Updates: FBIBbackground Check Still Not In

Well, it's been over a month since my last post because I am still waiting for my FBI background check to show up in the mail, leaving my progress somewhat stunted.
But despite the fact that a number of recruiters essentially told me I would not find a job until I received all of my paperwork, I have been able to strike a deal with a private school in the Si-Ji neighborhood of Daegu, SoKo!
This all unfolded after the potential job at a Montessori school fell through due to bad timing. The director needed someone to come in about two months sooner than I was ready to leave. Alas, there is such a surplus of English teaching jobs available in SoKo that this didn't present much of an obstacle. Even despite the throngs of people just like me who are flooding the country for teaching jobs, there are still enough school directors looking for teachers to keep the many recruiting agencies in business.
The job I have taken is for a private academy in Si-Ji, as I mentioned, and I will be teaching 5-10 year-olds, 35 hours a week. All 35 of those hours are teaching hours, which is a heftier load than I was originally looking to take on. I originally set out to find a position that would allow me enough free time to wander the country aimlessly, exploring my head and figuring my life out. But I figured this would be a good opportunity to really commit to living the local life and immersing myself in culture. Work and education, after all, are the pinnacles of Korean culture.
My contract is pretty standard for foreign ESL teachers in SoKo, which means it is basically phenomenal. For working 35 hours a week, I will be given a free, partially furnished, apartment, a decent salary, paid vacation, health insurance, pension, and severance pay.
Not bad.
I will have to buy my own cellphone, which is fine, because I'd really like to invest the $45 a month to get an iPhone, especially since iPhones are actually twice that cost anywhere in America. And I'd like to be able to easily keep in touch with my people back home.
In other developments, I bought a little language guide at a bookstore today and am getting a head start on memorizing the Korean alphabet. I've been told that this won't really be necessary since most Koreans speak at least enough English for me to get by. But I'd like to revel in the confidence of knowing at least some Korean and, though I'm pretty sure I will forget most of what I learn by the time I land in Korea, I at least want to soothe my traveling jitters with some basic language skills.
Oh, and did I mention I'm getting the jitters?
Again, I never cease to amaze myself. Just as I never anticipated having an existential crisis post-college, I never thought I would actually become as nervous as I have for this upcoming move.
But as the steps are finally coming into place with a job, things are beginning to feel tangible and as some of my friends have also graduated college and gone off, I have witnessed from afar the goodbyes that I will also have to dole out come September.
I know that decisions should not be made out of fear, and so I am curbing my fear and molding whatever bits that cannot be curbed into excitement.This is easily done, because there's a lot to be discovered out there.
I am also stalking all of the YouTube videos published by my ESL predecessors. Shaky cameras and all, I'm grateful for the footage of my neighborhood and sample apartments. Thanks guys.
Hopefully my papers will arrive any day now and I won't have to wait as long for my next update. 

On the Job Front: Daegu Montessori

On the job front, I received an email this morning from a lady who directs a Montessori school in Daegu, which is the closest city next to where my best friend lives. She grabbed my email through my best friend, who knows the lady from yoga. I'm really interested in the school because it is alternative education and I am in the midst of learning about the mainstream education system in Korea and the idea of working for a place that offers a counter culture is especially intriguing since one of the focal points of my adventure will be counter cultures and how and where they form within Korean culture.
I sent her a response email outlining my arrival and departure information. I've only planned to stay for six months, but I realize that most work contracts are going to be for a full year and I am flexible for that.
The downfall is that my boyfriend is slated to leave for the peace corps the summer of 2012, meaning there is this gap between March (when I'm supposed to return) and June (when he might be heading out). I'd like to come back in March and spend that time with him until he leaves, but if it means I will have to sacrifice a killer contract deal to do it, it might just not be possible.
Since I've already purchased my ticket to return to the US in March, I'm hoping that whoever my employer turns out to be, they are open to letting me take vacation time in March. That way I can at least spend a few weeks in the states before the boyfriend heads out to god-only-knows what part of the third world and I head back for another six months of living abroad.
That being said, I am also hoping things work out in Korea so that I can stay for a few more years. If I could stay and get settled and really experience living abroad, I could have time to plan my next move and the funds to execute it, whether it be grad school or travelling or starting my own business or whathaveyou.
The possibilities are virtually endless, really.
And since I'll be around some of the world's most progressive technology, I hope to gain some knowledge about desktop publishing, web and graphic design that can maybe make me more equipped to do my own thing in life and build my own little empire around the things that inspire me and could inspire others as well.

