wow...

I'm moving to Korea in a month. That just sunk in a bit more after I got off of the phone with Lindsay.

My intro video is going on Say Kimchi Recruiting's website as an example of what a good video can look like! My siblings are going to be superstars!

More info on my school and where I'm staying soon!

My friend Sherry found a children's book on visiting Korea, written in English and Korean, at a book sale and sent it to me.


I just got it today and it is TOO CUTE (and really informative). What a sweetheart...

Well, back to work.

-Tamz

Procrastination: Away, student loan paperwork!

Two of my great friends, Haley and Rob, had their wedding this weekend and it was BEAUTIFUL. They've been together for 9 years (that's pretty impressive for anyone, let alone a couple of 22-year-olds!) and it was the best wedding I've ever been to! And I got to be a bridesmaid, too! Simcha! [Hebrew meaning "joy so great, one cannot help but dance"]


I also got to see lots of great people I've known for years and it was really exciting to tell them about teaching in Korea. Lacey and I have been talking to people about this for about two months now, while we've been doing research and working with our recruiters. We've come to expect some pretty mixed reactions. Pretty obviously, when people we talk to are really excited about our new adventure and supportive, those are really fun conversations. While sometimes less positive conversations can feel a little tiring, usually the person we're speaking to is just showing concern for our safety and love for us. And sometimes xenophobia is involved. But either way, these conversations have helped me think critically about this process and given me great questions to ask my recruiter. So, the reactions from people at the wedding were all over the map and it was great.

This past Friday, I shipped off the paperwork in order to be issued my visa number (with the help of Sara, Tristan, and my parents). And in a few hours, Lindsay and I are going to have our first phone conversation.

Well, I promised to be coherant at 8:30am and I need to be productive at work, so I ought to go sleep for a bit. Congratulations again to Haley & Rob Yaple! Gotta give special props to Haley--the OG Procrasti-Masta.

-Tamz

Yes, yes...I know September 1st is really 'soon.'

My passport arrived (early) today!!!

Criminal record certification issue pending, I'm done with the pre-Visa paperwork.
Nice.

Read over my school's contract and it is AWESOME. Incredibly fair and great benefits!

More work to do at work and then starting my indoor mural downtown at 4pm.

Life is good!

-Tamz

Preow!

Got a job teaching ESL at Hampyeong Middle School!

Will write on that when I get the chance!

This "week" (Monday through Wednesday), I've got TONS of work to do at work (gasp!), a wedding present to try and finish, and a mural to get started.

Thursday: playdate & rehearsal dinner
Friday: playdate
Saturday: wedding
Sunday: back in Meadville in time for my 2pm movement class

whew!

-Tamz

If both of our first prospective schools work out...

This is how far apart Lacey and I will be living and working.


View The (tentative) Space Between: 15 July in a larger map
(1) 160 miles or (2) 140 miles as-the-crow-flies / as-Tammy-measures-using-a-notecard-with-tickmarks

-Tamz

Shout Out to Naju!

Take 3:



Take 14:



(the Blogger video upload seems to have thrown off the syncing...)

To see the final video, click [ here ]. I made this video using the webcam built in to my laptop. After about 45 minutes of sheer frustration, I started typing a script to follow. It turns out that I left the video running and I got to see what I look like when I write. And it looks pretty silly.

Sent it off to Lindsay and it'll be on its way with my resume to the public school in Naju soon. That's it for now!

-Tamz

Annyong!

Things are moving along wonderfully with [ Say Kimchi Recruiting ]! I'm working on my placement with Lindsay Nash, co-writer of [ Kimchi & Cornbread ], and she's just suggested my first prospective school! It's a public school in Naju, outside of the metropolis, Gwangju.

Here's Gwangju (pop. 1.4M):



















And here's Naju (pop. 109,000):















Tonight, I'm getting a 2-minute self-introduction video together that Lindsay will be sending to the school along with my resume. I'm excited to put something really cool together that really expresses who I am. On the other hand, I don't know the Korean culture really at all yet and I want my first impression to be a good one.

I'm so excited at the prospect of a public school! I'm likely to be the only foreigner in the school, which will give me the immersion experience I'm looking for and vacation time is upwards of a whole month (I find myself limiting my use of exclamation marks...something, something, Seinfeld reference).

I think I'm almost done with the first leg of paperwork... There'll be another wave for the visa process, but that doesn't happen until I sign a contract with a school. I just have to remember to make copies of EVERYTHING!

I'm hoping that Lacey (my best friend of 11 years who's taking the Korea plunge, too) and I can get a going-away party together with both of our families and friends. And we've got tentative plans to hit up The Village in NYC for teaching clothes on our way to our Korean Consulate interviews--but now I'm just getting waaay too ahead of myself. Want to make G-d laugh? Tell G-d your plans, haha.

Oh, speaking of G-d! I told Lindsay that I'm really looking forward to visiting the Buddhist temples and she sent me a link, detailing some of [ Korea's temple stay programs ]. Neato. And Naju is in the mountains. And there are temple on those thar mountains.

That's it for now!

-Tamz