11 more days!

Things are really starting to set in now. I've already said goodbye to clients at work, my dental hygienist, and some associates at JCPenney. Plans are starting to be made for my last hurrah with friends and family. A party here, a trivia night there, a dinner here, a lunch there, a bubble island date here, a brunch there. Everyone's been so kind, and more people than I thought are really interested in what I'll be doing and where I'll be going. 

I went out and bought some things for my trip. I got a couple of blazers so that I look extra fancy every once in a while. I feel like my wardrobe is business casual and not very formal. Hopefully the blazers will help. There were a lot of little things on my list like deodorant x3 because apparently Korean don't have terrible body odor. Must be nice. Razors, reward stickers for the kids, stamps, tweezers and clippers (no more free brow waxes from my mom, sadface), lots of toothpaste, floss, and three toothbrushes (thanks, Mrs. Kendall!!), a scrubbie, kleenex, vaseline, a USB remote for projectors, a 3DS holder and styluses, chapstick, an umbrella, washcloths, Q-tips, sunscreen, and wrinkle spray. 

It might all be overkill, but I just don't want to get there and have to shop for all that stuff right away. After a 14 hour flight, going shopping for the basics isn't something I'd be really excited to do. 

I've started giving myself a pep talk every time I get overwhelmed about the trip. My heart is completely in this, but my mind keeps asking if I'm crazy for getting myself into this. That's when I repeat to myself, "You are a brave woman. Some other people wouldn't have even filled out the application, but you did. You are personable and have a pretty smile. People will like you even if you act like a complete fool over and over. You're good with children. This will be so helpful in finding a job when you get back. Six months will fly by. You are a brave woman." 

It's worked so far. With 11 days to go before I leave on a 14-hour flight from Detroit to Seoul, I think pep talks to myself are the best form of stress-relief. 

Crazy Preparation Time

So for anyone wondering how someone who doesn't know Korean and hasn't really had any teaching experience goes to Korea and teaches English as a second language...let me be the first to tell you, it's not easy. These last couple of weeks have been the most amount of work I've done in school since...ever. I'm Queen Procrastinator and haven't ever re-looked at any paper or test that I've ever written in my life, but these lesson plans are not something that I should put off or half-ass, and it's killing me.

I'm on lesson 29 and I'm supposed to have 50 by Friday. They take about an hour to an hour and a half each. I have to come up with a song, find five pictures, create five words, do a phonetics chapter, then a "Learning Language" chapter which are normally 10 pages long, and then create my own daily lesson and activity, then finish with the song. Each chapter is about 60 slides in PowerPoint. That's a slide per minute if anyone's keeping track. With working 30 hours a week and trying to have time to see people before I leave, life is pretty crazy right now.

If that weren't enough, our professor is asking us to learn how to read Korean (she provided worksheets, thank god) by Friday as well. Then by next week we're supposed to have watched an entire Korean drama on Hulu. Those are normally 45 minutes each and there's about 16 of the one that I started watching. It's funny though, it's not like homework at all. Except that there's no time to finish it. That part is very much life homework.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining. Everything I'm doing is enjoyable because it means that in 18 days I get to leave for South Korea and start a whole new chapter of my life. What I'm saying is that maybe the prep classes should have been around 6 months long instead of one. I have about 40 people who want to hang out with me before I leave. I love the support, just know I'm trying my best. This is all so new to me since the only place outside the U.S. I've visited was England and Scotland for 10 days. I'm hardly the ideal traveler.

In our classes, Dr. Koh brings us traditional Korean dishes like bi-bim-bop and kim bop and a bunch more that I can't remember the names to. Bi-bim-bop is just veggies, beef, and red pepper paste on top of rice. Kim means seaweed and bop means rice, so kim bop is just like a sushi roll only with veggies and crab in it. Guess what I'll be eating mountains of. There have been other dishes with noodles and beef and veggies, cabbage kim chi, gim is just dried seaweed and good for iron, and rice cakes with bean paste in the middle. It's all so tasty and most of it is good for you.

Preparation-wise, I'll be getting my visa on Friday. My flight plans are being worked out right now. I've learned a lot about Korean culture. Apparently, the elderly get away with everything there like walking up in line somewhere and shoving away a younger person so they can be first. You always do a short bow to people older than you when you meet them. Give up your seat on the bus for the elderly and they'll love you. Always smile when you're around people at the school (This one will be NO problem for me. I have to rub my cheeks at the end of every day). Drink when people ask you to. Apparently not drinking makes you nerdy and you'll be more socially accepted if you at least have a drink with them.

I never really realized that other countries have other vegetables and fruit. I know that makes me an ignorant American, but it's true. They have fruits and veggies that resemble ours, but are their own like grapes and apples. The apples resemble fuji apples (which is awesome) and the grapes are close to concord grapes here. Another thing I learned is that kim chi comes in hundreds of types. I thought it was just cabbage, but it can be radish, cucumber, leek, green onion, or even kim chi in water.

So now you're caught up in what I've been learning and tasting and preparing. Sorry this one's so long, but I want to thorough so that I have a record for myself later on in life of the process. Plus, this is a nice place to put down all the things I'll want to remember even when I'm there.

18 days!!!

The adventure begins...

For those who don't know, on February 4th, I'll be leaving Michigan and traveling to South Korea to teach K-2nd graders English as a second language. My program is called TaLK which stands for "Teach and Learn in Korea." I heard about the program when my sister was applying for a scholarship at Eastern. My dad immediately thought of me and took down the study abroad director's name. After emailing her, she sent my email to Dr. Koh who runs the Eastern TaLK program. She told me that applications were due at the end of that week, so I rushed to get it all done.

After a long process, I was accepted. I had to get a criminal record check notarized and apostilled in Livonia. I had two applications to fill out, an essay and a lesson plan to write. I had to get my passport-sized picture. Then after I was accepted through Eastern, my application was sent to Chicago. Then, it was sent to South Korea. I've applied for my visa and I'll have it on Friday. It all felt rushed and I know that I just jumped in without looking back. I put in my two weeks notice at my job yesterday and it all started feeling very real. It hit me that I've been in denial for the last few months. It's strange realizing that it's the last time I'll see people in the next couple of weeks until August.

I already had my break down, but I know that as soon as I get to Korea, I'll have so much to do and so much to take in that I won't even be thinking about being homesick. My excitement is finally overpowering my fear right now and I'm starting to get really anxious and I can't wait to go! I think my friendly personality will translate very well in a foreign country, but I know I have a lot to learn.

I started taking my preparation classes on Friday and yesterday. They were 3 hours long and very informative. I'll take time either tomorrow or Tuesday to explain what exactly I've been working on and what I'm learning in my prep classes. For now this is just an introduction.

OH!

For all of you who are wondering why my blog is called "Seoul Pancake," it's a play on words of my favorite book, "Soul Pancake" by Rainn Wilson. It's one of my favorite books and inspired me to start my first blog, "Spiritual Strudel." The website his book is based off of makes the average person believe that maybe they can create and inspire and imagine. If you ever have a chance, flip through his book. It's one of my favorite books to read to just feel better about anything that's going on in my life. Anyway, if you're feeling creative or the need to be creative, I recommend it.

I'll try to update this blog once or twice a week. I don't know how busy I'll be, probably very, but I will do my best. I'll have pictures and stories and lists and pieces of advice, so stay tuned. Thanks for joining this journey of a lifetime with me!