1. What on earth possessed you to move to Korea?
We had always wanted to teach overseas, but when Kennedy came along, we thought we were going to have to wait until the kids were out of school. Then we realized that it would be a good experience for them, so we decided to look into it. We interviewed with several schools this year, and YISS was the best fit for our family.
2. Do you speak Korean?
No. We know a few words, but we're hoping to learn more while we're there.
3. Are you going to be teaching English?
No. We will be teaching at in international Christian school. All of our students speak English at various levels. We do not need to speak Korean in order to teach them, but we hope to learn some from them!
4. Where will you live?
We will live in an apartment in Itaewon. It is about a 10 minute walk from school, but the school will send a bus for us, so we can take that if we don't want to walk.
5. What did you do with all of your things?
We rented out our house on the 15th of June. My dad built a wall in our third garage to create a storage unit for us in our own house. That is where the majority of our things are being stored.
6. Will you have a car? How will you get around?
We do not plan to get a car in Korea. We plan to do a lot of walking and use the subway and bus systems. The public transportation in Seoul is supposed to be great!
7. What are you bringing with you?
We are primarily bringing clothes with us. We packed some of the kids' favorite toys, some of our favorite foods, and a waffle maker. Our apartment will be furnished by the school, so we don't have to bring anything of that sort. We can get most of the necessities that we need in Seoul. It's just hard to find clothes in our sizes!
8. What will you be teaching?
Eric will be teaching middle school math (pre-algebra and algebra), and I will be the middle school substitute part time (normally a full time position where I would go to school every day regardless of whether a teacher is out, but they found someone to split the position with me, so that I can stay home with the kids part time).
9. Where will your kids be while you are at work?
We hired a Filipino nanny who has been living in Seoul for the past 8 years. She is almost 50 and has raised 5 of her own kids. She came with great references from the American military families that she has nannied for the past several years. So, our kids will be with her in our apartment on the days that I am at work.
10. When will you come back home to visit?
We plan to come home to visit early next June. We have about a 7 week window that we have off next summer, so we should be here about 6 weeks. We'll spend most of that time in WA, but we'll also have about a week on the east coast for Evan's wedding!
11. Where will you shop?
Korea has a little bit of everything for shopping. There is a Lotte Mart which is similar to Target and has everything we might need. There are also grocery stores and open markets for bartering. In addition, our school has a bus that goes to Costco every Thursday after school. So, we should be set!
12. How long will you be there?
We signed a two year contract with YISS, but we don't know for sure how long we'll be there! Two years minimum. :)
13. How will you communicate with everyone back home?
Obviously we will communicate through this blog. We will also use Facebook because it's easy! Our primary means of (two way) communication will be through Skype and Facetime. So, send us an email if you want our contact information!
I hope you got some new information. If there's something else you want to know, leave a comment for me!
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