tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47389132479906413232024-02-20T00:58:00.692+09:00NOLA Girl RoKsWhen a NOLA girl becomes a RoKstar...504GlobeTrotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10688585081552779771noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4738913247990641323.post-56422691156319152112012-01-02T20:14:00.000+09:002012-01-02T20:14:05.596+09:00'Tis the Season<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves>false</w:TrackMoves> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing> <w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing> <w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:DontAutofitConstrainedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> </w:Compatibility> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="276"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--> <!--[if gte mso 10]> <style>
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<div class="MsoNormal">2011 was a year of firsts and Christmas was no exception. This was my very first time—ever, in life—not being in New Orleans for Christmas. Even though it was a bummer not being home with family and friends, I spent this holiday season with plenty of new friends that I’ve met over the past 5 months. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Bruce, who’s grown to be one of my favorite people here in Korea, hosted a Christmas Eve Dinner & Sleepover for the members of our singles group. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuckQl6-S_vqm2k5DgNj7TTOk1kRNn-fbUIXQIGfHPz_igDpI2WhuOF3C-0jCWld9ra3g6C2pRkT2ak5lEbb9mCZl4E6SdMirCA0FZtnDv8S58lhjUhKi36DL_hBcGuX8QDIp2qWP8Qeyo/s1600/DSCN1519.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuckQl6-S_vqm2k5DgNj7TTOk1kRNn-fbUIXQIGfHPz_igDpI2WhuOF3C-0jCWld9ra3g6C2pRkT2ak5lEbb9mCZl4E6SdMirCA0FZtnDv8S58lhjUhKi36DL_hBcGuX8QDIp2qWP8Qeyo/s320/DSCN1519.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p> </div><div class="MsoNormal">He lives in some random, off the map US military post on the side of a mountain south of Seoul, but it was a perfect location for us because there was no one to complain about how much noise we were making.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">There were about 50 people, and we had tons of great food…</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcMzNjvinIYZQb7foq1i7UR8M2WCzDyhpw3eAuajAGwIaIuY4GRYFmnQTLxJboLt0LxwER0oyezfzEuYUThBMDhU6KJIH_ixJ3uYhrsAYWV8wVrq1iU6xOMOCyw270z-_bTa9rDgtz-GeA/s1600/DSCN1516.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcMzNjvinIYZQb7foq1i7UR8M2WCzDyhpw3eAuajAGwIaIuY4GRYFmnQTLxJboLt0LxwER0oyezfzEuYUThBMDhU6KJIH_ixJ3uYhrsAYWV8wVrq1iU6xOMOCyw270z-_bTa9rDgtz-GeA/s320/DSCN1516.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkAW53LvKD4GNhXbEVtBSLw1ZUtUzh0F8t6guLxtVkTvnXkA9wBkze76sVOP8jd2pZnvZun7FvOs53EFgGT7CLbVHgTPIWWDZuLxvmnju-a64RZ0bgG8LjNe5QjPJ1joEpgTqAQXu8rxyu/s1600/DSCN1517.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkAW53LvKD4GNhXbEVtBSLw1ZUtUzh0F8t6guLxtVkTvnXkA9wBkze76sVOP8jd2pZnvZun7FvOs53EFgGT7CLbVHgTPIWWDZuLxvmnju-a64RZ0bgG8LjNe5QjPJ1joEpgTqAQXu8rxyu/s320/DSCN1517.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyC6yzCBt0z_TqECp2XQnXktQgRC-blBCW6oBsT4FlmpQtwJ0SDHdeb0HZl-OjOXOqHX9R2fUVVQbl_IlfeOH18x1QnMKqZadrpymgdML4cXT7-TgRxfR_3dZjNMYpdpIKqSe28EmcakQR/s1600/DSCN1521.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyC6yzCBt0z_TqECp2XQnXktQgRC-blBCW6oBsT4FlmpQtwJ0SDHdeb0HZl-OjOXOqHX9R2fUVVQbl_IlfeOH18x1QnMKqZadrpymgdML4cXT7-TgRxfR_3dZjNMYpdpIKqSe28EmcakQR/s320/DSCN1521.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNPw71G2i9JlJs7UVhDSol5cBKdukflz1J6BUBb4EcsbL6P8MxK79qUFhX63KaBpMW75IBHKt-uD5XkhFr07iuDDHmdmWcwdLAxxyu0RdkbgcO3wqeVBJKkI0vHa5Zq7CQTpLTwRstXDUI/s1600/DSCN1529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNPw71G2i9JlJs7UVhDSol5cBKdukflz1J6BUBb4EcsbL6P8MxK79qUFhX63KaBpMW75IBHKt-uD5XkhFr07iuDDHmdmWcwdLAxxyu0RdkbgcO3wqeVBJKkI0vHa5Zq7CQTpLTwRstXDUI/s320/DSCN1529.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p> </div><div class="MsoNormal">One of the highlights of dinner was Haley, who TORE UP this turkey leg…and this was after having already eaten 2 plates of food! We were all sitting there stuffed, so all we could do was watch it happen…</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJpchh0uDmY1nAEF0nEA7EHxHWoJJ1raVH2Krcm6WWQHIR0bieVwzdIYjSec-BGNBCfy8K7pwOL2PZOetL983h3KWK1RjAwBEVrx_YTiC46ppdDwwAkrZaFDwsS3MZR4L3a-bWQtKPZ2dG/s1600/DSCN1527.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJpchh0uDmY1nAEF0nEA7EHxHWoJJ1raVH2Krcm6WWQHIR0bieVwzdIYjSec-BGNBCfy8K7pwOL2PZOetL983h3KWK1RjAwBEVrx_YTiC46ppdDwwAkrZaFDwsS3MZR4L3a-bWQtKPZ2dG/s320/DSCN1527.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-qMZp69erEGMOXSdcr1_reK8U8ODtrfNionvLoC3NBjp5wx5r2FlK4Hjmew5Tdq_uaEu2NoGpr0gJzST3N476Mcww4PeRytb2xb8OTsYNHd1V4VcOo1XCoPoIsNKz7tgg4A-LQqFZCik9/s1600/DSCN1532.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-qMZp69erEGMOXSdcr1_reK8U8ODtrfNionvLoC3NBjp5wx5r2FlK4Hjmew5Tdq_uaEu2NoGpr0gJzST3N476Mcww4PeRytb2xb8OTsYNHd1V4VcOo1XCoPoIsNKz7tgg4A-LQqFZCik9/s320/DSCN1532.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p> </div><div class="MsoNormal">We also had a Secret Santa gift exchange, and here I am with all of the beauty products from my gift bag…</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoWclgk7AfJ0Q5gb9bbfnmR0gs7aI9_mTS4s-7oQtjvHekkKFQwYr2FS-8CqQcmGzv6NnTgQZ54Uy1aqvu0TwNQErrCkK3lK-b4SMrq4eXLuuJPcBA6YnCHvMQF9WYwIK0Y2seWGbvOKYH/s1600/401525_315860478437130_100000395414990_1080369_2013272699_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoWclgk7AfJ0Q5gb9bbfnmR0gs7aI9_mTS4s-7oQtjvHekkKFQwYr2FS-8CqQcmGzv6NnTgQZ54Uy1aqvu0TwNQErrCkK3lK-b4SMrq4eXLuuJPcBA6YnCHvMQF9WYwIK0Y2seWGbvOKYH/s320/401525_315860478437130_100000395414990_1080369_2013272699_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p> </div><div class="MsoNormal">After the dinner and gift exchange, we danced and had great conversations around the kitchen table. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The next morning, I had to get up early to head back to Seoul. I had to make a pot of gumbo for Christmas dinner later that afternoon at my Soror’s house.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Unfortunately, I was so busy that I didn’t take any pictures on Christmas day, but trust me when I tell you we had good food and a good time!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Who knows where I’ll be for Christmas 2012, but Christmas 2011 was certainly one for the history books.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Merry Christmahannukwanzaakuh, everyone!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2NPKIR1X0VPVOuP7-Macw7vBPtpzrav8y8cq02V-t8J8a68rwrvVFtA0woyUDoEEwOcKOtvyG-6UAnROLByGEISwaVQcXNhEXvn5q2zD0xhQltQakEmS0gRRWV6fE3AYu0bns9AMpoDsI/s1600/376009_315851175104727_100000395414990_1080213_1279893850_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2NPKIR1X0VPVOuP7-Macw7vBPtpzrav8y8cq02V-t8J8a68rwrvVFtA0woyUDoEEwOcKOtvyG-6UAnROLByGEISwaVQcXNhEXvn5q2zD0xhQltQakEmS0gRRWV6fE3AYu0bns9AMpoDsI/s320/376009_315851175104727_100000395414990_1080213_1279893850_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><!--EndFragment-->504GlobeTrotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10688585081552779771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4738913247990641323.post-36521704687994714222011-12-30T18:22:00.000+09:002011-12-30T18:22:21.220+09:00Philippine Dream<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves>false</w:TrackMoves> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing> <w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing> <w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:DontAutofitConstrainedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> </w:Compatibility> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="276"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--> <!--[if gte mso 10]> <style>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLlmvHoicrPXskprPcnehO6ZaiWlVHHXexnU3x-5YL9ZTQSWFI-_CqxJYeJSQ_oprD1p8uMe60u4AEAf8SCC9HmLy5xvF3-7faQ8QT162AsMpw2nZm1NsqZvaRxD9-Vjm1jDkvpz-O-QqN/s1600/DSCN0713.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLlmvHoicrPXskprPcnehO6ZaiWlVHHXexnU3x-5YL9ZTQSWFI-_CqxJYeJSQ_oprD1p8uMe60u4AEAf8SCC9HmLy5xvF3-7faQ8QT162AsMpw2nZm1NsqZvaRxD9-Vjm1jDkvpz-O-QqN/s320/DSCN0713.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">So back in September, there was a major Korean holiday called Chuseok. Typically, we do not get any time off for Korean holidays, because EV is open on those days to attract visitors who come on those days. However, Chuseok is one of the two times in a year where we get a set week off from work. Considering I had only been in Korea for about 6 weeks, I wouldn’t have opted to take a vacation so soon after arriving, but there it was. They certainly don’t make us go anywhere, but I wasn’t about to waste five whole days off just sitting around in my apartment.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">So, with some digging and planning, I discovered that the Philippines would be the most cost-effective destination for my week of vacation. I decided to visit Boracay (pronounced bor-ah-cai) because the beach was pretty and expenses would be cheap. I booked my flight on Cebu Pacific Airlines, which is the Philippine’s low-cost carrier based out of Manila. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">(Unfortunately, in order to get the cheapest prices on my flight, I had to fly out of Busan, which is at the southernmost part of South Korea. It ended up being such a hassle to get down there and do everything separately, so I really should have just spent more to fly out of Seoul. Experience is the best teacher, folks.)</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">For ideas on where to stay, I posted on the BSSK page asking if anyone had any recommendations for Boracay. Another teacher mentioned that she had just returned from Boracay a couple of weeks prior, and highly recommended her accommodations at the Ocean Breeze Inn (OBI). So, I looked it up online, asked a lot of questions, and decided to reserve a room there as well.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">So, on Monday, September 12, I set out on the first of many travel adventures during my time here in SoKo. Except for the bumper-to-bumper traffic on the interstate between Paju and Seoul, getting to Seoul Station to hop on the KTX was relatively uneventful. When I got to the train station in Busan, I went right outside and caught the Airport Limousine Bus, which got me to the airport in about an hour or so.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The flight from Busan to Manila was pretty uneventful. I just made sure I brought my own drinks and snacks with me. It was once I got to Manila airport, however, that things got really interesting. Once I got off the plane, I had to go all the way out past the security checkpoint, since my ticket from Manila to Boracay was on a separate reservation. When I came down the escalator, I literally saw HUNDREDS of people lined up all over the terminal camped out and sleeping. I thought to myself, this can’t be good. And it wasn’t. So apparently Cebu has plenty of flights coming into Manila that land late at night, but the connecting flights out to other cities in the Philippines don’t leave until early in the morning, which means that people flying through Manila at night literally have to spend the night in the airport. Ugh. Luckily, my flight was one of the last ones to get in, so I really only had to burn about 3-4 hours until I could re-check my bag and then head through security. I ended up having to walk past several hundred people sitting and laying down every which-a-way, until I was able to find an actual seat. (Y’all know how I feel about sitting on floors). </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I got settled in and managed to finish a book while I waited. Pretty soon, it was time for me to check in for my flight, and that’s when the real fun began. Since my flight wasn’t one of the first ones out, I was able to avoid the mad dash of people that flooded the ticket counters once they opened. When I did make it up to the ticket counter, I was politely informed that my flight to Boracay had been cancelled—yep, <i>cancelled</i>—due to “weather conditions.” (So you know what face I’m making right about now, right?) So, I ask, “What are you going to do about that?” Turns out they’ve placed me on another flight to some other city (Kalibo), from which I would have to take a bus (that they provided) to Boracay.