Culturing it up in Tongyeong

Twice a year (once in the spring and once in the fall), the Gyeongsangbuk-do Office of Education plans "culture trips" for the Native English Teachers.  After the Sewol Ferry accident, the spring trip to Dokdo was postponed until August.  That trip started the day after I got back from being home, so I decided not to go (since I'll have another chance to go this year).  The fall trip was also postponed until this past week, which means it was really more of a winter trip this time around.  Delayed or not, I don't think any of us really cared.  Tell a bunch of teachers they can miss two days of school and go on a free trip with a bunch of their friends and we were all pretty eager to sign up.

This year's trip was to Tongyeong, a southern port city.  I had only briefly been to Tongyeong during our trip to Bijindo last spring, so I was happy to go back, especially since I knew how beautiful it is in that part of Korea.

Seven of us from Jeomchon went on the trip, so Thursday morning we met up and took the bright and early 6:30 bus to Daegu.  Once we got to Daegu we took a taxi to the meeting point for the trip and quickly saw lots of other people we knew from different towns.  We then got on the bus and were on our way to Tongyeong!

A few hours later we arrived and had lunch, then we were bused over to a beautiful park overlooking the ocean. We had some time to walk around...and of course, take some pictures.

After we finished at the park, we got back on the bus and headed to the cable cars. 

On our way up on the cable car

Obviously our car was the most fun

So many little islands.  Beautiful!

 

Once we got to the top, it was about a fifteen minute walk up lots of stairs to the top.  The sun was just starting to set, which made it quite beautiful. 

At the top...the sun was killing my eyes fro 90% of the photos we took on this trip.

After the cable cars, we went to a science museum.  I like museums and all, but this once was mostly about fishing, which believe it or not isn't really my thing.  Not much to report on this one, but they did have these cool photo taking centers where we could take pictures and send them to ourselves via e-mail.

After the science museum, it was on to see the Tongyeong Bridge...which we are all still not sure as to why we had to go see?  At this point we were all pretty tired, hungry, and ready to get to the hotel.

After quickly seeing the bridge, we finally headed to our hotel, dropped our things off at our room, and had dinner.  Dinner was a buffet that was served at the hotel.  I'm never much of a buffet fan, and the fact that the majority of the food we were served was cold didn't help....but hey, it's free food.

After dinner we went to our friend's room to have some drinks and hang out before our 10:00 room check.  Yes, we are grown adults who have proven ourselves to be capable of our jobs for at least a year....but apparently EPIK still doesn't trust us to our own devices.  Let's not even talk about how the rules would be drastically different if this were a trip for Korean teachers (there would be mandatory drinking and noraebang included until at least midnight).....but again, free trip and missing school--we can handle the double standard I suppose.  

Since we had to be back in our rooms by 10:00 anyway, we decided to get comfortable in our room.  A lot of people went back out after the room check, but we made the mature decision that it was better to get some rest for the next day (does this mean we're growing up?)

The next morning we had breakfast at the hotel, but much to our disappointment, it was Korean-style breakfast, which meant that our options consisted of rice, soup, kimchi, and salad.  Not exactly what we were hoping for, but again, free food is free food.

After breakfast it was on to our first stop, which was a craft museum.  The whole thing was really small, and not really the most impressive collection of traditional crafts I've seen in Korea.  Though we weren't there for long, and it was quickly on to our next stop of seeing the Turtle Ships.

These famous Korean ships were used during the Joseon Dynasty, and were used in naval battles against the Japanese.  These are considered the fist ironclad warships, and are an important part of  Korea's success in naval battles that prevented Japanese invasion.

After we finished exploring the turtle ships, we made our way to the mural park, which included a walk through a fish market.  We have an outside market in Jeomchon where you can also buy fish, but since Tongyeong is right by the sea, the variety of fish was much greater.   As we walked by we saw a number of ajummas cutting up the fresh fish.  Yummm....

Soooo many fish!

These ajummas are pretty tough women!

