Blog Beginnings

So here it is, my blog. It exists to share my experiences in South Korea with friends, family, and anyone finds it by accident, reference, or searching. The current template is acceptable, though I hope to tweak it as time goes by.

I am well aware that blogs like this tend to start strong, quickly falter, find renewal in the half-way point, and then fade to nothingness as apathy overcomes the author. I'll say it here: I won't let that happen to this blog. During my time in Korea, I plan to keep a journal in a notebook that my sister gave to me. Since I have an easier time communicating with paper than I do with a keyboard, I'll have no trouble finding the impetus to keep a record of my life. Because of this, I won't need special motivation in order to keep this blog updated. All I'll need is a block of 10 or 15 minutes in which I can hurriedly type up and edit any pertinent journal entries.


So with that, onto some musings!


My decision to go to South Korea is something I still need to spend some time figuring out. I'm still not 100% sure exactly why I'm thrusting myself into this crazy situation. However, I am sure that once I've lived on the peninsula for a few months I'll actually be able to sort out the invisible impulses that ultimately made my decision for me. At present, the whole thing seems pretty unreal; I keep telling everybody that it won't hit me until I'm on the airplane or until I actually step off the plane in South Korea. The only way that I can describe how I feel this week is that it's like I'm about to die in 3 days. That I'll never be able to relive anything I know ever again. My understanding of everything will be put to the test on Friday. As I plunge swiftly into the unknown, much of what I know as truth could quickly become moot.

Despite this sense of foreboding, I am oddly well prepared for this journey. This became apparent when I began to compare my preparations with those of other potential teachers whom I met during the Visa process. Many of them would marvel at how I'd started to learn Hangul. They'd express shock in that I'd begun to review English grammar rules. They were even surprised that I knew the time difference between here and South Korea and even moreso when I knew general information about the Hagwon (Private English Language School) chain I'm employed by! Of the dozen or more potential teachers I'd met, most only knew that they would be going to South Korea. They knew South Korea was in Asia and that they would be teaching English to South Koreans. Proud of myself, I arrogantly compared myself to them. I felt overprepared, ahead of the game, ready to roll! But in all honesty, despite my limited efforts, I am still feel very underprepared.

From June until now, I haven't put in nearly enough hours to step off of the plan as an expert. I may have done my English homework, I may have learned to read, write, and speak some Korean. But the truth is, I am not an English teacher (yet), I can only say a few things in Korean: hello, yes, no, thank you, goodbye, excuse me, where can I buy pillows/bulgogi/kimchi stew/galbi, what is that, I'm very sorry, do you speak English: and my ability to read Hangul is hampered by my lack of visual familiarity with full syllables; my attempts at reading result in a slow piecing together of words, one awkward letter at a time. I end up missing words entirely as I break them into unintelligible blocks. For example, imagine my surprise when, just today, I was able to comprehend the "remarks" at the bottom of my Visa! Scribblings I had once dismissed as being illegible abbreviations actually spelled out the name of the company I was working for. Fancy that!

There is a lot more that I need to write about my preparation (getting the job in the first place, the Visa process, packing, booking a flight, etc.), but this post really comes down to one concept. That until I step off that plane I will have no idea of how prepared I actually am. All I can expect of myself is to be a foreigner: lost, confused, excited, and laughing. It doesn't matter how much I've readied myself. I've never been to Korea, much less out of this Country. I'm not a traveller nor am I agoraphobic. I'm sort of like a cross between a hermit, a hobo, and a jellyfish. Floating out on the ocean's currents, welcoming change as unavoidable, but never pausing to appreciate or fight against new conditions.

This experience is going to be something entirely different. To date, it's going to be the greatest test of my character. It's going to be a shock and it's going to take all of my ability to laugh at unforgiving circumstances in order to carry on with a song and a smile. Because really, what have I gotten myself into?