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Sigh.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Because I had arranged for airport pickup with the folks at OBI, I had to then call them and inform them of the change in travel arrangements, which wasn’t an easy thing, considering the fact that I was both without internet, and without cell service. I ended up using one of those complicated international pay phone things that take credit cards, and after several attempts, got through to the Ocean Breeze Inn and told them that I would be late getting to Boracay….turns out I wasn’t as clear as I thought I had been.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">After finally landing in Kalibo, we pulled up to the most rinky-dink looking airport I have EVER seen in my life:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFA0l9c2DjcezwZuz1Nkz4R_2435ipQm4UDdlvwRTQ5qfG6eo1Zu-fNSG3cVll5U2eZIJEr1dCwJw_2gOi2V16zEQz7zm2GVEboQ2XN_YQ7tGK4y3SgW79KZoLWxhaXK0C04s02_yhO16p/s1600/DSCN0568.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFA0l9c2DjcezwZuz1Nkz4R_2435ipQm4UDdlvwRTQ5qfG6eo1Zu-fNSG3cVll5U2eZIJEr1dCwJw_2gOi2V16zEQz7zm2GVEboQ2XN_YQ7tGK4y3SgW79KZoLWxhaXK0C04s02_yhO16p/s320/DSCN0568.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJvNKSv2wB0dFgJ1MY9U9beoiHxbhWGILchXB-Tpsm0aXgFH-Z7HLRyKaX2PaLARQkreFX6T20Nn2ffns9-JPtqI2yKmHrnvem_X5y1pzou_4iWmH4jYkFvGg9FF6xbYTncw4d7f9IbHiK/s1600/DSCN0571.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJvNKSv2wB0dFgJ1MY9U9beoiHxbhWGILchXB-Tpsm0aXgFH-Z7HLRyKaX2PaLARQkreFX6T20Nn2ffns9-JPtqI2yKmHrnvem_X5y1pzou_4iWmH4jYkFvGg9FF6xbYTncw4d7f9IbHiK/s200/DSCN0571.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpSJCfdXKiswGtC3Or9ETDoPk3yDhn5XoEfUDzCngXEupSGBAm3CVXwouGed_D2KWl_xBlpLWgzJyChyphenhyphennXHUiq1oITU4MPof4rrgxjhBAxKxiV0h4ojlf8Z-8UO6fRGRCAyaIze-ejpx8B/s1600/DSCN0573.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpSJCfdXKiswGtC3Or9ETDoPk3yDhn5XoEfUDzCngXEupSGBAm3CVXwouGed_D2KWl_xBlpLWgzJyChyphenhyphennXHUiq1oITU4MPof4rrgxjhBAxKxiV0h4ojlf8Z-8UO6fRGRCAyaIze-ejpx8B/s200/DSCN0573.JPG" width="200" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p> </div><div class="MsoNormal">Then, they line us up and we get loaded up into the vans for the ride to Boracay. It wouldn’t have been as bad of a ride if (1) I would have been in the front seat, or (2) I would have been sitting in a real seat. Our van was one of those touristy type things, with seats along the side that start out as armrests, and then fold over into “seats” when the van fills up. Why they decided to put me there is beyond me. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Anyhoo, so we finally get to Boracay, and the van decides to drop us off at the Jetty Port, <i>not</i> the airport. The jetty port is where you hop on the boat taxis to take you to various other parts of the area. The jetty port was not, however, where the person from OBI was supposed to be meeting me. So, I have to hop on one of these…</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsrk3vhT5DEHOkbgcgqjSmNtyOpd7dUBw72WVNPaoa5QrThUFikcmFSdJRS35ZdknI7wzKO5J6ugG04zGqvII9PXZjUEB7dn0EqFJpEZNIjIuhFu-oAgESo8F2-o2fM321eR2_GVXWDwIh/s1600/DSCN0588.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsrk3vhT5DEHOkbgcgqjSmNtyOpd7dUBw72WVNPaoa5QrThUFikcmFSdJRS35ZdknI7wzKO5J6ugG04zGqvII9PXZjUEB7dn0EqFJpEZNIjIuhFu-oAgESo8F2-o2fM321eR2_GVXWDwIh/s320/DSCN0588.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p> </div><div class="MsoNormal">…”motorized pedicabs” for my 5 minute trip over to the airport. I get to the airport, and there is no one there waiting for me with my name on a sign…so I wait.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Sigh.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">And I wait.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">And I wait.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">After 30 minutes, I ventured across the street to see if the people at the little corner store had a phone that they would let me use. Thankfully, they let me use their landline phone without charging me. I was able to get in touch with someone at OBI, who informed me that the person who was supposed to meet me at the airport in Boracay had instead gone all the way to the airport in Kalibo to meet me. And I’m thinking, <i>that ain’t what I said on the phone!</i> I specifically stated that the airline would be providing a van, and that I would be about an hour or so late, but I would still meet them at the airport in Boracay. So they said they would send someone else. While I waited, I ended up plopping down at a table outside the store and buying a couple of drinks from them to thank them for their kindness… but I ended up having to wait another 30-45 minutes for the person from OBI to arrive. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">He finally gets there, we finally leave, and we have to get on another one of those pedicabs to get to the jetty port, and then take a boat to the other side of the bay, and then hop on another pedicab to get from that port to OBI.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">After a 5-7 minute ride we pull up to some random walkway with a series of small wooden signs, one of which said Ocean Breeze Inn. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidZT-N1IoNqfQyJZKhUqGQ_62Mp1n3xMVeJ7l_xrO-gQBcgYiFFHQvSfqydEwCqXkFmWOAo9wqVJ9xOvAoJtS31sCAkcxMiwB8Zy34kzJtEUvPpXFWo7uKuLCC6d-Kggzs19Lhg1OsPSyV/s1600/DSCN0592.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidZT-N1IoNqfQyJZKhUqGQ_62Mp1n3xMVeJ7l_xrO-gQBcgYiFFHQvSfqydEwCqXkFmWOAo9wqVJ9xOvAoJtS31sCAkcxMiwB8Zy34kzJtEUvPpXFWo7uKuLCC6d-Kggzs19Lhg1OsPSyV/s320/DSCN0592.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p> </div><div class="MsoNormal">After descending a lot of stairs, we snaked through a walkway through what pretty much were the back alleys of Boracay. What I was seeing was certainly not the tropical paradise I was expecting, but I was waiting to reserve comment until I had actually laid eyes on OBI….</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq6PqMtq7tehguQTZuR0zLAWsyt_2fGw7yCxa1rSolZysPrVeqRUU8IAb9mYu03HpiSHs8yDNJJFggg1yhV6N-Ut6TLjQ3daSm876Pk2EQPoGBURiLVQN_ahI3xhlK-h_lAbAOtTgwjrTv/s1600/DSCN0627.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq6PqMtq7tehguQTZuR0zLAWsyt_2fGw7yCxa1rSolZysPrVeqRUU8IAb9mYu03HpiSHs8yDNJJFggg1yhV6N-Ut6TLjQ3daSm876Pk2EQPoGBURiLVQN_ahI3xhlK-h_lAbAOtTgwjrTv/s320/DSCN0627.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The entire guesthouse</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWS7tQVIp8fyanLv7I1lNRl7JrAHPzjvaTXQs79X7odHdTNjzpehb68xGBj7P4vAxh5RgZOz56h9w-4duXIBnRLirDJpghjx6WACy0QbfOFN09pjqXqS1vnp30kJk5D_z5oyMWJDfCks6w/s1600/DSCN0628.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWS7tQVIp8fyanLv7I1lNRl7JrAHPzjvaTXQs79X7odHdTNjzpehb68xGBj7P4vAxh5RgZOz56h9w-4duXIBnRLirDJpghjx6WACy0QbfOFN09pjqXqS1vnp30kJk5D_z5oyMWJDfCks6w/s320/DSCN0628.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ground Floor</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha_byezUQ4itT-eAvAaBVStAUVlayeHkpAaNvF78RPoMAjhsX0lO-PE93D7YfU8SpPJUgYjpyUJxwzp9XccC0iVv7shLk99RmFO_fcVy6BwY49-S3t9XvBnrb8Xnhpww84T1GDviqEdPzV/s1600/DSCN0629.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha_byezUQ4itT-eAvAaBVStAUVlayeHkpAaNvF78RPoMAjhsX0lO-PE93D7YfU8SpPJUgYjpyUJxwzp9XccC0iVv7shLk99RmFO_fcVy6BwY49-S3t9XvBnrb8Xnhpww84T1GDviqEdPzV/s320/DSCN0629.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kitchen/Dining Area</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Through the door on the left on the ground floor was my home for the next 3 nights.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2wI-4mwvqk4gfhUDNyBefWVWAKK8acID7S94yifODNU08snlEpS6GIOJkK3MuaNwfkkEddjJAa2T0Yul-Ql8jlEH2kkx63uLTKr15QP-CxsWN2JN5wiBwD8TUN3ZNDFnNzFjbxHEt4HCU/s1600/DSCN0626.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2wI-4mwvqk4gfhUDNyBefWVWAKK8acID7S94yifODNU08snlEpS6GIOJkK3MuaNwfkkEddjJAa2T0Yul-Ql8jlEH2kkx63uLTKr15QP-CxsWN2JN5wiBwD8TUN3ZNDFnNzFjbxHEt4HCU/s320/DSCN0626.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4ZiP4ltrShwCqB-KZVlwBFSLRoZ974WI7C3hSX9pvwxIL3u1Ef2WD1AU9sCcSHHMrqt6QBuX9x-VoI7idf4JUjZXJWPpP0sMTkX1opWui-FUWRLWF7KidJQmVviqOpMlm7ARZ18WdIhwU/s1600/DSCN0594.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4ZiP4ltrShwCqB-KZVlwBFSLRoZ974WI7C3hSX9pvwxIL3u1Ef2WD1AU9sCcSHHMrqt6QBuX9x-VoI7idf4JUjZXJWPpP0sMTkX1opWui-FUWRLWF7KidJQmVviqOpMlm7ARZ18WdIhwU/s320/DSCN0594.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvjXhn2cXUDPy4nhFe6gofQqgi-U40oGmM_9VWyzPikDGRsstzfueu4jufXvY2j7T1TO2OYUPgVFKB4zxtPNDV4sRmCdat4RC5jfqlPYa6DY5ERW5zb1WsS0QBhlYiTDy51Ui6BgwkwKSn/s1600/DSCN0595.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvjXhn2cXUDPy4nhFe6gofQqgi-U40oGmM_9VWyzPikDGRsstzfueu4jufXvY2j7T1TO2OYUPgVFKB4zxtPNDV4sRmCdat4RC5jfqlPYa6DY5ERW5zb1WsS0QBhlYiTDy51Ui6BgwkwKSn/s320/DSCN0595.JPG" width="240" /></a></div> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiauhqMFnLuwVvX_wihsWFiVjfhERGq8XD-3FHA_sdgAIfs6bseZMNcZ6Hfa2ZyP03gZARSAPwRCHJtZXLdKiZFA-2LBZKfbnGTexKG1NENtqHOMsLqXs7CxxMSoGI46EcgCaghp1GXLOM7/s1600/DSCN0596.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiauhqMFnLuwVvX_wihsWFiVjfhERGq8XD-3FHA_sdgAIfs6bseZMNcZ6Hfa2ZyP03gZARSAPwRCHJtZXLdKiZFA-2LBZKfbnGTexKG1NENtqHOMsLqXs7CxxMSoGI46EcgCaghp1GXLOM7/s320/DSCN0596.JPG" width="240" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">I know what you’re thinking….that room is TINY. It certainly is….but that’s the room I chose because (1) it was just me, (2) I didn’t plan on spending a lot of time in my room, and (3) I didn’t want to spend a boatload of money on my room….and I didn’t…here was my bill for my entire stay. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2mPaGDUTHW9xNSY_a6aPJT5xODGS_AU6pYYAe5NllEV8ou7q2Y9T6xUdCsYVFCYi8upPD6slSL5WeQfqST-CQycLLWXlHI3guIg88s92sXHZX-feG3sxnZ5cswxQ3OpK8ARgJevRf9zYQ/s1600/DSCN0712.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2mPaGDUTHW9xNSY_a6aPJT5xODGS_AU6pYYAe5NllEV8ou7q2Y9T6xUdCsYVFCYi8upPD6slSL5WeQfqST-CQycLLWXlHI3guIg88s92sXHZX-feG3sxnZ5cswxQ3OpK8ARgJevRf9zYQ/s320/DSCN0712.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">At the time, 3,220PHP was less than $70 USD</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p> </div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>(Sidenote: To those of you who are completely alarmed by the bathroom, don’t be. The bathroom set up is a typical Asian wet bathroom, whereby there’s not a separate enclosed shower area. So, I was neither surprised nor bothered by it, so don’t worry!)<o:p></o:p></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Now, on the surface, this seemed to be a great place to stay for my short trip….<i>however</i>….