MY DOCUMENTS HAVE ARRIVED IN KOREA!!

Got the confirmation last night!

The $100 waiting game

Yesterday morning my apostilled background check and diploma were delivered to my front door!

 

I was super excited, but had to get the rest of my documents together before I could send everything off. So I made the necessary adjustments to my application that I hadn't already done and printed everything out, which included the checklist, application, proof of enrollment for my TEFL course and the Sworn Declaration (promising that I'll finish the course by the given date), copy my passport information page, and gather my transcript and recommendation letters together. 

THEN I had to go to Walgreens to get passport photos made.... 2 photos for $10.99!!! WTF! After waiting for those, I went over to the UPS store to make copies of everything, one set for the EPIK office, one for myself, then packaged everything up and sent it off, which cost a whopping $92 plus the $8 in copies!!!! Wow this endeavor is starting to cost some MULAH! But will be totally worth it WHEN I get a job (notice the positivity).

So 67 copies and $110 later, all of my documents are shipped! Now I have to wait for the EPIK office to receive my documents, then recommend them to an education office (hopefully Daegu's), then either get an offer, or not, and then they would continue to send my documents to other education offices until I get an offer (hopefully). Once I get an offer, they will send me a placement email, and while I'm waiting for my contract to be mailed to me, I'll have to take an online preparation course. THEN, when I get my contract, I'll have to go get my visa! 

Hopefully all goes well, and hopefully this process will happen quickly. And HOPEFULLY I'll get an offer!!

Keep your fingers crossed!

Still waiting...

A month later, and I'm still waiting...

I finally got my background check back (after 2 months)

And now I've paid $$$$$$$$$ to get it expedited (along with my diploma) to be apostilled...

Now I'm just waiting for it go get back.... still waiting...

In the mean time, I've been working on finishing my class...

I've sent in everything I have to send in (including some revisions). I haven't heard anything about my last chapter, Unit 20, because my tutor is on holiday break... so I have to, guess what, WAIT.... oh well... thats what I get for being a procrastinator...

Now I need to start doing my revisions to my application in preparation for getting my stuff back from DC...

POTD

I can't wait to visit the suspension birdges in Wolchulsan!

Photo Credit

Moving along....

Since I've passed my interview, now the only things I really have to worry about are getting my documents together... the one I'm really worried about is the apositlled background check, which is being processed, but a few others are still working as well. I just realized that I'm going to have to send a copy of my diploma to be notorized AND apostilled... but it has to get it's apostille from KENTUCKY... that's right... hours and hours away... so I'm going to work on that Friday morning ASAP...

I also called to check on my background check. I sent it in on October 31st, it was received November 2nd. I had to call to be sure that they authenticated it so I could get it apostilled (I had to fax a little cover letter in for it).... after 3 weeks and it isn't even in their system! Uh. I'm so impatient. But the girl seemed to think that it would be processed next week, so I get to call back then (I think I'm also going to call back Friday to be sure they received my fax).

In better news, I received my sealed transcripts and my proof of enrollment from my TEFL course. And I busted through 2 full lessons yesterday (and finished a revision on one that was not complete enough). So I'm going to try to get yet another one finished today.

And in other fun news, I've joined a Skype group chat of people that are in the same intake as me. We are all waiting on our documents (well, some have them finished, but they are there for support) and we are getting to know one another... It will be VERY nice to land half way across the world and actually know a few people... I can't wait to get to know everyone else!

Hopefully things keep moving along.... until then, I have to keep my motivation up and my fingers crossed!

POTD

I've decided I'm going to apply with Daegu as my first choice, but who knows if I'll get it or not? As long as I'm in Korea, I really don't care!

Photo Credit

Pencils and stickers!

Some fun stuff for the kids! I've since bight a few more pencils too.... Now to find fun erasers...

I've successfully passed!

The results are in (finally)-- I have successfully passed the interview!

After a grueling 3 and a half (no, not 2-3... 3 and a half) days of waiting... I finally received the email... I will be recommended to Korea's Offices of Education... I have been checking my phone non-stop for this email... nothing... nothing... nothing again... every time it buzzed... email?! Yes!!! From EPIK?! No :(  I went to bed last night around 3:30 am with nothing... but woke up at 6:30 to see an email from EPIK coordinator! I was so excited (though exhausted)... I only read the first few lines, being sure the email didn't read something along the lines of "Just kidding! Sorry you suck" (it would be my luck)... After I saw it was, in fact, a good email, I went back to sleep (but not before posting it on Facebook and texting a few friends- which I didn't even remember doing once I woke up again haha).

Now the fun begins... I have 9 documents that I have to gather...

