KOREAAAAAAA!!!

Well well well....I've been here now in Korea for over 24 hours...and what a 24 hours it's been!!!
Let's go back to the airport....

I arrived in Toronto in the midst of a pretty sweet snow storm- great! As if I wasn't anxious enough, snow storm? Kissed the parentals goodbye and headed for security= longgggg long line. I was annoyed. After that, I headed for my gate and had some waiting time. Phoned a few special people for last goodbyes. I watched a woman chase her little dog around the airport, that was entertaining. Finally it was time for my departure. Everything went pretty smooth. The plan had to be de-iced, which they sprayed it down with something? That was a solid 1/2 hour. Didn't leave Toronto until about 12:30am. Finally take off. I was smushed between 2 ladies. I was confined to literally a 1ftX1ft box for a solid 14 hours. FML. We were served 2 meals during our flight. The first one they ran out of "non-Korean food" so I ate Bimbimbap? Something like that....it was, interesting. Perhaps if it wasn't plane food it would have been better. To be honest I had no idea what I was eating (which as I will explain later will probably be the next year of my life). It was like rice with veggies and some spicey sauce? Decent. I slept a bit by nearing the end of the flight it felt like the back of my neck and head were in a vice grip. This all could possibly be attributed to the fact that I hadnt slept more than maybe 3 hours in the 48 hours before my flight- oops!! The next meal was just as gourmet as the last.....it was an "omelette"- scary, with a sausage and homefries? But their was this sauce, like spaghetti sauce on it...haha...? Anyway- enough about the plane (it was brutal but tolerable...)
I get to KOREA finally!!! Get off the plane, do the immigration part (no biggie), go to find my luggage....and wait and wait...and I'm the last one waiting STILL...finally someone from the airport approaches me and says "your luggage must be lost". WHAT?!?!?!?! AHHHHH!!!! But to be honest, I had one bag and I think I was just so exhausted I could have cared less. Filed a missing luggage thing- whatever. Went out from there and sure enough- AMANDA WISHAK on a card, a man waiting for me! He took my stuff, brought me to a van and I got in....no seat belt and driving 130km/hr. No biggie. At this point it was probably 5am? He blasts Korean popish music then switches it to Queen....no biggie. Queen in Korea...memorable.
He finally pulls up to this building, I get out and fish overwhelms my senses....well this should be wonderful come the summer!! hahaha....ugh. (Side note: this man speaks NO English and laughs a lot awkwardly...) We ride the elevator to the 8th floor, get off and it's like pitch black....we go down a hall, still no light, wtf?! We find my room and for probably a solid 15 mins he tries to figure out how to get in....great. If he can't how am I supposed to?! Well it's a number pad on the door and FINALLY he gets it!! YAY!!! He opens the door, flips on the light and a bug scurries across the floor- that's comforting!! hahaha....wow, so he drops me off, I scope out the place and it's cute!!! Dirty, but could be worse! I have a sweet queen size bed. It's what I think they call a studio? One room + bathroom. I have TONS of closet space, one wall is all shelves and closets. I will post pictures as soon as I figure out how to. It's comfy for sure. Just like I was expecting the bathroom is a room, with a toilet, sink and shower head...drains in the floor. There's no actual shower stall- it's a bit odd and everything gets wet!!!
Sooooooo.....I sleep for maybe an hour? Get up to check my email (which I'm lucky enough to be stealing the internet from someone right now...) I had emailed my recruiter asking her to HELP me with my luggage situation. So I get up, check my email and it's around 8am this time....there is an email from her stating someone from my school and another teacher would be arriving at my place at 8am.....WHAT?!?!?! I looked like death and all of a sudden the door bell rings (which another side note: IT'S EXTREMELY LOUD AND OBNOXIOUS). AHHH people are here?!?!? I open the door and sure enough, David (from my school) and Damon (other teacher) are waiting there- sweet. We head out and go to the hospital for testing (routine procedures to check us out to make sure we're not druggies or have diseases). So it's my first time now outside of my place in the light and wow!!! It's really cool here!!! I'm in the city of some sort, the odd thing is in English but everything else is just Korean (obvi).