</div><div class="MsoNormal">There were a couple of things that made me say, hmmmm, perhaps not. For starters, there was an army of little tiny baby ants that invaded my bed at all hours. None of them bit me, but it’s quite a bit unnerving to have that creepy crawly feeling when you’re trying to get some good vacation sleep. Also, right outside my door was the little patio area, so whenever any of the other guests wanted to smoke on the patio, I got the pleasure of inhaling their tobacco funk. One thing that annoys me is sleeping in a bed where the head of the bed isn’t up against a wall. As you can see the bed in this room was not…there’s clearly not enough room for all that. But what’s annoying about it is the fact that I had to keep waking up in the middle of the night to fish my pillows off of the floor…a small inconvenience, but again, it interfered with my vacation sleep. Another thing that I was completely unprepared for was the lack of towels. I had neither bathroom nor beach towels, which wasn’t a total disaster when I went to the beach because I could just air dry in the sun, but every time I took a shower I’d have to shake/drip/air dry. I guess it wasn’t a complete tragedy, but just annoying nonetheless. The one thing that REALLY ticked me off one day was when I went to the refrigerator to eat the rest of my pizza that I had brought home the previous night, only to discover that someone had taken it upon him/herself to eat half of what was left. Um, HELLO….if you didn’t buy it, DON’T EAT IT. It was my last day, so I didn’t trip, but I do plan to write an honest review on Trip Advisor. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Wingdings;">:-) </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Speaking of food, one of the plusses to staying at this resort was having a hot breakfast cooked for me every morning. It was pretty good except for the egg situation….I like my eggs scrambled, but they seem to like to do the whole runny yolk thing in these parts…so I just ate around it.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisTLjnSNP1iBE7hACTtCOuhrKBLn380w7qokB_d9wHeM-aK72uVj9E2XkQzQUGEzz_kIxIFya-MK8Zd-KhU1cJSckMcnI_RV90MkVSMHeTqtRUog4FhOHy8IEbkUxOiVFqPgrOLg6gZ2gp/s1600/DSCN0631.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisTLjnSNP1iBE7hACTtCOuhrKBLn380w7qokB_d9wHeM-aK72uVj9E2XkQzQUGEzz_kIxIFya-MK8Zd-KhU1cJSckMcnI_RV90MkVSMHeTqtRUog4FhOHy8IEbkUxOiVFqPgrOLg6gZ2gp/s320/DSCN0631.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bacon, Eggs, Toast, Rice, and Fries</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">So I mentioned that OBI was located in the back alleys of Boracay. While the walk from the beach to the hotel was only about 5 minutes, it certainly wasn’t the most attractive journey. Here’s what it looked like to get from the beach:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_1FFZMk_blViJc1QwN2wZ2Sm_tFjjhGPmH8wVHiIF1Ozqm8BbgdwGdui3AxavCd-88Yy-c7L5wnPf662JLq5tkfJjCvn-pu13mlHooFDEsrwmVAPiGU8Se-R2c_TvFJyJJ7h9xTzdN0_P/s1600/DSCN0729.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_1FFZMk_blViJc1QwN2wZ2Sm_tFjjhGPmH8wVHiIF1Ozqm8BbgdwGdui3AxavCd-88Yy-c7L5wnPf662JLq5tkfJjCvn-pu13mlHooFDEsrwmVAPiGU8Se-R2c_TvFJyJJ7h9xTzdN0_P/s200/DSCN0729.JPG" width="150" /></a></div> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaLCEp-dSM2xdmqkv_I0fpsXeqN2y9nRFccmjBkvD0MUZkkgVO5J4f3Kz5fCZE0G8N9e3gZljLwNzkx-w1pw15mIFZdJAePdEb0FBDaHo6oEQZXi5Tgo61eaYPpxwzd1QblUDkn9rKz_xj/s1600/DSCN0730.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaLCEp-dSM2xdmqkv_I0fpsXeqN2y9nRFccmjBkvD0MUZkkgVO5J4f3Kz5fCZE0G8N9e3gZljLwNzkx-w1pw15mIFZdJAePdEb0FBDaHo6oEQZXi5Tgo61eaYPpxwzd1QblUDkn9rKz_xj/s200/DSCN0730.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN7BNyMM7J-FFKfrZpaOP-ZwaUs9mbzC3gZjEOatLEjs7JYejgZ5Pc2SvYNiI-n9OiiwCP2w9dJuSN2zn3uwQlKULUcq3HJ86BFYTNZlfIRoqwPE7nauOe5HqWDF5lpz19JBVUnSMMN-T7/s1600/DSCN0731.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN7BNyMM7J-FFKfrZpaOP-ZwaUs9mbzC3gZjEOatLEjs7JYejgZ5Pc2SvYNiI-n9OiiwCP2w9dJuSN2zn3uwQlKULUcq3HJ86BFYTNZlfIRoqwPE7nauOe5HqWDF5lpz19JBVUnSMMN-T7/s200/DSCN0731.JPG" width="200" /></a><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6SYe3RusX8Qw88T-00_jUuAuLS_MZwYbsR26eSr-zRRhX7Gzph69kt1T1msJsxGgqOD4oCrYYsPRuwXNlT0felNlKZ6X1jP5uZpwK9YmyUIyNSymaj6D9RAPHog3AZwq9y3m7zUiIiZqt/s1600/DSCN0732.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6SYe3RusX8Qw88T-00_jUuAuLS_MZwYbsR26eSr-zRRhX7Gzph69kt1T1msJsxGgqOD4oCrYYsPRuwXNlT0felNlKZ6X1jP5uZpwK9YmyUIyNSymaj6D9RAPHog3AZwq9y3m7zUiIiZqt/s200/DSCN0732.JPG" width="200" /></a></div> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2DlQXx5C5P25bc31xjmhokM0mzs5s4LrGp6V4EqZX_vpC6V-uvGl9kaKGPDv_hLBvZcI-4Ed7qpmzcYIPwfPpXeMB1d0CNjUP0-6yKL9nU744SIAxQCFX_CAa4XzCwAjEZQn8Gq3mH-d7/s1600/DSCN0733.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2DlQXx5C5P25bc31xjmhokM0mzs5s4LrGp6V4EqZX_vpC6V-uvGl9kaKGPDv_hLBvZcI-4Ed7qpmzcYIPwfPpXeMB1d0CNjUP0-6yKL9nU744SIAxQCFX_CAa4XzCwAjEZQn8Gq3mH-d7/s200/DSCN0733.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbUtPqO1aQ6v1DDVUOor2gHzTpXCTh4_GOBAZcdCMAFkL8B5rW6fyhIzgNWC9GL1ZASLKoKjZNvS9BPu2jZg9O0xzUdgpKaUtNMav_uBAnvR7pJImfmR2sLArL4p-nQGpPJSgaOuYqYJLG/s1600/DSCN0734.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbUtPqO1aQ6v1DDVUOor2gHzTpXCTh4_GOBAZcdCMAFkL8B5rW6fyhIzgNWC9GL1ZASLKoKjZNvS9BPu2jZg9O0xzUdgpKaUtNMav_uBAnvR7pJImfmR2sLArL4p-nQGpPJSgaOuYqYJLG/s200/DSCN0734.JPG" width="200" /></a><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq9EsyJUHBl0SaFbhyYJjyElvnKtzWoKzRuqgrXzKKQryOKi4B3kRDEzHxmy_adprWgBj8TPxbTG6xlLBtOigiKuOZrHjN4rVVhp36KVyHLLb2pJzoMgIqt_-VBAfKo5FJJJjuYFS-R0tn/s1600/DSCN0735.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq9EsyJUHBl0SaFbhyYJjyElvnKtzWoKzRuqgrXzKKQryOKi4B3kRDEzHxmy_adprWgBj8TPxbTG6xlLBtOigiKuOZrHjN4rVVhp36KVyHLLb2pJzoMgIqt_-VBAfKo5FJJJjuYFS-R0tn/s200/DSCN0735.JPG" width="200" /></a></div> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCzhhjCfO_vIVw-oaNRX8Uv3FbVtcRCA8ciqnKeX8dMQ8i7CV3A1ozxgh1mMETFOmBb1FGwJ-BFEEA7g4qZoBqVyjSkPWGgXDEnesxMzIXyzAuu45TUR81oVbzwgJBAgQ9v_LFj3sKtGDJ/s1600/DSCN0737.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCzhhjCfO_vIVw-oaNRX8Uv3FbVtcRCA8ciqnKeX8dMQ8i7CV3A1ozxgh1mMETFOmBb1FGwJ-BFEEA7g4qZoBqVyjSkPWGgXDEnesxMzIXyzAuu45TUR81oVbzwgJBAgQ9v_LFj3sKtGDJ/s200/DSCN0737.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZC16qgvyC0g3XH4-KFfCUBSADW2uEl_3MrLpHWt3SyfMpuRyjobw4GbDltqO8GsTsWmo-38h9tMQqbx199J8xSnhaedSXiZoMC-otNZ-vrxynG8hZotlJtwbuSWJI7wCfYICfbNsKgcu6/s1600/DSCN0738.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZC16qgvyC0g3XH4-KFfCUBSADW2uEl_3MrLpHWt3SyfMpuRyjobw4GbDltqO8GsTsWmo-38h9tMQqbx199J8xSnhaedSXiZoMC-otNZ-vrxynG8hZotlJtwbuSWJI7wCfYICfbNsKgcu6/s200/DSCN0738.JPG" width="200" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p> </div><div class="MsoNormal">By now, you’re probably wondering what I did everyday. Well, let me tell you…when I vacation, I <i>vacation</i>. So, my days generally consisted of the following: wake up, breakfast, window shopping/reading on the beach, lunch, reading on the beach, take a nap, happy hour, reading on the beach until sunset, dinner, roaming around, another happy hour, go to bed…..rinse and repeat!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Aside from the wonderful beach, happy hour was my favorite part of Boracay...and it was more like happy day than happy hour...the times were usually 2-8pm or 1-10pm for happy hour specials. The drinks were SO CHEAP! So, I would just tell them to keep ‘em coming! Here are some pictures of the happy hour menus….and just for a point of reference, 50 PHP = $1.15 USD (approx)</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-i0fMo8xcleUBUHfO7do8qzZljeWacXL5GVZnIBsFe3r46WfMH7MNJkVwNi68dPjgk8uN5kiUtnE9eXjEhmY-PqSHfp4ey1LcRKFcTWhBgLe0ptPIXClNn7C1VOoFPI3Rwycji58oeYOi/s1600/DSCN0722.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-i0fMo8xcleUBUHfO7do8qzZljeWacXL5GVZnIBsFe3r46WfMH7MNJkVwNi68dPjgk8uN5kiUtnE9eXjEhmY-PqSHfp4ey1LcRKFcTWhBgLe0ptPIXClNn7C1VOoFPI3Rwycji58oeYOi/s320/DSCN0722.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiebIRQUtB1Xf5QTGWB2cwYkaaOdhpsyqWLOlVUzWTldAi1Cv5xc4kX-T1XkACGX_4qx5AI6d7-ILOWQSFPEdtsjoIWO8Q78hCM_DpFGKKqGdi96tYT0Y86CZPXRn8OSVIUuWWGvWFvwXVh/s1600/DSCN0723.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiebIRQUtB1Xf5QTGWB2cwYkaaOdhpsyqWLOlVUzWTldAi1Cv5xc4kX-T1XkACGX_4qx5AI6d7-ILOWQSFPEdtsjoIWO8Q78hCM_DpFGKKqGdi96tYT0Y86CZPXRn8OSVIUuWWGvWFvwXVh/s320/DSCN0723.JPG" width="240" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p> </div><div class="MsoNormal">Here are some pictures of the food I ate while I was there…</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg2XgVXLQRn9ZBiJxk7D3RXbCDs8X-x1KEPxd7vaGaQKbSh4yN9muEWWKL5FsJIl4u0OUHK0l80ty1D6loysWBw8iEsM82RFb7dlgUUoV-JquURo-R5oHLkEmM5X3NWVIL2Fkx4zJjNHTU/s1600/DSCN0611.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg2XgVXLQRn9ZBiJxk7D3RXbCDs8X-x1KEPxd7vaGaQKbSh4yN9muEWWKL5FsJIl4u0OUHK0l80ty1D6loysWBw8iEsM82RFb7dlgUUoV-JquURo-R5oHLkEmM5X3NWVIL2Fkx4zJjNHTU/s320/DSCN0611.JPG" width="320" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin09YWT7truQ-MMvQAJ4uT02vojsLNMJH5jj8-w-llpO8QdBn6xf7t163c5iFW4c6V1m3xv_CezkyKymuA_c9lQ-sAFBY4QsTws-Bf8dQg0f3V1CfEFAbN7jXC6suYntbNiuQP2K-VKD2B/s1600/DSCN0624.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin09YWT7truQ-MMvQAJ4uT02vojsLNMJH5jj8-w-llpO8QdBn6xf7t163c5iFW4c6V1m3xv_CezkyKymuA_c9lQ-sAFBY4QsTws-Bf8dQg0f3V1CfEFAbN7jXC6suYntbNiuQP2K-VKD2B/s320/DSCN0624.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p> </div><div class="MsoNormal">All in all, it was a great trip, and I’m really glad I decided to go to the Philippines. There are some things that I would do differently if I decide to go back, but I certainly don’t regret going. I highly recommend Boracay as a great place for a solo getaway, as you can do as much, or as little as you want. I’ll end this blog with a couple of things….the cost breakdown of the money I spent on transportation to/from Boracay (to illustrate that I should have just paid the extra money and departed from Seoul instead of Busan) and my lessons learned from this trip.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Transportation Costs:</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;"></div><ul><li>Seoul to Busan KTX – 48,600 KRW</li>
<li>Airport Limousine from KTX to Busan Airport – 5,000 KRW (dep)</li>
<li>Flight : Busan – Manila (RT) – 291,200 KRW (inclusive of baggage fees each way)</li>
<li>Flight : Manila – Boracay (RT) – 199,000 KRW (inclusive of baggage fees each way)</li>
<li>Boracay Airport Domestic Passenger Terminal Fee – 528 KRW</li>
<li>Manila Airport Domestic Passenger Terminal Fee – 5,300 KRW</li>
<li>Manila Airport User’s Charge – 19,800 KRW</li>
<li>Jetty Port Fees - 4,600 KRW each way</li>
<li>Airport Limousine from Busan Airport to KTX– 5,000 KRW (ret)</li>
<li>Busan to Seoul KTX – 55,500 KRW</li>
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">Lessons learned:</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"></div><ul><li>Don’t travel to another city for a cheap departure flight. The cost, time, and headache to get to/from that city cancel out any money you may have “saved” by booking a cheaper flight.</li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span>I’m not a backpacker hostel type of girl. While I’m super-frugal and always looking for a good deal on accommodations, I’m not willing to sacrifice comfort, convenience, and restful sleep during my vacation just to save a few pennies.</li>
<li>Remember to inquire about whether or not your hotel/motel/hostel/guesthouse provides towels.</li>
