So here I am, with one year left of my English and Linguistics degree, and a dream. The dream? To teach ESL in Korea. I've spent hours researching, reading ESL teacher blogs, and now it's my turn.
Well, almost.
The requirements have thrown a tiny spanner in the works. I have to have had 10 years of schooling in one of the approved English countries - mine being South Africa, and since I've lived overseas since I was 4 and only did five years of high school here, that means I need to have 5 years of university. This is my third. So I can only go in 2013, and I have to do Honours. But on the bright side, Honours in Linguistics ups my payscale and I can learn more SA sign language, which I love. Still, it's quite a wait.
How on earth will I stay motivated until then?
Well, I stuck a Hello Kitty poster on my wall, next to a chart of the Korean Alphabet. Korean-flashcards.com is teaching me the basics, and I'm still reading K-blogs every day. My favourites at the moment are La La's travellinthrukorea.blogspot.com, and Simon and Martina's Eat Your Kimchi.
A few weeks ago I was in Cape Town and discovered a Korean restaurant, and psyched myself up to try Kimchi, but they were closed and I didn't get a second chance. So that will take some time; it's one more thing to look forward to.
Anyway, this will be a blog of my adventure in Korea, including the application process, culture clashes, comedy (I'm a bit ridiculous so this should be quite common) and some covert investigation into gay culture in Korea. I've heard rumours they have a park specially for LGBTs somewhere - it bears investigation.
Until then, I'll have to satisfy myself with Korean movies, the blogs, and the sushi place that just opened up in town. Om nom nom nom.
