Why Korea?

I have to finish packing, but I thought i'd take a moment to answer the question people keep asking me.

"Why are you teaching in Korea?"

A. Gaeul
B. I've never been
C. They don't require any experience and they pay decently
D. They pay for your apartment
E. Kimchi

A. Gaeul is my friend I met while studying Spanish in Spain. She is pretty much da bomb. She's one of those super smart people that makes you feel dumb because she speaks, French, German, English, Spanish and...oh yea KOREAN. But since she's in Korea I'll know someone and she can save me when I get arrested for accidentally claiming allegiance to their Northern counterpart.

B. I like going places I've never been. It is really fun. You have to deal with culture, languages, and full immersion. It is AMAZING! Plus it is close enough to Asia I can go to countries I know I love (China, Vietnam, Japan, etc.)

C. If you have a degree, you are hired. HOW AWESOME IS THAT? The pay isn't great but the taxes are lower (I don't pay American taxes) and with the dollar going down i'll be making even more..kinda.

D. I like free rent.

E. I like kimchi it is good.

So...yeah

Getting my E-2 Visa

Oh boy...this stuff was NOT as easy as it used to be.

I flashed back to the days of Singapore where we would do daytrips of embassies. Some of them in malls where we were in and out in an hour, some where we would be there all day. The Korean embassy was...odd.

First I drove there (to La) with my mom (from San Diego). This is a good 2.5/3 hour drive (depending on speed and traffic). I finally arrive and they have free parking (wohoo!) I enter and pass through security...except there's not security guard, just a metal detector. I walk through and...it goes off...still no guard. I look around and, seeing no one, continue walking. My mom walks through to a similar scene.

I go to the window (that's right...no lines...no picking a number, I just walk up to a window...how strange is that?) talk to the lady through one of those screen things (I hate those things! they are by far worse than the drive thru windows) she says if I need an interview I need to come back at two (ok so for those in the future call ahead and make an appointment) I go eat lunch(steal the menu because its has some korean I can study while I wait at the embassy) walk around come back and she says I don't need an interview, my paperwork is fine without one...ok fine...

Since I live in San Diego and cannot come back tomorrow to pick up my passport and visa I gave her an addressed and stamped envelope per the internet's request...but she says if I wait until three I should be able to leave it it...sure why not

Sure enough at 2:55pm I get my visa. Long drive home and by about 8:00pm I've booked a flight to Korea...WOW

I am going to Korea

on Thursday

less than 48 hours and I'll be on a plane to Korea (ok a plane to San Fran...but from there...Korea!)


WOW

Podcasts

My loving parents got me an IPod Nano for my graduation so I've been transferring some of my, learn Korean pod-casts to my new fangled contraption. Some of the podcasts are very good...some not so much:

Learn Korean: The best for learning hangul (the Korean alphabet) is actually a very outdated(2006) no longer updated. It comes in video form and has practice sets. It has three lessons, vowels, constanats, and numbers. http://koreanpod.podomatic.com/rss2.xml

Korean Diary: It is not a great grammar tool as it just gives you a new word or phrase every day but I find it helps me with my hangul as well as I see the hangul and hear the word so I can associate sounds with shapes. Plus it slowly develops my vocabulary. http://feeds.feedburner.com/5StarDreams

Sparkling Korean: This is way above me right now, but I like the way they use real things (fairy tales, slang and movies). The "teacher" also goes at a pace I enjoy and I feel covers grammar and pronunciation equally. Plus he doesn't pretend to laugh and make very lame jokes as most podcasts do. It is probably because he is on his own and not with a partner. http://feeds.feedburner.com/blogspot/OtQT

Survival Phrases: This is a decent blogspot that covers minor grammar but the "teacher" covers grammar, culture and important phrases. Grantes this is much more like a phrase book than a text book. It is no longer updated, and has 15 lessons. http://survivalphrases.com/korean/feed

Berkley Korean: I enjoy the concept of having two podcasts, one for native heritage learners and one for Korean as a foreign language learner. It is not longer updated and contains around 5 lessons, but the heavy use of the korean language makes it something I enjoy listening to, I just don't understand it and would probably be better off downloading Korean songs.
http://feedburner.com/BerkeleyKorean

Kimchi girls: I am torn on these ladies. On one hand they are very good at slowing down there speech and repetition, yet for me I still get the feeling that they are going too quickly. Granted I am a very very basic beginner. They overact a little but are mildly entertaining and they do a good job of explaining what they are doing. http://kimchigirls.libsyn.com/rss/

Korean Class 101: They have beginner lessons, newbie lessons, intermediate lessons, audio blogs, picture vocab, and idiom and phrases. Their newbie lessons are just phrases with little emphasis on grammar. It is useful because you can pick any lesson without having a listened to the previous ones and still make sense of it. Unlike intermediate and beginner lessons which build upon each consecutive lesson. http://www.koreanclass101.com/wp-feed-audio-video.php

If anyone is trying to pick up Korean I would highly recommend listening to podcasts. They are usually native Korean speakers so the words are pronounced well and they make a sincere effort to teach to you not above you. Depending on what you are looking for there is bound to be a podcast for you.

:-)

Carissa

Abroad...again

For those of you who know me I have a love of living abroad. It started in high school. A friend persuaded me into joining the French club so I could go on the Europe trip with her. It seemed like fun, so I joined...regardless of the fact I was in Spanish class, but hey I lived in San Diego anyone could go down to Mexico for Spanish. France was...across a really big ocean. So I sold Mardis Gras beads, picked up a part time job and voila France!

The airport promptly lost my luggage, we got lost in the red light district while looking for a church , had the best pick up line EVER (you, me, monkey fuck?) and I I got stuck going into all the cathedrals in my big red Coca Cola sweater in the middle of summer since I was wearing a tank top and had no luggage.

It was one of the most exciting trips I'd ever taken, and I wanted more of it, so I vowed to study abroad in college. I made it to Singapore, Spain and Turkey(kinda) studying abroad and it was an amazing experience I highly recommend to everyone!

But now I have graduated...and I am supposed to get a job...and the real world awaits, so.... abroad.

I am heading to Suwon, South Korea to teach English... pray for me, light candles, make vodoo dolls, or just keep me in your good graces and I'll keep you posted on my life abroad, my life as a teacher, and for now...the struggle getting there!

:-)

Carissa