UPDATE**

Okay, change of plans. They booked my flight and I'm leaving on Friday (well really Saturday morning at 6:30am).  So instead of having all weekend to get my stuff together, I actually have two days. There is still much to do. Wish me luck!

Thanks Irene

The past two days we've been without power due to "hurricane" Irene. The storm itself was not bad at all, in fact my dad and I sat on the porch to watch it's mad destruction. Which included plowing some trees over and knocking out the power of nearly everyone in the State of Rhode Island. My family is good at roughing it, we have a camp stove and we played games by candlelight. It wasn't that bad. The worst was when I actually tried to get my Visa stuff done yesterday. We get to the Korean consulate and they say, "We need your transcript in order to process your Visa." At that point I thought well that sucks, I probably should have researched more what I needed, but too late now. So I dove all the way to Mount Holyoke to get my transcript (it's about an hour and a half drive). We get back to the consulate and she says, there's no date of completion on this. I tried to explain my situation in that I have finished and graduated, but Mt. Holyoke won't give me my diploma until 2012. I told her they gave me a letter of completion and the school I'm going to work for has it. Guess what, they need the letter. The only copy of it is currently sitting in the Korean Immigration office in Seoul. After almost 200 miles of driving I still haven't finished my Visa application. My poor parents went with me for this endeavor (my dad drove most of the way) we were all very cranky. We also came home to a house with no power.

The good news is that our power is back on! My application will be completed today and I have my departure date which is Sept. 5th. I just wish Mt. Holyoke made this easier for me and just gave me a damn diploma, but I got to take it with a grain of salt.

One more week and I'm flying out!

They got my numba!

I got my Visa approval number today! Finally! So it's off to the Korean Consulate Monday to pick my Visa up! YAY!!!!!!

They want me there for September 5th. Hopefully I can get there a few days early to set myself up and adjust to the time zone. IT'S ACTUALLY HAPPENING!

I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders with this number and a legit ETA. Good day.

Still waiting....

I was supposed to get the approval number for my Visa today, but no such luck. This waiting is the worst part because I have no idea when I'm actually leaving. It's hard to plan when you don't know the exact date. Enjoy reading these quotes on waiting, as I painstakingly wait for my visa. 

How much of the human life is lost in waiting

Ralph Waldo Emerson

People count up the faults of those who keep them waiting

French Proverb

Waiting is painful. Forgetting is painful, but not know which to do is the worse kind of suffering.

Paulo Coelho

and my personal favorite....

Ten men waiting for me at the door? Send one of them home, I'm tired.

Mae West

Don't forget socks!

Besides packing, which I have decided to procrastinate on, (even though I came home from the cape early to do it) I have been flipping through my Korea travel book that I got yesterday. The province I'm moving to is Gyeonggi-do (don't ask me to pronounce that for you). This travel book is neat, on top of the very cool sites it suggests for me to see, it gives me helpful tips on the culture and how to not make an ass out of myself. Tips I'm sure I'll need.

Tip #1: Shoes off, in any residence, temple, guesthouse or Korean-style restaurant, leave your shoes at the door. And socks are better than bare feet. 


I knew this already, but I do love walking barefoot. I also hate wearing socks and generally anything that suffocates my feet (unless I'm playing soccer). So, note to self, always carry extra socks in your bag or just wear them...

Tip #2: Though you may see members of the royal court drop to the ground to greet the king on Korean TV dramas, don't get inspired...


I know how to do the quick short bow, but can't you just imagine me dropping to the ground to meet somebody? I can! I won't, but I can picture it.

Tip #3: Use your hands, give and receive any object using both hands - especially money and gifts. 


I had no idea about this one. Thanks, travel guide.

Tip #4: Don't beckon someone using your forefinger. Place your hand out, palm down, and flutter all your fingers. 


This one I thought was interesting. After I thought about it, I realized that's how Mimi (my Korean grandma) calls us over often. I just never made the connection that maybe it was a Korean thing. She's kind of weird, so I assumed it was a Mimi thing.

In the travel book, they also give you a little incite into the Korean psyche. This was cool for me to read, because I noticed a lot of the same traits seen in my family.

