December is Here!

Well, Thanksgiving and Bob's 24th birthday have come and gone. Hard to believe! We celebrated both occasions. For Thanksgiving we had a dinner with the other English teachers at school. We got rotisserie chicken from CostCo, dinner rolls, corn, potatoes and even pumpkin and apple pie. For Bob's birthday the two of us celebrated with a movie and a few drinks at our favorite bar/lounge.

Next up is Christmas and our sisters' visit : )

We've been busy the last few weeks with work and getting ready for the holidays. We have a few Christmas decorations around the apartment - a new Santa Claus door hanger and a Santa countdown calendar. Bob also surprised me with two strands of Christmas lights! We put one up in our apartment and the other around our desks at school.

Last week was a lot of fun at school. Thursday was "Doctor Day" for the kinders. Instead of classes, the teachers were stationed at different booths made to look like doctors offices. I was the dentist for the day. There was also an eye doctor, pediatrician and surgeon. The kids visited each doctor and got a fake prescription from each of us. Then they took it to the pharmacy station and got their pills and cough syrup (M&Ms and orange juice). Bob was the pharmacist.

Then on Friday the kids took pictures for kinder graduation, which is coming up at the end of February. They had tiny caps and gowns and a library backdrop with a globe for the kids to pose with. They took group pictures with all of the teachers too, so Bob and I got to don graduation garb as well.

Tonight Bob just started taking Korean lessons from one of the teachers at our school. I'm still working on learning the alphabet : ) Two weeks from tonight we'll be at the airport picking up Shannon and Kate! We can't wait!!!

***Bob and Lindsey***

Sports Day

Yesterday was the 6th Annual Sports Day for all the kinder kids at Corem. There are actually 8 branches of our school, Corem, throughout the city of Busan. Every year the director of the company rents a basketball arena and all the schools are divided into two teams, blue and white. Then the kids compete all day in fun sports activities like relay races and tug of war. Photos

Track and field day was an event for the whole family. Mothers, fathers, grandparents and brothers and sisters were invited. They had events to get everyone involved. There was a shoe kick competition for the grandmothers and grandfathers and a team relay race with the fathers. It was a lot of fun to watch! The parents also helped the kids with some of games. There was a race where the parents pushed the kids in these little carts. Very cute!

Here is a photo of one of my students, Vicky, after the blue team (our team) won the whole competition! The kids were very excited : )

***Bob and Lindsey***

Korean War Memorial

Last Sunday we went to the UN Korean War Memorial in Busan. I am very interested in history in general and we were especially interested in this part of Korean history that is so intertwined with American history. Bob's grandfather, Emil, was a Marine in the war here. We heard that there was a wall at the UN Memorial that listed the names of every fallen soldier.

Before we planned our visit we called Bob's grandpa and asked if there were any names of friends and fellow soldiers he'd like us to look for and take pictures of for him. He gave us a small list of some of his close friends who did not survive the war and we found their names on the wall and sent grandpa the photos. More photos from the memorial

The memorial was very beautiful and SO well kept. There were gorgeous flowers everywhere and elegant architecture. It was a very peaceful and respectful atmosphere. The Wall of Remembrance (pictured above) was an especially beautiful sight. There was also a cemetery where 36 American soldiers are buried, as well as 2,300 other soldiers from the other 20 UN countries that fought in the war.

We saw many photos, letters, medals and other artifacts from the war, as well as a thank-you sign for each country that aided South Korea in the war. It was such an interesting place and I'm glad we got to spend time there.

***Bob and Lindsey***

Seoul

Two weeks ago, on Halloween, we took the KTX bullet train to Seoul for the weekend. It's a 3 hour ride and we topped out at about 150 mph. Once again, Korean public transportation did not disappoint us. The train ride was smooth, the cars were clean and as we've come to expect, everything is so straightforward and simple. They make it so easy to travel here!

We arrived on Saturday morning and checked into our hotel for a little nap. We decided to stay in Myeon-dong, an area that's popular with Korean college students for its great shopping. The area boasts Forever 21, H&M and other great boutiques. That night we met up with our friend Joon and his girlfriend for some sightseeing and dinner. Joon attended UNL for one year from 2008-2009 and had a few economics classes with Bob. He'd already had the chance to see our home in Nebraska, and we were really excited to finally get to see his home in Seoul! We visited a famous palace in the city and dined on delicious Italian food in a quaint neighborhood nearby.

