Packing for a year

Packing is no joke..

I am attempting to fit one year of clothing and shoes into two suitcases. I am in for it. I have been looking through all of the great web pages showing how to pack as much as possible. So here are a couple of them..

Clown Car Seriously this guy has packing down. He can get more stuff in there than I thought was possible. He does the fold over method and I have faith in this.

Rolling Method This is a different method to get as much as possible. She doesn’t actually show you how to do it, but it’s the general idea of just rolling everything.

Pictures of the rolling method I like that she shows you how to roll, not just one shirt, but a bunch. There are a couple other little tips in there as well.

A great break down Just a general breakdown of how it should be done..

I could care less if things are wrinkled when I get there.  I can wear a couple sweaters until I get an iron. I just need to fit as much in the bags as possible.

With a quickness

            At the beginning of the month I had a conversation with my father about how quick it would be, for me to leave the states. I said when I choose a school, because all of my paperwork was done, it was going to be just a couple of weeks then I would be gone. I don’t know if I was telling him for him, or telling him so I could recognize it. Well three more full days and I will be leaving my beloved Seattle again.

            As much as I love this famed city, I just can’t seem to stay. My friends love my going away parties. But they are so used to me leaving that they are used to me not being here. I have heard more than once a week, oh sh*t I forgot you were in town. And now I am proving this to be true. There are no tears anymore. My friends give me huge hugs and explain that they want to see more pictures this time. Many of them have started their own lives, with husbands and children; I am the one that they are living vicariously through. My wanderlust is something for their own reasons they are not able to copy.

            Tomorrow I pick up my Visa at the consulate. Then I will be ready to go. I still have to finish packing, getting all of the things I need together beforehand was an incredible help. Squirreling deodorant, bras, and the like, so I can be ready. It has been intense. There are many people that say that you have to bring this, or that, because you are not able to get it over there. I have realized that anything that you forget or just don’t get you will not die without. And if it is needed there is a great chance that it can be sent from an online store, or my loving friends.

            My father made a joke regarding my year in moves. The house I lived in, in New Mexico was a two-bedroom house; I sold, donated and gave everything that wouldn’t fit into my car and my trailer. It was tough to recognize that I was getting rid of treasured items. Now, I am amazing at throwing things away as he noted that I would be putting all of my personal belongings into two 50lb bags, a carry on and a personal item. I could care less at the things I need to get rid of. The stuff in your life just weighs you down. These experiences that I am getting is filling my life up more than I could have known.

            

CRC, Apostille and all the other funny new words.

            Ok, no joke getting the paperwork to go to South Korea to teach English is hard… I mean it takes money and time, oh and if you’re like me, stress. You never know what is going to be on your record, what if someone else used your name? So here goes my slow but steady way to get your paperwork done… I am going to give you a description of doing this from Washington State in the US.

           

            Hopefully you already have a passport. This is really easy, look up the paperwork to fill out at Passport people. They have the info you need. I am going to assume you have this part done.

            Start by getting your fingerprints done. These are for your criminal record check. This is the one that will take forever. A lot of the websites I visited said that you could go to your local police station. Yah, mine actually laughed at me. They explained the only way that they take fingerprints is for a concealed carry permit, or if you get arrested, and neither of these ways allows you to keep them. So they gave me a name and an address to go to get them done. I wish I would have googled fingerprinting, because there are a bunch of places out there that do them, for cheaper than I got mine done. I got mine done in ink, I hear that there are places that do them digitally; next time I do this I will do them that way. I totally felt like a criminal for the rest of the day. After that part is done, get your first grouping of paperwork done. FBI click that link and they will hook you up with a bunch of great info. As well as the form you need to fill out.

           

            So you have your fingerprints and your filled out form.. Great job so far. Send that stuff in.. Get it in as soon as you have an idea that you might want to do this.. It will make your life easier.

            So you got your Criminal Record Check back. Woo hoo. And it’s clear, even bigger WOO HOO. That is great. Now on to your Apostilles..

            Pull out your diploma. Take it to your nearest UPS store. Ask the person behind the desk to notarize a copy of it. This is really easy. Show your id, get it notarized and leave. Now to get your College Degree Apostilled. I went to this site WA Secretary of State, print out the sheet. Fill it out.

            Go to your bank and get your money grams. One for the state, and one for the nation. Go to usps, and talk to the really nice people behind the counter, explain that you want to send the forms over with tracking, then you need to add an envelope to receive them back with tracking. This will allow you to see how long it takes for them to get them and when they will be returned. Give them bunches of money and send them off.

            During this downtime of waiting, you should probably get a hold of your school and get three or four sets of transcripts. I got four, my idea is that they don’t change and they take a little time to get to you. Better to have too many than not enough.

            Now is your waiting game. During this time, check out the job offers on any of the websites that post those things and start looking. Look at the different towns and areas, coastal, mountain? Big city, small city, little town in the middle of nowhere? Good luck

I am told I will be leaving soon, off to the next place..

So I can easily say going with just one recruiter for this whole moving to another country to teach english thing, was dumb. I was told things from this one person that really were not true. He was choosing to only give me interviews to lower wage, higher working hours jobs. He was asking for way too much, and really wasn't giving me anything in return. He would tell me about a position, then have me interview for a different position.

