OK last time I told you guys that my destination was changed from Wonju to Chuncheon. Well, my visa application is sitting on the desk of the principal of Sahmyook Elementary School in Chuncheon as we speak. Of course there is another problem though. Where are my family member visa applications?
The school has to sign off on the visa application, stating that they are sponsoring me in my stay. I was aware of this, and send a photocopy of my passport, 4 additional passport photos, a copy of my resume, a sealed transcript, and a State Apostille certified copy of my diploma and police report. I had the understanding that I had to get government approval for my visa, but that my family members visas could simply be obtained same day, when I made the trip to Houston to get mine after receiving sponsorship. Today I was informed differently.
After speaking with the Korean Consulate in Houston, I was informed that my family members F3(accompanying family member) visa application must accompany my E2(teacher) visa, and that I must also include an original birth certificate for each child to prove they were my offspring, and a marriage certificate proving my wife was indeed.....my wife. They also had to have 2 passport photos accompanying each application.
So...another $24 at Walgreen's for photos, and another overnight mailing to get the ball rolling. I'm beginning to question that all the required documentation will be done on time for me to arrive in South Korea before my contract begins. I know.....have faith. And believe me, this whole adventure has been based on faith, but with my own customised addition of anxiety now and then as well. I know, based on how the Lord has allowed everything else to fall into place, that this will all work out.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
New Destination
Last night I received my new contract, identical to the first other than the change in destination. My new school is located in Chuncheon City, Gangwondo, S Korea. Chuncheon is the capital of Gangwondo province, and about 50 miles NE of Seoul. According to wikipedia, the average high temperature in June-July is about 85, and the average high in Dec-Feb is about 35. This aint Texas. Also, it says I should expect about 51" of rain over a year, with half of that being in Jul-Aug. I may need to invest in skis to get to work in the winter, and a boat for summer.
My son brought home 26 workbooks/textbooks from school today. He only thought he was behind in schoolwork. These are used books for 7th grade, as the school in Chuncheon only teaches through the 6th grade. He will attend class with the 6th graders, but complete his 7th grade coursework while they work on their assignments. Although this may provide for some distraction, I feel it better than leaving him home alone every day to explore the streets of Chuncheon, or become even worse of a video game junkie. I hear that some people make over 100k per year just to play online games there. And yes, that's 100k US Dollar, not Korean Won.
Tonight I will complete the contract, although I'm still somewhat apprehensive since it only outlines provisions for myself, and not my accompanying family. My stateside representative told me he has a letter of commitment from the school, but that it is in Korean and he will work on translating it and sending it to me. I hope his explanation of a 2 room apartment means 2 bedrooms, but we will see.
Hopefully, if all goes well, I will make a trip to Houston in early February, as it will take about 3 weeks to get the visa paperwork back for me to take to the Korean Consulate. They want us in Chuncheon about mid February, so this is really pushing it.
My son brought home 26 workbooks/textbooks from school today. He only thought he was behind in schoolwork. These are used books for 7th grade, as the school in Chuncheon only teaches through the 6th grade. He will attend class with the 6th graders, but complete his 7th grade coursework while they work on their assignments. Although this may provide for some distraction, I feel it better than leaving him home alone every day to explore the streets of Chuncheon, or become even worse of a video game junkie. I hear that some people make over 100k per year just to play online games there. And yes, that's 100k US Dollar, not Korean Won.
Tonight I will complete the contract, although I'm still somewhat apprehensive since it only outlines provisions for myself, and not my accompanying family. My stateside representative told me he has a letter of commitment from the school, but that it is in Korean and he will work on translating it and sending it to me. I hope his explanation of a 2 room apartment means 2 bedrooms, but we will see.
Hopefully, if all goes well, I will make a trip to Houston in early February, as it will take about 3 weeks to get the visa paperwork back for me to take to the Korean Consulate. They want us in Chuncheon about mid February, so this is really pushing it.
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Change of Plans
Quite a bit has happened since my last post. I recieved the contract assigning me to a school in Wonju, S Korea. The contract did not reflect the agreement to accomodate for family, but I was informed there would be an ammendment once I was accepted officially. So....I went along with it and continued with the paperwork.
