I'm here. Korea... Seoul... Mok-dong...
The flight out was long. Though it was enjoyable. Asiana airlines was great, fantastic service, good food, and the flight attendants did not act at all miserable like I often see while flying.
I got in, took the bus, and got picked up without a hitch. There was an open room at the apartment complex, so î moved in... Not sure if it's my permanent room yet... Only time will tell. It's small. Though I feel like I have a little more room than I had in NYC.
I am without cell phone and internet. It'd tough. Definitely I have a tech addiction... But planning on how to do everything requires the net and phones, especially since I don't know a lick of Korean. If i get separated from my group of people, I am up the river without a paddle.
I spent Friday observing what I'll be doing. Wow... It'll be fun and an adventure! A roller coaster for sure. The kids already say Eric teacher is a giant. Its great though. The teachers that are also at the school have a great group spirit.
Last night after work we got Korean bbq. Fantastic! Afterward We went to a neighborhood called Hongdae. It is a place with many bars and tons of neon lights. We went to an Irish pub in the foreign district. Felt just like a pub in the states. The beer selection was not great. A pint of Guinness was 9000 won. I met the owner. She I think is in her late 20s (so I'm told). She is Korean but spent time in Ireland.
Okay... Will since I'm Wi-Fi jumping, that will be all for now. I'm typing on my nexus... Being in front of a computer will help... Then I can add pics. So hopefully more soon!
Saturday, February 23, 2013
I'm here
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Last meal in Oklahoma
Okay... I am not a big poster if food. I just want to say that in the beginning. Though sometimes food can/should be posted. This here is my last dinner in Oklahoma... well most of it. Chicken fried steak with white gravy, with a side of BBQ ribs and steak fries with cheese and Bacon.
I leave in several hours to go to Texas. Ill see some relatives there then spend the rest of the time with my folks. We are staying the night right next to DFW so it'll be easy to catch my 7am flight.
I'm packed. 2 bags to check at 50 pounds plus a 22 pound carryon and my laptop bag. Once I am in Seoul, I have to take a bus to Mok-dong where I will be picked up. I hate bringing so much... but I've gotta bring lots of clothes, cause shopping ain't gonna be easy.
Sunday, February 17, 2013
Waning time
Saturday...
I leave for Korea on Wednesday of next week, but head down to Dallas on Tuesday because my flight is at 7am on Wednesday.
These two weeks I have been in Oklahoma have flown by. Getting together with family and helping them out, running around getting and buying stuff getting ready for Korea... all of my plans of getting together with friends have fallen by the wayside. Circumstances in everybody's lives have made this goal near impossible. I was planning on going to Stillwater, Tulsa, and just hitting up the OKC. Nope... Time has really gone much faster than I was planning.
I guess it is fair to say I am starting to get a little nervous. Not really about the move... it is more the little things that are getting me. Things like getting all of my luggage in my suitcases, taking the bus after I land in Korea with my suitcases. Not having time to adapt to the time difference. Feeling I am forgetting something. Normally the rear of forgetting something is not that huge... everywhere I have traveled, there are always stores to get everything. In Korea there are many stores in which to get everything too... My fear is the fact I am a 6'3" guy with a little meat on my bones in a country where the average male height is 5'8" and skinny. Everyone says that it is near impossible to find clothes my size. Heck, in the US, getting decent clothes my size is not the easiest task. I went shoe shopping yesterday because I have one pair of shoes that have holes in them. A lot of stores have 1 or 2 pair... and that doesnt help if I am looking for something specific. Finding shirts sucks too. I have a thick neck- but the only shirts that have large enough necks are also fit me like a dress. It either fits my body and not neck, or neck and then catches the wind. From everything everyone tells me, my selection in Seoul will be far more limited then the limited selection I have not. That is my biggest nerve hitter right now.
I am not that worried about adapting or making friends... I am a pretty outgoing but very chill person. I am good at rolling with the punches and not letting much get under my skin. I got that yearning and sense of adventure... I know it may take a little while to get into the grove of Korea... but I see it as how it took time to get into the grove of New York. Every city has it's own pulse and you just have to get the rhythm of the city down.
So much to do... so little time. The clock is ticking.
I leave for Korea on Wednesday of next week, but head down to Dallas on Tuesday because my flight is at 7am on Wednesday.
These two weeks I have been in Oklahoma have flown by. Getting together with family and helping them out, running around getting and buying stuff getting ready for Korea... all of my plans of getting together with friends have fallen by the wayside. Circumstances in everybody's lives have made this goal near impossible. I was planning on going to Stillwater, Tulsa, and just hitting up the OKC. Nope... Time has really gone much faster than I was planning.
