Today was a day of adventure indeed. We didn´t get to do too much sightseeing, in the traditional sense of the word, but we certainly saw some sights. Marta had to go to the gobernacion building in the walled part of the city to woek on getting her cedula and passport stuff straightened out. When we got to the gobernacion, we found out that she had to go get her photos taken at a little photo shop a few blocks down the road. We got the photos and then we had to go to this other government building... the registraduria? something like that.
It is just this little building hidden off the street several long blocks away. She went inside this little two-story building, hoping this would be the answer, but instead the guy at the entrance basically was no help. He took us upstairs and then took Marta into some room (I didn´t go, instead, I stayed outside the door, and got stared at by roughly 8 people who had never seen such a tall blonde pale giant before...). Marta came out of the room, dissapointed and frustrated as can be because they basically were like, no, this is no good, to her old cedula which we already knew because it had been CANCELLED. So, she had to go down to a banco and pay for the fee for a new cedula and then she went back and the guy again told her she had to go elsewhere... and by that he meant to a completely different part of Cartagena on the other side of town, behind a public library in some tiny building.
So, we decided to take a brief break from Cedula hunting and walked/took a bus to Bocagrande, a place that kind of jutts out into the ocean from the main part of Cartagena. It´s got lots of pretty beach space and a lot of taller buildings and touristy type places. we saw a blockbuster video and a McDonalds there. Also, puma store and quicksilver stores. We ate at a crepes place (Crepes & Waffles, it´s named) and it was DELICIOUS. We split a savory (mozz cheese, basil, fresh and dried tomatoes) and a sweet (nutella & banana, is there anything else) Also, chocolate milkshake! We walked along the beach a bit, went to a shopping market like publix. Then we took a taxi to this rando library that Marta had to go to for her cedula. There, the guys who were working at this little desk basically told her they had given out all the numbers to see people already (I gues it´s like the post office or the deli counter where you wait for your number to be called, except there is a limit to the number of people they can see in a single day. They did inform her, however, that ¨If you do something for me, I could do something for you¨, basically asking for a bribe to get her in.
She said no, so we caught a bus to this other place ou could go to do the same thing. On the way there, Two payasos (clowns) came into our bus and did a little routine and one had this horrible laugh that was like a indicator of a punch line. It was terrible sounding. We stopped at this little building, which was behind a gas station down this road where there were literally NO signs and you had to have telepathy to know it was there. We found it and went inside, and this guy gave her a number and we waited for her to be let in. While we were waiting some other people came in and sat and waited, I guess for the same thing Marta was waiting for. This one older lady started talking to marta and wanted to know how old I was and I told her 22, and she said I looked younger than that (should I be insulted or happy? At 22, I feel like its not a bad thing or a good thing) Then Marta got called and the lady talked to me. This other guy also asked how tall I was and I had to convert to cm which was hard to do on the fly from 75 inches. The older lady thought Marta was my mom, and I was like nope. We don´t look alike at all. She asked me what I was studying and whatnot. She thought Marta was learning English and I was learning Spanish. I was like, well not exactly. All of this was conducted in Spanish, mind you. :-) Anyways, the lady there wouldn´t complete her paperwork because she didn´t know her bloodtype. So Marta has to get some kind of bloodwork done or something.idk
A note about buses and driving in Colombia. People are crazy drivers. Our taxi driver rolled down his window and just started yelling at this guy who cut him off earlier and almost got us in an accident. It was crazy. There are so many sudden stops and intense horn honking. I wish I could just film a ride so you could have an idea about how crazy it is. Also, the buses are public, but they are all privately own, so basically they have no set routes or stops. You just kind of stand up when you want to be let off and they just pull over and stop very briefly for you to hop off. It´s about 50 cents to take a bus pretty much anywhere. Also, since all the buses are personally owned, they are all pimped out by their drivers. It´s crazy. For example, every bus has carpet on the dashboard and a special shift cover made of the same material. There are often lights (of the blue and red and yellow variety) that flash regularly. Also, images of the virgen carmen, the protector of drivers. Also, weird-ass curtains. It´s like a crazy version of pimp by bus.
After that, we took another bus back into El Centro. We went to El Exito, which is kind of like a walmart. I got some caramels and some gold havainas sandals. We got an arepa from a street vendor which was delicious and greasy. We got a bit turned around when we left and couldn´t find our way back immediately. We kind of wandered aimlessly, stopped in a bakery and got roscones (sp?) de guayaba which, paigey, you would adore.