We also presented Joon with his own Huskers football. When we learned we were moving to South Korea, we emailed Joon and asked if there were any souvenirs he'd like us to bring for him. He lamented that he'd forgotten to buy a football while in Nebraska. Unfortunately we had to let the air out of it in order to fit it in our suitcase, but we got it here! Joon says he gets up in the middle of the night to listen to Husker games over the internet. One year in Nebraska was all it took to turn him into a tried and true fan!

On Sunday we went to breakfast with a friend of Bob's uncle and did some more shopping in an area called Insadong. It is a great place to find traditional Korean souvenirs - pottery, paper fans, hand-made cards, etc. We picked out some great things for all of you back home!

All in all, we LOVED Seoul. It's such a huge city and there's so much to see and do. I'm not sure when we'll go back again, but we've already started a list of all we'd like to see. There's the Seoul Zoo, Olympic Village, museums, temples, restaurants...

Photos from Seoul

***Bob and Lindsey***

WOW!!!

Last night was the big fireworks show at Gwangan Beach. Bob, Will, Aaren and I ventured out to the show and man was it worth it! We arrived about 3 hours early to get a good spot on the sand. We spread out a few beach mats and played cards while we waited. They estimated about 1.5 million people attended the show. That's about 1/3 of the entire city!

It was the most spectacular fireworks show any of us had ever seen. It was an hour straight of fireworks set to music. There were three big barges in the bay shooting off the display. Here's a picture Will took. Look at how tiny the bridge looks in comparison to the fireworks! Fireworks Photos

The theme of the show was different places around the world. There was Asia, Europe, United States, Africa and then the final portion was about Korea. They used the bridge as a great prop for the show. They shot a lot of fireworks off the bridge and also had a feature where the fireworks "rained" off the bridge. There were also remote control airplanes shooting off fireworks and parachute fireworks with strands of lights that burned as they floated down to the water.

More photos to come soon!

***Bob and Lindsey***

A Bird's Eye View of Busan

Just finished another great weekend here in Busan. On Saturday we went to Nampo-dong, a HUGE outdoor shopping area about 30 minutes from home. This is not fancy department store shopping, but rather a large street market district where you can find anything and everything. I'm not sure how big the whole area is, but I think you could get lost for days in it (at least I could!)

We mostly did souvenir/Christmas shopping, and got some really beautiful pottery pieces. There seems to be a "department" for everything you can imagine. We turned one corner and found three blocks of nothing but lighting fixtures and lamps. Turn another corner and the streets are lined with men's clothing and accessories. There's also a furniture section, and sections for children's clothes, cooking and housewares, electronics - you name it. It's a great place to spend the day!

On Sunday we took a cable car up a nearby mountain for a truly spectacular view of Busan. You can almost see all the millions of people in the city from the top. The mountain park also featured a small amusement park with a carousel, swings and snacks and toys for the kids. More photos

The next few weekends are going to be busy too. Next weekend is an annual fireworks festival at the beach. Bob was so excited that we postponed our trip to Seoul so we wouldn't miss the show. We'll be heading to Seoul the week after that, October 30-31. Photos and details of all that to come!

***Bob and Lindsey***

Day 100

Yesterday was day 100 in South Korea...hard to believe isn't it?!

It was a great day that we'll remember for a long time. We had a beach picnic with the other English teachers at school and it was a blast! The weather has taken a definite turn for Fall in the past two weeks, so we put on our jeans and sweaters and went to our favorite beach, Gwangan. We spread out our beach blankets and feasted on wine and mandu (Korea's version of an eggroll) while we laughed and talked the night away.

We had fun people watching and halfway through the night a lady approached us selling some small fireworks. We figured since we missed 4th of July this year, we'd give it a whirl. Bob had a lot of fun lighting off fireworks into the water.We finished the evening with desert waffles, coffee and a round of the card game UNO at one of the many coffee shops along the boardwalk.