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</div><!--EndFragment-->504GlobeTrotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10688585081552779771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4738913247990641323.post-89926109923600229682011-11-18T14:37:00.001+09:002011-11-18T14:59:42.500+09:00BSSK<div class="MsoNormal">Many people have been amazed at how many people I know here in South Korea, considering the fact that I’ve only been here for a little more than three months. Want to know my secret? Networking. If SBI taught me nothing else, I know how to network. At the beginning of my research about teaching in South Korea, I was reading a TON of blogs, and many of them were written by people who were giving their perspective on being a black ESL/EFL teacher in South Korea. One of those sites (<a href="http://theblackeslteacher.blogspot.com/">http://theblackeslteacher.blogspot.com/</a>) featured a link to the Brothas & Sistas of South Korea group on Facebook, and, as they say, the rest is history!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Joining this group so far ahead of my actual arrival in South Korea was an absolute lifesaver. I was able to get a plethora of information about various aspects of life in South Korea, and had a forum in which I could ask questions and compare notes with people that were either thinking about heading over there, were already or there, or had been there.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Being a part of the group helped to ease many of my concerns about coming over here, and I don’t think my transition over would have been as smooth without them. As a matter of fact, when I booked my flight over, I had to make sure that I would arrive no later than Friday, July 29, because the July BSSK Meet & Greet was on Saturday, July 30, and there was no way I was willing to miss it! Luckily, everything went smoothly with my flight, and I arrived in South Korea on Friday afternoon. Friday night, I went to the pub here at EV for a going away party (more on that in a later blog) and got instructions on how to get into Seoul, and find my way to Itaewon, the foreigner district. Groggy-eyed and jet-lagged, but ever so determined, I found my way to the Trick Art Museum, an outing that was planned to coincide with the Meet & Greet, so that people who come from far away can go to a couple of events and not have to make multiple trips into Seoul.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The Trick Art Museum is a building full of optical illusions. Most of the walls are painted with different scenes, and when you stand a certain way in front of them, it looks like you are a part of what’s happening. Here are some of the cool photos we took while there…</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">Interestingly enough, I just found out a few weeks ago that we have the exact same type of exhibit here at EV in our Exhibition Hall (which is a building I still have never set foot in), so whenever I decide to go over there, I’ll post some pictures from that one as well.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">After a couple of hours at the Museum, we headed over to Hollywood Grill in Itaewon for the Meet & Greet. Over the course of the afternoon, Hollywood Grill became packed with people who were there for the Meet & Greet. I’d say there were at least 60 people there. We ate, we drank, we had a couple of Spades tournaments going on, we played Taboo, and best of all, we networked and we fellowshipped. It was a great event, and I felt very welcome in my new BSSK family. As it got later, the jet-lag was beginning to overcome all of the excitement, and I had to head back to Paju before overwhelming fatigue would hit me like a brick wall. Even though I fully intended to stay up until about 10pm so I could get my body adjusted to its new time schedule, I didn’t want to run the risk of falling asleep on the subway or bus and miss my stop, so I left around 7pm or so. My first full day in this new land was a success, and I am now a regular attendee of BSSK events! Here are some pictures from the event…</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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For anyone of color that is reading this and is considering teaching in South Korea, at the top of this page, there is a link to the BSSK Facebook group.504GlobeTrotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10688585081552779771noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4738913247990641323.post-62555575132716301892011-10-21T14:37:00.000+09:002011-10-21T14:37:24.142+09:00Party Like a RoKstar<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves>false</w:TrackMoves> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing> <w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing> <w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:DontAutofitConstrainedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> </w:Compatibility> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="276"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--> <!--[if gte mso 10]> <style>
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<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;">“Not everyone will understand this, but sometimes I’m reminded how great it is to have a shield to lean on.” – Soror Carole Peters</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;">Truer words have never been spoken.<span> </span>From a few weeks after my arrival up until now, most of my weekends have been spent partying like a rockstar with the RoKstars, which is name that we’ve adopted to represent the Republic of Korea Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;">Yes, people….we have a chapter in South Korea!<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;">(And so do the other BGLOs)<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;">When I tell you that my time here would be so completely different if I didn’t have these ladies in my life, it’s not an understatement.<span> </span>It makes a difference when, thousands of miles away from home, you have so many people that you can count on, party with, cry with, celebrate with, and overall enjoy being around—Delta sorors in the best sense of the word.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;">Some of us are English teachers, some of us are military, and some of us work for the government, but ALL of us are awesome. :-)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLLVfTuIMDqt4_B2Ry3rB5NhMJmHQARw4Bhkpe5xzlzpRFy2WTQY6Rm4ygpIVZJywINtItuxufUTV75MyDObYemdXovg_pBL-0rupEzXpBAbIP5z4_D-pA2RHuk2xE7u3UqTGFQpzmDMqA/s1600/291781_280702265288639_100000466026362_1156885_1622177264_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLLVfTuIMDqt4_B2Ry3rB5NhMJmHQARw4Bhkpe5xzlzpRFy2WTQY6Rm4ygpIVZJywINtItuxufUTV75MyDObYemdXovg_pBL-0rupEzXpBAbIP5z4_D-pA2RHuk2xE7u3UqTGFQpzmDMqA/s320/291781_280702265288639_100000466026362_1156885_1622177264_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;">This not everyone in the chapter, but it’s just a few of us that got together for an impromptu photo shoot one Saturday morning.<o:p></o:p></span></div><!--EndFragment-->504GlobeTrotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10688585081552779771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4738913247990641323.post-36614201496175696342011-09-29T13:52:00.002+09:002011-10-21T14:37:58.144+09:00Made in Japan<div class="MsoNormal">Interestingly enough, I found out that students from other countries come to English Village as well. The first week I was here, there was a group of Russian students who were here taking classes. They were certainly a handful…and, unfortunately, none of them brought any good vodka, which would have made dealing with them quite a bit easier.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">A few weeks later, we had a group of about 18 students come over from Japan. Many of us were surprised, especially considering that Koreans pretty much hate Japanese folks. (If you want to know why, Google it.) </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Well, we teachers all agreed that we’d be happy to replace our unruly Korean students with this group ANY day. When they first arrived they were overwhelmingly shy and quiet, but over time, they began to come out of their shell, and we had one of the best weeks since my arrival with our Japanese students. They were sweet, loved to participate, and best of all, they were very well-behaved. There were two girls who had extremely high English communication skills because they attend International Schools in Japan, but even the other students were able to successfully communicate as well.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">One of the best nights we had was during Dance Party. (Yes, there’s really a class called “Dance Party.”) In order for me not to become tragically bored with the God-awful chicken dance, hamster dance, and Macarena, I have to entertain myself by teaching some of my favorite urban dances. So, once I took over it was time for “Teach Me How to Dougie” and “The Wobble.” I grabbed my camera, which, thankfully, has a video function, so I recorded my students doing “The Wobble.” </div><div class="MsoNormal">I apologize for the jumpiness of the video, but I was recording while I was also dancing, because the students were copying whatever I was doing. </div><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">Note: I do have a video of the comedy that transpired during “Teach Me How to Dougie,” however, one of the other teachers asked that I not post that video on the internet, so I will respect her wishes. However, if you happen to see me on the streets, feel free to ask me to see it…it’s PRICELESS! Ha!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The apple of everyone’s eye was this little kid named Ryo…and I have to agree, he was the cutest kid ever. Not to take anything away from the other kids, but he was just adorable. He wore this cute purple hat every day, and we all wanted to swipe it. Believe me, if I could wear regular hats, I would have tried to buy it from him! (In the slideshow below, there’s a picture of him from when I put him in charge of holding the clipboard for the class.)</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">When the week came to an end, we were all quite sad when it was time for them to leave. I hadn’t seen so many teachers taking pictures of and with students since I arrived…and we urged them all to come back again next year. (Trust me, this ain’t the Apple Store…at EV you have to be really awesome to get an Invitation to Return! LOL) So, here’s hoping that we get to see them again next year…</div><div class="MsoNormal"><div><br />