Then we finally got back on track. We passed through the park that had monkeys, but we couldn´t find the monkeys. Instead, we saw a bunch of kids prepping for a skating competition. They were all wearing rollerblades and had these uniform type things from different schools and stuff. It was so cool and cute. Anyways, we were walking around the park and then headed back the hostel for showers and dinner. We went to this little restaurant around the corner a ways that had a lot fewer touristy people and Marta got soup and her soup had a chicken foot in it. No joke. Naturally, I took a photo, so that´ll be up later.
We took a picture of Casa Viena on our way home from dinner.
I have to figure out what I´m doing tomorrow. Marta has to get up early(8am) to find out what blood type she has at a doctors and go down to the cedula place. Hopefully I can find someone here at the hostel to hang out with and see some places. I don´t know, I just don´t really want to venture out on my own. Pretty much all day today EVERY guy that passed by stopped and stared or said something ridiculous, either all the english they knew or, if they knew no english, lots of spanish stuff. Often a guessing of the height (2 meters, I heard once, which is an overestimate). It was just a bit strange.
That´s all for now!
xoxo,
A
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Day 2... the beginning
Delicious empanada and coffee for breakfast. Time to go exploring I suppose.
Last night, I slept pretty soundly although marta says that I was talking in my sleep. About bicycles or something. And I was peddling in my sleep. haha. whoops.
Anyways, today marta is gong to the gobernacion for her passport, and I will hang out somewhere... palacio de la inquisicion? Who knows really.
Last night a group of soldiers walked by our hostel. There were about a dozen of them, all toting very large guns. It was kind of surreal. There are a lot of police most everywhere, especially in the historic part of town, where all the tourists are. I suppose that's a pretty good thing, all things considered.
This morning alone, a dozen males have honked their horns or whistled at me. The sight of a tall blonde girl roaming the streets of Cartagena is too intriguing to pass up on. Nothing I hadn't experienced in Spain, although the volume is a bitter larger. In spain, there were a few blondes walking around. Here there aren't nearly as many. Hopefully I'll be able to get on later today and post again.
Hasta luego
xoxo,
A
Last night, I slept pretty soundly although marta says that I was talking in my sleep. About bicycles or something. And I was peddling in my sleep. haha. whoops.
Anyways, today marta is gong to the gobernacion for her passport, and I will hang out somewhere... palacio de la inquisicion? Who knows really.
Last night a group of soldiers walked by our hostel. There were about a dozen of them, all toting very large guns. It was kind of surreal. There are a lot of police most everywhere, especially in the historic part of town, where all the tourists are. I suppose that's a pretty good thing, all things considered.
This morning alone, a dozen males have honked their horns or whistled at me. The sight of a tall blonde girl roaming the streets of Cartagena is too intriguing to pass up on. Nothing I hadn't experienced in Spain, although the volume is a bitter larger. In spain, there were a few blondes walking around. Here there aren't nearly as many. Hopefully I'll be able to get on later today and post again.
Hasta luego
xoxo,
A
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
En colombia!!
Marta and I made it to Colombia safe and sound. So far no huge hiccups, although it turns out marta has to get a new Colombian passport and Cedula tomorrow. That leaves me to explore a bit on my own, hopefully at the palacio de la inquisicion o lo que sea.
The plane flight was smooth, nothing crazy at all. Immigration went fine (not including Marta´s little passport snafu). Everyone in the immigration booths was wearing masks and rubber gloves, which was a bit intense. Swine flu pandemic fears are in the air I suppose. We exchanged out money and for about 2 dollars caught a taxi to where we thought we were staying, Casa Viena. Unfortunately, the website and photos had very little in common with the actual place. It was, in fact, pretty much a dump. We went across the street to an internet cafe to try to find other options. No real success, just a lot of hoping. We went back across the street to a little juice/smoothie stand and ask that lady where we could eat and if she knew of any hostels. Luckily, she was incredibly helpful on both accounts. We had lunch of arepas (con queso for me and con carne for marta) and the headed off to Hotel Marlin, where we are staying in a private room for 20,000 pesos/night, or roughly 10 dollars.