Monday I got the report from my local police station that I needed, so this morning (like at 3:00am) I left for Austin with this report, my Diploma in my uncle’s Pontiac Solstice. It was a fun drive but a killer on my back. Anyways, after circling downtown Austin a few times I found the right building, and a nearby UPS Store to make the photocopy of my Diploma. The UPS Store needed $6.25 for photocopy and notary, and the Office of the Secretary of State needed $30 to give the Apostille certifying both documents.
Already on the way home at 9:30, I got a call informing me that my spot at the Wonju school had been filled, and that I was assigned to another school. As I was driving, I could not write down the name, and so am awaiting the amended contract reflecting this change so that I can look the new city up. I was told it was about an hour East of Wonju.
So, although I am encountering hiccups along the way, it appears this really is going to happen. Now to figure out where to come up with the money for 2 check bags for each of us, as we will need to pack them as full as we can to survive a year. Also, I need half a dozen or more decent khaki style pants and nice dress shirts. If any of you have any spare “extra husky” clothes….please think of me.
Hopefully next update will bear the news of a signed contract and visas obtained.
Monday I got the report from my local police station that I needed, so this morning (like at 3:00am) I left for Austin with this report, my Diploma in my uncle’s Pontiac Solstice. It was a fun drive but a killer on my back. Anyways, after circling downtown Austin a few times I found the right building, and a nearby UPS Store to make the photocopy of my Diploma. The UPS Store needed $6.25 for photocopy and notary, and the Office of the Secretary of State needed $30 to give the Apostille certifying both documents.
Already on the way home at 9:30, I got a call informing me that my spot at the Wonju school had been filled, and that I was assigned to another school. As I was driving, I could not write down the name, and so am awaiting the amended contract reflecting this change so that I can look the new city up. I was told it was about an hour East of Wonju.
So, although I am encountering hiccups along the way, it appears this really is going to happen. Now to figure out where to come up with the money for 2 check bags for each of us, as we will need to pack them as full as we can to survive a year. Also, I need half a dozen or more decent khaki style pants and nice dress shirts. If any of you have any spare “extra husky” clothes….please think of me.
Hopefully next update will bear the news of a signed contract and visas obtained.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Anticipation
OK, so I am supposed to update this thing now and then....or so I've been told.
Where did I leave off? Oh yeah, God had quickly erased any doubt about this being His plan, through the church offering to transfer the money needed for passports and visas. The next day I encountered a very similar stumbling block.....the county health department was going to ask for about $700 for all the vaccinations the family would need! We will need Hep A and B, H1N1 Tetanus, and Typhoid. I'm not certain about Malaria as of yet, although the church claims they don't regularly have the teachers vaccinated for it.
If I were using my brain to it's full capacity, I would have realized that as a veteran, I am eligible for all vaccinations through the V.A. Also, my wife and children are insured, and thus after the copay, their vaccinations are covered. This should make a difference in the pocketbook. As a matter of fact, I had an appointment today and discovered that I was given the Tetanus shot in March, 2009. How did I not know this? They gave me the H1N1 vaccine, and now I am quite stuffy and sneezing a lot. Is this what the swine do when they get it? I'm pretending that it's a relapse of the cold I had late last week.
Yesterday I got the return receipt notifying me that my passport renewal application has arrived in Philadelphia. No idea why mine goes to Phili, when my families goes to Houston, other than that mine was not 10 years expired yet.
One last item worth mentioning is that I am hoping to be able to meet with one of the church officials who is overseeing this process this weekend some time. He is of Korean descent, and met his wife while she was teaching English in South Korea. I guess this would give him some particular knowledge in this process, so I'm glad he's on my team.
Now I'll list a few concerns that are still present in my mind. If you think of one that should be present in my mind, please feel free to inform me. I have placed a lot of faith in the Lord and feel strongly that he will provide for my families needs, so some potential concerns simply do not exist in my mind.
