My “Korean Secret”

Hard to believe that I put in my two weeks notice today at work [not the adorable Hugh Grant/Sandra Bullock kind].

It’s official, there are only two weeks until I get on a plane to San Francisco, effectively saying goodbye to home even though I won’t leave for Korea until the 16th. Even though I have been whining about giving my notice for two months because I felt guilty about taking a job when I knew I could probably only work there for a month and half, it was a relief to give it. It was nice to finally get my “Korean Secret” out in the open with my manager and my co-workers.

I wish I felt a little bit more relief about the trip in general. Things are still feeling very up-in-the-air and not finalized. I submitted my paperwork for my E-2 Visa on Monday and I am anxiously awaiting the safe return of my passport. Maren and I found out the hard way that the Korean Consulate, that Google says is in Denver, is actually not in Denver and if we wanted to take our paperwork and passports in person to the consulate we would have had to have flown to Chicago. So now I’m still waiting on a document that makes or breaks the trip. But there is no going back now. Plane ticket purchased. Two weeks notice submitted.

I’m also feeling EXTREMELY stressed about financial issues. I know I need to go over there with money in the bank but it is just not happening. It’s really upsetting. At my current employer I’m making the minimum to pay my two bills, gas, and whatever food I buy. Not to mention, there have been rather small things here and there that I’ve been buying for the trip and I’m just not making enough to SAVE any. Ask me where my savings went this summer, or from Christmas for that matter, and I’ll start crying. I’m not sure why I’m having such a hard time living within my means right now. I’m very lucky to have a father who is helping me take this trip. Without him I could simply not have funded it and I’m not sure if going would be an option. If you read this Dad, thank you for all of your past and future help. The entry allowance EPIK provides us teachers cannot come soon enough. [P.S. for people reading this blog wondering more about EPIK, the entry allowance is approx. 1.3 million Won… I roughly calculate that at about 1,400 USD. Not bad but we shouldn’t expect to see it until the end of the month of March I hear. It’s meant to help cover the cost of our plane ticket, primarily.]

Because finances have been weighing on me so heavily, I have been freaking out about banking in Korea. How do I transfer money? Do I get a bank in Korea? How do I pay my bills at home linked to my American account? The Korean blog world does NOT seem to be discussing this. Do they have no bills they’re leaving behind?

In other news: Brian got me an absolutely lovely gift. A sort of bittersweet anniversary gift I suppose. But I’m very thankful. It’s a new HD webcam so that I can Skype more clearly with him and everyone back home and record HD videos (or VLOGS). Thank you Brian! I love it!

So, expect a vlog perhaps on packing in the near future! For now, I’ve created a preliminary packing list compiled from MANY “What to Bring to Korea” blogs and websites. Look forward to that excitement in my next blog!