Already we´ve walked around a lot of the walled city, which is the historic part of the city. We went to a couple parks (there were little monkey like things EVERYWHERE) and got followed by a creepy homeless guy, and watched traditional dances in a plaza/parque area. We walked out to the wall and looked out over the ocean, which was super cool. I hope that tomorrow we can go to the Castillo and look around there and maybe hit up the beach...
Anyways, I think I´m gonna hit up a little food stand a couple places down and try to get a shower and sleep. My hostel has internet so maybe I will get to post more after all.
p.s. I tried some incredible sweet bread, pan con queso, and some frutas that are called something like marmoles...?
p.p.s It is SOOOO hot and humid.
The plane flight was smooth, nothing crazy at all. Immigration went fine (not including Marta´s little passport snafu). Everyone in the immigration booths was wearing masks and rubber gloves, which was a bit intense. Swine flu pandemic fears are in the air I suppose. We exchanged out money and for about 2 dollars caught a taxi to where we thought we were staying, Casa Viena. Unfortunately, the website and photos had very little in common with the actual place. It was, in fact, pretty much a dump. We went across the street to an internet cafe to try to find other options. No real success, just a lot of hoping. We went back across the street to a little juice/smoothie stand and ask that lady where we could eat and if she knew of any hostels. Luckily, she was incredibly helpful on both accounts. We had lunch of arepas (con queso for me and con carne for marta) and the headed off to Hotel Marlin, where we are staying in a private room for 20,000 pesos/night, or roughly 10 dollars.
Already we´ve walked around a lot of the walled city, which is the historic part of the city. We went to a couple parks (there were little monkey like things EVERYWHERE) and got followed by a creepy homeless guy, and watched traditional dances in a plaza/parque area. We walked out to the wall and looked out over the ocean, which was super cool. I hope that tomorrow we can go to the Castillo and look around there and maybe hit up the beach...
Anyways, I think I´m gonna hit up a little food stand a couple places down and try to get a shower and sleep. My hostel has internet so maybe I will get to post more after all.
p.s. I tried some incredible sweet bread, pan con queso, and some frutas that are called something like marmoles...?
p.p.s It is SOOOO hot and humid.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
T-minus 24 hours...
Tomorrow I leave for Colombia. I've got pretty much everything all packed up, with the exception of liquids and toiletries. Packing was fairly straightforward and simple, although I have NO idea exactly how using my new backpack will go. It's basically got just two spots for clothing, with openings at the top and bottom. It has a lot of other pockets that I'm using for little things (toiletries, socks, and wet wipes), but all my clothing is in one giant pocket that I'm nervous I'm going to have to dig through to find anything. Luckily, we're in the same place for a couple days at a time, so I should have the opportunity to keep organized.
I went to church on Sunday, which was, to say the least, an interesting experience. I haven't been to any church service since Christmas Eve, probably, and I've almost forgotten exactly how strange it can be. To tell the truth, I don't miss it. Rev. Richter gave a message about fathers, and I see where he was coming from, but I can't help but see where my opinions conflict with the church's. The idea of a male being the head of the family, and women submitting to their husbands. The idea of a husband and wife being the only way to restore American "morality". It was just a tough pill to swallow.
I saw the Michel's and Richard Smith, my old youth pastor who was in town with his youth group in Charlotte for a mission trip. It was nice to see all of them. They all seemed to be curious about what I was up to now that I've graduated and it was simultaneously nerve-wracking and invigorating to say, "you know what, I'm not sure exactly" and see the looks on their faces.
I am thrilled to be heading to Colombia. By this time tomorrow, I will be en route, about an hour from landing in Cartagena. I've been checking and double checking everything for my trip. So you know, I'm not bringing my laptop to Cartagena, and I probably won't be hitting up any internet cafes, so don't expect any updates until next Tuesday, June 30, when I return. I will be sure to take LOTS of pictures, and remember everything. I will try to write everything down the old-fashioned way so I don't forget.
xoxo,
A
I went to church on Sunday, which was, to say the least, an interesting experience. I haven't been to any church service since Christmas Eve, probably, and I've almost forgotten exactly how strange it can be. To tell the truth, I don't miss it. Rev. Richter gave a message about fathers, and I see where he was coming from, but I can't help but see where my opinions conflict with the church's. The idea of a male being the head of the family, and women submitting to their husbands. The idea of a husband and wife being the only way to restore American "morality". It was just a tough pill to swallow.
