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)