Day 99 was pretty special too. Bob and I went to lunch with the other married couple at Corem, Kadie and Ryan. The four of us usually eat lunch together on Tuesday and Thursdays, but this Thursday we went to a new Chinese restaurant up the hill from school. It was delicious and there was even a cute stray cat hanging around the front of the restaurant. I managed to capture a GREAT picture of him!

On the way back from lunch we cheered Ryan on while he played an arcade game on the street and won a small robot toy from one of those claw machines. (FYI: it is just as impossible in Korea as it is at home to win anything from those claw machines, so it was super exciting when he did!).

Then the four of us discovered a pottery shop with all kinds of handmade vases, pots, plates and other very beautiful crafts. It's the perfect place to find some unique and traditional Korean souvenirs. To top it all off, it was a PERFECT Fall day - warm, breezy and sunny!


***Bob and Lindsey***

Guam

We arrived home yesterday afternoon from our 4 day trip to Guam. We had such a FABULOUS time and are so glad we took the vacation.

Guam has a tropical climate all year round and the water temperature is always about 80 degrees. Needless to say we spent ample time in the water during our stay!

Here is the view of Tumon Bay from our hotel room. It was such a treat to look out each morning (and afternoon and evening!) and see the sparkling water, large coral reef and beautiful sunshine. The sunsets at night were amazing too. More Pictures from Guam

We snorkeled everyday and saw all kinds of bright tropical fish and other sea creatures. We bought some underwater cameras so we could capture all the wildlife. There were bright blue starfish, tiny hermit crabs, zebra-striped fish, bright yellow fish and even an eel eating another fish. We'll develop those cameras and post some pictures soon!

We also got the chance to go jet-skiing and parasailing while on our trip. It was a great experience and can't wait to do it again someday. We even made time for a little shopping in Guam. We went to K-Mart and got a few treats and snacks that we can't find in Korea (such as Pop-Tarts, Cheez-Its and Jello). Bob also stocked up on sandals while we were there. His feet are too big for any Korean shoes so he was happy to find some that fit!

Our trip felt like the perfect amount of time. The days were long and lazy, so it made the time go slowly and we didn't feel too rushed or disappointed when it was time to go home. We even missed Korean food and our students (a little bit!).

We also got some exciting news from back home. Bob's sister Kate and my sister Shannon booked their flights to South Korea for Christmas! They arrive on December 22nd and will stay until December 31st. We can't wait to see them and show them our new home.

***Bob and Lindsey***

New Photos Round III

Here's some more snapshots of what we've been up to! Plenty more to come after we get back from our trip to Guam next week. Can't wait!!!

Lotte Giants Baseball Game


August Kinder Birthday Party


Girls Day Out


Korean Food

***Bob and Lindsey***

Girl Time!

I spent my Saturday afternoon getting manicures, eating and shopping with my Korean co-workers Lauren and Elena. We went to Pusan National University for our girls day out. We had a lot of fun getting to know each other and exploring the area.

After the nail shop we ate lunch at an Italian restaurant and then did some window shopping. We finished the day with a visit to the Charlie Brown Cafe for some drinks. It's a really unique coffee shop in Busan. Everything is Peanuts-themed and has pictures of all the characters from the comic strip.

It was a great day!

***Bob & Lindsey***

Just Another Friday Night

We had a great Friday evening, and the best part was that it was totally unplanned and unexpected! Bob and I decided to have a late dinner, so around 9pm we hopped on the subway and headed to Seomyeon to grab a bite. We didn't have a particular place in mind, but after a bit of wandering we finally decided we'd go to a Turkish restaurant we'd heard good things about.

When we got to the restaurant, Barry and Lena (two former teachers at Corem) were waiting out front for a table. Barry and Lena are from Ireland and their contract expired just as we arrived in Korea in June. We met them once or twice before they left at the beginning of the summer. Now they are back in Korea with new contracts at different schools. It was a total coincidence that we ran into them but nice to see them again.

A few minutes later, Kadie and Ryan (the other married couple teaching at our school) also walked up to the restaurant. Soon after, two of our Korean co-workers, Jun and Kala, joined the party. It turns out the six of them had made plans with each other to meet up for dinner, and we just happened to pick the same restaurant at the same time.