1. Hard copy of application (easily done after a few changes)
2. Passport photo (to attach to the application)
3. Passport copy (again, easily done)
4. Background check (apostiled)-- sent in a request for the background check, but not sure I did it right, I'm going to go Monday to get more fingerprints and send in yet another request. Once I receive the background check, I have to send it back out and get it apostilled, which will be another ordeal
5. Diploma (apostilled copy)-- I can get the copy of my diploma no problem, it is the apostilling part that might take some time
6. Transcript (sealed)-- requested and on their way, plus extras
7. 2 Letters of Recommendation-- done
8. TEFL Certification copy-- I have to bring the original with me, but must submit proof of enrollment with the documents
9. Sworn declaration-- swearing I will be finishing my certification in time
10. Photocopies of all of the above (except for the sealed transcript) and it is recommended to make a set for myself as well

So after the weekend, I'll be working on getting all of this fun stuff together, as well as getting my butt in gear and working to get my TEFL certification class finished.

But all is well, EPIK accepted me and I'm just that much closer to getting to Korea!!

Interview... check....

Now I wait... Which is going to be the most painful 2-3 days I've ever waited in my life... anyway....

Not that I know results of my EPIK interview, they could very well be bad, but I figured I'd share how the interview went... some of the questions I was asked, etc...

The interview started with verifying how to pronounce my name, my birthday, my GPA, etc. My interviewer told me that, unfortunately, the city I had put as my first choice (Busan) has changed it's requirements and I am not eligible to teach there (they require that all applicants have at least 60 in class hours during their certification, seeing as mine is an online course, I'm not eligible), so he suggested that I look into 2 other metropolitan cities, Daegu and Ulsan. We will see if I decide if I choose to request one of those cities, or if I decide to leave my preference blank.

• He asked me about my background, where I lived, school, my major, etc.... 
• Where I wanted to be in 5 years.
• How I would deal with the uncertainty of Korean life. If I went to school and they said "FYI you are teaching different classes than you were expecting".-- After I answered, he said that what I said was good. He gave me advice that, when making lesson plans, think about how to adapt them from one level to another, changing the vocabulary or activities, etc.
• How many hours have I completed in my TEFL certification? What date do I expect for it to be finished?-- He told me that the absolute final date to submit was January 20th, however he recommended getting the class finished by the end of December because tutors go on vacation, etc. and can be hard to reach.
• What my weaknesses would be with teaching (other than I'm new to teaching).
• He asked me about the medical part of my application, confirming that my allergies were only seasonal and recommended bringing a large supply of allergy medicine with me if I like one better than others, but also mentioned that, once I get to Korea, I may not have any because the trees are different. He also suggested to bring a large amount of the other prescription medicine as well, as they may not have that brand in Korea. I assured him that it wouldn't be a problem, that I only take either very sparingly and rarely go through one bottle a year. 
• We then went over my lesson plan, which he seemed very impressed with. My lesson plan was about sports and activities. One of my activities was having pictures of famous athletes on the board and prompting the class what they did, another activity was having activities written in the hexagons of a soccer ball and having students do charades, and the last included a bingo sheet that had clip art of sports in the squares. His first question started out something like this, "I think that the gender lines in Korea are much stronger than in America, meaning many girls don't like sports. How would you adapt this lesson plan to be less masculine?" First of all, good to know. Second of all, easy... add more activities than sports (gymnastics, watching a favorite TV show, listening to a favorite band, piano, knitting, or reading). And if needed, take the soccer ball out of the mix and just have kids draw the activity. The second piece of advice was a suggestion more so than anything. He said that, though my lesson plan was great, he thinks that I could go above and beyond by doing a little research and using pictures of famous Koreans instead of just a clip art image.  I could also do that in my example with my first activity (in which I used Nastia Lukin). I thought this was a great suggestion and hope that it makes my application stand out even more if and when they do recommend me to a city or province. The reasoning, he said, was that sometimes students may or may not be so enthralled with western culture, and that they may not care who Nastia Lukin is, so it would be better to use people that interest them more. Great idea.
• He also asked me about how I thought I could work with a co-teacher. How would I address a co-teacher that was outgoing and fun, but made errors in grammar or pronunciation and the kids were catching on and making the same mistakes? How would I deal with a shy co-teacher that was reluctant to get involved and usually sat at the edge of the classroom?-- After I answered, he said that I answered well, and continued with something along the lines of "Something I think is extremely important and a lot of EPIK teachers often forget to do is getting to know their co-teacher in the first 2-3 days of being in Korea. Get to know them, their interests, and get comfortable with them. Also ask them about their teaching style and philosophy and what they expect your role in the classroom to be (just serve as a fill in or teach full classes, etc). He said to be sure to deal with these arrangements in advance and collaborate. 
• The one thing that he did ask me that it was obvious that I didn't give him the exact answer he wanted was something along the lines of "If you had a student or students that were acting up and disrupting the class, being rude, etc, how would you deal with that"... he was definitely looking for "positive reinforcement"... he proceeded to give examples of how I could do so, basically by bribing the kids with goodies... pencils, erasers, etc... he also said to break them up into groups and give them a goal as a group, that way kids around the troublemaker could calm him down by saying "shh, be quiet, focus, I want the prize"... 

Overall, I think I did OK. I say OK because there were a few things that I didn't quite hit the nail on the head with, but I don't think I bombed either.