The mural park wasn't really a park, just an area of town where there were murals painted all over walls, homes, and businesses.  Naturally, we had a fun time taking pictures and walking around this area.

Of course there had to be a Frozen mural

Lovely view of Tongyeong 

After the mural park, it was time to get back on the bus and go to lunch.  After some yummy galbitang, it was time to head back home.  

After the 2 1/2 hour bus ride to Daegu we still had another 2 hour train ride back to Jeomchon. It goes without saying that we were all ready to be home by that point. Luckily, the last part of our trip was made a little more festive as we were greeted in Jeomchon with some beautiful snowfall.  Needless to say, the South Africans were the most excited about the walk home in the winter wonderland.  Not a bad way to end the trip!

Walking in the snow with three South Africans...love their excitement!

All in all, I'm not sure how much I really learned about Korean culture on this trip, but I most certainly enjoyed the break from the school.  It was also nice to spend time with the other native english teachers.  It's the first time I had been in such a large group of westerners since orientation.  Actually, the whole event reminded me of orientation quite a bit with the familiar faces of other teachers I haven't seen since August 2013. Only instead of being bright-eyed and amazed by everything in Korea, we are all now full of crazy stories about our students, co-teachers, and life as a foreigner in Korea.  It's amazing how much has changed since orientation days--sometimes it's easy to lose track of how many crazy/great/frustrating experiences we have in this job, but it's nice to take a break from the monotony and reflect on all that has occurred in the past year and a half.

Coming back for another year!

After waiting in a kind of limbo for quite some time, today I finally got my contract for next year. I will be working at an elementary school here in Mungyeong, well actually I'll be working at three schools.  Two elementary schools and one middle school.

Finally!

This will be a huge change for obvious reasons, but I'm glad that I'll get to stay here in Jeomchon.  I had mixed feelings as I signed the millions of pages of my contract because it makes everything real.  I have a really short time left with my fantastic students at my current school. Some of my closest friends here in Korea will be leaving before I know it.  Not to mention, I'm going to be teaching elementary school and I have NO IDEA how to do that.  Next year is going to be very different in so many ways.

I know it definitely won't be the same, but I'm looking forward to the unexpected surprises that this will bring.  In a way, it will be nice to have a new job.  I'm looking forward to knowing how things work a little better this time around.  This time I know more about what Korea has to offer.  I know what I want to do, and I have one more year to do as much as I can.

Of course, as I signed my way into more wonderful opportunities, I was also signing myself into another year of homesickness, missing important events, and who knows what else.  I've been painfully aware of this fact every step of the way, and it's still not something I'm able to completely shrug off.

However, as I've always said, I'm going to know when it's time to leave Korea.  Just about every time I look at Facebook these days I'm seeing engagements, marriages, and babies.  There are so many people who question me about all of these things (especially in Korea) and my answer is always that I don't feel rushed.  It would be so easy to see the things other people are doing consequently freak out, compare myself, and make all of my life decisions with the goal of "keeping up."  But that's never been how I want to do things.

This year in Korea has been the most amazing experience of my life.  I'm not going to let it pass me by so easily.  I'm going to take my time to take advantage of the opportunities I have here in Asia.  A steady career, marriage, babies...these things will come when and if the time is right.

But for now, I'm in no rush to end this part of my life.  Why would I be?

Today was the day....

Today was the day I was asked to submit my request for renewal.

If this would have happened even a week ago, I think I would have been much more excited about it.  However, given my Easter-induced homesickness, I felt the weight of the decision with full force.

In the end, renewing my contract is the smart decision. Staying in Korea is hands-down the best way to continue paying my loans (student and car) and to travel.  Traveling is still a priority to me.  I know when I go home I probably won't have a high-paying job, and it will be tough to just make ends meet.  I won't really have the ability to save money for traveling. Being in Korea is different.