We all had a good laugh about it and then had dinner together. All of the food there was great! Bob and I split some chicken dishes and our dinner came with this great spicy soup. After the meal we had Turkish tea and and some Turkish-style ice cream on the house! The ice cream is really good. It tastes just like regular chocolate or vanilla, but is more gooey. I like pretty much any ice cream, so it suited me just fine.

Per Barry's request, we also ordered a hookah and passed it around the table. I had never tried it before, but it was actually not bad. It was fun just hanging out with friends. When in Rome, right? (or in this case, when in South Korea at a Turkish restaurant with the Irish!)

***Bob & Lindsey***

Sorry It's Been Awhile...

Hello everyone! Sorry it's been so long since we last posted. Not a whole lot has been going on, to tell you the truth. We are both busy with school and getting into a routine with our jobs.

Here's a picture of some of our students at the August Kindergarten Birthday Party. Each month the school puts on a small celebration for all the kids with a birthday. From left to right that's Ellie, Dorothy, Jenny and Emily.

Two weeks ago our co-worker Christina went back home to Michigan after her year in South Korea was up. We got a new teacher, Aaren. She is from the Niagara Falls area in Canada. We always enjoy meeting new teachers, but we sure do miss Christina too!

I have a few pen pal projects set up with two of my classes and the kindergarten and 2nd grade classrooms at my sister Shannon's school. My Penguin kindergarten class and Shannon's kindergarten class are going to exchange Power Point presentations with pictures and other information about each other. Then I have a group of 2nd grade students who are going to write letters with the 2nd graders at St. Matthews in Bellevue. Should be a fun project, and I hope the kids will enjoy learning about each other.

We've spent the last few weekends cleaning our apartment and hanging out with friends. This past Sunday I went on a hike up the mountains with my co-workers and some other friends. I thought I wasn't going to make it at first! It was a very strenuous climb, but I am glad I did it. There were some amazing views of all of Busan!

This week Bob and I are getting ready for our trip. Next week is the Chu-sok holiday in Korea, which is basically their version of Thanksgiving. We have four days off from work, so we've planned a trip to Guam. By this time next week we'll be on our way to the islands! More to come on all of that.

***Bob & Lindsey***

Brunch and Baseball

Well, it's been almost two months in Korea without a cell phone. Today that finally changed! We activated the cell phone our predecessors left us, so now Bob and I are officially mobile. It wasn't as hard as you might think to go without a cell phone. We see everyone we know at school everyday and email and Facebook work fine for making plans with friends on the weekend. Still, it's nice to have another option.

Setting up the phone was quite an adventure. We don't speak Korean and the employees at the phone store didn't speak English. We tried our best to explain that we wanted to activate our phone and put minutes on it, but we were getting nowhere. Luckily I had Will's number written down on a piece of paper in my wallet, so we borrowed the phone at the store and called Will and Anastasia so she could translate. She told them what we wanted to do and then it was smooth sailing. Thanks Anastasia - we'd still be phoneless without you!

After our adventure at the phone store we went out for brunch at Breezeburns, a local burger restaurant. They serve a special brunch entree in the mornings so we thought we'd give it a try. The deal included eggs, toast and butter, a small waffle with maple syrup, green beans, sausage, bacon, salad, hash browns and a drink. It was definite comfort food and it tasted great!

This evening I went with the other teachers to a Lotte Giants baseball game (Lotte is the local home team here in Busan). I was sans Bob because he doesn't like baseball or the heat.

The game was a lot of fun! The fans are really enthusiastic. There was a man with a microphone on a platform leading a cheer for each player that came up to bat. The fans make pom poms out of newspapers and they love to do "the wave." The other neat thing about baseball in South Korea is that you can bring as much of your own food and alcohol into the stadium as you want! We brought a cooler with lots of snacks and drinks.

Of course just like sporting events at home, you can buys snacks from vendors who walk up and down the stairs. If you forgot your own snacks a bag of squid jerky is only about $2.

***Bob and Lindsey***

New Photos

Here's the next round of photos! There are four new sets of pictures:

Shinsegae and Centum City
This is the World's Largest Department Store. I wrote a post about it a few weeks ago.

Gyeong-ju
This city was the capital of an ancient Korean dynasty many years ago. We took an overnight trip there during our school vacation last week.

