Last Tuesday, I picked up fellow EPIKers one at the Train Station in CT and the rest in MA on the way to the Korean Consulate in Newton, MA. The ride up was a lot of fun and it was interesting meeting new people for the first time face to face. Nothing like getting to know each other than saying, “Hey….I know you on facebook, you wanna go to the consulate together?” *Gasps of horror*…
I was reflecting on my progress with learning Korean and if I think of how long I have self-studied the language it seems like a disappointment. I learned how to read Korean back in 2006 with the help of a Saturday Korean class run by Korean students at Amherst college. This helped me a lot when I went to study abroad that summer and placed in level 4 of level 6 for the beginner Korean…
One thing that has bothered me most about leaving is packing. I have no idea what to pack. Not only do I not know what I truly need to pack, but rather what am I required to bring. So I decided to make two packing lists. After talking to many people and reading various blogs about living abroad; most suggest to bring a piece from home or something to make your new place homey. With…
One item I have been requested to do before I leave is to eat all of the food that is mine. There are odds and ends in all of the cupboards for various types of cooking, but my mom wants her space back after I leave. So my job has been to create meals with the remaining ingredients. At times I am lazy that I do not want to cook anything or look for the…
On Tuesday, my NOA (Notice of Appointment) and contract arrived in the mail. I was excited to finally have my paperwork. I felt like for the first time through this whole process with EPIK, I could say it is official… I am hired. I knew I passed my interview in November and on Christmas Day I found out that I was placed in Gangwon Province (강원도). But the reality is until the contract and NOA…
Over the course of the last few months and the few weeks to come I have been thinking of the people to say good-bye to. My mom supports me 100% in this process and knows this is something I have always wanted to do and have put on hold for many years. She has become a bit of a ‘sap’ as I jokingly say. In reality, she is just going to miss her baby, the…
I will be on a plane in 5 weeks to South Korea. I was thinking back to every time I have gone back and visited. Of all the times I have been, I grew the most during my study abroad summer program with Yonsei University in 2006. It was my second time to Seoul and I was ready to learn and travel. The feeling of being able to walk around in a different country, order…