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!