Gwangali Beach
What can I say, it's a beautiful beach and only a half hour from our apartment!

Apartment
Finally, some pictures of where we live.

***Bob and Lindsey***

Two New Wills (and an Anastasia)

It's been a busy week at Corem! We just got back from our summer vacation so we are all trying to get back into the swing of things after our week off. We are also getting to know our two newest English teachers, Will and Will.

No, that's not a typo. Both teachers are named Will (although for the kids' sake, one goes by Will and the other goes by William). What's strange is that both Wills are from Colorado. The other day they also discovered that they share the same middle name. Quite the coincidence. Luckily, they don't really look anything alike so it's not too confusing.

One of the new Wills also has a girlfriend named Anastasia. She is originally from Russia but has been living and working in Busan for the past few years. Anastasia exports used cars to Russia. They met while he was here teaching last year. What's really great is that she is completely fluent in Korean (as well as English, of course). We've gone out to dinner as a group twice, and it is great to have someone around who can speak the language - I think our waiters and waitresses appreciate her too.

Her home in Russia is straight north of North Korea, and she said that a lot of North Koreans escape from their country and sneak to Russia to live. It was an interesting fact to learn.

***Bob and Lindsey***

The World's Largest Department Store

Last weekend we ventured to Centum City, home of the world's largest department store Shinsegae. (Shin-see-gay). Including the 4 basement levels beneath the subway, Shinsegae is 18 stories high. We visited every level - and it only took us about 5 hours. It was quite an unbelievable sight. It is more like a small city than a department store. You just don't see places like this in America, probably because we are able to build out instead of up.

Here's a rundown of some of our favorite things:

Level 4: Food court and indoor ice skating rink. You can sit and eat while you watch the skaters and one whole side of the rink is a huge glass wall. You can see out over the entire city.

Level 5: Bookstore and dining cinema with two screens. Right now Shrek Forever is showing.

Level 9: There are lots of fancy restaurants up here, but the best part is the outdoor park that looks out over the ocean. You would never be able to tell you are on the 9th floor of a building - there is real grass, tons of trees and park benches throughout. A sound machine of chirping birds completes the atmosphere. Truly amazing.

Level 10: Here is a second movie theater with six screens. No dining here, but you can purchase beer to drink during the movie.

Level 11-14: This is the really phenomenal part. The top three levels are combined into an indoor golf driving range. There are three levels of tee boxes and a machine in the floor automatically brings you a new ball for each swing. You pay by the hour, so you don't pay a flat rate for a bucket of balls. Instead, for about $20 you get 80 minutes to hit as much as you want. There is also a putting green and sand trap for practicing your strokes. I can think of some boyfriends and husbands who would love this - they get to play golf while their ladies are downstairs shopping!

Shinsegae also features a full salon and spa, a video game arcade, a grocery store and a train ride for little kids in front of the building. It was a great way to spend the day.

***Bob and Lindsey***

A Good Day

Had a great day today in Busan. Nothing very exciting even happened but sometimes that is what makes a day fun and comfortable. We went to lunch with another married couple, Kadie and Ryan. They also teach English at Corem. It's always nice to take a break from lesson plans and teaching for a little while. They have been here for 6 months already, so they have a lot of great advice about all things Korean.

After classes Bob and I walked down the street a few blocks from the school and tried an Italian restaurant (Another teacher from school, Christina, recommended it). It was great food! We got spaghetti and a half rack of BBQ ribs to split. The pasta came with warm bread and the ribs came with fries. A large Coke with two bendy straws completed the meal. We are excited to have found another good restaurant here in Gaegeum.

We are enjoying the Korean food and restaurants, but a little taste of good 'ole American BBQ every now and then sure will be nice!

***Bob and Lindsey***

Health Check

Yesterday we had our health checks at the hospital. Our E2 teaching visa requires us to get a health check within one month of our arrival in South Korea. Once the results come back we will be issued our Alien Registration cards. This is our form of identification in South Korea.

We are excited, because once we have the card we can get a bank account and a cell phone. Then we are official residents of Busan, South Korea! (at least for the year)

The health check included an eye test, urine test, blood sample, x-ray and the usual weight, height, etc. Bob always gets a little sick when doctors have to take blood. This time was no exception. He got a little tunnel vision and had to lay down for a few minutes. Honestly, I felt a bit faint myself...but luckily it's all behind us now!

