Less than 6 hours till airport time...! Eeek!

Spaghetti supper with the entire family.................. check!

Packing .......................................................................... check!

Saying goodbye to the majority of loved ones.......... check!

Freaking out ...................................................IN PROGRESS!!

AAAAaaaaAAAAHhhhAHHhAhAhHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

(Jokes! This is actually my sister Catherine... hehehe.....)

*hyperventilates*


Breathe in... breathe out... it's going to be ok....




Ok, feeling momentarily calmer. In reality, I am mostly excited. Its just that odd moment of panic that has a tendency to strike now and again. I'm staying up all night tonight to help with the jet lag once I get there... promises to be an interesting adventure in and of itself.


I've realised as people have gathered around over the past few days to ask me questions, just how little I know about the experience that I've committed myself to for the next year. I know a lot more that when I started trying to figure all this out a few months ago, and yet I feel like I barley know the tip of the ice berg. In fact, the more I learn, the less I think I know in the grand scheme of all things Korean. How very exciting!


I'm off for a few hours... undoubtedly as the evening wears on and the fam goes to bed hoping to get a few hours sleep before the big trip to the airport, I'll get bored and I'll come back and tell you more of what I have learned so far... that way by the time I'll get there, you'll know almost as much as me, and I can get straight to all of the interesting stuff that's happening in the moment! Yipee!

T-1 day... aka: I'm leaving tomorrow!

I'm a little blown away by this idea... so much so that I hardly know what to write.


I still have some final arranging of items to do, but everything is mostly packed and only a few hours, a spaghetti supper and a long flight between me and the other side of the world. Eeek! I am soo excited right now, but also a little nervous! I am going so very far away, in such a very short time, and for such a long time! I know that people do it all the time, and I have faith that things will work out, but ... eek! It's a little daunting all the same, isn't it?



As you know I'm going to be living and teaching in Seoul, at a school called Gangseo-SLP which is in a district of Seoul called Gangseo-gu.

As you can see in this picture I just made, Gangseo-gu is on the western edge of Seoul, just below the Han river. The school is part of a large private network of schools that are pretty much all over Seoul and have a pretty good reputation for how they teach their foreign teachers, that's good news! Here are some pictures of the school that I'll be working at from their website:

That's it for now, I'll go back to rearranging things in my

suitcases... the updates should be coming pretty fast and furious now, so I'm sure you'll be hearing from me soon!

Leaving on a jet plane..

Although I know that there is a segment of you reading today who were of the firm opinion that all this Korea stuff was a figment of my imagination, and that I was just enjoying all the attention I was receiving through throwing myself going away parties and getting gifts and cards from all the people I was fooling... it seems like the jig is up.


I am both delighted, and somewhat saddened to report that the flight is booked, the itinerary is in hand, and that I really am leaving... 5:00 AM on Thursday, November 13, 2008. (I will understand if you don't make it to the airport... )


Seoul is going to be an amazing experience. I've often said that although I have no interest in living my life in the big city that I would be interested in a little taste of life there for a year or two, just to see what it would be like. And what a year its going to be! I don't think I could have picked much of a bigger city... hehehe. Or one much further away from everything I know and love.. :(



Because the flight leaves St. John's at 5:00 AM Newfoundland time, I have to be at the airport around 3:00 AM Thursday, Nov 13, to check in and go through security and all that jazz. I arrive in Seoul at 5:15 pm on Friday, Nov 14... Yikes! Jet lag here I come! :P







Here are some picture of Seoul I found on the internet, to tide you all over until I get to post some pictures of my own:

T - 4 days! (Hopefully!)

Still in town, but only for another 4 days if everything works out right! Yay Thursday!

I've gotta say, I have just had the best time having all you folks say goodbye to me over and over again this past few weeks. Thank you so much for all the love, caring and support you have all poured out on me as I get ready to leave, and get delayed over and over again. It has been such an amazing gift, and I appreciate it more than you know.

As I have mentioned to many of you its not so much the moving to Asia that has me nervous at this point, but the idea of leaving the nest, and this place I love so much... *sigh* I'm feeling a little nostalgic, and I haven't even left yet! I will miss you all though. As excited as I am to go there, its terribly hard to leave.

Further update on flight itinerary/departure tomorrow as soon as I get the details!

<3

Thursday! T - 5 days!

The big day is Thursday folks!

Mark it off on your calendars, I'm heading to Korea on Thursday, November 13, 2008!

Update on Monday when I get my itinerary to let you all know what time!

<3

Interview Complete!

As promised, the interview took place today, Tuesday, Nov. 4th, 2008, and I have to say, it went really well! Its unfortunate that I had to do so much waiting for a 12 min interview over MSN, but its over now and was the last step in my visa application process. The man who was interviewing me said that they would have the visa in the mail by the end of the day and that I should have it Thursday, or Friday at the latest! I am so thankful that all of this is finally on the move again!


I am also a little nervous... Korea! Eeeekkkk!

:D

I was waiting for you to call

Apparently, I am yet again delayed from my journey... which is sad.

But this time its only for a week, which is great!

So, now I have an interview (the same one I posted about on Oct 22) on Tues

day the 4th, and then I'll be outta here within a few days. I know that if you're reading this blog, chances are you've heard me say that before, but its really happening this time! I promise! If not I'll take you out for coffee... again.... :)

Another Interview!

Finally the ball is rolling again... whew! I was starting to get a little worried!

I just got an email from the placement agency -- scotia personnel -- to say that my visa application has progressed to the next level and that all that remains between me and Korea is an interview with the local consulate and one long long flight! Whoo hoo!

Now that there are updates to be made, I'll be keeping you all in the know!

Interview time...

I have an interview later today, and I can't wait. I'll post back when I'm done to let you know all about it!

... a few days pass...

So the interview went smashingly! The lady who conducted the interview was great, I got the job, I've sent a visa application to Korea, and now I wait. Again. I've never been very good at that... this will give me good practice!

A Job Offer!

So, guess what I got late Friday afternoon??

Hmmm... ?

Well, I guess the title of this post may have given it away, but I got a job offer from a school in Seoul and am officially one step closer to departure! Woot!

Assuming all goes well, the name of the school is Gangseo SLP, and it looks pretty neat. I've been doing a little research, and I can't wait to get on my way.

Still patiently waiting for the visa, hopefully it gets here soon!

Waitin', Waitin', I've been waitin' ...

I've gotta say, if there's one thing I don't like, it's waiting.

Now those of you who know me well, might chuckle a little at this statement. I know this is because if you know me well, chances are very high that in the past I have made you wait for me. I am very well intentioned, and yet, (I hate to admit it) terribly slow. One, because I don't tend to move very fast, and two, because I am easily distracted. Perhaps this waiting is a good exercise for me.

Of course the waiting I am referring to is for my (approved) visa to return from the Korean consulate so that I can head off to Korea.

There is nothing I can do to hurry it though, so for now, waiting is exactly what I'll do, sit and wait.

The start of a journey...

“I see my path, but I don't know where it leads. Not knowing where I'm going is what inspires me to travel it." Rosalia de Castro

““Remember what Bilbo used to say: It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to."" J.R.Tolkien

"Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore." Andre Gide.

______________________________________________

I am a little nervous about the start of this journey, I'm not going to lie to you. From here starts a fresh new leaf. Freshly graduated, fresh from the family nest, fresh new culture, language and country. So nervous, yes, but oh! so excited! It sounds like an adventure!