Staying with EPIK for another year means that I not only go up another pay level (which means I will be taking home considerably more than I was teaching back home), but I'll also get a renewal bonus, double the severance when I leave, and an extra week of paid vacation. Oh, and when I leave I'l also get my pension, which amounts to 9% of my salary (I contribute half and my employer matches).  By the time I leave, that will also be a good amount of extra cash.

Of course, it's not all about the money.  Being in Korea has really been the most amazing experience, and I'm looking forward to seeing what I can learn in another year.  I've done a lot of things this year, but there are also so many things I still want to do.

Even with all these perks, I of course have some sadness in signing away another year of my life.  The most difficult thing to think about is spending another year away from my friends and family back home.  It feels like a dagger through my heart when I think of missing another Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, countless birthdays, and so much more.  In so many ways, it feels selfish and not worth the benefits of staying here for another year.

However, when I take a step back and think about it, I know that in the grand scheme of my life, I probably won't regret spending another year here.  I think if I give up my opportunity to travel more, I will regret it.  I don't think traveling is something people tend to regret, but I think not traveling is certainly something many people DO regret.  So many people have told me to travel while I'm young, so I'm going to take that advice and run with it.

Another thing that saddens me is the fact that I can't stay at my school.  I've known for some time that I wouldn't be able to stay there next year, but it's especially difficult to face that reality now because I have been having the most amazing semester getting to know my students and co-teachers alike.  Quite frankly, t just kind of sucks.

Luckily (although also sadly), one of my friends in Jeomchon will be leaving his elementary school position in August, so I should be able to take his job.  That way even if I have to switch schools, I won't have to move to a completely new town.

I should note that none of this will be final until I get the official contract in a few months.  If something happens and I decide to change my mind, I can still do so.  Or who knows, they could decide to move me to a completely different town or decide not to renew me altogether.  Nothing will be final for quite some time.

Additionally, I should let everyone know that I plan on coming home in August.  Unfortunately, it seems like I'll only be able to come home for about a week and a half.  I'm not too happy about this, because originally I was hoping that I would be able to take my renewal week and be home for nearly three weeks.  It's awfully expensive and time-consuming to go home, and there are so many things I know I'm going to want to do and people I will want to see.  A week and a half doesn't seem even close to enough time, but I guess I have to take what I can get.

So, there are the updates.  I will of course keep you all updated on the latest.  Thanks to all of my wonderful friends and family who continue to support me, even though I know you don't always want to. I'm truly blessed to have such supportive and encouraging people in my life.  XOX

Mungyeong Teacher Appreciation Dinner

Today I got to leave school around 3:30 because my co-teacher and I had to go to an "appreciation" dinner that was being held for all the EPIK teachers in Mungyeong.  The dinner was being held at the tourist center out by Mungyeong Saejae, so the drive there consisted of gorgeous mountains all around.  Even now that everything is grey and the leaves are gone from the trees, the mountains are still strikingly beautiful.

We had a little time to mingle once we got to the location of the dinner.  My adorable co-teacher (who is actually my supervisor...I don't actually teach any classes with her) was clearly enjoying meeting all of my friends.  I tried to introduce her to as many people as possible because I could tell she was really amazed by the diversity of the native teachers.  

In random Korean fashion, the program began with a performance by some of the Mungyeong Technical High School students.  First one student played a traditional Hungarian song on the saxophone, and the music segment ended with two flute players playing "Yesterday" by the Beatles.  So random, but the fact that it didn't really make sense just made me love it even more.  There was then a speech by one of the administrators from Mungyeong (superintendent?), and then we were all called up and presented with a certificate.  All in all, the program was pretty short, which I think we all appreciated.

Fighting! Love that the guys from the POE told us to pose like this

Next, we moved into the dining room where we all ate dinner.  At this point, my co-teacher insisted I have some soju.  A little later she insisted I have a second shot.  I made my friend drink with me, and he of course, took it in one shot.  I quickly said that I couldn't "one-shot" mine, at which point my co-teacher replied "Just try!"  She is always so supportive.  

