Anticipation, and anxiety, is building...

Hello everyone, and welcome to my blog. This is my first attempt at one, and Greetings from Gangwon will chronicle my time spent in Korea as an ESL teacher.

I decided to setup the blog up prior to my arrival, as it will detail the major emotions and significant moments I have before leaving.

My feelings right now are excitement and anxiety. Currently, I am awaiting to receive my college transcript in the mail, so that I may bring it to obtain my visa at the Korean Consulate in Boston. My target date for arrival in Korea is the end of February, which is only a few short weeks away!

Now for a little background: The idea of living and working abroad is one I have had since college, specifically after spending a semester in Ireland. While in Maynooth as an Education major, I decided that I wanted to have more international experiences before I became a school teacher. As someone who is interested in geography and culture, I felt I would be a more effective teacher if I had personal experiences to speak from in my Social Studies class.

In December 2004, I received my Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) in Costa Rica. Following that 4 week course, I had a job offer from a Spanish school (one I had studied at for 1 week prior to my TESOL course), but I did not take it. To this day, it is probably the biggest regret of my adult life. Now, over 4 years later, I am preparing to embark on a quest that should have happened already. But, I cannot change the past, only go forward.

Why Korea??? Many of you may know people, or know of people, that have gone to Asia to teach. From a job standpoint, the offer is great: In addition to a normal earning wage, instructors (usually) receive free housing, free airfare, and paid vacation. This allows many people to pay off debt and/or save money. (This was certainly a factor with me. I hope to erase my debt, and save money that I can put towards returning to school once I return).

I will be teaching at a private school (K-6), so my vacation is quite minimal (a week in the summer and over Christmas/New Year) compared to a public school job, where they receive a normal summer recess, and sometimes an extended winter break.

With this in mind, I am hoping to get public school job if I decide to stay for a second year. This will allow me the time to travel to other countries in Asia and the (west) South Pacific. For a long time, New Zealand has been atop my wishlist. I would love to visit other Pacific Island nations as well (Marshall Isls, Macronesia, etc). I also have a friend from my TESOL course in China (he is never coming back), and college friends in Singapore.

As for Korea itself, I am looking forward to several long weekends to get to know this small country. I have found a company, Adventure Korea, that organizes outdoor activites (skiing, hiking, biking, etc) throughout the year. They also do trips to North Korea (strictly supervised) and Jeju Island, known as Korea's Hawaii.

The outdoor activities are why I chose Gangwon Province, some of the nicest mountains and coastline are located there, as well as many college towns. After living in New York City for nearly 3 years, the prospect of living in another large, urban area makes me nauseous. While the city of Gangneung is no one-horse town (pop. 300,000), the natural features of the country are far more accesible, and I just get a good vibe from that area of the country.

One feature of Gangneung that I am especially excited about is the coastal lake Gyeongpo and its hilltop pavilion, Gyeongpo-dae, originally built in 1326. Here is an excerpt from Moon Handbook's South Korea guide detaling this scene:" In the old days, yangban of the area (poets, calligraphers, and scholars) would gather here for good-humored banter and entertainment. They said that while sitting on the cool floor of this pavilion, you can see five moons: the white orb in the sky, and its reflection in the sea, in the lake, off the wine in a wine cup, and in one's lover's eyes. Picturesque in all seasons, Gyeongpo-dae is perhaps best dressed when the cherry trees push forth their blossoms and swath this hilltop in a robe of pink." I realize that all of Korea won't be this romantic, but a little sure sounds nice!

Well, I will wrap things up at this point. Already this writing exercise has eased some of my stress, so I hope to keep it up with worthwhile text.

Thanks for reading!