I guess it is fair to say I am starting to get a little nervous. Not really about the move... it is more the little things that are getting me. Things like getting all of my luggage in my suitcases, taking the bus after I land in Korea with my suitcases. Not having time to adapt to the time difference. Feeling I am forgetting something. Normally the rear of forgetting something is not that huge... everywhere I have traveled, there are always stores to get everything. In Korea there are many stores in which to get everything too... My fear is the fact I am a 6'3" guy with a little meat on my bones in a country where the average male height is 5'8" and skinny. Everyone says that it is near impossible to find clothes my size. Heck, in the US, getting decent clothes my size is not the easiest task. I went shoe shopping yesterday because I have one pair of shoes that have holes in them. A lot of stores have 1 or 2 pair... and that doesnt help if I am looking for something specific. Finding shirts sucks too. I have a thick neck- but the only shirts that have large enough necks are also fit me like a dress. It either fits my body and not neck, or neck and then catches the wind. From everything everyone tells me, my selection in Seoul will be far more limited then the limited selection I have not. That is my biggest nerve hitter right now.
I am not that worried about adapting or making friends... I am a pretty outgoing but very chill person. I am good at rolling with the punches and not letting much get under my skin. I got that yearning and sense of adventure... I know it may take a little while to get into the grove of Korea... but I see it as how it took time to get into the grove of New York. Every city has it's own pulse and you just have to get the rhythm of the city down.
So much to do... so little time. The clock is ticking.
Saturday, February 9, 2013
Why teach in Korea
One of the most common questions I get asked is "Why are you going to Korea" or "What made you choose Korea?" This does not have a lone simple answer. I wish it did, because that would make it simple.
For the last nearly 2 years, I had been working in a law office as a paralegal/admin. I got the job because originally I was planning on going to law school and I wanted to test the waters to see if I was ready to make such a commitment. I took the LSAT and applied to one school. As my work went on, I started to realize that law school while still something I am interested in for the future, is not something that is right for me at this place in life. The debt a person incurs and the commitment needed to get through school and then as an attorney is just not something that I was ready for. On top of that, the one school I applied to, I was not accepted at. I had letters of recommendation from graduates and my boss, and everyone thought that would be enough to get me in (I was completely average with my LSAT score). So... maybe it was fate about me not going to law school. Almost every attorney I have talked to said do not go to law school, do not become an attorney. Maybe it worked out as it was supposed to...
Anyway, in early August (or late July), I met a friend and her friend (Both OSU people) out here in NY. We spent the day together, walking around, talking, and just chilling. My friends friend was an English teacher in China, and this is the first time that teaching overseas really ever shown up in my radar. So I asked all types of questions and really started to think about it. The ball was rolling in my head.
Since I was not going to law school and I had no direction of what next to do in life, this idea was actually something that was plausible. I love NY, but it is so expensive to just be living there aimlessly. If I knew what career I was working toward, I would have no problems being in the trenches, being broke, living in a small apartment, and working a ton. I have no family in NY, and nothing that physically tied me to it (other than friends and organizations). I am single. I can be mobile and I have no problem in getting up and moving to a strange place not knowing about it. I love adventure. My apartment lease was coming to an end. One of the careers I am interested in is teaching (though I know teaching at an Academy in Korea is completely different than teaching at a school in the US- but it is still the experience of being in a classroom).
All of the stars were aligning.
Korea... why Korea? Why not? There is no one real absolute reason. I think it is a mesh of many reasons:
I love Korean food (or at least Americanized Korean food),
I walked through K-Town nearly every day for 2 years,
I have had Korean friends growing up,
The firm I worked for was right next to the Korean department of the firm we leased from,
K-Pop makes me giggle,
Karaoke is something I love and is extremely popular in Korea,
As I was starting to settle on Korea, I started going to a church that is mostly Korean membership.
Again, all of the stars were aligning.
So I am starting to look into places to teach. Low and behold, one of my friends from OSU also taught in Korea. I talked to her, got advice from her, and she helped me contact the place she used to work. I did, they told me what I needed to collect to be able to obtain my visa ( BA/BS degree photocopy with apostille certification affixed or stamped; Nationwide Criminal Background Check with apostille certification affixed or stamped; Passport with at least 12 months of validity; 7 passport size color photos ;College transcripts).
Once I got all of these documents, I had 2 phone interviews with the company (YBM ECC) and we decided that we would submit me for one of their locations in Seoul. Seoul he told me is more competitive that some of their other locations. I wanted Seoul because I like big cities, but also because I have several Korean friends that are from in and around Seoul, and they still have family there. While I do not know their families, if my friends ever go to Korea to visit it will be easier for me to meet with them. Or they could always hook me up with their families so I would have some form of acquaintances/support network. Or worst case, if something bad ever happened to me in Korea, there would be a direct link through my friends and their families to the US.
December 13 I got the email from the company that told me I was accepted and I would be starting March 4th in Mok-dong. I was put in contact with the school, and have been working with them.
So... this is a little about what led up and is bringing me to Seoul. A complete 180 in life. From getting the idea around August, Deciding on Korea mid August, starting the application process in September... Getting the job offer in December, moving out of my apartment at the end of January, and now, leaving the country on Feb 20th....
