Steps on My Path to Seoul

My high school band teacher mentioned international teaching to me when I was 16. I was immediately intrigued and put it on my bucket list/life plan.

During my month in Vienna with Luther College Symphony Orchestra (LCSO) in my junior year of college, my academic adviser and education professor stopped through town to visit an international school. I went along with him and got a feel for what it meant to be an international school - I fell in love.

I student taught August 2012 - January 2013, completing 3 placements in order to qualify for vocal and instrumental licensure in the states of Iowa and Minnesota. I learned so much from my experiences and as a result, felt very prepared to be a music teacher. I enjoyed my placements and living in the twin cities so much that I felt prepared to temporarily put off or possibly eliminate international teaching from my life plan.

I attended the University of Northern Iowa's International Teaching Fair the day after I completed student teaching. I set up 5 interviews, but only completed one. I went to my second interview with a job offer and told them I no longer needed to interview with them. They had already offered the job to someone else, so it worked out for both of us, I guess? I decided to take the job I'd been offered and politely cancelled the rest of my scheduled interviews.

6 months later, I got onto a plane with my mom and flew to Seoul.
We were greeted by my schools' dean of students and the secondary principal. They spoke with me briefly before sending me to my apartment (which I'd never seen) with a driver who didn't really speak to us. We rode in a fancy Kia van for about an hour and then a very pregnant woman got into the front seat of the van and spoke in Korean to the driver as we drove into a parking garage. Cool. I know what they're saying. I know where I am. FALSE! Anyway, schlepped my 5 suitcases up to my room on the 9th floor and the pregnant lady walked me through some pieces of my life (in english, THANK GOD), including handing me an envelope of cash. That was sweet.

Sometimes when I walk through Ikea, I think to myself "Who has a 200 ft apartment with a crouchy bedroom above their living space?". Well now I know who has one of those apartments: I do! I pretty much live in an ikea apartment but with a sketchier kitchen. No oven. I'll post photos eventually. 

So those are some of the big steps I took on my path to being established in Seoul.

I work for an international school - my school operates in english, while offering Korean, Chinese, and Japanese. I will be teaching orchestra (not english, which is what most people THINK I'm doing when I said "I'm moving to Korea to be a teacher") to second through 12th graders at a private christian school.


Leaving school now to go do some shopping and eating?
Back at it again tomorrow - I'll tell you more about my school :)

Anticipation

1: Welcome!
2: I can't not blog.
D: Space bags are THE BOMB
7.5: If you'd like to learn more about the school I'll be working for, check out their website and school video.
R2D2: We are celebrating T.Gives (Thanksgiving) on Saturday before my mom and I depart for Seoul on Sunday. I can't wait. PIE! but more importantly..... STUFFING :)