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Next Up: Party Like a RoKstar504GlobeTrotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10688585081552779771noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4738913247990641323.post-52917851404917593592011-09-20T15:43:00.001+09:002011-09-28T14:47:29.666+09:00Breaking the Mold<div class="MsoNormal">Sniff, sniff…</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">What’s that smell?</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">MOLD.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Yep, you read correctly: MOLD.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">EV has a serious problem with mold, and no one seems to be concerned about it. They certainly should be, because, while there is some green mold, most of it is that nasty black mold….you know the kind that I’m talking about…</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The kind of black mold that crept up the walls of flooded houses after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The kind of black mold that, when inhaled in large quantities, will cause serious respiratory issues. The kind of black mold that exudes a stench so strong and horrible that it will bring a grown person to tears.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Yep, that kind of mold.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Despite the fact that mold is a common problem here, there are NO mold abatement processes employed to remove it, prevent it from growing, or eliminate the problem altogether. Their solution: Paint over it. Yeah….like that really works.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We have several classrooms and facilities that I won’t even go to because the smell will knock you out as you come in the door. You can’t actually see the mold anywhere in there, but it lives in the carpets, the furniture, and the walls—behind all that white paint.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">On the surface, EV looks like the picture of all things well-manicured, but, when you look closer, that’s not really the case. When I arrived, the landscaping and shrubs were severely overgrown, and continued to get worse. I took the pictures below a couple of weeks before they finally decided to hire people to make the place look like it wouldn’t be overrun with weeds in the next few seconds. It looks a lot better now, but there’s still quite a bit of work that needs to be done.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">In speaking with a coworker that has been here a lot longer, she says that EV used to be a really beautiful place that was always in top-notch condition. However, over the years, as priorities have shifted and budgets have been cut, some of the important things are being allowed to slip through the cracks.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">But, I venture to say, that if they let these things fall through the cracks that affect quality of life and working conditions for the people that work here, they’ll be letting quite a few employees fall through the cracks as well.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">Next Up: Made in Japan</div>504GlobeTrotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10688585081552779771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4738913247990641323.post-84395979677752457402011-09-20T15:02:00.001+09:002011-09-20T15:26:11.504+09:00Puppy Envy<div class="MsoNormal">So those of you who know me know that I’ve wanted to get a dog since FOREVER, but, due to various living situations and circumstances, I haven’t been in a position to get one. So I arrived at the English Village, and it seemed like EVERYone had a pet! Dogs and cats abound! Everything I read before coming here led me to believe that it was just an incredible hassle to have pets here in Korea as an English teacher, but here at EV, it seems to not be a problem at all. (I’ll have to survey teachers in other schools and cities to see what things are like where they are.)</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Exactly 2 weeks into my stay, on Monday, August 15, my friend Caleb surprised us all and came back to EV with the cutest little Yorkie! I didn’t actually see him come back with the dog, someone else did, but word gets around here faster than it did in high school. LOL</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I had to work until 9 that evening, so I went to visit straightaway after clocking out. I start in on a 20 Questions session to find out about how this particular Yorkie came to be the newest EV resident. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Apparently, there’s a veterinary clinic south of Seoul called Dr. Pet that has animals available for adoption. And, for the small amount of 50,000KRW, a little Yorkie named Sam joined the ranks with all the other EV mascots.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Later that week, we ventured to the vet to have Sam checked out, and make sure he was a healthy little rascal. Unfortunately, things did not work out in our favor. (I like how I just used “our” as if Sam is my dog, too! LOL) It turns out that Sam had heartworms and needed extensive treatment, which is still in progress as of this blog’s publishing date.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">Despite all of this, hanging out with Sam has done nothing to quell the enormous amount of puppy envy that I have. I almost responded to a post on a website from someone who was moving to Oman and was GIVING AWAY her Yorkie because she couldn’t take it with her. It was hard to resist, but I did. Oh well, in the meantime, I have Sam, as well as my Soror’s dog, Bruno (pictured below) to keep me company.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><div><br />
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<center><embed align="middle" flashvars="cy=bb&il=1&channel=1945555039052021062&site=widget-46.slide.com" name="flashticker" quality="high" salign="l" scale="noscale" src="http://widget-46.slide.com/widgets/slideticker.swf" style="height: 320px; width: 400px;" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent"></embed><div style="text-align: left; width: 400px;"><a href="http://www.slide.com/pivot?cy=bb&at=un&id=1945555039052021062&map=1" target="_blank"><img border="0" ismap="ismap" src="http://widget-46.slide.com/p1/1945555039052021062/bb_t016_v000_s0un_f00/images/xslide1.gif" /></a> <a href="http://www.slide.com/pivot?cy=bb&at=un&id=1945555039052021062&map=2" target="_blank"><img border="0" ismap="ismap" src="http://widget-46.slide.com/p2/1945555039052021062/bb_t016_v000_s0un_f00/images/xslide2.gif" /></a> <a href="http://www.slide.com/pivot?cy=bb&at=un&id=1945555039052021062&map=F" target="_blank"><img border="0" ismap="ismap" src="http://widget-46.slide.com/p4/1945555039052021062/bb_t016_v000_s0un_f00/images/xslide42.gif" /></a><br />
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<br />
</div></center></div></div>Up Next: Breaking the Mold504GlobeTrotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10688585081552779771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4738913247990641323.post-30649187851946345022011-09-19T15:19:00.000+09:002011-09-19T15:19:19.211+09:00The Village People<div class="MsoNormal">What would an English Village be without the Village People?</div><div class="MsoNormal">Well, it certainly wouldn’t be English, I can tell you that!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The English Village employs around 80-something foreign teachers in its various programs. We have teachers to represent each of the countries from which South Korea allows its English Teachers: USA, Canada, England, South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, and Ireland. With so many different backgrounds, there’s a slew of different personalities and accompanying accents, but overall, it’s a fun place to work. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">These are pictures of many of the folks I work with….</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
<div><embed align="middle" flashvars="cy=lt&il=1&channel=1945555039051983341&site=widget-ed.slide.com" name="flashticker" quality="high" salign="l" scale="noscale" src="http://widget-ed.slide.com/widgets/slideticker.swf" style="height: 475px; width: 600px;" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent"></embed><br />
<div style="text-align: left; width: 600px;"><a href="http://www.slide.com/pivot?cy=lt&at=un&id=1945555039051983341&map=1" target="_blank"><img border="0" ismap="ismap" src="http://widget-ed.slide.com/p1/1945555039051983341/lt_t016_v000_s0un_f00/images/xslide1.gif" /></a> <a href="http://www.slide.com/pivot?cy=lt&at=un&id=1945555039051983341&map=2" target="_blank"><img border="0" ismap="ismap" src="http://widget-ed.slide.com/p2/1945555039051983341/lt_t016_v000_s0un_f00/images/xslide2.gif" /></a> <a href="http://www.slide.com/pivot?cy=lt&at=un&id=1945555039051983341&map=F" target="_blank"><img border="0" ismap="ismap" src="http://widget-ed.slide.com/p4/1945555039051983341/lt_t016_v000_s0un_f00/images/xslide42.gif" /></a></div></div><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Up Next: Puppy Envy</div>504GlobeTrotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10688585081552779771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4738913247990641323.post-89211044496152767762011-08-27T01:49:00.001+09:002011-09-19T15:20:08.722+09:00Check Up on It!One of the most notable requirements to be an English teacher in South Korea is the successful completion of a medical exam….in South Korea. So even after you’ve done everything it takes to get hired, get your paperwork, get everything approved, get a plane ticket, get an E-2 visa, and get yourself over here, you’re still not in the clear. If you are unable to pass the medical exam, you’re outta here. You become ineligible for an Alien Registration Card, your visa gets revoked, you get dishonorably discharged from your contract, and you have to find your way back to the states on your own dime.<br />
<br />
Although it has created some level of anticipation for many English teachers, the exam itself really isn’t that bad. It’s pretty straightforward, and includes the following:<br />
<br />
<ul><li>Height, Weight, and Blood Pressure</li>
<li>Provide a Urine Sample</li>
<li>Chest X-ray</li>
<li>Blood Sample</li>
<li>5-item questionnaire with the doctor on duty regarding your general health (Do you smoke? Do you drink? Do you take drugs? Do you exercise? Do you take medication?)</li>
</ul><br />
So, on Thursday, August 11, I went to the hospital along with another one of the new teachers at EV, driven by the new HR guy. We were in an out in about an hour, including various wait times. Overall, there’s nothing too exciting to share about the experience, but I thought I’d share nonetheless.<br />
<br />
<div><br />
<br />
<center><embed align="middle" flashvars="cy=bb&il=1&channel=1945555039051951660&site=widget-2c.slide.com" name="flashticker" quality="high" salign="l" scale="noscale" src="http://widget-2c.slide.com/widgets/slideticker.swf" style="height: 375px; width: 400px;" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent"></embed><div style="text-align: left; width: 400px;"><a href="http://www.slide.com/pivot?cy=bb&at=un&id=1945555039051951660&map=1" target="_blank"><img border="0" ismap="ismap" src="http://widget-2c.slide.com/p1/1945555039051951660/bb_t000_v000_s0un_f00/images/xslide1.gif" /></a> <a href="http://www.slide.com/pivot?cy=bb&at=un&id=1945555039051951660&map=2" target="_blank"><img border="0" ismap="ismap" src="http://widget-2c.slide.com/p2/1945555039051951660/bb_t000_v000_s0un_f00/images/xslide2.gif" /></a> <a href="http://www.slide.com/pivot?cy=bb&at=un&id=1945555039051951660&map=F" target="_blank"><img border="0" ismap="ismap" src="http://widget-2c.slide.com/p4/1945555039051951660/bb_t000_v000_s0un_f00/images/xslide42.gif" /></a></div></center></div><br />
I would like to point out a few things about my slideshow:<br />
<br />
<br />
<ul><li>This occurred at a small local hospital in Paju. This is not a major hospital, so it is not equipped as such. However, there are a ton of national and world-renowned hospitals throughout South Korea. Please do not send me any messages talking about how I’m going to die from inadequate care if something happens to me in SoKo. LOL</li>
<li>No one can ever find my veins, and that remained true during this visit. The nurse had to take blood from my hand because that is where my veins were most prominent. They were nowhere to be found in the traditional location. Please do not send me any messages talking about how nurses in SoKo don’t know how to take blood. LOL</li>
<li>I took a picture of the guy sitting at the desk because he looked like a patient that had escaped his room just to use the computer at the front entrance. But if that were the case, it’s not very rare. Apparently, if you’re a patient in a Korean hospital, you can leave the hospital to do stuff, like go get something to eat, run errands, etc. I guess they just give you a to-go bag for your IV as long as you come back at night for your meds? I don’t know. I’d assume that this system only works for ambulatory patients, but I thought I’d just comment on it anyway.</li>