So hospital- my first, of many I'm sure, experiences with the hole in the floor toilet....bahahaha...oh lord. Did I even use it right? I have nooo idea. I have this fear of public washrooms to begin with (I often have nightmares of public toilets- it's very odd) so now squating toilets?! Wow...I'm sure that's just going to add to my bizzare bathroom nightmares. So anyway, we were at the hospital for a few hours. Left, came back to my place and met another teacher at my school, Brian. So nice! The 4 of us went for lunch to a Korean BBQ place downstairs from my apartment- deliciousssss!!! I ate food that I had no idea what it was- but tasted amazing!! This Brian guy filled me in on a bunch of stuff- beer and all that important stuff!! No but really, he was an American but Korean who has been in Korea for I think he said 4 years? He talked up the school A LOT! Said the kids are well disciplined and that it's going to be great! He pointed out some places (stores) I could go to. He wanted to give me a tour but I wanted to get home incase my luggage came! YES THEY HAD FOUND IT!!! WOOOOO!!!
So after lunch, I came home, cleaned, hung out and fell asleep @ 530pm...oops!! Big mistake. I was awake @ 4am. But that was cool cause I skyped and stuff with some people!!
So today was the day I was going to explore and wow was I nervous!! I needed to get food cause the gummies, yogurt and lunchables salsa and chips just wasnt cutting it for food in my place. I cleaned up, went to E-mart (like walmart) and almost cried on the way there. It hit me- I was like an alien. I had no idea how to cross the road (sounds soooo ridiculous) but there were people and cars flying all over. I didnt want to step out and get hit or anything!! hahaha....People looked at me strangely, or perhaps I was just paranoid? Either way I was overwhelmed. EMART...wow...hahaha....now that was overwhelming! I wish I could have taken a video camera in there to capture it because anything I say won't do it justice. SOOOOO much crazy food!! I had no idea what to buy!! I just bought basics, for now. I had to remember that I had to carry it home too, so I couldnt go too crazy....
I got home, unpacked, ate sushi..mmmmm....and then ventured out again. I was determined I was going to find a plug for my lap top which had died earlier that morning. Well I ended up at Lottemart or something...again, same concept as EMart. Again, I sign languaged my way through trying to ask the guys there for a plug for my lap top. They were helpful, but I'm not sure they got me the right thing...it'll work for now until I can get the proper hook up.
On the way home I stopped in at a PC Bong cause I wanted to check it out...WOW!! Hahaha...a little sketchy room that's dark and smokey filled with gaming teenagers. So funny. It was $1 for an hour, so incase my hook up for my lap top didnt work, I thought I'd stay and do some facebooking. Again- something that can't really be explained but rather you just would need to see it!! After that, came home, continued to clean....and now here I am. My place still needs more cleaning but I'm unpacked and it's getting there. I need to start taking pictures! I'll post some as soon as I can!
Oh ya...one funny story from my EMart experience, actually 2....so I guess in Korea they have these escalators that take you floor to floor and you put your cart on them (maybe they have them in other cities too, I just have never seen them before...), so I was on my way down and this Korean teenager looked at me and just said HELLO so loud...hahahaha...ahhh I just laughed to myself like cause I was white, I spoke English and he knew how to say hello so thought he would. Another thing about EMart....everywhere you turn there are people who sample things and feel the need to YELL at you....I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU'RE YELLING TO ME!!! For all I know you could be calling me an idiot?! SO STOP YELLING!!!
That's all for now!!

