Archive for May, 2007
May 23, 2007 at 9:48 pm · Filed under Lifestyle
To all of you curious cat’s, I’m now in Daegu, Korea. It’s day 5, since I arrived here. I’m currently living in the motel nearest to the school, where I’m working. I’ll be staying here until my predecessor leaves. He’s the most senior foreign teacher for the school and receives the most respect from the staff. His last day is Tuesday, the 29th. Once he leaves, I’ll be moving into his apartment. He said he’d sell me his home furnishing which I’ll gladly accept. It will save me the effort of shopping for cooking utensils and appliances. He says he also has a broadband connection, though I’ll still need to buy a new PC. I should have taken care of this before I came to Korea.
I went peeking into the other motel rooms to see how they compare to mine, and I discovered that this room has a computer with internet access. (Mine has a water cooler.) So, I’m blogging from across the hall. It’s also a good thing that I know most of the messages that pop-up through Microsoft Windows. All the text and messages are in Korean. “Do I want click this button or that one?” “Where’s notepad? (Or a live Linux CD would have been good to bring.) I just hope no one looks in the room and shouts Korean at me. I might get caned. 
I’m going to now be migrate to my Korean blog, Drifting thru Daegu. I wanted to write about my full experiences here from beginning to end, and maybe I’ll get a different audience of readers. Who knows? Maybe a reader will find my blog and decide to do this too? Update your RSS feeds or I’ll keep this reminder with link on the front page.
May 18, 2007 at 8:00 am · Filed under Photos
I’m on my way to Korea. Let’s meet back sooner than later.
May 13, 2007 at 8:50 pm · Filed under Lifestyle
Watch Good Morning, Cookie!
May 8, 2007 at 5:49 pm · Filed under Lifestyle
After the interviewing process and acceptance with my Korean employers, I had to haul bottom and get my paperwork together for my working visa. Without this, I cant teach. Well, a few weeks ago, the Korean Immigration office had received all my paper work. This batch of documents consisted of:
A photo copy of the picture page of my passport.
A resume
Original University diploma
Official unopened university transcripts
The signed 1-year contract with my school
2 passport sized photos
I had to FedEx all this stuff overseas to my school. They, then, took them to the Immigration office and issued me a Visa Registration number. This basically meant that I was eligible for an E-2 working visa. Once I got this number, I had to get my visa and have my passport stamped. For this, I had to go to the nearest Korean Consulate with more papers.
Valid passport and 1 copy of the personal page
Completed Visa Application w/ Registration Number
1 passport sized photo
Visa Fee of $45
Fortunately, there is a Korean Consulate here in Chicago. Otherwise, I would have had to mail all this stuff to the consulate and have a self addressed envelope for them to send it back to me. It takes them 3-4 days them to issue a visa. Luckily, on Friday, I was able to walk in the Chicago office and fill out my application with no appointment.
Tomorrow, I should be able to pick up my visa and passport (fingers crossed). Next, I need a plane ticket.
UPDATE 5/9: I picked up my visa, today. All systems are GO!
May 6, 2007 at 7:59 am · Filed under Lifestyle
Where specifically in South Korea am I headed? Well, I’m glad you asked. The city is named Daegu [Taegu], and it’s the 4th largest city, behind Seoul, Incheon, and Busan. It has a population of more than 2.5 million people. Citizens have been characterized as modest, persistent, patient, and hardworking. Textiles make up nearly half of the economic base, with mills for spinning and dying thread. Fashion is also a main focus, so design is an integral component of Daegu.
Daegu sits in a basin surrounded by low mountains. Palgong-san to the north, Biseul-san to the south, the foothills of Gaya-san to the west, and a series of smaller hills in the east. It receives less than the average precipitation of SK each year. During summer, it averages hotter than the rest of the country due to the surrounding mountains which trap the warm air in it’s basin. In the winter, snow falls in the city, but doesn’t stay long. Winds keep the temperature low. Along the northern and eastern edges of the city, the Geumho River flows emptying in the Nakdong River west of the city.
Apple production has historically been another important component of the city’s economy. There are over a dozen major varieties of apples available, today. The first apples are picked in late July and extends into early winter.
Daegu is an educational center. Missionaries introduced modern schools and Western education in 1906. Students from all around the country came to for this new “Western learning.” Today, Daegu is home to over two dozen universities and colleges. Next to Seoul, it’s universities are some of the most well-known and respected.
Daegu is known as the home of Korean baseball. The Samsung Lions were once again victorious in the Korean Series in 2006. Before the advent of the professional leagues, its high school teams were avidly followed. The city was a co-host of the 2002 FIFA World Cup soccer game. A new football stadium was built for the event.
Daegu, also, hosts four American military bases, Daegu Air Base, Camp Walker, Camp Henry and Camp George.
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