I'm not sure how I feel about kimchi

Blogging is a great writing exercise and useful communication tool. But not much has happened in the past few months worthy of being "blog-ified." I started this blog to keep my family and friends updated during my study abroad in Spain, way back in the spring of 2009. Now, almost three years later (omgolly!), I have blogged about Honduras, France, and Macedonia/Greece...and life in-between. I've shared pictures of Louis Vuitton motos, the Eiffel Tower, SCUBA diving, and ancient ruins. I've told you stories about creepy old men on buses, hiking mountains, the waiter who set the restaurant on fire, and more. But new stories are upon me and it's time to add a new country to the [short] list: South Korea.

WHAT?

Next Friday I have an interview with Footprints Recruiting about job opportunities teaching English in South Korea.

To be honest, the entire process up to this point is very reminiscent of the moment I lugged my heavy air tank to the edge of the boat and jumped into the water. Last year, I wondered if I was strong enough to carry that heavy air tank while walking in flippers (something I told my swim students never to do) on a rolling boat! I wasn't sure what was going to happen when I jumped in, and if I would be able to do it by myself or if I would need my dive instructors to bail me out of a potentially dangerous situation. Looking back, I was prepared. I didn't fail. It was awesome. I stepped outside my comfort zone, swallowed some sea water, and survived and thrived. Will teaching English in South Korea be the same?

I've spent the last few days scouring the internet for blogs, websites, and wikis that can clue me into what life is like for an expat in South Korea. I've found some pretty great stuff that I'll share in future posts. And should this blog be found by anyone embarking on a similar process in the future, then I hope they can glean something valuable about my experience.

[What's Happened So Far...]

I initially decided to start looking abroad for jobs shortly after graduating in August 2011 with my BA in TESOL (and Spanish). I tried finding jobs in the Chicagoland, but I never heard anything back. I'll chalk that up to the job market at the moment and not me. If the economy weren't as bad as it is, I would have cobbled together two part-time jobs and volunteered on the side in order to make ends meet (paying off those student loans) while still gaining relevant professional experience. However, my grand plans were derailed by the death of my (admittedly sick) car. It's pretty tough to find a second job AND volunteer when the one vehicle at your disposal also serves as the primary means of transportation for two other adults.

Plan C: find a job abroad that will pay me enough to at least make my student loan payments, give me credible job experience, provide adequate housing and transportation at a reasonable price, and allow life to be about more than making ends meet (i.e. I want to have fun!).

Enter South Korea. As I trolled the job boards at ESL websites I saw many job opportunities listed for Asia and the Middle East. Now, I am far more comfortable in Europe and Central/South America (primarily due to culture and language), but there weren't (m)any jobs I was qualified for, giving my lack of EU citizenship, MA degree, and significant work experience. The options were limited to places that would accept new teachers, pay decently well, allow me to live safely, and needed a lot of teachers. I've never been to Asia or the Middle East, but I wasn't thrilled by the prospects that awaited me there due to my ignorance of the languages, cultures, and climate. I am a Christian and want to be able to talk about my faith when I skype home. I would be going as a single female and I want to make sure (and reassure my parents) that I will be safe...the Middle East was looking sketchy. Then I saw South Korea...very foreigner friendly, modern and developed country, functioning democracy where women are respected and treated well, very safe, in need of many English teachers, excellent rate of pay, fantastic benefits, is home to many thriving churches, healthy national dishes, and lots of information on the internet.

I began the application process with Footprints Recruiting after a friend-of-a-friend recommended it. I was quickly accepted and encouraged to schedule the telephone interview; however, I hesitated because I wasn't sure if teaching abroad in Asia was really what I wanted to do. I would miss my brother's high school graduation and my sister's college graduation. I don't know the language. I haven't studied or read about or been even remotely interested in South Korea.

But then I realized that I could take an interest, I could begin to learn the language, and I can always skype in for parts of big events (that one is still tough to swallow). I can choose who I want to become and I want to be uncomfortable, challenged, and growing. I want South Korea to change me for the better. I want God to show me (again) that He speaks more than English and Spanish, that He is working powerfully in South Korea, ...and that His plan for me really is in South Korea. (I'm one of those people who wants lots of confirmation.)

If I had a choice, would I rather sit at home eating on the couch or go climb a mountain? It's always nice to be fat and happy (the equivalent of comfortable), but God gave me muscles and I need to use them.

So, I'm going to go climb a mountain.