All in all, it was a really great night.  My co-teacher told me multiple times how happy she was to spend time with me.  She helped me a lot at the beginning when I was settling in and getting everything organized, but since then we haven't been able to spend very much time together.We see each other, but we don't teach together and she is the head English teacher, which means she always has a lot of projects she's in charge of.  

After she met my friends before the program started she turned to me and said "You have many friends! Congratulations!"  Of course, this was totally adorable, but it also caused me to stop and think.

 I didn't even know any of these people three months ago. That alone almost seems unimaginable to me. Living in an expat community causes you to form a unique bond with those around you.  There are very few people who understand the wide array of emotions that come with living abroad, and the friendships you form with people when you're abroad consequently develop really quickly.  I am truly fortunate to have met and become friends with the other teachers in Mungyeong.  I can't imagine having been placed anywhere else, and I am beyond thankful to have become a member of such a supportive community.

Of course, I think my co-teacher was mostly relieved because I think for the past three months she's been thinking that I just sit in my apartment by myself.  She frequently would check to make sure that I wasn't lonely, so I think she was just glad to know that I really DO have friends here.  

If the night hadn't already been great enough, on our drive back, TLC's "No Scrubs" came on the radio.  I mean, I don't there could be a better way to end the evening.  Oh Korea, I love you so.

The End of Orientation and the Beginning of Jeomchon

Originally written Tuesday, 8/27

I’m pretty sure this past week has been the longest of my life.  A little over a week ago, I left behind a perfectly good life to move to the other side of the world.  I got a plane not even knowing where I would be living or what I would be teaching.  This whole experience has been an extreme rollercoaster of emotions.  I have been more nervous than I EVER have been in my life (the uncertainty in this whole process really tests your faith), but I also have seen completely new things, had crazy fun with a group of people from around the world,  and learned A LOT about culture, history, teaching, learning, and language. 

On our last day of EPIK orientation, we had to present our lessons to our classes.  Everyone was pretty stressed out about presenting their lessons, despite the fact that the lessons are done solely for the purpose of getting feedback—therefore, you can do terribly and it really doesn't change anything. 

My nerves that day weren't just because of our lesson (which went fine, by the way), but also because in the afternoon we finally found out where we would be placed.  The majority of people at orientation were heading to the larger cities such as Deagu, Busan, Ulsan, or Daejeon.  These people already knew WHERE they were going, but were just waiting to find out which grade they would be teaching. 

However, for all of us in Gyeongbuk, we had no idea where we were going.  Gyeongbuk is the largest province in Korea, and you can really end up anywhere—right outside of a big city like Daegu, in a medium sized city like Pohang or Andong, or in a super small rural town.  You really just don’t know what you’re going to get.

When we finally went to our rooms with our POE, there were lists with our names, the town we would be teaching in, and the name of the school we’d be teaching at.  The only problem?  It was all written in Korean.  So of course everyone was congregating around the few kids who are good enough at reading Korean to figure out where we’re going.  I finally got someone to tell me I was going to a place called Mungyeong.  It meant absolutely nothing me, so I pretty much assumed it was in the middle of nowhere.

As we went into the room with the rest of people in our Province, there were a ton of people in Pohang or other larger areas.  Although I went into this experience telling myself that I was going to be ok with anything, I was a little jealous when a lot of people were heading to the same place.  Going to a new place with people from orientation would have been really comforting, but no one even knew where the heck my place was located. 

In our meeting with out POE supervisors, we had to sign our contracts and they went over a few instructions for the next day.  Of course, I sat through the entire meeting wanting nothing more than to google my town.  I HAVE NEVER BEEN SO DESPERATE FOR INTERNET.  Iphone, I miss you. When I turned in my contract, one of the POE supervisors told me that my placement was a small city, near the north of province. 

As soon as we got out of the meeting I rushed back to my room and googled Mungyeong.   There wasn't too much information about the area, but it appears to be a cultural destination. 