I saw the Michel's and Richard Smith, my old youth pastor who was in town with his youth group in Charlotte for a mission trip. It was nice to see all of them. They all seemed to be curious about what I was up to now that I've graduated and it was simultaneously nerve-wracking and invigorating to say, "you know what, I'm not sure exactly" and see the looks on their faces.
I am thrilled to be heading to Colombia. By this time tomorrow, I will be en route, about an hour from landing in Cartagena. I've been checking and double checking everything for my trip. So you know, I'm not bringing my laptop to Cartagena, and I probably won't be hitting up any internet cafes, so don't expect any updates until next Tuesday, June 30, when I return. I will be sure to take LOTS of pictures, and remember everything. I will try to write everything down the old-fashioned way so I don't forget.
xoxo,
A
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Home Sweet Home?
Well, I'm in Tampa right now. Just got back to Melissa's dorm and am using her computer/internet freely. Had fun at Ryan's place, hanging out with a whole bunch of people I don't know at all, taking a whole lotta crap about going to UF.
I'm tiiiiiired.
Packing today was positively atrocious. It took me entirely too long and I'm still absolutely positive I've forgotten something crucial.
Today was long. I had meetings in the morning, and then I came home, ate some lunch, packed like a madwoman and went to the pool. I laid out at the Lexington pool for a little while but ended up going to the Estates pool for a couple more hours. There was a band there, which was crazy to see. Also, they had free food that I didn't eat because I just had leftover Satchels and who needs stupid bbq when you just had satchel's?
Then home, league, back to the apartment, shower, finish packing, drive to Tampa. The traffic was terrible (closed down to one lane on two separate, terrible occasions, for construction). Now it's bedtime.
xoxo
Allison
I'm tiiiiiired.
Packing today was positively atrocious. It took me entirely too long and I'm still absolutely positive I've forgotten something crucial.
Today was long. I had meetings in the morning, and then I came home, ate some lunch, packed like a madwoman and went to the pool. I laid out at the Lexington pool for a little while but ended up going to the Estates pool for a couple more hours. There was a band there, which was crazy to see. Also, they had free food that I didn't eat because I just had leftover Satchels and who needs stupid bbq when you just had satchel's?
Then home, league, back to the apartment, shower, finish packing, drive to Tampa. The traffic was terrible (closed down to one lane on two separate, terrible occasions, for construction). Now it's bedtime.
xoxo
Allison
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Weekend in Review
This weekend was awesome! I loved playing for Sweet Chili, the team from Gainesville I played with. It was composed of a lot of FUEL/UF players (me, meg, pav, j. feil, rob love, justin, greg, etc), and that is always lots of fun. It was exceptionally hot all weekend, and I'm quite sure I've never sweated so much as I did that weekend. After playing all day Saturday, greg took me, meg and pav to target to buy swimsuits because we were going to go swimming at the hotel. I got a new all brown bathing suit that's pretty cute. We went swimming and got yelled at for throwing the frisbee in the water while there were kids there (we never even came particularly close to hitting anyone even). Showers. I lost my big toenail for the fifth or sixth time (I've lost count; that's a bad sign). Olive Garden for din-din. Smokey Bones for darts against laura (first time, I got wrecked). Sleep. Repeat on Sunday, minus the toenail loss and olive garden and add in chili's.
I don't believe I've posted this on here, but I figured I might as well. I'm on a temporary no drinking cycle right now. I haven't had any alcohol for over two weeks, and I'm trying to avoid it as much as possible. It's too expensive to buy, and it's full of calories (especially beer, which is the drink of choice at frisbee things). I'm trying to lose a couple pounds, and I figure cutting out beer/liquor would be a good way to start.
Today was crazy, with lots of tutoring and whatnot. Tonight I have to plan plan plan for this week and hope everything goes well.
xoxo,
A
I don't believe I've posted this on here, but I figured I might as well. I'm on a temporary no drinking cycle right now. I haven't had any alcohol for over two weeks, and I'm trying to avoid it as much as possible. It's too expensive to buy, and it's full of calories (especially beer, which is the drink of choice at frisbee things). I'm trying to lose a couple pounds, and I figure cutting out beer/liquor would be a good way to start.
