paperworkin'

so i'm 95% done with all the paperwork and errand running i need to do for this leg of the south korea preparation.

the apostille process is kind of ridiculous. well, not really. but i find it ridiculous because obtaining an apostille on copies of my college diploma can only be done in the state it was issued, and in order to do that, i also need it to be notarized, which can only be done by the issuing authority of the diploma. basically, this all means i needed to take a trip up to norman and okc. apparently it is possible to do it all by mail (including something about arranging a messenger to transport the diploma copies from norman to the capitol building?), but that just sounded like it would a) take weeks and b) probably somehow go wrong. it just made the most sense for me to drive six hours and get it all accomplished in the span of two or three hours. plus emma just got back from france and i needed to see my seester.

so yesterday, with a jet-lagged emma in tow, we went by the university and the capitol building and got it all done! it ended up being really quick and simple (apart from getting lost around the okc capitol building because we didn't know where to park or where to go). the only thing that really sucked is oklahoma charges $25/apostilled document, whereas in most states, it's under $10/document. (WHAT'S UP, OKLAHOMA?!) lame.

then i made a copy of my passport (which came last week! only took two weeks!), made back-up copies of some forms (aclipse needs the originals), printed off a copy of my resume, and picked up a couple official copies of my transcript. all i have left is to get six more passport sized photos made and then i'm good to ship off my little packet to the aclipse office. now i have to wait on my fbi criminal background check to come though, then the next step will be all visa-related stuff, which is then followed by booking a flight! awesome/terrifying!

it's all moving along rather quickly. pretty soon i'll be counting the days until i board a plane.

i keep getting "i can't believe you're moving to south korea!" from my friends. (though said in a supportive way, of course.)

frankly, i can't either. but that's okay.

excitement v. terror, volume one.

so as i waffle back and forth between absolute elation and blind panic, the support of my family and friends is reeeeally helping me move forward with my new plan.

getting the actual offer for a job yesterday felt amazing -- i was practically floating for the rest of the day. while my stomach immediately felt like a dozen rather antsy pterodactyls had hatched and were trying desperately to escape, it was that exhilarating sort of nervousness that is kind of fun.

but it also just made this so much more... real. the gin and tonics i knocked back last night were definitely to settle my nerves as much as they were celebratory.

i'm sure the next few months will see the pendulum swing quite a bit. accompanied by lots of deep breaths. and lots of thanks for all the support from the amazing people in my life. every "i'm so proud of you" and "this is going to be amazing and i'm super excited for you" really IS a help, so thank you, to every person who may be reading this, for the support.

and also, no being sad. it is not allowed. officially. not at least until, like, august. i'm determined to have the best summer ~ever, and i can't do that if my friends are getting all weepy. i love y'all, but let's hold off on that bit for a while, haha. <3

JOB OFFER.

so last thursday i sent off an application to the lovely people at aclipse so they could pass it along to chungdahm schools. resume, intro video, short essay, head shot, application form... and today i got an email from my recruiter saying chungdahm has made a job offer!!!

granted, this is sort of an offer to make an offer... this is all pending my paperwork going through and all that. i don't have any specifics about where i'll be or when i'm starting exactly, but the information aclipse sent me outlines the wages for either salaried or hourly and some of the financial expectations for living over there.

so i'm kind of really freaking out... in a completely good way. the really excited and happy kind of freaking out. even if this falls through or they don't end up offering what i want, at least i've officially received a job offer, meaning they DO want me!

!!!!!!!!!! = my excitement = this picture:

i look slightly deranged, but that's just because I AM SO EXCITED AND I CAN'T CONTAIN IT.

cops & zombies.

when i went to the district clerk's office at the courthouse to apply for a passport, i had to pass through security. completely forgetting about the swiss army knife attached to my keys, the three cops at the x-ray/metal detector made me go put it in my car before i could go upstairs. but they were really nice about it.

me: (coming back inside, pocket knife-less) ooookay, let's try this again.

cop 1: (watching my stuff go through the x-ray) you're all clear!

me: good!

cop 2: at lease you're prepared!

cop 1: definitely a good thing.

me: yes. always with a pocket knife. i am my father's daughter.

cop 3: yeah. (really serious tone/expression) because you really don't know when the zombie apocalypse is going to break out.

me: (equally serious, nodding) exactly. you have to be ready.

all three: you do.

gpoyw.

the photo i'll be sending with my application to recruiters/schools. DON'T YOU JUST WANT TO HIRE ME? PLEASE?!

Today I had my passport photo taken.

Photo clerk at Walgreens: So where are you traveling?

Me: I'm moving to South Korea, actually.

Clerk: Moving?! That's amazing! You young people should always take the opportunity to go abroad. I've been very fortunate in my life and I've been to many places. My son is living in Dubai right now and he travels all over.

Me: Yeah, I haven't had the opportunity to travel abroad yet, so this seems like something I can't pass up.

Clerk: What will you be doing in Korea?

Me: Teaching English.

Clerk: Oh, wow, that's wonderful. You look so young!

Me: Yeah... I get that... a lot...

Clerk: It's not a bad thing. But remember, you young people are the ambassadors of our country. Always remember that.

Me: Oh, I definitely will.

Clerk: Well, I wish you the best with your travels and adventures!

I like encounters with extremely friendly and interesting strangers.

The picture turned out okay. Could be better (I wish I didn't look sleepy). But could also definitely be way worse.

Tomorrow I head to the District Clerk's office to do the rest of the passport application process, then I head over to the police station downtown to get fingerprinted (they only fingerprint on Wednesdays?) so I can get my FBI background check sent off. Productivity! Yeah!

Whoa, whoa, whoa...

So every now and then I have one of those moments that goes something like, "Wait... I'm... doing what now? Moving... WHERE?"

Then I honestly wonder, "Am I gutsy enough to do this?"

I know I am. And I know once I'm in South Korea, it's going to be amazing and I'll be so happy I took that leap. And I know if I don't take this opportunity, I'll forever regret it.

But still... haha. Allons-y!

to do.

1. go apply for a passport! (it only took me three hours of searching to find my birth certificate...)
2. go get fingerprinted so i can send off for an fbi criminal background check. (note: emails from recruiters made it sound like you can waltz into your neighborhood police office for this -- not the case. do some research before going, not all stations offer this service and the ones that do sometimes only do it on certain days!)
3. contact university for three sealed, official copies of my college transcript.
4. take a "professional" looking headshot that will be shown to potential employers along with my resume.
5. make a short introduction video that will also be sent to potential employers.
6. start researching climate controlled storage facilities to compare prices.
7. shop around for a good deal on some new luggage. (my only suitcase is getting raggedy.)
8. take deep breaths.

aaaaaand this is just the beginning...

interviews.

i hate interviews. i hate giving them. i hate doing them. whenever we had to do interviews at my old job, it became a vicious (albeit quick) game of "not it."

i had my first interview yesterday with a recruiting company called footprints. it was one that came recommended by a friend and as far as interviews go, it went well. or at least i can only figure it did seeing as about six hours later i already had a welcome email from my very own placement coordinator. success! it was a pretty standard interview. "give me an example of a specific time when you had to mediate a conflict and what was the outcome?" and "why do you think you would be a good teacher?" etc.

i just had another interview with a second recruiting company, aclipse, and i think it went well? it was a slightly different interview style and format, but not in a bad way. some rapid-fire short answer questions and over the phone roleplaying, which were followed by the old standard questions. but overall, i think i didn't sound like a moron.

if i don't hear back from this second company, i'll submit applications to a couple more. it seems like the best way to approach finding a job over there is not to rely on just one recruiter.

fingers crossed.