I am a big proponent of the “you’ll end up where you’re supposed to be” belief, but I have to admit, I wasn’t exactly thrilled to find out my placement.  Our orientation class was comprised of probably about 2/3 people heading to Ulsan and 1/3 of people going to Gyeongbuk.  We had a theory that we might be heading to an area around Ulsan since we were in a class with them.  Of course, that theory was completely wrong because many of us all ended up in the northern part of Gyeongbuk.  We obviously shouldn’t have been trying to find logic in this crazy process. 

Mungyeong isn’t particularly far from anything, but it isn’t really close to anything either, so my emotions are still pretty mixed (but also probably really affected by the fact that I am upset about the fact that I just spent a week making friends with people in Ulsan and now I’m going to be really far away from them).

But regardless, I know that this could be a huge blessing in disguise, and only time will tell why I was placed here.

EPIK orientation ended with a pretty sweet closing ceremony in which we were provided with a TON of food.  Afterwards, we ran back to bring our luggage back to the lobby, and then we went out to noraebang.  Noraebang (literally meaning song room) is probably my favorite part of Korea thus far.  You basically get a private karaoke room for you and your friends.  Inside the room, there is a huge projector for the lyrics, disco-type lights, and a personal bathroom.  You basically spend the night singing, dancing, and drinking, and I really think it’s just the greatest invention ever.  Our night ended successfully as we ended it by meeting one of our class’s teachers outside of 7/11.  Mission accomplished.

The next morning, we left Jeonju around 9 AM.  We stopped for one snack break, and then we had a longer lunch break, which was almost painfully long because right after that we were meeting up with our co-teachers.  We were all really nervous because we've basically been told all week that your co-teacher basically makes or breaks your experience in Korea….but no pressure.  The entire week of orientation builds anticipation, nerves, and excitement about meeting your co-teacher.  When the time finally comes, you really just want to get it over with. 

Beautiful view at one of our rest stops

After we got to our meeting location, we had to gather all of our luggage and wait for our co-teacher to find us.  So much nervousness.  I saw a woman holding a sign with my name on it, so I went over and introduced myself.  We loaded my stuff into her car, and then had an hour and a half car ride to our town.  I mean, it’s not like there’s nothing awkward about an hour and a half car ride with a person you just met…when there’s a language barrier.

But really, it was a little awkward, but my co-teacher is incredibly nice.  During the car ride, she told me that she was worried about me during my first night by myself and she was worried I would be homesick.  She said anytime I am homesick I can come stay at her house.  She also told me she would teach me how to cook Korean food (Nate will be happy to hear this!)

Once we got to our town, we went to the school, where I met the Principal and Assistant Principal.  It was kind of awkward because we went into a room with them and they gave me some tea, but then they mostly just talked to my co-teacher in Korean, and I had basically no idea what anyone was saying the entire time.  I guess I should get used to that!

After we left the school we went to my apartment.  My apartment is on the 3^rd floor, but what we consider the first floor in America is the ground floor in Korea.  So by American terms, my apartment is on the 4^th floor.  Now, this building doesn’t have an elevator, so I had to carry both of my 50 +lb bags up four flights of stairs.  So that was fun.  As my co-teacher said “we need man”

My apartment is pretty nice, and actually nicer than I was expecting.  I have a living room (with a huge tv!), bedroom, and bathroom all—all of which are in pretty good condition. 

After we put my stuff down, my co-teacher brought me to Home Plus, which is basically like an “everything in one” store.  On one floor there are home goods, on another floor there are clothes, and on another floor there is a grocery store.  I bought a few groceries, and then we came back to my apartment. 

So far, I have a very good impression of my co-teacher.  She seems genuinely concerned about my well-being, and I am thankful for that.  I am hoping that I am making an ok impression as well.  It’s weird, they bombard you with so many things about etiquette during orientation, but as soon as I got nervous I think I forgot just about everything.  It’s going to take a lot of practice and conscious effort to remember to do certain things such as using two hands when giving/receiving something from someone else, shaking hands, etc.   Hopefully I haven’t been to inadvertently rude yet.  

