My orders are finally here. I accepted my job offer a little over two weeks ago, but I was not to consider it firm until I passed my background check. As of today, I no longer live in the limbo of knowing I'm leaving, but being unable to do many of the things I need to do to prepare. I'm officially going. Success!! Living abroad has been my dream since I studied in Wales as an undergrad and discovered that there's an entire world out there I haven't seen. I can bask in the knowledge that three weeks from now I will be having adventures in an exotic place. That's lovely for a few seconds... and then I remember that between now and then I have to arrange to have our stuff shipped, buy plane tickets, close out our lease, close our bank, cable, power, water, auto insurance, and cellphone accounts, make arrangements for my retirement account and final paychecks, sell my car, give the post office a forwarding address (when I get one, that is), get medical files, stock up on prescriptions....well, you get the idea. In short: AAAAAAAUUUGGHHH!!!
It's going to be a busy few weeks, but at least I won't have time to dwell on the enormity of what I am doing. I've never been to Korea, or even Asia. The semester I spent abroad my junior year in college changed me. Arriving at a train station in a country whose language I didn't know with no place to stay and limited funds, yet managing to feed and shelter myself like a responsible adult, gave me confidence that the myriad of self empowerment lessons I had in grade school failed to provide. I know this experience will be different from traveling as a student: I will actually have responsibilities. I have two libraries to run. I can only imagine the person I will be after I finish this journey. As a future colleague in Yongsan keeps telling me, if I can do this, I can do anything.
Though, of course, this time around I have someone to share the experience with. This blog will be about our experiences in a far off place, the (so I am told) incomparable Land of the Morning Calm.