Today was crazy, with lots of tutoring and whatnot. Tonight I have to plan plan plan for this week and hope everything goes well.
xoxo,
A
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Tired...
This upcoming week will be exhausting; I can already feel the tired coming.
I am doubling up on tutoring in the first half of the week because two of my students will be going out of town for a week (vacation to nyc... lucky). So I have two extra hours of tutoring on Monday and Tuesday. The nice thing about that is that it leaves Thursday significantly more open for me to pack pack pack pack pack for Colombia/going home/moving out. I figure that this might be my only trip home before I move out of the apartment, and that it might be beneficial for me to, oh, idk, get rid of some of the crap that has just been sitting in my apartment for months and months. Hopefully I'll be able to move out some of the books because that's one of the things that is really taking up the most space. Plus, they are really heavy, and so if I can take some home, that'd be great.
This weekend I am going to the Sunshine State games with a co-ed team of people from gainesville. I'm really excited, and it should be SUPER fun. I'm really looking forward to spending the weekend playing ultimate again. Sunshine State games is in Lakeland this year, so it's pretty close. I'll be leaving early early early Saturday morning and coming back Sunday night.
On Friday of next week, I'm going to Tamp to visit Melissy, and to go to a party that Ryan is having. Then, Saturday morning I'm driving back home so I can fly out of Ft. Lauderdale for Colombia. I will be making a pit stop in the Gardens for a hair cut (say good-bye to all of it). Working outside has made it abudantly clear how IMPOSSIBLY hot it is to keep my hair this long. Even in a ponytail, it's all on my neck and hot as hell. As such, I'm probably going to get it cut to about shoulder length. I'm thinking about getting my bangs back and going choppy-choppy with it. Something edgier, maybe? idk. All I know is if I'm going to Colombia, I want my hair GONE.
xoxo,
A
I am doubling up on tutoring in the first half of the week because two of my students will be going out of town for a week (vacation to nyc... lucky). So I have two extra hours of tutoring on Monday and Tuesday. The nice thing about that is that it leaves Thursday significantly more open for me to pack pack pack pack pack for Colombia/going home/moving out. I figure that this might be my only trip home before I move out of the apartment, and that it might be beneficial for me to, oh, idk, get rid of some of the crap that has just been sitting in my apartment for months and months. Hopefully I'll be able to move out some of the books because that's one of the things that is really taking up the most space. Plus, they are really heavy, and so if I can take some home, that'd be great.
This weekend I am going to the Sunshine State games with a co-ed team of people from gainesville. I'm really excited, and it should be SUPER fun. I'm really looking forward to spending the weekend playing ultimate again. Sunshine State games is in Lakeland this year, so it's pretty close. I'll be leaving early early early Saturday morning and coming back Sunday night.
On Friday of next week, I'm going to Tamp to visit Melissy, and to go to a party that Ryan is having. Then, Saturday morning I'm driving back home so I can fly out of Ft. Lauderdale for Colombia. I will be making a pit stop in the Gardens for a hair cut (say good-bye to all of it). Working outside has made it abudantly clear how IMPOSSIBLY hot it is to keep my hair this long. Even in a ponytail, it's all on my neck and hot as hell. As such, I'm probably going to get it cut to about shoulder length. I'm thinking about getting my bangs back and going choppy-choppy with it. Something edgier, maybe? idk. All I know is if I'm going to Colombia, I want my hair GONE.
xoxo,
A
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Atlanta and back in 36 hours.
So I just got back from Atlanta, where I had my EPIK interview. I stayed with Oz, one of the girls who played for FUEL this past fall before she graduated and left us...
I got into Atlanta around 8 o'clock on Tuesday night. I drove straight to the park where Oz was playing league. I watched her team play til about 9:30ish. Afterwords, we went to an Asian place called Doc Chey's that was really good. Had the pad thai (obvi). The restaurant was in this really cute section of town where there were just a dozen independent restaurants and boutique-y clothing stores and I was like, I wanna come back HERE sometime and shop like mad. The fortune in my fortune cookie was awesome (especially in regard to my interview): You are the master of every situation. Crazy, right?
So, we went back to Oz's place, where I watched the magic/lakers game (go magic!) and got ready for bed. Her family has a huge golden doodle that was a-freakin-dorable named Patrick.