<li>The other pictures are either very explanatory, or pictures of random posters I saw while at the hospital. Please don’t ask me what they say. I don’t know. Google it. :-)</li>
</ul><br />
Up Next: The Village People504GlobeTrotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10688585081552779771noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4738913247990641323.post-25143455500052682452011-08-26T16:30:00.000+09:002011-08-26T16:30:35.615+09:00It Takes a VillageI figured it would be a good idea to dedicate a blog entry to showcasing the grounds of the Gyeonggi English Village (hereinafter referred to as EV). EV is located in Paju, which is a suburb of Seoul, about 40 minutes away via the 2200 bus. There are other ways to get to Seoul, but they’ll take a lot longer.<br />
<br />
These pictures are in no way meant to give you an idea of what it looks like in South Korea. EV was built to resemble buildings that you might see somewhere in England. Due to this fact, and considering that there probably around 80+ English-speaking foreigners working here, most days I don’t feel like I even live in a foreign country. It is a gated community sitting atop some of the highest of Paju’s rolling hills, surrounded by lush greenery and small pockets of art galleries and restaurants.<br />
<br />
The campus includes several classroom buildings with computer labs, a sports complex, a cafeteria, an English Pub, Italian restaurant, fried chicken joint, bakery, coffee and ice cream shop, City Hall, Concert Hall, Exhibition Hall, dorm-style hotels for visiting students, and apartment-style housing for the teachers. There is also a bank, post office, and convenience store, which serve double-duty as both fully-functional operations and learning experiences for the students and other visitors.<br />
<br />
<div><br />
<center><embed align="middle" flashvars="cy=lt&il=1&channel=1945555039051948800&site=widget-00.slide.com" name="flashticker" quality="high" salign="l" scale="noscale" src="http://widget-00.slide.com/widgets/slideticker.swf" style="height: 475px; width: 600px;" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent"></embed><div style="text-align: left; width: 600px;"><a href="http://www.slide.com/pivot?cy=lt&at=un&id=1945555039051948800&map=1" target="_blank"><img border="0" ismap="ismap" src="http://widget-00.slide.com/p1/1945555039051948800/lt_t001_v000_s0un_f00/images/xslide1.gif" /></a> <a href="http://www.slide.com/pivot?cy=lt&at=un&id=1945555039051948800&map=2" target="_blank"><img border="0" ismap="ismap" src="http://widget-00.slide.com/p2/1945555039051948800/lt_t001_v000_s0un_f00/images/xslide2.gif" /></a> <a href="http://www.slide.com/pivot?cy=lt&at=un&id=1945555039051948800&map=F" target="_blank"><img border="0" ismap="ismap" src="http://widget-00.slide.com/p4/1945555039051948800/lt_t001_v000_s0un_f00/images/xslide42.gif" /></a></div></center></div><br />
Interestingly enough, EV is also used quite frequently to film commercials, movies, and music videos. There have already been quite a few film crews on site over the past four weeks that I’ve been here. In several pictures in the slideshow below, you’ll see some fake snow/bubbles on the set…they were supposedly shooting a laundry detergent commercial. I was able to take quite a few pictures before one of the people on set yelled, “No photo, no photo!” But, I just went to a different side of the set, or took pictures through a window to get shots of the set. In some other photos, it looked like they were shooting a wedding send-off for a car commercial. The “bride” is supposed to be some famous Korean model, but of course, none of us knew who she was. (I almost never know who any of the famous American people are, let alone the Korean ones! LOL) <br />
<br />
Apparently, a lot of companies shoot here because this is one of the few places in Korea that you can shoot something with English or European style backdrops and architecture, without having to build a set from scratch. The funny thing is, there’s almost nowhere in either of these places where you’ll find only Koreans…so, I have made myself available for cameo appearances…you know, for diversity’s sake. No one has approached me to be an extra on their set just yet, but if they do, you’ll be the first to know! <br />
<br />
<div><br />
<center><embed align="middle" flashvars="cy=lt&il=1&channel=1945555039051950948&site=widget-64.slide.com" name="flashticker" quality="high" salign="l" scale="noscale" src="http://widget-64.slide.com/widgets/slideticker.swf" style="height: 475px; width: 600px;" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent"></embed><div style="text-align: left; width: 600px;"><a href="http://www.slide.com/pivot?cy=lt&at=un&id=1945555039051950948&map=1" target="_blank"><img border="0" ismap="ismap" src="http://widget-64.slide.com/p1/1945555039051950948/lt_t001_v000_s0un_f00/images/xslide1.gif" /></a> <a href="http://www.slide.com/pivot?cy=lt&at=un&id=1945555039051950948&map=2" target="_blank"><img border="0" ismap="ismap" src="http://widget-64.slide.com/p2/1945555039051950948/lt_t001_v000_s0un_f00/images/xslide2.gif" /></a> <a href="http://www.slide.com/pivot?cy=lt&at=un&id=1945555039051950948&map=F" target="_blank"><img border="0" ismap="ismap" src="http://widget-64.slide.com/p4/1945555039051950948/lt_t001_v000_s0un_f00/images/xslide42.gif" /></a></div></center></div><br />
Up Next: Check Up on It504GlobeTrotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10688585081552779771noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4738913247990641323.post-25706716226124514542011-08-18T18:47:00.007+09:002011-08-26T16:45:12.519+09:00On-Time Arrival<div class="MsoNormal">By the time I get off the plane, it is now Friday, July 29, 2011.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">After deplaning, and working my way through the maze of corridors, people movers, escalators, I finally made my way to the Immigration counter. Everything went through without a hitch, and I approached the area I was dreading: Baggage Claim!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Now, if you’ll remember, there was a nice skycap that took care of my bags as soon as we pulled up. But now, I was alone, so I had to strategize, because there was no one in sight. I grabbed a SmartCarte, but then quickly realized that one would not be enough for all I carried, so I snagged another one. (Unlike in the US, luggage carts are FREE in foreign airports!) My plan was to put 2 of my large suitcases on one cart, then the rolling duffel and the carryon suitcase on the other, and then split my other random bags between the two. As soon as I started unloading my bags from the conveyor belt, I was kicking myself for having packed so much stuff…I mean, I know I was going to be away for an entire year, but did I really need alllllllll that stuff I packed? </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Well, yes.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">And then, he appeared: a skycap! As soon as I saw him, I flagged him down before any of those other folks got to him….and not a minute too soon! He was so determined to help me on his own, but it looked like my luggage weighed more than he did! LOL Bless his heart, he wouldn’t even let me help him. But oh well, that was his perogative, so I just followed behind.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">After a quick stop to change over some cash from US Dollars to Korean Won, we were on our way. As soon as we got through the doors, I found my driver, who had a sign waiting for me. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicKxnJRP4C5y6OXCg1vXcWeuJSWWbO_6THCBJeJmaJJKnE5zZY2twQMl0xy5vLoXXQWjrq0GYwD3U7VQyuxZWLuHF-cmV72fFhrS0DiXN8UBj4Ne0pnbtEfj5Bec8lMr2YixnNTDqc0uE0/s1600/DSCN0011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicKxnJRP4C5y6OXCg1vXcWeuJSWWbO_6THCBJeJmaJJKnE5zZY2twQMl0xy5vLoXXQWjrq0GYwD3U7VQyuxZWLuHF-cmV72fFhrS0DiXN8UBj4Ne0pnbtEfj5Bec8lMr2YixnNTDqc0uE0/s320/DSCN0011.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p> </div><div class="MsoNormal">He exchanged some words with the skycap, and then we went on our way to load up the vehicle that would take me to my home for the next year.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTWigjb3VSVEiD8fH1cIU21oPNxKH-vaYTlToXdNO00LE08r4TrmXH9CDr2yPmZhtRKq5OVbjt322wRvKEF_zzUVpWQfeBeyS2ox9h0j7cQDr9yTn5m1lcDtLyS7tViheZ6wwabmlXkuuj/s1600/DSCN0013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTWigjb3VSVEiD8fH1cIU21oPNxKH-vaYTlToXdNO00LE08r4TrmXH9CDr2yPmZhtRKq5OVbjt322wRvKEF_zzUVpWQfeBeyS2ox9h0j7cQDr9yTn5m1lcDtLyS7tViheZ6wwabmlXkuuj/s320/DSCN0013.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p><br />
</o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">It was a pretty uneventful trip to Paju from the airport, and here are some pictures that I took along the way.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
<div><center><embed src="http://widget-c4.slide.com/widgets/slideticker.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" quality="high" scale="noscale" salign="l" wmode="transparent" flashvars="cy=bb&il=1&channel=1945555039051948228&site=widget-c4.slide.com" style="width:400px;height:400px" name="flashticker" align="middle"></embed><div style="width:400px;text-align:left;"><a href="http://www.slide.com/pivot?cy=bb&at=un&id=1945555039051948228&map=1" target="_blank"><img src="http://widget-c4.slide.com/p1/1945555039051948228/bb_t024_v000_s0un_f00/images/xslide1.gif" border="0" ismap="ismap" /></a> <a href="http://www.slide.com/pivot?cy=bb&at=un&id=1945555039051948228&map=2" target="_blank"><img src="http://widget-c4.slide.com/p2/1945555039051948228/bb_t024_v000_s0un_f00/images/xslide2.gif" border="0" ismap="ismap" /></a> <a href="http://www.slide.com/pivot?cy=bb&at=un&id=1945555039051948228&map=F" target="_blank"><img src="http://widget-c4.slide.com/p4/1945555039051948228/bb_t024_v000_s0un_f00/images/xslide42.gif" border="0" ismap="ismap" /></a></div></div></center><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Next Up: It Takes a Village</div>504GlobeTrotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10688585081552779771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4738913247990641323.post-14086074765740089702011-08-12T19:58:00.007+09:002011-08-26T16:42:32.022+09:00Up, Up and Away!It’s Thursday, July 28, 2011.<br />
<br />
I didn’t wake up that morning because I never went to bed the night before. The first of my three-legged journey was to begin promptly at 6:00am, which meant that I needed to be at the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport around 4:00am. Couple that with an insane to-do list, and some last-minute packing, and there was no way I could squeeze in any shut-eye.<br />
<br />
At some time around 3:45am, we had packed up the truck and were on our way to the airport. When we pulled up to the Departures curb, we were immediately greeted by a friendly skycap, who I had to disappoint by informing him that I had to go inside to check in for an international flight. He called over some other guy, who, upon seeing the massive amount of luggage with which I had arrived, said, “I sho’ hope you flyin’ first class!”<br />
<br />
Well, of course I was! LOL<br />
<br />
He loaded up my luggage and brought it inside. There was a bunch of people standing around waiting at the Delta ticket counter. Why, you ask? Because Delta wasn’t open yet! Thankfully, I was the first person to arrive in the Priority line, but I was still annoyed that there was no one to check people in at 4:00am for flights leaving as early as 6:00am. Don’t they advise you to be at the airport at least 2 hours ahead of time? What’s the point of that if they’re not even going to be there to check you in?<br />