Here goes nothing....

I figured that this probably was going to be the last chance that I had to write while still on Canadian soil, so here I am taking advantage of it...

First things first- this past weekend. Thank you for those people who came out! It was an amazing “last night out”. I will apologize to those people I possibly forget seeing and I'm going to blame that on the fact that I managed to spend $0 and yet always had a drink in my hand (Clayton you're most likely to blame for this...). Thanks to those people who came from out of town- it was great to see you all that's for sure!! I'm going to miss everyone immensely- friends and family both. The last week or so it's been great seeing as many people as I can before I go, spending time with everyone has been great! Even if you didn't make it out Saturday, hopefully I was able to see you before or after that for some last well wishes and good-byes....

I am currently on my way to get my visa and to have my interview at the consulate in Toronto- I'm not really sure what to expect but at this time it's a little late seeing as I am scheduled to leave Canada in two days. The last couple of weeks have been rushed and a little nerve wracking, but overall it couldn't have run any more smooth- considering the tight time lines.

There seem to be a million and one questions people have been asking me, some I know the answers to, others I just guess, or relay them to my recruiters- who, on a side note, have been amazingly helpful, very supportive and just very nice, caring people in general (anyone considering coming to Korea- I highly recommend dealing with them). Some of the most popular questions have been: How long is the flight? What do you do when you arrive? How are you going to communicate with people when you first get there? When do you start work? Just what happens in general...Well here are some of the answers: Flight is 13 hours, 40 mins non-stop out of Toronto. I leave Canada February 25^th @ 11:50pm and arrive in Korea February 27^th @ 3:30am their time. Essentially I lose a day in the air- bummer. When I get to the airport a man will be waiting for me with my name on a paper- like in the movies!! (I find this slightly humorous). He will drive me to my place and help me in. Apparently he doesn't speak English very well, but according to my recruiters, he's a good driver! (How comforting). When I get there it will be early morning so I guess that morning someone from the school comes over and takes me to the school?? This is what I understood from my recruiters because when I get there if I have no phone, no internet, how the hell am I going to know what to do and where to go to school, because I start teaching March 1^st!!! About the lack of communication- there are little places all over that are called “PC Bongs” and it's like a $1 CDN to use the internet for an hour, something ridiculous like that. Not sure how long it will take to get internet at my place- which I still have no idea what to expect as far as that's concerned. I will be able to get a cell phone once I'm there, but this will take time because I'll have to get someone from my school to help me- well I'm hoping someone will help me because at this point I have no idea what to do?! I will have skype though which will be tricky at times to coordinate with people with the time difference, but nonetheless, it will definitely be a great way to be able to communicate with everyone back in Canada!

As for everything else- I'm having a hard time packing. Yes, I probably should be packed by now, but I'm not. Part of me still isn't accepting the fact that I'm leaving. I feel though that the more I talk about it, the shorter the time feels that I'll be gone. In the beginning I thought of it as “a whole year”, now I'm thinking of it as “only a year”. But still, in that year I will be encountering four seasons, much like Canada. How will I be able to fit that all into two lousy suitcases that need to weigh less than 50 lbs each!! I've littered my bed with clothes and items I've been told to bring along, now it's elimination time, what I NEED to bring and what I'd like to bring, huge difference.

I'm sure I'll have a lot of time to blog when I arrive, possibly while I'm on the plane as well. At this point I'm not going to know anyone really in my area which will lead to lots of time alone and opportunities to explore. I will keep everyone posted on the trials and tribulations of my adventure- this is the start of what will probably be a life changing experience! It's all unfolding and at a very fast pace!! Wish me luck because here goes nothing!!!!.....

HIRED!!

Well last week was a little exciting/scary/all the above. I got a late night phone call Monday from the new recruiter that I had started talking to. They seemed to know what they were talking about and put 2 good deals on the table- however, the one deal wouldnt start until May (too late for me, I was hoping end of Feb, early March). Back to the call, Ashley (recruiter) told me that if I was interested, a school wanted to have an interview with me! Because of the time difference they would be calling me Tuesday @ 9pm. "Great!" I thought....here we go- FINALLY! Tuesday rolled around and really I wasnt nervous at all...until Ashley called me half hour before to give me some "tips". After that I started stressing- "Say this, don't say that, do this, don't do that..." I started to worry- what if I couldnt understand the person interviewing me? What if I got nervous and had a hard time talking (because I tend to do that under pressure...)? When the phone finally rung, my heart jumped out of my throat! Here it goes....the interview was done by an English man, from England. It lasted 3 mins 43 secs. He asked 2 questions and then said he wanted to hire me? Too good to be true??...Only time will tell because the next day I was sent the contract and signed.....jumping the gun? Perhaps. At this point I'm hoping everything will make it there in time and back in time...because I'm running out of time and the documents take time to process, get VISA number, have an interview at the Korean consulate in Toronto...ahhh! My recruiter is supposed to book the flight once all the information comes in, said I'll be leaving Canada between the 25th-27th. They arrange for a driver to pick me up at the airport and bring me to my place. I will be about 40 mins outside of Seoul, right near Ilsan. I heard good things about this area, that it's catered to younger people. They have good shopping and lots to do around here? Only time will tell!!
I've quit my jobs with a little time before I go to see people and get my life together. I'm hoping my friends/family will be able to make it to the little get together I'm trying to put together, Saturday the 20th- time and location yet to be decided.
As far as the other details go...well....I'll keep everyone posted!!

A little bit of a side note...