Woke up at about 9;30. Had some breakfast, got ready for the day, but not the interview, which wasn't till 2:30. I read some of A Farewell to Arms by Hemmingway (really good if you're into Hemmingway's style). I am almost done with that. Up next: Water for Elephants
Oz had class at 8 a.m. (sucky) and then after she got back, we decided to go to H&M!! It was awesome, since we don't have one in Gainesville or back at home, and because it's cheap and super cool. I got two new shirts and spent most of the pre-interview day relaxed as can be. We went to lunch at this place called taqueria del sol. Super cute, really bright and cheery, blues and whites and yellows, and super delicious carnitas tacos. We passed this famous bbq place (fatt matt's?) where Chris Brown ate when he was last in atlanta, and I was all sad about not going there.
Anyways, got back and showered and got ready for my interview. Oz lives about 15 minutes from where my interview was which is SUPER convenient. Got all dressed and drove downtown without any real problems (phew!) and parked. It was about a block walk from the parking garage to where the interview was. I walked into the Consulate and literally everything (posters, signs, EVERYTHING) was written in Korean and everyone was speaking Korean and I was just like oh Christ. But, I just had to wait like five minutes and then I got called into the office where I was interviewed by two people: an American lady and a Korean guy. Pretty standard interview: what 3 adjs. best describe you, what are your biggest strengths/weaknesses, etc. plus some questions about adapting to other cultures, working with children, teaching, etc. The Korean guy asked me a really weird/hard question: What do you know about Korea? He didn't really explain exactly what he meant (culturally, historically, politically, etc.), but I think I handled the answer pretty well. All in all, I think the interview went about as well as I could have hoped/expected.
I'm not positive the timeline on when I'll find out because they accept applicants on a rolling basis, but the people who interviewed me will have to send their recommendation to the EPIK office in Korea who will look over my application/their recommendations and then let me know their decision. I assume it'll be 2-4 weeks, but it could, in theory, be longer than that.
After the interview I drove over to the georgia aquarium where I saw SO many COOL sea creatures. Hammerhead sharks, sawfish, beluga whales, jelly fish, sea otters (they were sleeping and all huddled together and it was SOOOOOOO cute), etc. I left kinda early from the aquarium because I really wanted to go to World of Coke which is right next door, but when I was walking up to World of Coke I saw a sign that said: "closing early for event" and I had missed the cut-off time for buying a ticket by like 20 minutes. BUMMER.
So I hit the road, and drove home through some rain. No speeding tickets!
Sorry this was so long, so much to share!
xoxo,
A
I got into Atlanta around 8 o'clock on Tuesday night. I drove straight to the park where Oz was playing league. I watched her team play til about 9:30ish. Afterwords, we went to an Asian place called Doc Chey's that was really good. Had the pad thai (obvi). The restaurant was in this really cute section of town where there were just a dozen independent restaurants and boutique-y clothing stores and I was like, I wanna come back HERE sometime and shop like mad. The fortune in my fortune cookie was awesome (especially in regard to my interview): You are the master of every situation. Crazy, right?
So, we went back to Oz's place, where I watched the magic/lakers game (go magic!) and got ready for bed. Her family has a huge golden doodle that was a-freakin-dorable named Patrick.
Woke up at about 9;30. Had some breakfast, got ready for the day, but not the interview, which wasn't till 2:30. I read some of A Farewell to Arms by Hemmingway (really good if you're into Hemmingway's style). I am almost done with that. Up next: Water for Elephants
Oz had class at 8 a.m. (sucky) and then after she got back, we decided to go to H&M!! It was awesome, since we don't have one in Gainesville or back at home, and because it's cheap and super cool. I got two new shirts and spent most of the pre-interview day relaxed as can be. We went to lunch at this place called taqueria del sol. Super cute, really bright and cheery, blues and whites and yellows, and super delicious carnitas tacos. We passed this famous bbq place (fatt matt's?) where Chris Brown ate when he was last in atlanta, and I was all sad about not going there.
Anyways, got back and showered and got ready for my interview. Oz lives about 15 minutes from where my interview was which is SUPER convenient. Got all dressed and drove downtown without any real problems (phew!) and parked. It was about a block walk from the parking garage to where the interview was. I walked into the Consulate and literally everything (posters, signs, EVERYTHING) was written in Korean and everyone was speaking Korean and I was just like oh Christ. But, I just had to wait like five minutes and then I got called into the office where I was interviewed by two people: an American lady and a Korean guy. Pretty standard interview: what 3 adjs. best describe you, what are your biggest strengths/weaknesses, etc. plus some questions about adapting to other cultures, working with children, teaching, etc. The Korean guy asked me a really weird/hard question: What do you know about Korea? He didn't really explain exactly what he meant (culturally, historically, politically, etc.), but I think I handled the answer pretty well. All in all, I think the interview went about as well as I could have hoped/expected.
