Red Tape Nightmares

Well, I’ve breathed life back into this blog, but I really haven’t updated much yet. Of course, a portion of this is due to the fact that I’ve still got some time in the United States. Most of what I’ve been doing has just been taking care of personal stuff and seeing friends before I leave. I’ve actually been on a couple cool adventures, which will be the subject of some new posts, but I thought I’d got back in time and talk about a couple events that have occurred through this process. 

For this post, I’ll be discussing my visa paperwork and the insane amount of red tape that surrounded it. For those interested in pursuing a teaching job in Korea, they require an E-2 Visa (unless they’re of Korea decent, which is another issue all together). For the visa, one need:

1 Appostilled copy of a College Degree

1 Appostilled FBI background check

4 (or so) Passport sized photos

1 Health Statement

1 Copy of the front page of your passport

1 Copy of the Resume that landed you the job

Some of these documents are easy to obtain. So much so I hardly need mention them. As for the others…Well… Let’s continue after the break. 

The Story Thus Far…

This blog was initially created in 2007 and it hasn’t been updated since 2009. I still like the name of it and I don’t really want to create a new blog using up another name, so I’m kind of rebooting everything.

Here’s a quick update to explain my new circumstances. It will also help define the theme of this blog while moving forward and give you an idea of why you may be interested in reading.

I’m moving to Daechi-dong, Gangnam, Seoul, South Korea around February 20th. I have a contract to teach English with a hagwon. Currently, I am waiting on my FBI background check to arrive which should be here any day now. I have met all my financial goals for the month so I’m just trying to earn a bit more money  before I leave my job to cushion my arrival in Seoul. I’m also working on learning a bit of Korean and attempting to see most of my friends and family members before I leave. I will include pictures and anecdote about my travels around the US before leaving, the transition as I move to Korea, and will then continue to document things that occur in my life in Korea.

Currently, I have not decided what I will do following the completion of my contract. If I enjoy the job and like living in Korea, I may renew the contract. If I dislike it, I will probably seek a similar job in either a different school (if I like Korea but not the job) or a different country (if I discover a country I would like to live in). I will, of course, detail those adventures as well. Assuming that I am better with keeping up the blog now compared to the past.

 

Days Remaining at my current job: 24

Days Remaining in America: 44