The Countdown is On!

About a week until I am in Korea! 8 days to be exact. (= Got my E-2 visa and plane ticket last week, so I'm pretty much set to go! Will be leaving Atlanta August 18th at 8 in the morning, arriving in San Fran 10:30 ish and then off to Korea (via Singapore Airlines) around 2pm. Arriving at the Incheon Airport the next day around 6pm. Unfortunately, I won't have time to explore the best airport in the world apparently. Once I arrive in Incheon, I have to hop on a bus that will take me to the EPIK orientation at Jeonju University (four hours away =/). Will be in Jeonju from August 19th-28th. There are going to be about 500 teachers at the orientation!! Not only teachers from the US, but from other native English speaking countries such as: Canada, England, Ireland, South Africa and Australia. Yay! I get to meet people from all over the world again!! It will be like living in Canada again, but 100 times better (I hope). The last day of orientation is when I find out where exactly in Daejeon I'll be living and what type of school I'll be teaching at (hoping for an elementary or middle school!!).

So exciting!! These next few days are dedicated to packing and buying last minute items. And learning Korean of course!! Anyoung-Hee Kay-say-yo!! (Bye)^_^

My Celebrity Look-a-likes

Haven't Updated in a While...

Yoooo. I've been gone for a while, but just wanted to give a quick update. I am still planning on moving to South Korea. I applied to EPIK (English Program in Korea) so the application and hiring process takes a long time (lots of paperwork), so I'm just hoping I get everything back in time to apply for my E-2 visa. The job isn't official until I have a stamp on my visa! Which will HOPEFULLY be in a few weeks. But, whatever is supposed to happen, will happen. If it doesn't work out, I have plenty of options available so it's all good.

I've decided to make another blog LindainSKorea I've been having some trouble with this blog, can't really add any pictures or gadgets or anything like that, so I will probably be deleting this one soon and updating only the LindainSKorea one. My new blog will have lots of links of my fav websites, pictures and vlogs (video blogs) so stay tuned for my new and improved blog!! But for now I'm only updating this one.

Until next time...

When Love Takes Over

Another song that I love!! Perfect song to dance to. David Guetta has the best dance songs, and this time he got some help from Kelly Rowland. Check it out, and dance along to it if you'd like. I always do ;)

Daejeon, South Korea!!

For those who don't know already, I am officially moving to South Korea in August! I got offered and accepted an ESL (English as a Second Language) teaching position at a public school in Daejeon. Now, you may be wondering, why Korea??? Well here are a few reasons why I (and many others) decide to work abroad:

1. Of course you have to like teaching and working with children to even consider doing anything like this. And I do of course.

2. MONEY- most ESL teaching positions in South Korea provide and pay for your housing (except utilities, internet, etc.) and reimburse your airfare. AND you're getting paid a fairly good amount each month. I can easily save $1000 + a MONTH. So that is definitely a positive. Bonus- the cost of living in Korea is relatively cheap compared to the US unless you're buying "western" food and going out drinking/clubbing every night. However, Soju is very inexpensive (a korean alcoholic drink). Check this out Crank dat Soju Boy Woooord.

3. LOANS - So since I will be easily (hopefully) saving at least a thousand dollars a month (im starting to think more like $500 a month), I can very easily pay off my loans (and credit card) in a short amount time.

4. TRAVELING- I finally have the opportunity to do what I always wanted to do, which is travel!! I am so excited to have the chance to travel across Asia (and hopefully other continents too). I already know a few people living in Asia (friends I met in Canada as well as from USF/Tampa) so hopefully I will be able to meet up with them as well!!

5. NO JOBS IN THE US- as we all know, America is currently in a recession, so (well-paying) jobs are very scarce and are at a minimum. Even though I do currently have a job and could possibly work there full time if I wanted to, I feel that staying in Tampa and working there is not the direction that I want to be taking in my life right now. Working in the Education field is something I want to do for the rest of my life, so this is an opportunity for me to get teaching experience before I go on to grad school. I'm 22, unmarried, and may never have this opportunity to travel ever again. So, why not try something new!!