I'm not positive the timeline on when I'll find out because they accept applicants on a rolling basis, but the people who interviewed me will have to send their recommendation to the EPIK office in Korea who will look over my application/their recommendations and then let me know their decision. I assume it'll be 2-4 weeks, but it could, in theory, be longer than that.
After the interview I drove over to the georgia aquarium where I saw SO many COOL sea creatures. Hammerhead sharks, sawfish, beluga whales, jelly fish, sea otters (they were sleeping and all huddled together and it was SOOOOOOO cute), etc. I left kinda early from the aquarium because I really wanted to go to World of Coke which is right next door, but when I was walking up to World of Coke I saw a sign that said: "closing early for event" and I had missed the cut-off time for buying a ticket by like 20 minutes. BUMMER.
So I hit the road, and drove home through some rain. No speeding tickets!
Sorry this was so long, so much to share!
xoxo,
A
Monday, June 8, 2009
It's been a while.
So it's been a little while since I really had an opportunity to post on this bad boy. I've been really busy trying to prep for my interview in Atlanta and for mini-vacay in Colombia.
So after I found out about the interview, it occurred to me that I did not have a pair of pants that were legitimately long enough to wear to a formal interview like the one I have. So, I immediately logged onto gap.com to look at pants. I had to go to the store at the oaks mall to try a pair on to make sure they worked with my jacket, etc. and they did, but I still had to order them because I wear stupid extra-long pants, which are only available online. So I did that, plus bought a couple other cute shirts, plus cards and lotion and a number of other things I've been needing. I also went into the Sephora, which is like a little miniature version of heaven for me. Luckily, I kept my composure and bought nothing.
Then I quickly went to work trying to find a backpack to bring to Colombia. Something lightweight, sturdy, but small enough to carry-on and somewhat less expensive, as my funds are running awfully low these days.
I decided on a The North Face backpack, 40 Liters, seafoam green. The color isn't fantastic, but the women's backpacks in the size I needed were all either bright red or pastel colors. So I ordered that and am praying that it gets to my house before I leave. There is a slight chance it won't, so the best I can do is keep my fingers crossed.
Work and tutoring are all about the same. Lots of running around, lots of frantic preparations, lots of reading. I found a great website with lots of ideas that will hopefully be pretty helpful.
This weekend I went to Club Southerns in Statesboro, GA, which was really fun, but exhausting. It was just a one-day tournament, and we went with a bunch of Gainesville people, just kind of a slapdash team, but we went 2-2 on the day, losing to Ozone's teams (as expected) and beating the other two teams (alloy and Ga. Southern).
On Tuesday I leave for Atlanta, and on Wednesday I interview at 2:30. I'm excited, but also super nervous that I'm going to blow the interview and be jobless. Whatever happens, happens, I guess. Que sera, sera.
That's all for now I suppose.
xoxo,
A
So after I found out about the interview, it occurred to me that I did not have a pair of pants that were legitimately long enough to wear to a formal interview like the one I have. So, I immediately logged onto gap.com to look at pants. I had to go to the store at the oaks mall to try a pair on to make sure they worked with my jacket, etc. and they did, but I still had to order them because I wear stupid extra-long pants, which are only available online. So I did that, plus bought a couple other cute shirts, plus cards and lotion and a number of other things I've been needing. I also went into the Sephora, which is like a little miniature version of heaven for me. Luckily, I kept my composure and bought nothing.
Then I quickly went to work trying to find a backpack to bring to Colombia. Something lightweight, sturdy, but small enough to carry-on and somewhat less expensive, as my funds are running awfully low these days.
I decided on a The North Face backpack, 40 Liters, seafoam green. The color isn't fantastic, but the women's backpacks in the size I needed were all either bright red or pastel colors. So I ordered that and am praying that it gets to my house before I leave. There is a slight chance it won't, so the best I can do is keep my fingers crossed.
