforward about their prejudices. The difference is that they say it to your face there, rather than behind your back, like here. Bottom line: it's like here.

There was a DVD missing, which contained about four episodes. So I took them all to Blockbuster on my way to meet up with Xiong. My car radio wasn't working, which kind of sucked :-( I went to Everest on Grand, which as Nepali and Tibetan food. Both Xiong and Vang were there. It was really cool because all of us are going to be leaving for Asia within the next couple of months! Xiong and Vang are both going to Thailand. Hopefully I can make a trip out there to see them, especially Xiong, because I won't see her for a while. Hopefully you see this blog Xiong!

After dinner I went to see Ebony and Brittany. We went to Brittany's place and just hung out. It's always good to see the girls. It was a long but great day!!

When I am in Korea, I hope to be able to keep in contact with friends from back home. I plan on being in Korea for two years. I want to be a great educator and really help my students learn English. When I am in Korea, these are things outside of my job that I want to do:

• Go to a concert!! (People with MY face are up there on stage! How cool and empowering would that be to go to a concert and see...me!?)


• Take Korean Language (Hopefully I would be able to start out on intermediate, since I've studied it for about five years)


• Take a music lesson (I've taken piano all my life--I'm not very good at it, but I want to keep up with it, hopefully I could find a place to practice. If not, I might like to take up the violin. The violin is light and easy to carry around).


• Go Clubbing (It's not my main purpose while in Korea, but I heard that the nightlife is great! When I went to Korea in 99, with the whole family, my brother and sister went out at night. I was too young to go, but he told me that the night life there is great, and drama free. Sorta like Germany. I feel that the clubs in MPLS are just so dramatic, and people take themselves WAY too seriously. This is just play, not work!)


• Study for the GRE/FSOE (I'm not 100% sure what my future is, so I want to be prepared).


• Take a Korean History Course ("He who cannot draw on 3000 years is living hand to mouth"--Goethe..."He who controls the past controls the future"--1984 George Orwell--I don't wanna be controlled)


• Take Calligraphy Lesson (Polish my mind)


• Live Life to the Fullest (Life is precious and short. Each day is a gift, that's why its called the Present)

My First Entry

I just got accepted for a position as an English Instructor with Chungdahm Learning Institute! I graduated in January of 09' and have been working on securing a job ever since. I wanted to either go to Hawaii and get a government job, stay in the Twin Cities and work for the Target Corporation, work in Korea as an English teacher, or apply to the FBI using my linguistic skills. Well, the economy really sucks and I need improvement on my language skills, and I just had a calling for Korea.

I studied abroad in Germany last year for a semester and when I was there, I felt that I wanted to go back to Korea. So I made it my goal, and through God's grace and my determination, its finally come true!

What was the process like that I had to go through?
I had to research which organizations were legit, because I've heard horror stories out there. While most public schools follow the laws, I've heard of private institutions that don't pay their employees on time, cheat them out of benefits or simply are shady. I did research on Chungdahm Learning (CDI) and E-Spirit, which were recommended to me by an acquaintance. I got some opinions from Dave's ESL Cafe and got mixed reviews. I also looked at other people's blogs and got their perspective. I also applied to EPIK and gone2korea, which is a recruiting agency. I also had to research which VISA to apply for, because there is more than one and each VISA has different requirements and benefits. Most people go for the E-2 VISA, which is for people who are going to teach English. I think it requires official transcripts, the official diploma and criminal background check/sex offender check with an Apostille, but I'm not sure, because I didn't apply for this one. Because I'm a Korean Adoptee, I got to apply for an F-4 VISA (Korean Heritage VISA), which gives me similar rights to Korean citizens, plus multiple entries. For the job process I had to create a resume, have several people look it over and then go with my instinct. My bro helped me and made it all complicated, but my friends told me to keep it short and sweet. I think it looked better short and sweet, anyways. I had to create a photo of myself that looked professional and friendly and send it in along with my cover letter. Unlike the U.S., other countries may require you to attach a photo to your resume and may or may not base part of their decision on your physical appearance. After I sent in my resume, I had a few interviews over the phone. (I have a more detailed explanation on the bottom) Then onto the VISA Work...

VISA PROCESS
I had to contact the Korean Consulate in Chicago, which serves MN. They were actually very helpful and friendly. I got a letter on what I needed. I needed my American citizenship certificate and naturalization papers, a VISA application, a formal letter stating my purpose or obtaining a VISA, along with my Korean Family Registry (호죽등본/ho-juk-deung-bon), adoption papers, a court reporter's documents proving that I am 진철, born in Korea but sent over to the United States. That took a long time because there were documents that we didn't have, that I didn't even know existed: the 호죽등본 and the court reporter's document, for example. I had to contact my agency in Korea and in MN to get paperwork and wait. I wrote a letter to KSS, with a copy of my adoption papers as proof that I was who I said I was. I asked for my Korean Family Registry, which they sent. As for LSS, I had to go through their Post-Adoption Services and fill out a form, requesting information from my file. I did this and then had to get it notarized and turn it into LSS. It took a few days for them to search my file, but they did find a copy of my Korean Family Registry (in English). They also had the Court Reporters Document, which has both my American Name and my Birth Name on the same sheet of paper. The Consulate gave me a form to fill out, renouncing my Korean citizenship. My parents and I thought this had already been done when they naturalized me as an American citizen, but I guess I may have been eligible to get my Korean citizenship back? I chose not to because I don't want to be dragged off to do military duty when I get there. I had to send all the documents in through the mail with a money order. I finally got it back, it took like at least a month in total, because I would send in documents to Chicago and the lady would keep asking for more. However, it was such a good feeling when I got my F-4 VISA in the mail though! The VISA itself looked like a sticker that was attached to a page of my passport.

APPLICATION PROCESS
I applied to CDI, E-Spirit, EPIK and gone2korea. I didn't hear anything from CDI, EPIK or E-Spirit. I did hear something back right away from gone2korea. I also heard something from korearecruiting and Aclipse. Korearecruiting had seen my resume online and asked if I needed help. Aclipse, it turns out, was the intermediary between me and CDI. I began corresponding with the recruiters and keeping them updated on my progress. Whereas most of the time, recruiters help you with the VISA process, I just did it myself, because they are usually familiar with E-2 VISAs. I set up interviews and did one with gone2korea and Aclipse. While I was waiting for my interview, the Aclipse recruiter had me do a few tasks, which were meant to test my skills. After I found out that I had passed the phone interview, I had to fill out the application, send in an updated copy of my resume along with another photo of myself and I had to write an essay, which is part of the application process that partly determines your salary. The essay didn't require any research at all, it was mostly to see if you really knew English. Then it was back to more waiting. Seriously, checking the mail each day made me partially ill. But it was an amazing feeling when I finally got my job offer! I'll have to fill out the paperwork and send it in to my recruiter.