So yeah, these are the main reasons why I'm moving to Korea. There are PLENTY of ESL teaching positions in South Korea. So, if you like teaching and working with kids, traveling, are open to experiencing a new culture/language and love MONEY, you should definitely consider teaching abroad!!

Waiting

So, Im waiting for my friend to call me so we can go out somewhere and do something, so in the meantime, how about i post a blog!! Summer is moving along quite quickly, its already June!! I have about a month or so left in Tampa and then I'm moving to Atlanta mid July ish. (= The next blog I post will definitely be interesting. I have some excellent news to share (a few of you may already know). But I'm going to keep you waiting so stay tuned for that blog some time next week. Anyway, I have become ADDICTED to Dave Matthews Band. I was never really into them until recently; I saw them perform on the Today Show and I went out and bought their new cd the next day! Their new album is awesome!! Big Whiskey And The Groogrux King. You should totally check it out. And of course, I posted one of my favorites songs from their new album. Its called "Funny The Way It Is"

Charice-Another one of my favorites

Another one of my current favorites is Charice, a 16 year old from the Philippines. She was on Oprah the other day, and I was so mad that I missed it because I was at work. Then I remembered, well hellllooooo pretty much everything on TV is on Youtube! So of course I youtubed (?) it and she is amazing! Her new song "Note to God" is so beautiful. She sings it with so much emotion, it gave me the chills!! You cant help but to have tears in your eyes when youre listening to that song. I hope you love it as much as I do. (=

An update

So I've been doing a lot of Google-ing this weekend about teaching ESL in Korea. I am actually really interested in doing it now, so I'm trying to find out as much information as possible before i sign any contracts or anything. I posted my resume on Daves ESL Cafe last week and have gotten so many emails and phone calls from recruiters looking for American ESL teachers. It seems like Korea has the highest demand for foreign teachers out of any other country in Asia. Right now, I'm sticking with two recruiters. From all the research I've been doing, Teach ESL Korea and Footprints Recruiting seem to be the most reputable and reliable. I've already spoken to a recruiter at Teach ESL Korea, so now its pretty much up to me and how fast I can get all of the documents needed to them. Once they receive all the documents, I will be placed at a school. The recruiter had told me they have a lot of positions available in the Gyeonggi-do area, which is pretty much the surburbs of Seoul. I was really hoping to teach in Busan, Incheon, or Daejeon. But we'll see.
I also have an interview with Footprints Recruiting next week. From what I've heard, the positions are going really fast!! I really, really hope I get to teach in Korea, that would be AWESOME. Wish me luck, and of course I will keep you updated. Until then....1.

-L

I heart KRIS ALLEN

Ok so honestly, I'm not really much of an American Idol fan, but Kris Allen is amazing!!! I started watching the current season a couple weeks ago and came across Kris Allen. He is really really good!! He became my favorite after he sang a version of Kanye West's song 'Heartless'. It's actually better the original version by Kanye!! I totally hope he wins!! I don't understand why so many people like Adam, he's a hot mess. He needs to relax, I dont know why he's always yelling in his songs...But anyway, check out Kris Allens performance, its AWESOME.

Teaching Job....in Korea!!

I got a phone call earlier today and I got offered a teaching position in Korea!! I'm not sure how legit this company actually is because I had just posted my resume online yesterday, and then today I got a call from a recruiting company offering me a ESL teaching position. Its actually something I would be interested in, but never really thought of pursuing it. I always wanted to go to Asia, so maybe now this is finally my chance to do so! So I'm going to fax some information to the recruiting manager to get this process started. And HEYY-- Free Housing, Free Airfare, good pay...heyyyyyy sounds good to me! I even told my mom about it and she says I should try it out. Which is weird because she was against me going to Philadelphia to do Americorps and City Year, but now is telling me I should take the offer for a teaching position in KOREA. lol. But yeah we will see what happens....