Wow. Life is a ride!!!
For the last nearly 2 years, I had been working in a law office as a paralegal/admin. I got the job because originally I was planning on going to law school and I wanted to test the waters to see if I was ready to make such a commitment. I took the LSAT and applied to one school. As my work went on, I started to realize that law school while still something I am interested in for the future, is not something that is right for me at this place in life. The debt a person incurs and the commitment needed to get through school and then as an attorney is just not something that I was ready for. On top of that, the one school I applied to, I was not accepted at. I had letters of recommendation from graduates and my boss, and everyone thought that would be enough to get me in (I was completely average with my LSAT score). So... maybe it was fate about me not going to law school. Almost every attorney I have talked to said do not go to law school, do not become an attorney. Maybe it worked out as it was supposed to...
Anyway, in early August (or late July), I met a friend and her friend (Both OSU people) out here in NY. We spent the day together, walking around, talking, and just chilling. My friends friend was an English teacher in China, and this is the first time that teaching overseas really ever shown up in my radar. So I asked all types of questions and really started to think about it. The ball was rolling in my head.
Since I was not going to law school and I had no direction of what next to do in life, this idea was actually something that was plausible. I love NY, but it is so expensive to just be living there aimlessly. If I knew what career I was working toward, I would have no problems being in the trenches, being broke, living in a small apartment, and working a ton. I have no family in NY, and nothing that physically tied me to it (other than friends and organizations). I am single. I can be mobile and I have no problem in getting up and moving to a strange place not knowing about it. I love adventure. My apartment lease was coming to an end. One of the careers I am interested in is teaching (though I know teaching at an Academy in Korea is completely different than teaching at a school in the US- but it is still the experience of being in a classroom).
All of the stars were aligning.
Korea... why Korea? Why not? There is no one real absolute reason. I think it is a mesh of many reasons:
I love Korean food (or at least Americanized Korean food),
I walked through K-Town nearly every day for 2 years,
I have had Korean friends growing up,
The firm I worked for was right next to the Korean department of the firm we leased from,
K-Pop makes me giggle,
Karaoke is something I love and is extremely popular in Korea,
As I was starting to settle on Korea, I started going to a church that is mostly Korean membership.
Again, all of the stars were aligning.
So I am starting to look into places to teach. Low and behold, one of my friends from OSU also taught in Korea. I talked to her, got advice from her, and she helped me contact the place she used to work. I did, they told me what I needed to collect to be able to obtain my visa ( BA/BS degree photocopy with apostille certification affixed or stamped; Nationwide Criminal Background Check with apostille certification affixed or stamped; Passport with at least 12 months of validity; 7 passport size color photos ;College transcripts).
Once I got all of these documents, I had 2 phone interviews with the company (YBM ECC) and we decided that we would submit me for one of their locations in Seoul. Seoul he told me is more competitive that some of their other locations. I wanted Seoul because I like big cities, but also because I have several Korean friends that are from in and around Seoul, and they still have family there. While I do not know their families, if my friends ever go to Korea to visit it will be easier for me to meet with them. Or they could always hook me up with their families so I would have some form of acquaintances/support network. Or worst case, if something bad ever happened to me in Korea, there would be a direct link through my friends and their families to the US.
December 13 I got the email from the company that told me I was accepted and I would be starting March 4th in Mok-dong. I was put in contact with the school, and have been working with them.
So... this is a little about what led up and is bringing me to Seoul. A complete 180 in life. From getting the idea around August, Deciding on Korea mid August, starting the application process in September... Getting the job offer in December, moving out of my apartment at the end of January, and now, leaving the country on Feb 20th....
Wow. Life is a ride!!!
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
15 Days till Korea
I am starting this blog for the adventure that is my life. It's a pretty interesting life that I live, and keeping a record of living it, as well as letting all those interested in it keep up with it, is a good thing to do.
As told in the title of the blog, 15 days till Korea. I fly out to South Korea on February 20th, 2013 to become a teacher in a Hagwon (private academy) to teach English. I will be living and working in the neighborhood of Mok-dong located in Seoul, South Korea. I am not too sure about too much, other than this has the opportunity to be a life changing adventure. I will be teaching Kindergarten, First, and some Second grade aged students at a place called YBM ECC.
I am currently at my parents house in good ole' Midwest City, Oklahoma. I lived in New York City for the last 5 years. 2 in Brooklyn, and most recently 3 in Manhattan. Here is a video of the apartment I lived in while in Manhattan. It was a nice but small place to call home. I am sure in this blogging adventure I am starting, I will often write back about the Big Apple and my life and experiences there.
I just got back from visiting some cousins of mine in Culpeper Virginia. It was awesome to meet family that I had only met once 20 years ago and then the children she has had since. Here is me with my 2nd cousins. A bright and talented bunch.
This post is more just a first post. I will be working on adjusting the layout and learning how to do this whole blog thing once again. Hopefully I can keep up with it.
Until next time,
peace
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