Alright so progress: I have started looking for my own jobs, as well as having my recruiter look for me. Dave's ESL Cafe is a little site I was directed to which hosts many different jobs, public and private- which I was told from my recruiter there were no more public jobs open, so who is lying? From that, I decided to take this into my own hands and now start also looking else where for jobs- instead of just having one person do it for me. Also, with the recruiter, they are only able to apply to one job at a time for me, which isn't the greatest, I want the most exposure as possible!! Hoping from there, I'll be able to get a few sweet deals on the table. As for where I want to go in South Korea- I'm lost. I have no idea. People keep asking, "Where do you want to go?" Well I've heard good things about several places. First off Seoul is the biggest city in South Korea- a little intimidating. Busan I heard is great for beaches on the weekends in the summer, a plus. Ilsan I heard has a little bit of everything, but is close enough to Seoul to be able to travel there quickly. I also heard that either way it takes 4 hours to get across the country, so really you're pretty close to where ever you want to be in the country. Transportation by trains is efficient, cheap and easily accessible, so I'm told. This is all great, but still I have no idea where I want to be. Looking at it this way: No matter where I end up, I'll be alone in a place where I have no idea how to speak the language- SCARY!! How will I get from the airport when I initially arrive? Where will I be living? Will there be someone to help me out/answer my questions once I'm there? These questions, plus MANY more loom on my every thought when concerning the whole "South Korea experience"....Some days I feel like I've set out to do more than I'm capable of, BUT at the same time, many others have done it!!!

Now, this is the side note....
I've been thinking a lot lately about life, getting older, seeing what I've done/haven't done thus far. There's a new tv series on MTV that I saw a commercial for, the list of things people want to do before they die (something along those lines...). Well I've decided to come up with my own list BUT I'd ideally like to accomplish these things before I turn 30...which YIKES, is only a short 4 years away (well come March 24th..) Throughout the day I'll just randomly think of this, I've even considered writing them down from time to time so instead I'll begin posting them, here's my list thus far:
- help a stranger (as often as possible- which I generally do anyway, but I want to try and go out of my way)
- go bungee jumping/sky diving- one or the other or both
- learn a new language (at this point it'll probably be Korean...)
- fall in love
- travel to the following places (as many as financially possible!!):
~France/England(as much of Europe as possible)~China(all over Asia for that matter)~Las Vegas(not sure why?)~....now these are just a few of the places I REALLY want to visit....I'd love to travel all over the world, so hitting up some, all, more would be amazinggg!! (Anyone else up for travelling- LET ME KNOW!! )
- Write a book (at this point leaning towards a children's book)
- Write/record a song (ya ya, I've said I wanted to do this in a year from Oct '09 BUT more realistically before I'm 30 I will still be happy)- I have LOTS of ideas begun writing already!!
- Move to another country on my own (Yes- Korea here I come!!...hopefully just the beginning!)
.......this is just the beginning of my list. Daily I think of new ideas, which I will continue to add. I will also begin working on my list, keeping everyone posted on my progress along the way!!!

In the beginning....

Hello everyone...as the title states "In the beginning..." this is where it's all starting!! My journey- in all it's truth, so if you can't handle it...end your reading here. Korea- wow! Where did this come from many of you are asking...well to be honest, since the first mention of being able to TRAVEL after becoming a teacher, it's always been in the back of my mind. The push?...There are many "pushes"...money, poor economic outlook of my newest move (Windsor), teaching experience, being able to travel, getting out of my "comfort zone", getting to know myself and singledom. Some days I feel like I'm attempting to run away from my problems, but as someone has pointed out, I'm actually helping to solve some of them- money!!



I wanted to start tracking my progress, my highs and lows, my adventures (I'm sure there will be MANY of them...), I want everyone to know what I'm up to...because I'm sure keeping in touch will be a bit harder across the world. I will still be sending LOTS of post cards/letters/emails/facebook posts/etc. Maybe no more drunk texts though or calls? Going to be kind of hard- unless I can get my hands on an Asian cell phone?! How will that even work?!.... Thus far I must say, I've gotten some GREAT, amazing, useful advice from a lot of people! Strangers, friends, friends of friends, family, bank tellers? Yes, everyone seems to be giving me a little advice, some are even giving me their opinions; go, don't go, stay, do it, etc... At this point- I'm going, no matter what- unless something crazy were to happen? Like...Korea doesn't want me in their country for some reason?? Haha...who wouldn't want me?!



Alright alright, so when am I going? Well I'm not sure. I still need to get my visa- in the process, hoping by next week? I was contacted today by one of my recruiters, potential school, pays one of the highest wages I've seen thus far, with all the perks included- flights, living, etc. Funny to say, I'll be making millions...hahaha...they need someone to go out ASAP though....so maybe I'll be leaving sooner than later?! I'm anticipating that I'll be celebrating my birthday in Korea, perhaps even St Pats day...maybe even Valentines Day?! Who knows....Asian love? Could be in my near future.



More to come...