Life is life. I like to think that I'm fairly easy going and willing to take things as they come. Unfortunately, I also know that I don't deal with surprises all that well.
I'm talking about big surprises. Life-altering surprises.
Chelsea and I got hired to go teach English in South Korea. I'm really looking forward to the challenges and new experiences to be had there. When we applied, they advertised that the airfare would be provided. And it will be, we just have to come up with it first, then they reimburse us. That's fairly standard for these programs, so I wasn't too surprised, but it irritates me that they're not open about that.
We have to get an FBI criminal background check. That's another twenty bucks. Our new employers need to have a copy of our diplomas. We have to get the copies and the background check results affixed with an Apostille. They only place in UT to get an apostille is in the Lt. Governor's office. It costs fifteen bucks per document.
After all the documents get sent off to Korea and the English Village gets approval for our work visas, we have to contact the Korean consulate to finalize the process. The consulate that covers Utah is in San Francisco. There's a chance we may have to go there to go through an interview to get the visa. There's a chance it can be done over the phone. However that works out, the visa will cost anywhere between forty five and eighty dollars.
It's a little stressful to be trying to get all this done on top of getting ready to get married.
So what do we do? Plan a vacation to Las Vegas for my birthday. On the fifteenth of this month we'll be staying at the Stratosphere hotel. I chose the Stratosphere so I could do some research for a story I want to write. We'll also go to the Peruvian restaurant I know there (provided it's still open) and go to the Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay. I'm also looking at museums to visit.
It will be fun and a much needed break from life.
3 comments:
Sounds like you guys are having fun! :) Congrats on everything, hope it all goes well!!
Ain't the bureaucracy just grand? However, I'd be remiss if I didn't say those checks are for everyone's sake and well-being.
I recall back in the 70s having to go through a full White House security clearance, as I was going to cover it. My FBI record came back with a notation of "Attendance to the [then] Russian Embassy...4x [four times]." It was quite funny, as three of those times were for stories on international product exchanges and one was for an Embassy party where there were probably 50 reporters...and great food.
Oddly, I also had notations that I had participated in Civil Rights marches ten years earlier.
The paper paid the costs.
Have a great adventure and make you tell us all about it on this venue.
I'm way excited about the upcoming adventure and look forward to chronicling it here.
Wonder if I'll be censored at all.
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