Work and tutoring are all about the same. Lots of running around, lots of frantic preparations, lots of reading. I found a great website with lots of ideas that will hopefully be pretty helpful.
This weekend I went to Club Southerns in Statesboro, GA, which was really fun, but exhausting. It was just a one-day tournament, and we went with a bunch of Gainesville people, just kind of a slapdash team, but we went 2-2 on the day, losing to Ozone's teams (as expected) and beating the other two teams (alloy and Ga. Southern).
On Tuesday I leave for Atlanta, and on Wednesday I interview at 2:30. I'm excited, but also super nervous that I'm going to blow the interview and be jobless. Whatever happens, happens, I guess. Que sera, sera.
That's all for now I suppose.
xoxo,
A
Monday, June 1, 2009
Summertime is funtime.
So this weekend has been sunshine and poolside relaxing.
The Islands of Adventure trip with the ELI got canceled, so my Saturday suddenly freed up. I was pretty disappointed to not be going to IOA, because I've never been before (crazy, right?) but I did have a pretty relaxing day which was really nice.
I went to the mall in the morning to run some errands. I had a free VS panty coupon to cash in, a bunch of cards to buy for anniversaries, father's day, etc., plus I needed new lotion (rainkissed leaves from bath & body works is AMAZING), and a new pair of pants to wear to my interview because my old pair are too short. I'm also in the process of trying to find a shirt to wear underneath the jacket. So far, I'm not having much luck in that department.
Anyhow, the Sephora in the Oaks mall is open and I explored around there for a bit. OMG, it's so fabulous.
Then, I went to the Estates pool around 1:30 and hung out there till 5:30 or so. Played some pool volleyball & basketball. Pool basketball was fun until these random guys started playing that were SO sketchy and gross.
Today, hit up the pool for an hour or so, and more or less just hung out around the apartment. I am getting pretty tan, which is, I guess, exciting. So far I've avoided any real sunburns (knock on wood), but the summer has really only just begun. Hopefully by the time I get to Colombia, I'll be tan enough to sort of fit in, in spite of my blonde hair. ha.
All in all, a good weekend.
So, I leave for Colombia in 23 days. I need a backpack (like, a big one) for everything, since we'll be moving around a fair amount within Colombia, and I don't want to have to carry around a duffel bag or a suitcase. The problem is, I'm not really sure what I'm looking for. I've been on some websites, but I have no idea what siza bag I should get. Obviously, I want something that I'll be able to use a bunch, but it has to be small enough to be a carry-on. Any suggestions or knowledge would be greatly appreciated in that regard...
xoxo,
A
The Islands of Adventure trip with the ELI got canceled, so my Saturday suddenly freed up. I was pretty disappointed to not be going to IOA, because I've never been before (crazy, right?) but I did have a pretty relaxing day which was really nice.
I went to the mall in the morning to run some errands. I had a free VS panty coupon to cash in, a bunch of cards to buy for anniversaries, father's day, etc., plus I needed new lotion (rainkissed leaves from bath & body works is AMAZING), and a new pair of pants to wear to my interview because my old pair are too short. I'm also in the process of trying to find a shirt to wear underneath the jacket. So far, I'm not having much luck in that department.
Anyhow, the Sephora in the Oaks mall is open and I explored around there for a bit. OMG, it's so fabulous.
Then, I went to the Estates pool around 1:30 and hung out there till 5:30 or so. Played some pool volleyball & basketball. Pool basketball was fun until these random guys started playing that were SO sketchy and gross.
Today, hit up the pool for an hour or so, and more or less just hung out around the apartment. I am getting pretty tan, which is, I guess, exciting. So far I've avoided any real sunburns (knock on wood), but the summer has really only just begun. Hopefully by the time I get to Colombia, I'll be tan enough to sort of fit in, in spite of my blonde hair. ha.
All in all, a good weekend.
So, I leave for Colombia in 23 days. I need a backpack (like, a big one) for everything, since we'll be moving around a fair amount within Colombia, and I don't want to have to carry around a duffel bag or a suitcase. The problem is, I'm not really sure what I'm looking for. I've been on some websites, but I have no idea what siza bag I should get. Obviously, I want something that I'll be able to use a bunch, but it has to be small enough to be a carry-on. Any suggestions or knowledge would be greatly appreciated in that regard...
xoxo,
A
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