So now that that is over, well I know I am worth a little more. I have been in negotiations over jobs before. I am not new to that sandbox. I started to look for the positions that were most closely related to what I wanted. Then I started applying. Over and over.. Just kept on it. 

There are some great jobs out there to be had. I wanted more than the lowest wages. I have a belief that if they are willing to pay you the lowest wage possible, then they are going to treat you that way. So I looked a little higher. I love working with younger kids, so that was an easy decision. And the area, was essentially just in South Korea. Rural, city, country, homey, outside, inside, anything. My biggest thing was to not be only surrounded by English speakers. I wanted to make sure that I will have the possibility to be immersed with this interesting ancient society. So no, I didn't want to be in the heart of Seoul, or right next to a military base. Other than that thought, just throw me to the wolves. I lived in New Mexico for three years, I can live anywhere.. 

I started getting calls. Lots of calls. Three calls a day, and emails. Oh wow all of the emails. I was able to talk to so many directors. Some I didn't really like, some I liked a lot, but weren't offering enough, or seemed a little sketch. I then talked to a recruiter that had what seemed like an amazing fit. She knew of the area in NM that I lived in. We had a great conversation, and she helped me to get ready for interviews. I took her opinions not because I wasn't being offered jobs, but because she really wanted me to be hired, and not necessarily with her schools. Really nice woman, very helpful and straight forward. So I interviewed. I talked to the other teachers, who were great. 

I then had to look at the 5 contracts that I was really contemplating. And I sent them to my father. If you can't make a decision, ask dad... He also is a lawyer, and contracts are kinda his thing. He picked the same one I was leaning towards and it was done. I sent off the email that I was accepting the job... I will be teaching in Incheon, South Korea. 

Now everything is going too fast. Getting all the paperwork in one place. Sending all of those long awaited papers to the great unknown, hoping the shipper wouldn't lose it. Getting more passport photos than anyone person needs. I am now just waiting on the Visa code.. Then I get to rush down to the Korean consulate in Seattle, to get more paperwork.. 

So after my first couple of interviews, I wasn't done, but I was questioning what I was going to do..

Then after a failed interview last night I decided to go with more than one recruiter. I started sending out my resume to many different jobs. I went onto the Facebook Esl Korea teaching page, daves esl and onto South Korean craigslist, and just sent out my resume. I was over the pushy/not there previous recruiter. It was strange having someone need to talk to me all the time, while not really getting anything done. I wanted to interview. I wanted to talk to people that were hiring. Instead I had a guy wanting more pictures, and video, and this and that.

I have already done almost all that I needed to get the ball well on the way to Korea.. Why was it so hard to get a chance?.

So within the hour that I started applying I started getting emails back. A couple wanted teachers that already had Visas, or were already in country. It's cool to have a couple auto denials, at least I wasn't waiting around for someone to at least call me. Then one was really interested. Asking if I could interview the next day (meaning today). I jumped at the chance. Got everything in order then was ready for the interview..

It went awesome. I admit I need more experience with Skype. And well it seems that she needed help as well. It was a fun interview. There are already 4 other female teachers, it is a medium sized city. I would be teaching youngsters during the day and older ones in the afternoon. I will get more info about the school tonight and more info on the other teachers.

I don't know what will come of this one, but I do now know that I am ready.

Six months in Seattle is more than I need. I need to go and explore..

So I was not asked to interview for EPIK.. Yah, that sucked. I had to read just my ideals, and truly think if I really wanted to teach in Asia. I have decided that I really do, so I am jumping back on the bandwagon, and getting all of my stuff together. I have contacted a recruiter, and am still looking at public schools.

I am disappointed in not getting in, and surprised considering what my resume looks like. I have been told that there is a reason for everything. Maybe I just needed more time to get all of my documentation together.

I started taking an online class with Tesol Express online. It is good so far. Just doing a couple hours here and a couple hours there. I will be done with it in no time.

Finishing School- Now onto the next thing

So, I have graduated college. Go Me! But now it is on to the next big thing. I chose to go to college a full 24 hour drive away from my home in Seattle, Wa. Las Vegas, NM the original Las Vegas, or the Meadow City.

•  First reason was to get away from my previous daily routine.  
• Secondly, how often do you get the chance to travel in the US and stay and see a new culture? 
• Thirdly, I thought being away from everything I was used to I would spend way more time on what I was trying to accomplish.. That is where I have realized that I have been bored for the last three years. 

I have loved spending time in an area that is so foreign to me, getting to know the local culture; red & green chiles, mariachi, enchiladas, ranchero cubano music, and the differences in family. It has helped me to realize that I love checking new things out. But, living in a town that essentially closes down at 9pm has gotten me to be bored. I am not the one that likes to wait for a month for a really fun night out. Seattle has something going on every night, or every weekend. Las Vegas, NM might have something going on once a month, and that is in the summer and if you're lucky. So here is the kicker, should I stay here to go into a Master's program? Or should I go take a TEFL course and teach English overseas. This is not a random thought. I have been thinking for years to travel. I love taking drives to new places. I have practically seen everything on the west coast of the US. So, why not expand those horizons internationally? I am totally ready for something new, and these great ideas of traveling overseas has pretty much taken over. So maybe I can plan on doing a graduate program later in life. My next post, How can I go to tefl classes, travel overseas, and pay off my student debt all in the same grouping.