We recovered with cheesburgers and fries from McDonalds. I brought it home in the pouring rain for us. I managed to keep it dry....everything here is certainly an adventure!

***Bob and Lindsey***

Photos!

Here are links to our photos from South Korea! They include the local market and area around our neighborhood, Seomyeon (the big shopping district just a short subway ride away) and our school and some of our students.

We also threw in pictures from our wedding and honeymoon, for those of you who haven't seen them on Facebook or elsewhere yet.

When you click on the link you will see all of the pictures in the album. From there just click on an individual picture. In the upper right corner of the picture you will see the "Previous" and "Next" buttons. Use these to page through all the photos in the album.

Enjoy....more to come in the days, weeks and months ahead!

Street market


Seomyeon


School pictures


Hawaii honeymoon pictures


Wedding photos Part 1


Wedding photos Part 2



***Bob and Lindsey***

Rain!

So I think monsoon season is upon us. The rain started early last night and now about 24 hours later it still has not stopped. The monsoon season was supposed to start any day now, so the timing is right. It should last 3-4 weeks. Bob and I are armed and ready with our arsenal of umbrellas. (And even if we weren't, you can't turn a corner here without seeing umbrellas for sale...definitely no shortage of umbrellas).

South Koreans adapt very well to the rain in ways that just aren't necessary in America. While on a shopping trip to Home Plus today (HUGE department/grocery store....7 stories high) I saw a little dispenser just inside the doors with these long and skinny plastic bags. They are to put your umbrellas in while you shop so you don't drip water all over the floors. Very clever!

And while we're on the subject of clever things at Home Plus, you should check out their shopping cart technology! Each wheel of the shopping cart sits on a base of four smaller wheels that swivel 360 degrees. Because of this, you can move your cart in all directions without having to turn it. You can push it forward and backward, but also left to right! It makes it really easy to turn corners, which is a good thing because it is always very crowded at Home Plus. (It's amazing how many Korean families grocery shop together at 11pm on a Sunday night!) We'll take a video of the shopping carts in action sometime....it's pretty fun to see.

16 days and counting since we arrived in Korea! Love everyone and keep in touch!

***Bob and Lindsey***

Tomorrow is One Week!

Tomorrow marks the one-week anniversary of our arrival in South Korea! So far we are having a great time with everything we are doing. Today was our 3rd day of teaching at Corem Language Institute. It took a few days to get the hang of how the curriculum works and come up with some good ideas for class activities. Luckily, things are starting to fall into place. The little kinders are soooo cute and they love to learn and love their teachers!

We are having a lot of fun exploring Busan and have already found some great places to eat and shop. There is an outdoor market just a block from our school that we have visited a few times. You can find clothes, restaurants, fresh fruit and vegetables, cookware, office supplies, shoes and a whole lot more (the lady who sells 3 hot fried doughnuts for about $1 is our favorite stand to visit!)

I am surprised how quickly we feel comfortable here and how easy it has been to find what we need and simply enjoy ourselves.

***Bob and Lindsey***

We've Arrived in Busan...

After a long day of traveling, we arrived in Busan last night. (9pm on Friday, June 25th). Bob and I were both pretty scared, shocked and nervous last night. Everything was just so foreign and strange! Just as were were feeling pretty down, we got a knock on our motel door.

Five of the American teachers at our school came to introduce themselves and bring us muffins for breakfast! It was a really nice surprise and helped us feel a lot better. They also invited us to lunch and dinner tomorrow and then we are going to a baseball stadium to watch the World Cup soccer match South Korea vs. Uruguay on a big screen.

A good night's sleep and some friendly faces has definitely eased our anxiety a bit. We have a meeting this afternoon with the rest of the staff at the school and then we start teaching on Monday.

More to come on all our new adventures!

***Bob & Lindsey***

June 24th It Is!

We got the official word yesterday - we will be off for our South Korean adventure on June 24th! We fly from Omaha to Minneapolis, and from Minneapolis to Tokyo, Japan. The final leg of our journey is from Tokyo to the airport in Busan, South Korea where a man from the recruiting office will be waiting to pick us up!