And now, I am very ready for bed.  Goodnight!

Contract Day!

So this arrived today.

In case you are wondering, that would be my Notice of Appointment and my contract.  

This is getting real.

In a month I will be getting on a plane. And moving to Korea.  For a YEAR.

So much to do before then and despite the fact that I'm not working this summer, I don't feel like I have enough time. 

But for now....next step: Turn in my E-2 Visa application.

This is for real!

So I started making a few blog posts months ago when I felt really conflicted about this whole process, but apparently I never "published" them, so now it looks like I wrote them all today....I promise, I didn't just go on a huge blogging rampage today.  I just don't know how to do this whole "blogging" thing.

Anywho, I digress, the important recent development is that after MONTHS of applications, interviews, and documents, and countless nights of tossing and turning from convincing myself something had gone wrong......


I HAVE A PLACEMENT!


I woke up Wednesday morning to an e-mail from my recruiter telling me my placement had been secured. The results are in, and I'm heading to Gyeongbuk Province.  That would be the pink, highlighted area for those of you who are not familiar with Korea (which in reality, is probably about 99% of the population)

 

While many people request to be in the major cities in Korea, I didn't have much of a preference, so it's easy for me to be content with Gyeongbuk.  I won't know the exact town that I'll be in until the end of August, but apparently I could end up in a smaller city, a true "small town", or a suburb-ish area.  We'll have to wait and see!

Regardless, I think Gyeongbuk will be a sweet location for the following reasons:

1) There's a lot of history! I'm obviously all about the history, so I'm happy to be in a province where I can indulge my inner history nerd.

2) It looks beautiful! There are a lot of mountains, which means some good hiking! Also, lots of coastline, so I could end up near the beach.  I wouldn't complain about that!

3)  Being located in the central part of the country means I'm not too far from anything.  Gyeongbuk is relatively close to a few of the major cities: Daegu, Ulsan, and Busan.  Of course, if I'm in the northern part of the province I will be a little further, but Korea reportedly has a great public transportation system, so it shouldn't be too bad!

The wait to get my placement WAS THE LONGEST EVER! They warn you that it takes some time to get your placement, but I don't think anything could have prepared me for it. I started this process in the winter, and my documents were in by the beginning of June. Needless to say, everything finally feels REAL, which means my thought process has been working a little something like this:

I'M GOING TO KOREA!! THIS IS AWESOME!!!

Wait....I'm going to be away from my friends and family for a whole year?  That's a long time....

BUT THINK OF ALL THE COOL PEOPLE I WILL MEET!

But I don't even speak an ounce of Korea.....

BUT I WILL SEE SO MANY COOL THINGS!

But what if the Koreans don't like me....

BUT I'M 24!! YOLO!

Do I even like Korean food?

Ok, so you get the gist. I'm guessing I will feel this way for pretty much the rest of the summer, but until then I just want to focus on spending as much time as possible with my family and friends.  Time is of the essence!

EPIK Limbo

June 16th.

Wait.  June 16th?!  What?

I have 4 more days of school left.  I'm not entirely sure what it is going to feel like when all of sudden I have no grading, no planning, no e-mails to send, and no photocopies to make.  This has been my life for the past ten months and all of a sudden, it will come to a screeching halt. The part that makes it most scary is that I'm still not certain about my future in the fall.

All of my documents have been submitted to EPIK.  I had a little bit of a set back once I mailed my original documents because not long after I mailed everything I realized that I had sent the wrong version of one of my reference letters (and of course that happened even after I checked everything a million times...figures.) I also had to send out another paper that I guess EPIK wants from people who have teaching experience (apparently it's a new thing for this term).  So, my documents got out a little later than I was hoping, but there are still plenty of positions, so I'm not all that concerned.

So now, all I do is wait...and wait.....and wait a little more.  I should know my placement by the end of June, but of course, I am hoping for it sooner rather than later.  Until then, I'm just kind of in EPIK limbo.