Where did I leave off? Oh yeah, God had quickly erased any doubt about this being His plan, through the church offering to transfer the money needed for passports and visas. The next day I encountered a very similar stumbling block.....the county health department was going to ask for about $700 for all the vaccinations the family would need! We will need Hep A and B, H1N1 Tetanus, and Typhoid. I'm not certain about Malaria as of yet, although the church claims they don't regularly have the teachers vaccinated for it.
If I were using my brain to it's full capacity, I would have realized that as a veteran, I am eligible for all vaccinations through the V.A. Also, my wife and children are insured, and thus after the copay, their vaccinations are covered. This should make a difference in the pocketbook. As a matter of fact, I had an appointment today and discovered that I was given the Tetanus shot in March, 2009. How did I not know this? They gave me the H1N1 vaccine, and now I am quite stuffy and sneezing a lot. Is this what the swine do when they get it? I'm pretending that it's a relapse of the cold I had late last week.
Yesterday I got the return receipt notifying me that my passport renewal application has arrived in Philadelphia. No idea why mine goes to Phili, when my families goes to Houston, other than that mine was not 10 years expired yet.
One last item worth mentioning is that I am hoping to be able to meet with one of the church officials who is overseeing this process this weekend some time. He is of Korean descent, and met his wife while she was teaching English in South Korea. I guess this would give him some particular knowledge in this process, so I'm glad he's on my team.
Now I'll list a few concerns that are still present in my mind. If you think of one that should be present in my mind, please feel free to inform me. I have placed a lot of faith in the Lord and feel strongly that he will provide for my families needs, so some potential concerns simply do not exist in my mind.
- I'm still not sure of what capacity my wife will be employed, as she cannot be a teacher without a Bachelors degree.
- If my son is not able to attend traditional classes due to 7th grade being taught in Korean, I don't want him to feel isolated. I'm hoping he can attend class, and participate when possible, and do his school work while they are busy receiving their lectures and doing their lessons in Korean.
- A part of me is concerned about my ability to meet my son's educational needs. He is struggling in a few subjects now, not due to not understanding the material, but due to his not paying attention, and apparent lack of interest. I hope that this experience will encourage, not hinder his development.
- I'm still not certain where I will be working. Although I know that the contract will include this information, and will be finalized once the passports and such are in order, I simply don't like the uncertainty of it.
- Money is always a concern. Certain tasks are needed to be completed around the house for it to be worthy of other occupants. New clothing and travel gear need to be purchased. Household needs may not be met right off when we get there, as they don't allow us to move household goods for such short residency.
- What do we do when this is all over with? Although I am not employed now, my wife certainly is. She will ask for a leave of absence, but there is no assurance that she will have employment when we return. Hopefully this results in me finding a place in education, as this is where I feel I can best serve.
- OK....I could go on and on. I know I said I have put a lot of faith in the Lord, and I have or would never have considered this adventure in the first place. As a human though, it is quite difficult to give up some of my worries. I pray for the strength to do so.
Well, thanks for listening again. I hope that some day my experiences can help encourage someone contemplating serving the Lord in a similar capacity to quit contemplating and follow their heart. If this is the road the Lord wants you to travel, and you have asked Him to take the wheel, then He guide you and protect you.
Anthony
Monday, December 7, 2009
The Adventure Begins
OK, so we are not flying on a plane to South Korea yet, but the adventure certainly has begun. There is a lot of preparation and planning involved in taking a four member family to a foreign country. Before I get into these details though, let me explain how we got here in the first place.
Compliments of the V.A., I am a recent graduate. I got a BA in Computer Science, but as the economy has shown, getting a job in this field with no working experience is not easy. Sure I had interviews, and I even thought I had landed the job a few times, but always the results were "We need someone with more experience." This was OK though, in some ways. About a year before graduation I had a change of heart anyway. Rather than be a computer programmer, or network administrator, I really did like the idea of being an educator. Furthermore, I really had a burning desire to teach within one of my church's schools. But as the V.A. was footing the bill, and my eligibility was nearing end, I could not change my major. I thought surely there was a place for me, teaching young people how to use a computer productively, and perhaps sparking their interest in technology as well as broadening their knowledge.
