Around The Gills: November 2009

I recently finished my resume (don't know how to get the accents in there) to teach English abroad. While my original intention was to head to South America, particularly Argentina, I made some revisions to my plan. Given the difficulty of finding a job in South America, along with their reversal of seasons, prompting summer break in January and February, meaning no work until March (earliest) and their requirement of a face-to-face interview, I decided against that route. The amount of money I would save would be minimal and there would be no guarantee of housing or even a job upon my arrival to the South American countries.

It is because of these challenges that I have opted for a different route. I just received an email stating that my resume will be sent out tonight and have been informed by TTI (TESOL Training International) that by the end of next week I should have acquired a position in South Korea. I can only hope this is true as I've already overstayed my comfortable time-frame at home. After the acquisition of a job, I have been informed that it will be about a month before I can leave. The process for obtaining a visa and making sure all of my paperwork is in order will take time, but not too much of it.

I don't know if I will be home for Christmas and/or New Year's Day, but whenever it is I leave, I will be gone for a whole year. It is because of this that I am writing. Before I leave I would like to spend as much time as humanly possible with friends and family. I don't expect anyone to fly out to see me, so I know that I will be a stranger in a strange land and will have no friends to turn to (except for whomever is on XBOX Live) right away and, given my anti-social nature, don't know how easy a time I'll have making them. If you have the time in the next month to spend with the guy who'd give you the shirt off his back or even just have half an hour to spend on the phone for those of you living outside of driving distance, I'd be much obliged.

I do understand that with the internet and all these fancy gizmos that make communication easier these days it won't be any trouble to keep in contact with all of you, but an email or comment on whatever social-networking site simply don't compete with a personalized letter (pen and paper, envelopes, stamps) or the sound of the human voice. If you'd like to receive letters from Korea, I will gladly send them and leave you an address where to reach me as well. I know it's a lot to ask, but I would greatly appreciate all the support I can get and hope that every once in awhile I can receive something from my best friends and family to show that I haven't been forgotten in a foreign land.

While I know that this trip/adventure will certainly be a tremendous growing experience for me, there's nothing more comforting than knowing there are people back home who will eagerly await my return and greatly miss my absence. What can I say? I like knowing people give a damn and show it. Would I do anything less? Whatever the case, I'm excited to leave and get to earning some money while experiencing a different culture. Even if I don't understand a damn word they're saying. I know I haven't yet gotten a contract, but if you're interested in having letters and gifts mailed to you while I'm away, click on my profile photo on the left there (the yellow drawing of me) and you'll see a link to my email address where you can leave your information. I'll update you all with information about my future contract and departure date and any possible going-away party that I may hold, but for now this is all I've got. Until next time. And don't forget to check out the birthday podcast.