Almost there...

You're probably wondering what's going on with this "teaching overseas" thing. Well, here's an update on where I am in this long, complicated process:

I have my letters of recommendation and transcripts on their way to me. Received the letter from my former English professor, Christopher Title, today. Should be seeing the one from Brian Arnold, my former Writing for Animation/Survey of Animation professor, soon. Transcripts... well, they'll get here eventually, I'm sure.

My criminal record check is all done and apostille-stamped, though my recruiter had some confusion on whether it was the correct CRC document. The Bureau of Criminal Apprehension assured me that aside from a nation-wide FBI CRC or a county or city-wide check from a local police office, this is the only one I can get through the state of MN that covers the entire state. Naturally, my record is squeaky clean. :)

I found my diploma and Bachelor's degree! They were hiding in a box in my basement that I'd overlooked. The box really shouldn't have been down there in the first place, as it held a lot of important documents and art that I'd been meaning to finish/sell. Ah, well. At least I found it!

My first choice, Tanbeol public middle school in Gyeonggi-do, was bust. The position was filled before I could finish getting my paperwork in order.

So, I'm aiming for a position at the Uiwang City English Village in Gyeonggi-do. It's just south of Seoul, and the school seems pretty nice. It's more of a "community center" style setup, and though it's a private language academy, it's backed by government funds and a very big company, so I don't have to worry about it going out of business and leaving me stranded.

If that fails, I'm going to try for one of the open positions in the Busan area. I'd like to live near Busan for the coastal climate, access to the ocean, and convenient proximity to Japan. There's a boat that goes between Busan and Fukuoka, Japan. From there, I can travel anywhere I like in Japan by train. I know what I'll be doing on my vacation!

My boyfriend, Chris, is already planning to come for a visit when I have a school break. We are tentatively aiming for winter break, though we might wait for a less crazy time to travel.

I need to get a decent camera. Once I do, I will be able to start posting pictures here, which will be key once I finally get to South Korea!

Stay tuned. The adventure is just beginning!

-Maria