OK, so now I've discovered that I was getting nowhere with my degree. So much for the idea that an education leads to success. Rather, getting my degree cost me my business. Before going to school I was the owner of a local courier service, and although I was not getting rich, I had steady business and happy customers. I had a purpose and focus, and if business was getting slow, I had an idea how to drum up more customers. But, as a full time student I could not satisfy my customer's needs, and could not find enough dependable help to maintain the business while I was in class. Rather than cost my customer's money by providing poor service, I bowed out and encouraged that they find a more dependable service as I had to focus on my education. After all, I basically had a free ride scholarship. I would be stupid to turn this down for what little money I was making. But now .... now that I am "educated" .... I don't have enough experience to do what I went to school for. A BS in BS might be just as valuable.
Back to the adventure. After months of disappointment, and sitting at home filling out applications and emailing resumes across the nation, I finally remembered what I REALLY wanted to do. I wanted to be an educator, not a programmer. Furthermore, I wanted to teach in an environment that allowed me to share God's love with my students, and where I could help them to discover this love as well. I paused for a few minutes to pray, and ask the Lord for his guidance in discovering where he wanted me to be. I also asked him to take charge, and to make it crystal clear to me when I found what he had in mind for me, as I had followed many leads in the past that "I" thought was best, and none had panned out. I returned to the church's educational employment site again, expecting to find nothing as the school year was well in progress. Sure enough, the only remotely attractive position advertised was a position teaching English to children in South Korea. I had seen this listing before and gave it no thought. After all, how could this possibly be the job for me? I have a wife and two children, and they were advertising a studio apartment and one round trip flight to South Korea.
This time it felt different though, something was driving me to call the number in the job posting. So I called, and proceeded to tell them I was probably not who they were looking for, as it did not appear that I fit their criteria. The response I got was far from what I expected. I was soon to discover that this was exactly where I belonged. Not only was there a school that wanted me, but I was informed that my wife would have a job as well, and our meals would be provided through the boarding school cafeteria, and my children would not have to pay the private school tuition, and they would give us a larger apartment, and fly all four of us round trip to South Korea. Now if that is not enough to convince you that the Lord is behind this decision, read on.
Wow, so it really looks like we are headed to Korea. I was informed that before a contract could be drawn up, I must first be able to show proof that I possess a Bachelor's degree, as well as providing a copy of each of our passports. The degree was no problem, I simply contacted the school and requested two sealed copies of my official transcript, and will provide them with notarized copies of the diploma. The passports, on the other hand, proved a little more difficult. My wife and I had expired passports from back when I was in the US Army and stationed in Heidelberg, Germany. Because hers was a military family member passport, it was issued for only a few years, and had long expired. In order to get a new passport, she must provide her birth certificate, and this had apparently been misplaced in one of our moves. She contacted the county of her birth in California and requested a copy be expedited to her. Expecting a two week wait for it, we were startled to find it in the mail the very next day.
Now for the passports. Oh wait....that will cost around $800 for expedited passport requests and priority mailing to get them within a few weeks, to have time for visa requests to meet our deadline of flying in mid February. When we discovered this tremendous cost, with me not employed, I had a brief sinking sensation. I had gotten my hopes up, and apparently had tried to make something happen that was not meant to be. I immediately prayed to the Lord, asking him to take control and make it happen if this is truly where He wanted me. When I contacted the recruiter for this job to inform him that I simply could not afford this cost, he asked "What if I were to put $1,000 in your account?" Well in two hours our account had an additional $1,000 in it, which we will reimburse over the first few months of employment. All I could do was praise God, and thank him for making it blatantly obvious that this is where He wants me to be.
Tomorrow, well THIS morning we go and submit our passport applications. I will save this story for my next comment. Hopefully by then we will have our immunization needs met as well. Be sure and check back if you want to see how this goes.
Compliments of the V.A., I am a recent graduate. I got a BA in Computer Science, but as the economy has shown, getting a job in this field with no working experience is not easy. Sure I had interviews, and I even thought I had landed the job a few times, but always the results were "We need someone with more experience." This was OK though, in some ways. About a year before graduation I had a change of heart anyway. Rather than be a computer programmer, or network administrator, I really did like the idea of being an educator. Furthermore, I really had a burning desire to teach within one of my church's schools. But as the V.A. was footing the bill, and my eligibility was nearing end, I could not change my major. I thought surely there was a place for me, teaching young people how to use a computer productively, and perhaps sparking their interest in technology as well as broadening their knowledge.
