9.12.2014

[The Traveling Teacher] On Getting There

PART II
{via}
So, my plane is booked, a meeting with my provincial office is set, and my agenda book is filled with last minute get togethers and appointments. The last time I talked about teaching abroad, I had reached the point of having my contract in hand. Let's just say the next few parts go a lot faster and are a lot easier than the first half! Right now I'm patiently waiting until I get to start packing my bags, which (in case you're counting) is exactly one month from tomorrow. EEK!

Anyhow, the visa process:

1)  Look up where your Korean Consulate is. I knew from Spain that mine was most likely in New York City, but it's pretty easy to check where you consulate is. Google your state and then Korean Consulate. The NYC Korean consulate's page, bless their heart, is tricky to navigate, so it took some patience and googling to figure everything out. From here on out everything is going to be based on my experience with the NYC Korean Consulate, but from talking with my friend from LA, I've found her experience to be similar.

2) Gather (more) documents. Okay, so there's lists everywhere of what you need and don't need. I personally traveled to NYC to get my documents in instead of mailing, so that, in a roundabout way, made everything a little faster. Here's what I brought:
  • My contract (signed, sealed, delivered)
  • My notice of appointment
  • E-2 Visa Application
  • Passport sized photograph
  • Consulate Checklist (I don't even think I needed that...)
  • My Passport
I did not need, as I read beforehand: a VIN (my notice of appointment replaced that) or a sealed transcript. I did have to pay $20 for the return envelope (in cash only). 

3) DON'T FORGET: Make copies of your contract and NOA because you're not going to get them back.

4) Tell you agency you've got your visa! Guys, my visa was literally in my hands two days after I applied for it. 

5) Book flight. So AT booked my flight via Orange Travel. I had to pay upfront with reimbursement from my school later on. Let's just say, it's gonna be a loooongggg flight. I start here at 6 am on a Monday and will arrive at my guesthouse Tuesday night.

6) Prepare! I asked for my itinerary post-flight before I paid for my flight, but either way works. Basically, I'll be flying into Incheon Airport and then boarding a bus for Jeonju. Then I'll take a taxi from the bus station to my guesthouse. I will then take a taxi to the provincial office Wednesday morning! Huzzah!

I'll let you all know more about how I'm preparing later as I actually start, ya know, preparing! There's some technical and technological things I've got to figure out as well as, the most important thing in my life that's not breathing, my clothes. I've been skimming out my wardrobe in preparation for this move as well as just skimming through all the junk in my room in general! I've also been reading up (kind of) on my province and on Jeonju, and I'm seriously excited!!

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