E-2 Visa Phase 1: FBI Background Check

The requirements for foreign English teachers in SoKo changed this year so I have to get a federal criminal background check in order to get my E-2 Visa. It used to be that foreigners could simply have their local governments check off on their clean background, but I guess this left a lot of loop holes for people who were committing crimes in one state, moving to another, and then heading to SoKo with a "clean" criminal record despite their actual crime history. Since teaching English in SoKo is gaining popularity, I can only imagine that the Korean government wants to ensure they aren't letting in any foreigners who could be a problem. 

Luckily, I have a pretty lucid memory that does not include any crimes so I'm pretty confident that my check will come up clean. But the Koreans don't know that and I gotta pay some fees to prove it to them. 

So I headed to my local police station to get fingerprinted. I brought my FBI background check application form, my payment form, my ID, and five filled out fingerprinting cards plus an example I found online, just in case the fingerprinter didn't know how it was done. 

I didn't ask, but I'm pretty sure the office where they do fingerprinting is actually a closet that has been converted into an office due to budget cuts. It is ridiculously small.

Nonetheless, I was in and out with three completed fingerprint cards in a manila envelope. I wasn't aware that this would cost money, but it did. Heads up to those following in my steps: it's a $56 charge for three fingerprint cards. 

I'm not sure if it's always been this way, or if part of the fees go towards the lets-move-back-into-a-normal-office-one-day fund. 

Have you ever thought about your fingerprints? It's cliche, but they are remarkable. It was really neat to see all the fine, natural grooves and patterns that have formed the fabric of my identity, on paper anyways. It was even more interesting seeing how those lines are interrupted by the occasional jagged cut mark. Life. Little marks left from that time you cut the fruit into your hand and the knife slipped on the pit. Ya know, whatever. 

Anyways, with my fingerprints in tow, it was as simple as sending a cover letter, three cards of my fingerprints, an application form, and a credit card payment form ($18) to the FBI record request office. I paid $8 total for priority mail with delivery confirmation. 

In the meantime, I'm still awaiting the arrival of my passport ($130-something) and, now, the arrival of my FBI background document. 

Once I get the document, I have to send it off to the US Department of State for a federal apostille. 

The next immediate monster I need to tackle is getting my college degree apostilled. There is very little information about how to actually do this and what is required, so I'm hoping to post a comprehensive step-by-step once I get the process figured out myself. 

Welcome!

After flirting with the idea for a little over three years, I've finally buckled down and bought my ticket to move to South Korea. I'll be joining my best friend, who currently teaches English through the EPIK program, along with the mass exodus of other Humanities majors who have fled to Korea following promises of financial stability and paid world travel. Admittedly, it is the best deal in the globe for recent grads trying to figure out their next move in life without sacrificing inspiration or the travel bug. 

Like the others, I too will be leaving many things behind in order to embark on this journey. It is a natural law that life suddenly fills up your plate just as you are trying to wipe it clean. But I'm grateful to have my plate filled with supportive and loving people who, while I will miss them, will gladly share in my experiences while I'm out there in the world, making them all the more meaningful. 

This blog will be the forum for my experience in Korea, from start to finish. With the objectives of advising other recent grads considering a similar path and keeping my loved ones in the loop, I'll be chronicling the entirety of my journey, starting with the paper-pushing process of applying for an E-2 work Visa and ending somewhere in South Korea, sometime six months or six years from now.

Here goes the leap.