...they're all tenacious, [and have a] pit-bull spirit. Once Koreans lock onto something, it's difficult to break away. Life is competitive and everything is taken seriously, be it ten-pin bowling, hiking or overseas corporate expansion.  

I have never met a more tenacious group of women than the one's on my mother's side (Mimi and my grandpa had all girls, four to be exact). Once my mom gets into a project, she won't stop until it's perfect. Even if it's creating a bouquet of flowers to sit in our living room. Everything she does, she does wholeheartedly. It's inspiring to watch her work sometimes. As for the competitive aspect, watch out. Playing a game with my mom and her sisters sometimes feels like participating in a mental WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) match and sometimes a physical one. Never find yourself winning against my mom in Scrabble unless you want to be pinched and bruised (yes, even Scrabble turns into a contact sport). The other day I was teaching my mom to play speed. I had just learned the game, so I was foggy on some of the rules and may not have been as clear as I should when we started playing. My lord, I haven't seen my mom that angry since the Celebrity game of '07. She ended up not finishing the game, called me a cheater, said the game was stupid and threw the deck of cards at me. I'm sure it's different in other Korean/Korean-American households, but competitive is brought to a whole new level in mine.

There were a few others I noticed connect to my household (Koreans are health fanatics....they're obsessed with education...) but I won't bore you with those stories. However, I did find an excerpt that talks about the environment I'll be teaching in. Of course I have to share that with you, since without this job I wouldn't be going:

Going to school is never enough, so middle-income families send their children to after-school private institutes - called Hagwon - to study science, maths, Korean and English.

That will be me. It's insane the education these children receive. I'm not saying it's a bad thing, but to go to school all day, then go to more school, and on top of that have no summer vacation - it's intense. I'm teaching from about 9:30am -7pm (I get a 3hr prep-time/break in between classes), which is a lot of work for me, but I'm teaching things I already know. Mentally, it'll be easier for me, but these kids need to learn and retain all this information they're given for 91/2 hours. And I'm teaching Pre-K and elementary.

So, those are some of the things I've learned. I'm starting to get really excited about moving, so excited I'm finally inspired to pack!

Oh it burns!

My name is Kim. I was named partially for the connection it has to Korea (it's a common last name there) as I am 1/4 Korean (my mom also didn't like terribly girly names). I am moving to Korea very soon to teach at a private (Hagwon) school in Bundang, South Korea. Ironically, Kim-chi, one of the most consumed foods in Korea (and in my household) is one of my least favorite to eat.  Hence, the Kim-chi Journal was born.

You may be thinking: Why gee Kim, that's a big move, how did you get that job?

Yes, reader, that is a big move! Especially being from such a little state like Rhode Island. Basically,  my plans for teaching in a public school got put on hold when I found out I can't get my teaching license until May 2012 (long boring story).  My brother directed me to a website, to help me with my job process. I found the Park Recruitment Agency and without much thought applied for the job. At this point, I had applied for job after job after job and they were the only ones to respond. It seemed like fate.

Now, I'm just waiting for them to send me an approval number for my Visa, then it's off to the Korean Consulate for my E2 work Visa! I should be arriving in Korea for...well I'm not sure exactly, because they haven't given me a specific date, but soon.

Concerns that have been voiced about this plan:

From my mom: No Retirement! 
                                A ten hour work day is too long. (it's not really that long, at least I hope not)
                                What are you going to eat?
                                When will you lose your passport and under what conditions?

From my dad: How much time do I get to see you when I visit? 
                             What types of birds are in that area, and can you take pictures of them? 
                             What will you use for a cell phone? 
                             Can we skype everyday? (that's mom and dad)

From my brother:  Don't be stupid. 


and my own concerns: When can I visit my friends? 
                                               When can they visit me? 
                                               How much vacation time do I get and when is it?
                                               How much work do I really have to do? 
                                              Can I go to the Mud festival?

Any travel advice or suggestions on what I should see are MORE than welcome (comment or email me). Keep reading for updates, pictures, and I'm sure many stories about my daily grind, adventures, misadventures, and explorations culinary or otherwise.