moving to Seoul... it's the real deal folks

(This note is pretty long, so I'll provide a summary: I took a job in South Korea, and I'm moving there on November 6th. Life is sweet. Come visit me. If you want more info, keep reading!)


So life has a tendency of being pretty unpredictable, but a lot of the time that can lead to some pretty sweet opportunities. I have had one of those experiences recently, actually, I'm living it out right now! After graduating in May and traveling and working all summer, I ended up back in my parents house in the suburbs of Chicago without knowing where I was going to start work. About that time I started talking to Kyle Groth, some of you may know him from Carthage, he traveled to India with me in June (you can see some pics from our trip at www.chipsadventures.com) and then he went to South Korea to teach English... I kept in touch with him, and one day I just kinda asked what I would have to do to look into going over there, too. He gave me a website to look at, so I did. All I had to do was post a resume and a picture, so I did that and just thought it would be cool to see what happened. But I was totally surprised 'cause within a few hours I already had five different schools wanting to talk to me about jobs. It was at that point that I knew I was in for an adventure.

The next few days were filled of lots of time on the internet looking at the 30+ jobs that got sent to me. I had not expected such a response, but I decided just to go with it. So I started accepting interviews, which required me to stay up until like 5am to match the business day in Korea. (I'm still trying to recover from living with that schedule for a week or two...) After a while, and some counsel on what I should look for, I started to narrow down my search for the ideal school, although I was still not sure if I would even fully pursue such a position. I mean, I had hardly even heard about South Korea before about two months ago! Once I decided what I was potentially looking for, I started accepting more phone interviews, and began to receive official offers from the schools. That was a little tough to deal with because I still didn't know if I was ready for such a commitment, and the schools needed answers as fast as i could give it to them.

At that point I had to make a decision if moving to South Korea was something that I really thought was a good idea. I mean, I have tons of reasons not to... one of my best friends is getting married in June and he just asked me to be in the wedding, my Grandma just turned 90 and I might not have much time left with her, my career is just about to start and teaching English doesn't seem to exactly fit where I want to be in two years, and I wouldn't be able to see any family or friends for at least 14 months, (not even to mention the potential for remnants of a radioactive atmosphere seeping down across the border from the psychotic and trigger happy newly nuclearized neighbor to the North!) So there were plenty of reasons to stay here. But then again, who are the people that make real things happen in the world? People who sit at home with everything being comfortable, or those who stand out and make something amazing happen out of ridiculous circumstances? So I decided to take that gamble, and take a leap of faith. My life hasn't exactly been ordinary thus far, anyway... and life has been pretty sweet regardless. And also God has a tendency of speaking to us more clearly when we are in a completely foreign environment and are forced to look up and say, "what in the world am I supposed to do now!"

So with those thoughts in mind, I decided to jump in. By this point I had a few schools that I had was pretty interested in, including one that had been a very good interview, but that hadn't contacted me for several days. The job wasn't exactly the schedule I was hoping to work, and it was about half an hour away from where I wanted to be (downtown Seoul... city of 10 million!), but it was still a good job. Anyway, a few days latter I got an e-mail saying that they wanted a second interview for a different job! The interview was awesome, and it turned out to be pretty much an instant raise! Instead of simply teaching English (which I was planning on but not really that excited about), it was teaching critical thinking and debate skills. Apparently the kids are taught so much to provide 'the right answer' that they have problems thinking for themselves, and in a country that is really trying to develop, that skill is an ever-increasing necessity. So I would get to pretty much play a part in the country's social and economic evolution. I had never even thought about that type of position being an option, and it turns out that it required 1-2 years of teaching experience in Korea, but based on the interview the company decided that they wanted to hire me anyway. So it offers a slightly higher salary, and totally better course content! (at least according to my personal aspirations and interests.)

At that point I said that I would take the position. Then they sent me the official contract... And now I think is a good time to interject a little note of what I have thus far perceived about the South Korean society... They seem to be very kind, offering pretty much anything and everything you could imagine. Then, once they've got you pretty much hooked, they pull the rug out from under you! That's kinda what happened with my contract. They changed the pay and the living accommodations! I called them out on it, until I got their word (which counts as a verbal contract just as much as the paper I signed) that those changes were either a mistake and they would change them, or just the way the contract was written and I would actually receive what they originally told me. So I decided that was good enough for me, and signed away the next year of my life.

^This is one of my favorite pics that Kyle took earlier this year in Seoul, where I will be living. Visit his site and see tons of his awesome pics on the link to the right...

So that's where I'm going to be for the next 12 months (well, closer to 14 when you count travel and training...). This whole process happened pretty fast, and I'm still trying to figure out how I got myself into all this! But I think it's a sweet opportunity, and what is next for my life. I have already made some arrangements to continue my academic interests when I'm over there, and living in Asia is going to be an adventure in itself. i am very thankful for all the support my friends and family have offered me in this process. I am hoping to stay in contact with as many people as possible, and I will be keeping my website updated with new pictures and stories of all I do. Asia is a pretty untapped location as far as tourism and well-known sights go (I know there are exceptions, but compared to most other places in the world, a lot of Asia is still a mystery). So I am planning on taking some time to shed light on life over there. Also, I'm gonna have my own place, and I am more than happy to host ANY visitors. Seriously, that's something that makes life so much better... sharing it with others. Even if I don't know you well, and you just want a free place to crash in Asia for some adventure, or just a vacation, let me know!! And for those of you who do know me well, I am expecting you to take me up on that offer! :)