Visa

Just after dinner tonight, I received a long awaited phone call. My visa paperwork arrived in Korea! But….

Visa + Shipping + Travel to PDX = $154. My bank balance = $102

Nerdfighter and some Korea Questions

I made another video! It's mostly me being a nerd, but there is a bit of South Korea relation.



Questions from the video:
1 - When are bills due? I am broke, so hopefully after I get paid the first time.
2 - What size are beds? I was told I should bring fitted sheets, but I need to know what size.
3 - I don't remember.

Testing Things

Today was a fairly productive day. I did two kinds of tests.

Test one involved packing everything I'm taking to Korea.
Test two involved figuring out filming and video editing. So I filmed me packing. It's not much, but I'm learning. And the music is epic at least. (Because John Williams is the man!)

Background Check Update

I'm fairly sure I did an impression of Neil Gaiman on the way back from the mailbox today. A short version of this:




Why? Because my notarized FBI background check came in the mail. I also received my apostilled degree as well. With the longest part of the process done (I'm fairly sure) I only have a few more steps before I'm finally off to Korea!

Another thing I got today: a new suitcase! Well, it's new to me anyway and it's in nice condition. It's plenty big and it's on wheels. Couldn't ask for better. Thank goodness for thrift stores.

Compiling the List

A packing list that is. Last time I traveled abroad I was only going to be gone for a few months. I traveled knowing that if I happened to need something (like emergency clothes or that special sweet *coughreesespeanutbuttercupscough*), I could find it somewhere in Townsville. Now, though, I'm leaving for at least a year and I have no idea if I'll find everything I need, should the need arise. That calls for a comprehensive packing list.

Wait, I only have one suitcase? A carry-on size one? Nonono, we can't have this. *sigh* I suppose I get to buy a new suitcase too. For those wondering about the ones I had for my Berea years, they have sadly died. They larger two both lost the support thing on the bottom (you know, the one that lets it sit flat with the wheels) the first and second times flying; that was way back in Spring 2008. They got beat up and what not over the course of the next few years. Lost the top handles in Fall 2008. Broke the clip for the strap on the largest one in Spring 2009. And then I went to Australia. My poor luggage took a beating flying across the ocean. It was mostly confined to some broken corners though, no big deal. And then we go to Brisbane. Getting there was fine (if heavy - I did pack all my stuff between one suitcase and two carry-ons. Had to be within domestic flight guidelines. What? No, of course my bag doesn't weigh 11.5 kilos. Oh, you mean the other one? It doesn't weigh 11.5 kilos either.) But leaving Brisbane I ran into my first major issue. The medium suitcase broke a wheel on the way to the airport. Made it home in one relative piece. Broken one could just stay home, right? Right. No serious mishaps that Spring or Summer, but Fall 2010, oh boy. That was the big break. Moving me into Kettering and what happens? The pull handle breaks. Of all the other things that could break, it had to be that. Okay, okay, I can deal with this. I'll just use the one with the broken wheel when I get home. No, not going to happen either. It's full of mold from my nasty leaking room. So I'm left with one good suitcase and it's a small one. So, finding a new suitcase or suitably sized duffle is an important thing on my list.

The list. What a list it is. Australia I didn't really start thinking about packing until the week before. Thoughts: I'm going to a tropical location. Summer clothes, light jacket, few pairs of shoes, important documents, and go. Now though, oh no. Gimhae is a coastal city with a mild climate. And lots of rain (so I've heard). So I've got to pack winter-ish clothes, waterproof clothes, summery clothes, shoes (I have big feet), plus things you can't find in South Korea (or if you do, it's super expensive), like chewy cookies and peanut butter cups. Just have to say my list is long and my budget right now is non-existent.

Eat Your Kimchi

Just a blurb about one website that is quickly becoming a favorite of mine. Aptly named Eat Your Kimchi, it covers a variety of topics South Korea related.

Martina and Simon -
Crazy Awesome Canadians

Simon and Martina are a crazy Canadian couple who live with their dog, Spudgy, in Bucheon. They moved there originally to teach English but now are the Gepik Representatives for Bucheon City - meaning if you're a Gepik in the Bucheon area and have questions about dealing with your school, you contact them and they help you figure it out. But what I know them for their amazing website.

They've got general Korea and Culture. Just some of the things they cover are Christmas, Valentine's Day, White Day, and Pepero Day - That's an entire day devoted to pepero aka pocky!!!

A huge section call Music Mondays where they review K-Pop videos. I've rediscovered my love of Asian music thanks to them. I look forward to every week and adding new music to my collection.

They did a series entitled WTF - Wonderful Treasure Find. There were so many hilarious things you won't find in North America. Mouth stretchers, ear picks, Winnie the Pooh sandwich press, spike ball hand massagers (which hurt, according to Martina and Simon), and circle contact lenses that are supposed to make your eyes cute. Watching them play around and try to figure out what these strange contraptions/inventions are for is hilarious.

Wednesdays are W.A.N.K. days - that's Wonderful Adventure Now Korea. They go different places and share the awesomeness. Namsan Tower, Shopping in Myeongdong, Arcades, and whatever else they or their followers can come up with. Each week isn't just a wander around, they have three things they have to do. 1) Find a K-Pop idol and get a picture with them. 2) Find the best (or worst, depending on how you look at it) example of Engrish. And 3) Complete a random challenge. Loser gets a punishment of some kind - dancing in the street, embarrassing stuff. Though there is a 1 in 6 chance of escaping punishment.

Every once in a while, a video on Korean food pops up. Tteokbokki (dok bok ki) - a spicy rice cake, meat, egg dish sold at Pojangmacha (street vendors). Mandu - grilled, fried, boiled, or steamed dumplings (probably the street food I'm looking to most). Naengmyeon - cold noodles with or without broth. And the amusing convenience store raid; they raided the nearby convenience store, regardless that they had no idea what they bought and tried all of it in a 4 part series.

There's a How-To section that I will probably use heavily. Appliances in Korean (washing machines and rice cookers), the subway/bus system, ordering food, and, possibly most importantly, paying bills.

Since Simon and Martina both taught English when they first moved to Bucheon, there are ESL tips, ideas, and games. Awesome stuff to use for any teacher.

And then there's the FAQ and TL:DR section. They go together. The FAQ answers some questions and then the TL:DR Thursday videos answer some of those same questions and more. Some are relevant - being a foreigner in Korea. Some are hilarious - Most Awkward Thing Your Students Ever Asked. And not relevant to us, but awesome anyway - like how Simon proposed to Martina.

The Spudgy sporting his awesome blue do.

And there is Spudgy. Spudgy is the pekingese they adopted from a shelter. He's an adorable little thing with his colored mohawk - yes, Spudgy has a mohawk that is currently blue. There are lots of Spudgy cameos - especially in Music Mondays where he has a dancing solo. Because Spudgy travels back and forth between Korea and Toronto, Canada (where they're from), Simon and Martina know a thing or two about transporting pets. I hope to get a pet (if I plan on staying more than, say, a year) and it will be helpful to know how to bring them home.

So that's my blog on the awesomeness that is Eat Your Kimchi. Go check them out!