Double-Check The Inbox

I checked my spam folder last night, so I guess you could say I'm getting pretty anxious to hear something.

They said they'd mail stuff out this week so... fingers crossed because it's already Wednesday!

Meanwhile...

Work, EPIK pre-orientation, nervous pacing... I have been stretching out my time watching the pre-orientation videos because I know that if I finish them all before I get my email from Korvia, I'm probably going to listlessly wander around with no motivation to do anything else. THAT would be bad, especially since I needs mon-ay.

Again, fingers crossed! 

Update:

Just like magic, I've been notified that my packet is on its way. I got the tracking number and it looks like it's either at the airport or on its way out of Korea as I type this. Yay!

Now I just have to make sure the visa form is filled out correctly, which means calling the consulate. Wish me luck!

Some Thoughts While Watching K-Dramas

While I'm waiting for emails to be sent and documents to be mailed, how about we go through some of the thoughts I've had while watching Korean dramas? I have enjoyed watching Kdramas, but they just have these moments where I have to stop and think... why?

Here's some thoughts for your enjoyment. Let me know if you agree. If you've never seen a Kdrama, you might not get some of these things, but enjoy the ones you do:

"Oppa! Saranghae! Blaaaaah."

"This guy/girl probably got this part because he's/she's a Kpop star. *Looks it up* Yup."

"Okay, so now we're hugging again. Totally thought a kiss was gonna happen. Definitely misread that soundtrack there."

"How do they not know that's a girl?"



"Why is there another shower scene????"

Followed by.

"I wonder if these guys just count this as their shower for the day or if they actually shower twice in one day."



"Close your eyes! He's kissing you!"

"This guy might as well be kissing a mannequin..."

"They're gonna kiss. I can feel it!"
 



"Piggyback time!"
















"Don't leave your beverage/food item behind! I don't care if you're going for dramatic effect, you just ordered that!"

"Sloooow walking."

"I'm sooooo hungry..."

The longest month of my life

Hey Emily, when are you heading to Korea?

Well... here's the thing. I don't really know. If the pattern continues, I might hear that my documents (contract, NOA, Info, etc.) are on their way by Tuesday. Unfortunately, EPIK keeps giving us different time estimates. Mid-January, late January, the end of January. After looking through some posts on Facebook, I figure that all of these dates are correct.

Some EPIK applicants have just BARELY received notification that they were accepted to the province or city of their choice. If you've already taken a look at my past posts, I've known which city I'll be going to for almost a month now. That puts me ahead of some applicants in the paperwork process. It's likely that they will try to send out documents at the same time for every accepted teacher, but I'm going to be closer to the top of that pile than to the bottom.

So, let's hope I get my documents (or at least notification that they are on their way) by next week.

That would be an awesome week. I've got some other terrific stuff going on in that week, so why not make it even better?

So, what step are you on and what's next?

- Pass EPIK interview
- Notification of city/province placement
- Wait for EPIK documents <------
- Apply for E-2 visa
- Buy plane ticket
- Fly to Korea
- Orientation
- Start Teaching

Wish me luck!

Travel Health - South Korea

There's nothing like traveling to remind you of all the potential health risks out there in the world. Looking at a list of vaccinations and global health problems sometimes causes me to panic. I get the urge to seal up my windows and doors, and stock up on hand sanitizer. Germs! Foreign germs! It's like being an alien from another planet, only to die from Earth's common cold.

I've been preparing myself for my travels, as much as I can. I'm still waiting on those personal force fields that regulate air quality and temperature, killing any dangerous substance that passes through it (why has no one invented this yet?), but in the meantime -- shots. Lots of them. I think I mentioned a while back that I was sore for days after getting up-to-date on my vaccinations. Last week, I got even more shots (yay) but at least they didn't make me sore.

If you're planning to travel to South Korea, I suggest checking this MD Travel Health site first. Also, the CDC website is very helpful.

I was planning on getting the Japanese Encephalitis vaccination before I go, but since I'm going before the high risk season I was advised to get it while in Korea. It's cheaper, and since there is no definite expiration date on how long it lasts, getting it closer to high risk season (starting May) is probably wise. If I'd gotten it here, I would have had to pay $200 or more. In Korea it's roughly $20. Supply and demand.

I'm also planning to get my rabies vaccine there, maybe. It's not likely that I'll cuddle up to any wild animals, but...

I went to a travel medicine clinic to get the second batch of vaccinations for my travels. They didn't take insurance, which it seems most travel clinics in my area don't. They can give you a receipt, which you then submit to your insurance to see if they will reimburse you, but you pay it all up front.

If you have any questions that I didn't cover here, let me know. I'll do my best to answer. Next week I'll talk about... something else. I'm not sure yet. I'm getting closer to my departure date (which is kind of still up in the air at the moment), still raising money (help me out?) and getting things together (which will result in more preparation blog posts).

Any questions? Comments? Let me know. Thank you for reading!