One thing I really liked about this interview was that my interviewer was really laid back it seemed. Before it started, I was expecting an older, Korean man (because that's what I had last time) or at least someone Korean, but this was a young (possibly even younger than I), native English speaker (I'd guess American)... another thing I really liked that he would ask me a question, give me time to answer the question, then after I was finished talking he was follow up, either agreeing with what I had said, repeating some of the highlights, or adding something. Not in a "you were wrong, this is what you should've said" way, but in a summary type of way. I really enjoyed it, it gave me time to take notes on what he said, as well as gave me a chance to unwind and get ready for the next question.

At the end of the interview he said that I would hear back with the results within 2-3 days (ugh). He continued with some other information about the EPIK program, the program begins in mid-February, there is a 9 day orientation, and you begin teaching around the beginning of March. There is a 1.3 million won entrance severance, but that you don't receive that until about a month after you arrive. He also said that I would be responsible for purchasing my airline ticket (which is later reimbursed, but is that the entrance severance or is that on top of that? I'm not quite sure, I'll have to look it up) and you don't get paid until about a month into the program, so they suggest that you have about $1,000 saved up (DONE!).

Then he asked me if I had any questions... I asked a question about changing my age (since my birthday is next week) and if I needed to begin putting any other paperwork together. He said to go ahead and begin gathering all of my documents right away, that some can take their time. He also suggested that I get more than one copy because if I decide that I want to apply to another province after my first year, I'll need all the documents again, which could be difficult to do from Korea.

One thing that I realized at the end of my interview was  the amount of time that it took. At the beginning, he said that it would take about 30 minutes, however during the interview our video chat was cut off twice. After the second time we got cut off, he decided to finish the interview with just voice, which I hope was not a negative thing. But what really shocked me was that the interview took 52 minutes! Crazy... but I hope it was not a bad thing and just due to the fact that we kept getting cut off.

Overall, I think I did as well as I could. I hope that I get accepted, and the faster the email comes, the better. I felt that, at the end of the interview, he kind of sounded like "yeah go ahead and get your stuff together" but then again, he kept saying "we will notify you IF you were accepted or NOT in 2-3 days." Again, UGH.

Keep your fingers crossed!

POTD

Photo Credit 

I'm so excited for Lantern Festivals!

More and more nervous

As I get closer and closer to my interview tomorrow night, I'm getting more and more nervous... I know, I know... be myself, be confident, blah blah blah. But still, this is the determining factor of something I've been waiting on for a very long time... I've done research into some of the questions they may ask, I've thought about some of the things that I would like to say, but again, it has to be natural. So until tomorrow night, I'm just going to be nervous...

Second Chances!

The other day I got an email offering an interview for EPIK... I can't express how excited I am... The thing is, I was offered an interview last week, on Halloween night. As a bartender, that works in a restaurant that is short on bartenders, I couldn't find ANYONE willing to take my shift, so I had to, unfortunately, request a reschedule. I was extremely disappointed and nervous that they would take this as a sign of not being dedicated, or something along those lines.

After a week of not hearing from them, I decided that, if by the weekend I hadn't heard from them, as soon as my schedule was released, I would email them with every single available time I had. I wouldn't have cared if it was 3am here, I was going to say I was available (in response to my "can I reschedule" email, they sent one back saying they would send me another time, and if any particular times were convenient to let them know). 

As in response to my decision, I received an email that night with my rescheduled interview time. I was, an am, so excited... now it's time to be nervous............

Picture of the Day

While I'm sitting at home, waiting (un)patiently, I figure I can day dream about the wonderful country I hope to call home in a few months... this place looks gorgeous... will probably have to be on my "to travel to" list

Ulleungdo, South Korea

photo credit

Delivered! Now I wait...

My background check request was delivered this morning to WV.... now I wonder how long it will take to get it back?!

Background Check... not so easy

After 3 visits to the local (and by local I mean a 25 minute one-way drive) sheriff's office, I finally got my fingerprints done! I have been meaning to get my fingerprints done for quite some time so I could request my background check, but between my two jobs and other things going on in my life, I just never got around to it (except for the two times I drove down there and had to turn around and go home empty handed.

Now my background check is on its way to Clarksburg, WV and will hopefully return quickly.... And that's where the confusion steps in... I'm not quite sure what the next step is. I know I have to get my background check apostilled, but how? The FBI website is so confusing. So I guess I'll cross that bridge when I get there? I even asked the cop that was doing my fingerprints, he hadn't even HEARD of an apostille! So we shall see how long it takes me to figure that one out!

Lets begin...

As my first post to this blog, I have to begin with a few things.

1. There is a ton of background information that I should share, and will share, eventually. Right now, I keep putting off blogging about the events that have gotten me to this point, but have so many current things that I want to blog about. So for the time being, I'm starting right here, right now, and will eventually delve into past events.

2. I'm new to blogging (in this sense), so please bare with me. I have studied abroad twice before and kept blogs during those trips, but those were just so my family and friends could keep up with what I was doing, and to be honest, they were very elementary. I'm hoping that this blog, again eventually, turns into something more than just my journal of "I did this, then that, I saw this, and ate that".

3. Things are so up in the air right now and I'm very nervous that I won't be accepted to teach in Korea at all, so there's that.

So here it goes...