<br />
Well, someone finally showed up, and we began the check-in process….and this is how that went:<br />
<br />
Agent: “Where are you headed today?”<br />
Me: “Seoul, South Korea.”<br />
Agent: “Let me have your passport, please.”<br />
(I hand it to her, and she carries on with some typing and swiping.)<br />
Agent: “Do you have a return flight?”<br />
Me: “No, I do not.”<br />
(She does some more typing and reading.)<br />
Agent: “Are you in the military?”<br />
Me: “No, I am not.”<br />
(More typing and reading.)<br />
Agent: “I’m sorry, ma’am. United States citizens cannot travel to South Korea unless you have a return flight.”<br />
(Insert whatever level of dread and doom you deem sufficient to make your insides feel like you’re going to have a heart attack and die….)<br />
<br />
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. How in the world could anyone have forgotten to tell me that I needed to have booked a return flight at SOME point in the future in order to even make it to South Korea? You wouldn’t believe how many thoughts ran through my mind at that time. I was like OMG, all this work and effort and time and money and heart and emotions and everything I put into this adventure is about to go down the tubes all because I don’t have a stinkin’ RETURN ticket?!?!?!?!?!...I’m going to have to crawl back to the Apple store and beg and grovel to try to get my job back…I can’t believe this is happening to me….is this some sort of joke….why, why, WHYYYYYYYYYYYY?<br />
<br />
And then: the light bulb—I have the magic answer!<br />
<br />
Me: “But I have a work visa.”<br />
(And then I hold my breath…)<br />
<br />
And then after some more typing and reading and typing and reading….finally she says, “Ok, you’re good. Here are your boarding passes, and your bags are checked all the way through to Seoul.”<br />
<br />
>>>Insert the largest sigh of relief EVER!<<< <br />
<br />
Whew….Thank God!<br />
<br />
After hanging out with my parents for a bit and saying our goodbyes, I go through security with no issue. I was slightly apprehensive that someone would say something about the FOUR bags that I was trying to get through security: My backpack, my purse, the shopping bag with my rainboots, AND my 22” rolling suitcase full of shoes. Luckily no one saw….or, if they did see, they didn’t say anything. Either way, I make it through security unscathed.<br />
<br />
Truth be told, I remember absolutely NOTHING of the first two legs of my trip…remember how I told you I didn’t go to bed that night? Yeah, well it caught up with me as soon as I sat down in my seat. I went to sleep on the ground in New Orleans and woke up on the ground in Memphis. I went back to sleep on the ground in Memphis and woke up on the ground in Detroit. (Never under-estimate the power of a great neck pillow!)<br />
<br />
Once I got off the plane in Detroit, I had quite a hike to get to the terminal where my flight to Seoul would be departing from. By the time I found the gate, they had already started boarding! I was disappointed that I didn’t have enough time to visit the Duty-Free store before I got on the plane, but oh well….buying cheap liquor wasn’t worth risking missing my flight to Seoul, so on the plane I went.<br />
<br />
Once I boarded the plane and hooked that left instead of a right, I was in heaven. Just as I expected the plane I was on had the fancy new lie-flat seats in B-class, so I was a happy camper. There were only 9 of us out of 28 seats in that first section, so needless to say, the flight was very peaceful. Upon getting settled in my seat, and after toasting the guy across the aisle with my customary mimosa, I said a prayer and we took off. <br />
<br />
All of the meals and drinks were great, and the selection of in-flight entertainment was pretty extensive. I saw a few movies, one of which was The Lincoln Lawyer, which was VERY good. (You should see it.) I only took a short nap, and I stayed awake for the bulk of the 13-14 hour flight, which went by pretty quickly. Before I knew it, I was looking out the window and staring down at South Korea!<br />
<br />
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Next Up: On-Time Arrival504GlobeTrotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10688585081552779771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4738913247990641323.post-48544394085568044642011-08-12T16:38:00.003+09:002011-08-18T23:35:12.776+09:00From There to Here<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">This blog entry will take you from start to finish, in terms of the steps I took to getting my job here in South Korea.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>Required Documentation</b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Resume<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The resume that you use to get an English teaching job in Korea is not the same kind you would use to find a different type of job in the States. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Your resume should include the following at the very top:</div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><ul><li>Full name, mailing address, phone number, and email address</li>
<li>Skype ID (if you don’t have Skype, get it)</li>
<li>Country of Citizenship</li>
<li>Native Language</li>
<li>Marital/Familial Status (yes, they do ask, and yes, you have to tell them)</li>
<li>Visa Document Status – I listed mine as follows, but obviously you would put whatever applies to you:</li>
<ul><li>FBI Criminal Background Check with Apostille – yes, in hand</li>
<li>Diploma(s) with Apostille – yes, in hand</li>
<li>Official Transcript(s) – yes, in hand</li>
</ul><li>Any international travel/study abroad experiences</li>
<li>Any teaching experience, paid or volunteer</li>
</ul><div class="MsoNormal">Then, you would follow this with traditional resume information, i.e. Educational Background and Professional Work Experience.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">FBI Check & Apostille<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">This is probably one of the most important things that you need to make sure you order EARLY. It will take at least four weeks, and sometimes as long as eight, to get your FBI background check back from DC.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">You need to order your FBI check not earlier than 6 months before your earliest anticipated start date. You cannot get a visa with an FBI check that is more than 6 months old.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Here is a link to the site with the information on what you need to do to get it:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/background-checks/background_checks">http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/background-checks/background_checks</a></div><div class="MsoNormal">If you click the link next to option 1, it will lead you to step-by-step instructions for everything you’ll need, as well as a link to a checklist to make sure you have it all.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Once you get your FBI background check back, you’ll have to get an Apostille placed on it by the U.S. Department of State office. The information for obtaining the Apostille can be found here: <a href="http://www.state.gov/m/a/auth/">http://www.state.gov/m/a/auth/</a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">NOTE: I was able to have my FBI background check apostilled by the Louisiana Secretary of State because I had it notarized by a Louisiana notary first. Please be advised that most states will NOT Apostille your FBI check, they will require you to send it to the U.S. Department of State office. You MUST check with your state to find out what they will and will not do….just like laws, the process WILL vary.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">TEFL Certificate<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.teflonline.com/">http://www.teflonline.com/</a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">TEFL stands for Teaching English as a Foreign Language. I earned my TEFL Certificate through a company called Bridge Linguatec. I chose them because I was living in Denver at the time, and I passed by their headquarters almost every day. In other words, I knew they were LEGIT, which is important to me when shelling out dough. The course I did was primarily online, but it did include an in-class component, whereby I spent a Saturday and a Sunday at their Denver location, in a class with 3 other people, and a certified instructor. It was definitely a valuable experience just to network with other aspiring teachers, as well as to interact with the instructor.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">There are so many certification options available out there, but I think the TEFL Certificate is going to be your most basic one. I considered going all in and getting a CELTA or DELTA, but in the end, those are considerably more expensive than a TEFL Certificate. My advice, for anyone who’s looking to start teaching English abroad, especially in Korea, is to just get a TEFL Certificate. It’ll cost you a couple hundred bucks, but it’ll help make you more marketable for teaching positions for those times when a certification is listed as “preferred” instead of “required.” If, after your first year or so of teaching, you decide that teaching English is where you’d like to take your career, then it’s a good idea to head for a CELTA or DELTA, or maybe even a Masters degree, if you’d like to go that route.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Please note: If you choose to do a TEFL Certificate, it MUST be at least a 100-hour course. Places that require them generally will not recognize a course that is less than 100 hours.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">This particular company sent out the certificate in a PDF format, so I was already good to go. But if you use a different company, and they send you a paper certificate instead, be sure to scan it to a PDF file.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Transcripts<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">You will want to order at least four sets of transcripts from schools where you earned a degree: 1 unofficial set, and 3 official sets. Personally, I ordered 1 unofficial set, and 6 official sets. I know, I know…overkill…but I did that because I planned to cast a wide net, and didn’t want to have to wait on new sets to arrive in the event that I had already distributed the ones I had. (In the end, I ended up not even needing them, but I’m still very glad I have them.)</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Scan the unofficial set to submit with any teaching applications that require them, and save them as PDF files. If you don’t have a scanner, you can go to a FedEx Kinko’s, Office Depot, etc, and they can scan them for you for a small fee. Hold onto the official sets for when you get hired, in case either the school wants them, or if they are required to obtain your visa.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Diplomas & Apostilles<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">There are two things you should do with your diplomas….and this includes ALL diplomas you may have earned, not just a Bachelors. You never know when having an Associates, Masters, or Doctorate degree may benefit you.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">First, make a copy of the original diploma(s). You will take these copies to a notary, who will notarize them, which basically certifies that they are true copies of your actual diplomas. If you don’t know the notary that you’re using, be sure to bring the originals with you when you go.