Bob and I are replacing another married couple from Texas who have been teaching at the same school for the past year. They have already promised to show us the nearby grocery store, restaurants, subway station and other helpful places we'll need to know. Knowing they will be there to help us for the first day or two really helps ease some of the tension that comes with moving across the world. Thanks Brandi and Erik!

***Bob & Lindsey***

One Step Closer...

We got back from our trip to Chicago on Tuesday night, safe and sound. The intervew at the Korean Consulate went great, and we have been approved to live and work in South Korea!

Out trip was very short (we got to Chicago at breakfast and were on our way home by dinner) but Bob and I did manage to meet our friend Blair for lunch in downtown Chicago. She just moved to the city last week and it was great to catch up with a familiar face.

We got some more interesting news this morning: the school in South Korea would like us to arrive a bit earlier than we expected, so now we may be leaving around June 20th instead of June 25th or 26th like we thought. No matter what, the beginning of our adventure is fast approaching!

***Bob & Lindsey***

Our Visa Numbers Have Arrived – Next Stop, Chicago!

Yesterday we got word from our recruiter that the school in South Korea has processed our documents and our visa numbers have been issued. We have an appointment to go to the Korean consulate in Chicago next Tuesday, where they will finish processing everything. Then we will officially have our visas and all we’ll need to do is confirm our flight details for the trip over! (well that and pack for a year, get our immunizations, and a long list of other preparations).

It’s taken almost a year of research and preparation to get everything going. A website called Dave’s ESL Café has really helped us plan. It has some great discussion boards about life in South Korea – even down to specific restaurants to eat at or places to get a haircut! It’s also where we found a list of all the documents we needed to live and teach in South Korea.

The package of documents we sent to the recruiting office, Kim & Joe, included:

• Original copy of Bachelor’s degree
• Official set of college transcripts (signed and sealed)
• A copy of the first page of passport
• A color photo (passport size)
• Criminal background check (notarized and apostilled)
• Health statement form
• Work contract signed and dated

It’s not a terribly long list of things, but it still took us months to get it all together! Neither Bob nor I had passports, so we both had to apply for those back in February. (that in itself is a chore!) In between work we made trips to Lincoln to gather our transcripts from UNL and our criminal background checks from the State Patrol’s Office. Finally, we sent everything to the school in Busan via Fed-Ex. Then the school processed our paperwork at their immigration office and issued our tracking numbers. So here we are!

More to come on our (short) trip to Chicago next week!

***Bob and Lindsey***

Where is Busan?

Busan, South Korea is a port city in the south east part of the Korean Peninsula (about as far from the DMZ as you can get!) It is the second biggest city in South Korea, second only to Seoul. The population is about 4 million, so it’s certainly a big step up from Omaha! Busan also recently announced its bid to host the 2020 Summer Olympics, so maybe in 10 years we’ll all be seeing a lot more of Busan on TV.

We’ll experience all four seasons in Busan, but not quite as vividly as in Nebraska. It doesn’t get much hotter than 80 degrees in the summer or much colder than freezing in the winter. There are mountains to our north in the interior of the country, and yet the beach will be just a half hour subway ride from our apartment. Japan is also our neighbor to the northeast. It’s only a short plane ride, so we plan to visit there during a school break.

So how exactly did all of this come about? It’s been quite a process and we’ve been planning for almost a year now! We’ll cover that story next time.

What else do you want to know about Busan? Post a comment and let us know!

***Bob and Lindsey***

Our Journey Begins

Before we begin our life adventure in South Korea, we had to get married! April 9, 2010 was the big day. We couldn't have asked for more - we had beautiful weather, all of our closest friends and family were there and every detail of the day was just perfect.

Two days later we jetted off to Kauai, Hawaii for our honeymoon. We took a helicopter ride around the island with no doors! It was an awesome experience. We would have done it twice if we could.

Once we arrived back home in Omaha, NE it was time for me to move in with Bob and his family. Our stay at the O'Brien household will be short-lived, however. We are making arrangements to move to South Korea to teach English to schoolchildren for a year.

Boy is there a lot involved with getting a work visa and moving halfway across the world! More to come on all the details...

***Bob and Lindsey***