It's amazing what you find in keepsake boxes; it's like having a birthday of presents from the past! I'm so happy that I kept all of this "junk": photos, journals, artwork, letters, yes, I even have my old dance team letter jacket (time to let that go however!)! All of this "stuff" defines who I was and re-tells the story of my life to me. A wonderful journey of nostalgia. I was able to let a lot of stuff go that no longer held meaning; let it go to the trash dump, that is!
[The photos above are some items from my first trip to Korea, back in 1987. The newspaper is also dated 1987, and reports on the violent protests over the peoples desire for democratic elections in Korea. I watched it all on the news and it affected my young heart: the protests and police backlash occurred in places I had been not two months before, in Seoul. Near the Universities, my Korean friends and I would sit in circles and sing and play guitar. A month later, tanks were rolling through and tear gas was flying. It was very upsetting to my 19 year old self.]
As far as a departure update, I'm will try to be on a plane next Friday, Oct. 25! There was some confusion with my recruiter about the visa processing time, with her determining I could leave next Weds. That gave me a heart attack for four hours yesterday, putting me into such a panic that I couldn't accomplish anything save a few polite emails trying to rectify the situation. I thought I could drive to Atlanta and drop off my paperwork and get my visa issued in one day. No way, they said, 3 day turn around time minimum. Somewhat relieved, I Fedex-ed the application overnight, which was only $45 including the return postage. So I'll receive my visa late next week.
The flight schedule is somewhat peculiar, as I can only fly out on certain days if I want to arrive in Korea during the day. I certainly do not want to arrive in Busan at 10pm and then figure out how to get to Tongyeong, which is an hour and a half away. Add to this the fact that the school Director can only come pick me up on a weekend, when she's not in school! Add to that I'm traveling with two large suitcases, a carry on, and possibly a third suitcase if I want to shell out the extra $200 for the third checked bag.
I'm still trying to sell my motorcycle and furniture, send off a few more storage items to Dad, figure out how to get my Eric Verret collection of art to Korea, deciding if I have all the clothes I need, working a few more days, and then packing. Oh yeah, and I still have 400 pp of my TEFL Certification to finish before I leave! aack!
You can see why I am stressed!
[The photos above are some items from my first trip to Korea, back in 1987. The newspaper is also dated 1987, and reports on the violent protests over the peoples desire for democratic elections in Korea. I watched it all on the news and it affected my young heart: the protests and police backlash occurred in places I had been not two months before, in Seoul. Near the Universities, my Korean friends and I would sit in circles and sing and play guitar. A month later, tanks were rolling through and tear gas was flying. It was very upsetting to my 19 year old self.]
As far as a departure update, I'm will try to be on a plane next Friday, Oct. 25! There was some confusion with my recruiter about the visa processing time, with her determining I could leave next Weds. That gave me a heart attack for four hours yesterday, putting me into such a panic that I couldn't accomplish anything save a few polite emails trying to rectify the situation. I thought I could drive to Atlanta and drop off my paperwork and get my visa issued in one day. No way, they said, 3 day turn around time minimum. Somewhat relieved, I Fedex-ed the application overnight, which was only $45 including the return postage. So I'll receive my visa late next week.
The flight schedule is somewhat peculiar, as I can only fly out on certain days if I want to arrive in Korea during the day. I certainly do not want to arrive in Busan at 10pm and then figure out how to get to Tongyeong, which is an hour and a half away. Add to this the fact that the school Director can only come pick me up on a weekend, when she's not in school! Add to that I'm traveling with two large suitcases, a carry on, and possibly a third suitcase if I want to shell out the extra $200 for the third checked bag.
I'm still trying to sell my motorcycle and furniture, send off a few more storage items to Dad, figure out how to get my Eric Verret collection of art to Korea, deciding if I have all the clothes I need, working a few more days, and then packing. Oh yeah, and I still have 400 pp of my TEFL Certification to finish before I leave! aack!
You can see why I am stressed!
RSS Feed