OK, so now I've discovered that I was getting nowhere with my degree. So much for the idea that an education leads to success. Rather, getting my degree cost me my business. Before going to school I was the owner of a local courier service, and although I was not getting rich, I had steady business and happy customers. I had a purpose and focus, and if business was getting slow, I had an idea how to drum up more customers. But, as a full time student I could not satisfy my customer's needs, and could not find enough dependable help to maintain the business while I was in class. Rather than cost my customer's money by providing poor service, I bowed out and encouraged that they find a more dependable service as I had to focus on my education. After all, I basically had a free ride scholarship. I would be stupid to turn this down for what little money I was making. But now .... now that I am "educated" .... I don't have enough experience to do what I went to school for. A BS in BS might be just as valuable.
Back to the adventure. After months of disappointment, and sitting at home filling out applications and emailing resumes across the nation, I finally remembered what I REALLY wanted to do. I wanted to be an educator, not a programmer. Furthermore, I wanted to teach in an environment that allowed me to share God's love with my students, and where I could help them to discover this love as well. I paused for a few minutes to pray, and ask the Lord for his guidance in discovering where he wanted me to be. I also asked him to take charge, and to make it crystal clear to me when I found what he had in mind for me, as I had followed many leads in the past that "I" thought was best, and none had panned out. I returned to the church's educational employment site again, expecting to find nothing as the school year was well in progress. Sure enough, the only remotely attractive position advertised was a position teaching English to children in South Korea. I had seen this listing before and gave it no thought. After all, how could this possibly be the job for me? I have a wife and two children, and they were advertising a studio apartment and one round trip flight to South Korea.
This time it felt different though, something was driving me to call the number in the job posting. So I called, and proceeded to tell them I was probably not who they were looking for, as it did not appear that I fit their criteria. The response I got was far from what I expected. I was soon to discover that this was exactly where I belonged. Not only was there a school that wanted me, but I was informed that my wife would have a job as well, and our meals would be provided through the boarding school cafeteria, and my children would not have to pay the private school tuition, and they would give us a larger apartment, and fly all four of us round trip to South Korea. Now if that is not enough to convince you that the Lord is behind this decision, read on.
Wow, so it really looks like we are headed to Korea. I was informed that before a contract could be drawn up, I must first be able to show proof that I possess a Bachelor's degree, as well as providing a copy of each of our passports. The degree was no problem, I simply contacted the school and requested two sealed copies of my official transcript, and will provide them with notarized copies of the diploma. The passports, on the other hand, proved a little more difficult. My wife and I had expired passports from back when I was in the US Army and stationed in Heidelberg, Germany. Because hers was a military family member passport, it was issued for only a few years, and had long expired. In order to get a new passport, she must provide her birth certificate, and this had apparently been misplaced in one of our moves. She contacted the county of her birth in California and requested a copy be expedited to her. Expecting a two week wait for it, we were startled to find it in the mail the very next day.
Now for the passports. Oh wait....that will cost around $800 for expedited passport requests and priority mailing to get them within a few weeks, to have time for visa requests to meet our deadline of flying in mid February. When we discovered this tremendous cost, with me not employed, I had a brief sinking sensation. I had gotten my hopes up, and apparently had tried to make something happen that was not meant to be. I immediately prayed to the Lord, asking him to take control and make it happen if this is truly where He wanted me. When I contacted the recruiter for this job to inform him that I simply could not afford this cost, he asked "What if I were to put $1,000 in your account?" Well in two hours our account had an additional $1,000 in it, which we will reimburse over the first few months of employment. All I could do was praise God, and thank him for making it blatantly obvious that this is where He wants me to be.
Tomorrow, well THIS morning we go and submit our passport applications. I will save this story for my next comment. Hopefully by then we will have our immunization needs met as well. Be sure and check back if you want to see how this goes.
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