I still have mixed feelings about leaving.  It's been an internal tug of war for quite some time, and the fact that school is ending and I have to think about how I will never be in my classroom again, never see many of my students again, etc. makes it that much harder.  I've always been overly emotional about periods of my life coming to an end, and this is no different.

Documents, Documents, Documents!

There they are...aren't they beautiful?

Originals and copies...ready to go! 

These, my friends, would be the pictures I texted my friends not too long ago.  Why you ask? Because well, this day has been moths in the making. Today, I finally mailed out all of my EPIK documents to Taiwan.  Taiwan, you might say? Yes, Taiwan, because that is where my recruiter is located.  I send everything to my recruiter, and then he will send them to Korea after checking them and making sure everything is all set.

I had all my documents ready to go last week, but I was waiting on my recruiter to ok the scans of my documents.  I didn't hear anything from him all week, which naturally made me start to panic, but it turns out he was sick for the majority of the week and out of the office.  Still, I am nervous because I know at this point it is getting late in the game.  I"m totally freaked out that I will have forgotten one of my documents or that I will simply be too late and the positions will all be filled.  I have spent countless hours getting all of these things together...not to mention the money I've spent on getting all of those lovely pieces of paper pictured above.  Just to ship everything from NH to Taiwan was $81 (as Megan said, that's 7 or 8 mojitos on a cruise!) I'm not really sure what it's saying about my life when I start to measure the cost of things in amounts of alcohol.....but regardless, I think I'm going to be broke by the time I actually get abroad!

So, for now I sit and wait and anxiously stalk the tracking number that goes along with my documents.  

In the meantime...cheers to waiting! 

Almost there....

I spent from 4:00-7:30 this evening getting all of my documents together.  I started the process for EPIK at the beginning of February, when I submitted my application with the recruiter I'm using, Reach to Teach. From that point I began working on my application, which included essays and a lesson plan (which took me a ridiculously long time despite the fact that I'm a teacher--turns out I don't really know how to teach English....).  I also had to gather letters of recommendation and get my fingerprints taken for an FBI background check.

I submitted my application at the beginning of March. From that point my recruiter called me to go over my application and I made a few changes to my original app.  The revised application was turned in by the middle of March.  After that, I had a mock interview with my recruiter via Skype about a week later.  From that point there was a small lull as my application couldn't be officially submitted until April 1st.  I waited a few weeks to hear about when my interview would be scheduled.  I was away on vacation from the 20-27th, and as soon as I got back to having internet access I checked my e-mail and found out that my interview was scheduled for the following night. Talk about short notice (although really they gave me plenty of notice...I just wasn't in the country to know about it!)

In the "lull" period I received a bunch of steps to start collecting my documents because EPIK wants your documents right after your interview.  This has been the most time consuming part of the document process--getting my background check notarized, then shipping it to DC to be apostilled, and getting my diplomas notarized, then sending them to Concord to be apostilled, getting copies of transcripts....there is a ton of paperwork!

I found out I passed my interview a few days after my interview (beginning of May?), but I didn't have all my documents together yet, which is why it's taken me so long.  I finally got my background check back from DC on Friday.  Today I had to get more passport pictures taken (because you need 6 total for all the paperwork that is to come).  Of course, the lady at Wal-Mart didn't take my original pictures right, so when I went to pick them up, I had to take them all over again. Once I FINALLY had my pictures and other documents, I made copies of everything, then scanned the copies to my recruiter.  Now all I need is the OK to send the documents and I can finally mail everything out to Taiwan, where my recruiter will process everything.

This whole process has taken way more time than I can accurately depict.  It wouldn't be as bad except for oh you know, I'm also teaching full time right now.  Teaching consumes all of my time in itself, so running around doing all of this stuff has made some of my evenings pretty exhausting (not to mention the cost of obtaining and mailing all of these things around....it really adds up!)

Nonetheless, I am excited to almost be done! I'm crossing my fingers that everything works out, because as scared as I can be at times, I know this is what I want.