Philly or No Philly

Ok, so honestly all I've been thinking about are my future plans and maybe/maybe not moving to Philly. I think I have finally come to a decision. I will ONLY move to Philly IF I do not find a job anywhere else. I will officially start the job hunt this weekend; looking mainly in Florida and Georgia, but also nationwide. I always wanted to live in North/South Carolina, Virgina, or Massachusetts; I kinda wanna stay in the mid-atlantic area. My brother in Orlando said I can stay with him and his wife for a little bit if necessary since he has a two bedroom condo. So I'm thinking I will move to Orlando after my lease is up in Tampa until I find a job. I think I have ample experience in different areas so hopefully i'll be able to snag a job in the non-profit area or at a school. Im hoping to find a job in Georgia, Virgina or North Carolina bc I want to go to grad school in one of those states. (= . So wish me luck as I start my job hunt this weekend!! And i wanted to post a video blog, but for some reason its not letting me upload it =/. Until next time.....

-L

Song of Purple Summer

I had to post this video, I love this song! It is so beautiful!! I've listened to it at least ten times today....(=

Spring Awakening

So I was on youtube the other day, and I came across a video for a musical called Spring Awakening. I've heard of the musical, but have never heard any of the music from it. So I watched a clip from the 2007 Tony Awards. I loved it!! Especially the song Momma Who Bore Me. Check it out, and if you like it, search for "Mamma who bore me", "Song of Purple Summer", and "Guilty Ones" those are my three favorite songs from the musical (=. I added the performance from the 2007 Tony Awards for your viewing pleasure....

Why Philly??

So, i'm sure you know or i have told you that I am moving to Philadelphia to do an Americorps program called City Year. City Year is pretty much an organization that provides the oppurtunity for young adults to commit to ten months of full time service. During these ten months, I will be working as a tutor, role model, mentor (and much, much more) in a underperforming, disadvantaged school in Philadelphia for very very little pay i might add. I also will be doing service throughout the city as well. So why would I move out of Tampa to make less than half of what I'm making now?? I will be making very very little doing City Year and working anywhere between 40-80 hours a week!! Craziness. But i feel like this is the direction my life needs to be going right now. I know i want to pursue a career in the education/ non-profit field; possibly by becoming a school psychologist, school counselor/ academic advisor, or a school social worker. I'm leaning more towards a high school guidance counselor, which means...grad school eventually. So i figured City Year can kinda gear me toward what I (think I) want to do for the rest of my life.

I know moving to Philadelphia and working for City Year will definately be a challenge. "The depths of my struggle determines the height of my success". I heard someone say that on the Trya Show. I believe that now more than ever before. There are some things that are challenging and stressful, but God places the good and the bad in our lives for a reason. So hopefully i can learn and grow from my experiences and help others, which i believe is my purpose in life.

My other option is to stay in Tampa and continue working at the job I currently have or find another one. Honestly, I did not graduate college to work at a group sales office so I think staying at my current job is not necessarily an option. =/ I highly doubt I would be able to find another job that pertains to my interests, but if i do, staying in Tampa could possibly be a consideration. (= Which i guess some people would be happy about, others...not so much... lol I'm kinda running out of time though, if I do decide to move to Philly (theres is about a 85% chance), I have to be out of Tampa by July 31st!

Well, thats it for now, I will continue on this topic another time. But while youre waiting, if you're interested in knowing a little bit more about City Year, check out these websites!

http://www.CityYear.Org
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_Year

Tootles!
-L

I Love Target!!!

I <3 Target!! And i totally love this dress! I saw this dress at target the other day but they didnt have my size! I am definitely ordering this dress and the sandals tomorrow. It is too cute!! Top it off with a boho headband, and youre good to go! I love bohemian inspired clothing.

First Blog!!

So, this is my first blog people!! I have joined the blogging world!! I've decided to make a blog pretty much about things that are going on in my life right now. People, places, like, dislikes, and all of the above! I just graduated from the University of South Florida with a degree in Psychology and Sociology, and I'm soooooo excited to start a new chapter in my life; which includes new faces and places! Real world, here i come!! (=