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Second, scan the original diploma(s). Again, if you do not have a scanner, or, if your diploma is larger than average, you can go to the places listed above to have them scanned for you. Be sure to save them as a PDF. This is the first set of scans you will have for your diplomas. This will be used for any job that requires you to email scans upon initial application.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Once the copy of your original diploma has been notarized, you will then send it to your STATE’s Secretary of State’s office to get a state-level Apostille placed on it. The process for every state will vary, but here is the website for the office I used in Louisiana: <a href="http://www.sos.louisiana.gov/tabid/134/Default.aspx">http://www.sos.louisiana.gov/tabid/134/Default.aspx</a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">My diplomas were from Florida, Arkansas, and Colorado. However, I was able to have the LA Secretary of State apostille the copies of my diplomas because I had them notarized by a Louisiana notary. Please be advised that some states will not put an Apostille on diplomas earned at institutions in another state. You MUST check with your state to find out what they will and will not do….just like laws, the process WILL vary.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Timeline: Application to Arrival<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Below you will see a timeline that I created to give you an idea of how quickly and slowly things can move. This is just an account of my timeline….it certainly can vary, depending on what school you’re working with, and what documents you end up needing to submit.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">As you will see, I submitted other applications and was rejected a couple of times before I ended up with my current position. 99% of the positions I applied for were found on <a href="http://www.eslcafe.com/jobs/korea">www.eslcafe.com/jobs/korea</a>. The others were found on <a href="http://www.waygook.org/">www.waygook.org</a>. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Please note: The timeline for my position at GEV is short because I was NOT working with a particular program. I applied with the school itself. Processing times for EPIK and other public school programs has been known to take much longer from application to the actual arrival date.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Packing<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">How does one proceed to pack for an entire year in a couple of suitcases and carry-ons? Well, you don’t….at least, I didn’t. Since Korean stores generally do not cater to people with larger bodies or feet, I already knew that I would have to bring a lot of stuff with me. (Smaller individuals can probably bring less stuff, because they would be able to buy clothes and shoes quite easily in Korea.) I packed what I knew I would need for my first couple of months before it starts to get cold, and will have my parents ship my winter stuff sometime in September or October.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Because of my flight arrangements, I was able to check 3 bags, up to 70lbs each, and have the standard carry-on item and personal item. I made sure to purchase a travel luggage scale, which was absolutely a life-saver as I packed and re-packed my luggage! Not only should you use a travel scale to help you pack, you should bring it with you—it will help you for any trips that you go on during the year you’re abroad, as well as to help you pack when it’s time to come back home. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Here’s what I brought:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Carryon #1 (Personal Item) – Backpack with laptop and other electronic devices that I didn’t want to put in a checked bag, the corresponding chargers and adapters for those electronic devices, eye shadow palettes (so they don’t get broken by being banged around in the checked bags), and travel documents</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Carryon #2 (22” Rolling Suitcase) – SHOES! No, really, that’s all that was in that bag. I wear a size 10 shoe, so I pretty much had to pack a wide variety of shoes. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">**Unofficial Carryons: My purse, and a shopping bag with some rain boots in them; It was monsoon season when I arrived in Korea, and it had been raining quite heavily (and flooding!). I’m definitely glad I made that last-minute purchase!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Checked Bag 1 – (Large Rolling Drop-Bottom Duffel) – seasonings/spices, cold/flu/allergy medications, toiletries, feminine hygiene items, and hair products; As a black woman, the products that I use on my hair are not available in Korea. It is possible to have them shipped in a roundabout way, so my advice is to pack at least 6 months worth of hair products. That way, you have enough to get you through the first half of your stay, and it gives you enough time to figure out ways to get what you’ll need for the remainder of your stay.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Checked Bags 2 and 3 – (both are 29” Rolling Suitcases) – casual and dressy clothes, undergarments, socks; If you’re coming in the spring/summer, I’d advise bringing what you’ll need for warmer weather, and having your winter stuff shipped. If you’re coming in the fall/winter, it would be the opposite, and you should have your summer stuff shipped. You should certainly pack some crossover items, which are those that can be worn in any season with or without the appropriate layering to make it work.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Booking the Flight<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I booked my flight about a week ahead of time. Although I had not yet received my visa back from the Korean consulate in Houston, I called them to see when they would be sending it, and booked my flight for 2 days after the latest date that I was supposed to receive it. I based this on the fact that I sent a self-addressed Express Mail envelope with my application, so that I would get it back quickly. But I advise to include at least a couple days worth of cushion, just in case.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I was also sure to book ahead of time because I knew I wanted to use some of my accumulated SkyMiles to upgrade my economy ticket to Business class, and the earlier you do it, the better chance you have at there being available seats on the flight you select. For me, there was no question that I would be booking my flight with Delta Airlines, but for others, it may not matter that much. I would just be sure to compare their in-flight accommodations and services for international flights, so you can make sure you’re comfortable on your journey.<br />
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Next Up: Up, Up, and Away!</div>504GlobeTrotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10688585081552779771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4738913247990641323.post-36330997623141701442011-08-06T00:18:00.002+09:002011-08-18T23:35:40.092+09:00Welcome, Welcome, Welcome!<div class="MsoNormal">Greetings from South Korea!</div><div class="MsoNormal">I started this blog to not only keep track of the really cool things I plan to do over the next year or so, but also to fill you all in on what goes on in this half of the world. But, I must warn you, this will not all be butterflies and sunflowers. Stuff does go wrong, and stuff will go wrong. I’m not always going to be in a great mood, or extremely pleased with different situations that I’ll find myself in—self-imposed or not. This will not be a 24/7 narration of how I’m skipping through the lily fields holding hands with all the Asians I come across. Bottom line: I won’t always be happy, but one thing I can promise, however, is that I’ll be honest.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, and after graduating from the city’s Xavier University Preparatory School, I moved to Tallahassee, Florida to attend Florida A&M University. I lived there for 6 years, then Little Rock, Arkansas for 2 years, and then Denver, Colorado for almost 4 years. Now, at the tender age of 29, I’ve decided to pick up and move once again, but this time, it’s halfway around the world! I am currently at the very beginning of a one-year contract to teach English at the Gyeonngi English Village in Paju. For those of you who are geographically challenged, I’ve included a couple of maps below.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYYp8YJ0yXWllILMgKxKon4fUsd5sfyBqZGyDKgWk8U_5-Pao7yTEGN6aEVNPM6h2EfVX7KYEl-RKZjLIF2tOX-uWuscDQ3Nr5tjLWf2ekFpJssHM8x7na-zg8B2gTsgRPboUFSGfs5I9u/s1600/SoKo+Map.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="171" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYYp8YJ0yXWllILMgKxKon4fUsd5sfyBqZGyDKgWk8U_5-Pao7yTEGN6aEVNPM6h2EfVX7KYEl-RKZjLIF2tOX-uWuscDQ3Nr5tjLWf2ekFpJssHM8x7na-zg8B2gTsgRPboUFSGfs5I9u/s320/SoKo+Map.jpg" width="320" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijxPtfNz5jCCQ6cm3gaOX1zEwrDQuhAosc1Qq0ir6_PpxNgKhvxHaCTkQytRVDW-mMVNsrWyTuZs_CTleOmHHxqHLx0cI8oUdFkptFTv60snyASo4InIFoWjrqzjKBlPALH0RRHCJHBYyZ/s1600/Paju+Map.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijxPtfNz5jCCQ6cm3gaOX1zEwrDQuhAosc1Qq0ir6_PpxNgKhvxHaCTkQytRVDW-mMVNsrWyTuZs_CTleOmHHxqHLx0cI8oUdFkptFTv60snyASo4InIFoWjrqzjKBlPALH0RRHCJHBYyZ/s320/Paju+Map.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjARj2A3arDAnDYRLCm5m83SRu7LkUt9KpbFO6UxH80iTqTXK7NV5FpGx3smp10MRuV-ov06D9at2_KfRUdAv8EOq_AoCGTXyL0SG5WnztckKUkgt4JpSL57__ysuzxOBkrGm_BKR0C5IwE/s1600/south-korea-map.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjARj2A3arDAnDYRLCm5m83SRu7LkUt9KpbFO6UxH80iTqTXK7NV5FpGx3smp10MRuV-ov06D9at2_KfRUdAv8EOq_AoCGTXyL0SG5WnztckKUkgt4JpSL57__ysuzxOBkrGm_BKR0C5IwE/s320/south-korea-map.gif" width="286" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">The most popular question lately has been “So what made you want to teach in Korea?” </div><div class="MsoNormal">Quite honestly, there were a few things that influenced my decision: I needed to travel; I was stuck in a dead-end job at a high-end technology retail store; I needed money to actually be able to pay ALL of my bills comfortably; I wanted to explore the teaching option; and I did a TON of research. After researching, reading blog after blog, talking to people who had done and were doing it, and a hefty dose of prayer, I concluded that this was the right time for me to make the move. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">So here I am.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Many of you who come across this blog will do so in pursuit of some morsel of information about teaching English in South Korea, so I’ll be as helpful as I can, but this blog isn’t meant to be a “How-to Guide.” It’s just going to be an account of my experiences, as I embark upon this Korean adventure. So, sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT08Q9wHd5Z_TQyT-MKn0_b_fHJnHr0oNqA3b5nDuwHx3nAm9uw-MMYVynEC75Iw4Y19BmRo0dAr3m0JsWLV8doVUjXr-oseWALgOqlJFYT0t4nrRFtMtEj-uup9Z-nyXsIJyazsiqqByJ/s1600/OB-LG654_AIBH08_NS_20101210002217.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT08Q9wHd5Z_TQyT-MKn0_b_fHJnHr0oNqA3b5nDuwHx3nAm9uw-MMYVynEC75Iw4Y19BmRo0dAr3m0JsWLV8doVUjXr-oseWALgOqlJFYT0t4nrRFtMtEj-uup9Z-nyXsIJyazsiqqByJ/s320/OB-LG654_AIBH08_NS_20101210002217.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Next Up: From There to Here</div>504GlobeTrotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10688585081552779771noreply@blogger.com0