Ch-ch-ch-chaaaaaaaaaaaanges... turn and face the strain... okay, I'll spare you guys the David Bowie. But at least I'm being ridiculous and not cliche, right?
Lots of things dumped down on my head this week, much to my surprised and flat-footedness.
The main source of strain is I was offered a position teaching in Korea that starts at the end of Oct. That means I have less than 3 weeks to get my visa, go shopping, pack my stuff, take care of my few bills, eat as much American food as Erinn-ly possible, etc.
The position is somewhere in Gangwon, which is not exactly my first choice because: it's next to North Korea, it's cold (screw Siberia and it's need to share), and it's still going to be 2-3 hours away from Seoul. So a cold, potentially hostile, backwater part of Korea? I'm game as long as they have wi-fi. And I can maybe do some winter sports. On the one hand I'd like to be by the coast, but then I go... whole fish in the soup... with eyes... and eggs... a lot. I need to try some more seafood HERE and find out if I am allergic where there's a hospital near by.
So basically I realized Claire sent my acceptance package to Kansas City (which is fine, if they want to think I'm still in KC, that's fine) and forgot the 14 hour time difference. So the package I was expecting to take 3 days only took "2" due to the time difference. So I had to drive up there and pick it up from Fed-Ex. I got a little lost because I couldn't remember exactly where that particular Fed-Ex office was, but I retrieved it. Signed my contract, ran around getting all the pieces together, and sent the visa paperwork off with the heavy cloud of don't-screw-up over my head the whole time.
It had the added bonus of me being able to hang out with my cousin before she leaves for China. She has to get her visa this week too, so she's staying in DC. If I hand the money, I'd go to Chicago and hand my paperwork over and creepily stalk the person who took it with my eyes. And of course, being fed by my grandmother is always worth visiting KC. Fresh bread, pumpkin muffins, biscuits? Yeah, gluten overkill. But apparently my gut has recovered from it's fall crisis, so I was fine. Plus I got to visit with Mrs C and go to Costco (twice) to get some stuff I'll need in Korea (I have a slight lapse of faith regarding their medicines and pharmacies).
BTW, I now remember that KC drivers are careless and do very poorly. They seem to have issues with 4-way stops and stop lights and merging and parking lots. And I didn't even go to Petsmart or Hen House this time!
I did get a bit giddy with the radio too. So many stations to choose from... that all play the same music... wait... yeah, really, P!NK and Lady Gaga and Bruce Spingsteen?
Now I have to wait for my visa, which will hopefully come back without any hang ups. Meanwhile I need to make a list of things to do before I leave and work through it. I have a class I'm supposed to take through EPIK and I need to figure out what I'm going to do about packing. I also need to sell some of my fish to help make up the $$ deficit. The girls need to go back home and I need to invest in some Pepto tablets.
As a side note, a little less exciting, I've been nominated as a "HubNugget" on Hubpages for my Hamster article. If you would like to vote for me, the link is here:
http://hubpages.com/hub/Red-Carpet-Hubnuggets-And-The-Winning-Nominees-Are
I'm not sure exactly what I win... prestige? But contests are cool none-the-less.
I also got a job offer from Wal-Mart as a cake decorator, which had me screaming, WHY NOW? Why not 2 months ago?!! I want to do cake decorating and be a cake boss. I've been told to call the lady back and set up an appointment for an interview just in case, but that really doesn't sit well with me, since I'm 90% sure on Korea. I'd hate to waste her time and energy going through a fruitless interview. But I'd equally hate to not get into Korea until Feb for some reason and pass the position by because I was being unpractical. It's a catch-22 between personal ethics and the real world.
I think that's all the big news. LOL, yeah, that's all. Like it's nothing.
I'm still stuck on the fact that the position is next to North Korea. Remember the two American Women who did NOT step across the line into North Korea before being dragged across the North Korean line by North Korean soldiers where they were forced to live in a North Korean prison for 3 months? The two women whom Bill Clinton went to North Korea to petition on behalf of so they could be released?
ReplyDeleteI prefer not to read about my friend Erin Duprey who went over to Korea near the North Korean line to teach English only to have gone on a wee ski-ing trip where she was imprisoned for coming too close to the North Koreans.
I support you in your dream to teach English in Korea; however, play it safe Erin. It is best in these times to play things safe and come back alive.
Cheers!
Gangwon is huge. You might be in the southern part. At least that is what I am hoping.
ReplyDeleteIts awesome news. You would have been a bitching cake bossette. hmmm. Icing. *grins*
Sounds like you had a good time in KC, crazy drivers aside.
I'm counting on you guys to create an international outrage if I disappear. And Gangwon is actually a very large province. Seoul on the other hand, is right net to N. Korea, yet nobody is concerned about that.
ReplyDeleteBesides, more than likely, I will be wandering around with crazy Canadians. It seems like they're doing a reverse immigration thing with Korea. I'll throw them at the N. Korea's; they're too passive aggressive to resist, right?