My Hostel in Japan

It's Japan!

Last minute before moving

It's 10 pm on Friday.

I will move tomorrow around 6pm.

I am a little annoyed that it is so late, but I don't really have much of a choice.

I have all my clothing packed (except the stuff that is still drying from my laundry yesterday).

I have all my bathroom stuff packed.

I packed everything in my bedroom (essentially).

My kitchen, however, is a freaking disaster.

I can't pack up kitchen stuff because I just don't know how. It's totally over my head.

Also, I ran out of boxes (I have one left and all my kitchen stuff left to pack)

But, I am way better off than I was in the last move.

Plus, I got word from the part-time job that she will pay for the visa run IF I get my fbi background check by the first week of September. That gives me one month. LET'S GO FBI!

Please, everyone, fingers crossed please. I really need this job. Like seriously really need it.

Moving and Tears

I move to my new apartment on Saturday, which I'm sure I've mentioned like 600 times.

Tomorrow is my last day to come to Shinheung Girls Middle School. Next week I have an English camp at another nearby middle school.

Today I have to move a bunch of my boxes and stuff from my office.

Yesterday I had my last dinner with two of my co-teachers (the two I am by far the closest to)

We went to the same place where we had our first teacher dinner, mostly just by coincidence.

It was fun and talk-filled, but seriously, it was so so so so sad. Seriously. I cried like a baby. We took some polaroids and ate and chatted, and we all cried. And they gave me this beautiful pair of earrings from J.Estina and I just can't tell you how thankful I am to them.

They have helped me when I didn't know enough Korean, or when I didn't know where to look for something, or when I needed to sneak out early to go to the post office or bank, or when I just wanted help with anything. They have so much stress as homeroom teachers and with paperwork and discipline and extra classes I never could understand how they managed it, but they always did everything they possible could to make my life that much easier.

It's not like I'll never see them again, but I won't see them in the same capacity, and it's just so crazy.

A huge chapter of my life is closing. And a new chapter is opening. It's exciting, but bittersweet.

I'm no longer in the beginning of my Korean life.

Stress in Korea

I'm continuing to have a moderately stressful time here in Korea. I am two days into my final week at my middle school. I am packing things up in boxes and praying I don't forget anything too important here at school.

I officially move on Saturday July 30. No, I have not packed a damn thing in my apartment yet. I haven't really had time to do any packing. I'm hoping to really buckle down on Thursday and Friday.

Today I have to go to the Immigration Office again to attempt to file my visa extension. So far my visa extension experience is as follows:

• Call Immigration Office for information. Get convoluted answers and the response that to get personal information I must visit immigration office in person.
• Go to Incheon Office of Immigration. Deal with an idiot who has no idea what is going on (partly because no one has any idea, including myself, what the rules are)
• Call Immigration Office. Am told I will probably be required to go on a visa run because they cannot process visa applications in advance (one month is too much notice???)
• Call Immigration Office again. Speak to helpful woman who reassures me that I should have no problem extending my visa anytime from now until I leave for America. She reiterates that I will have to return to the Immigration Office after my vacation in America to fill out some additional paperwork. No problem
• 7/21 Call Immigration Office again to confirm required documents and procedure. Am told that I may be able to file my employment transfer form at the same time (if I am lucky).
• 7/22 Go to Seoul Immigration Office with the following items: visa appointment reservation ticket, passport, Alien Registration Card, apostilled and notarized diploma copy, my current school contract, new hagwon contract, hagwon's business and teaching licenses, 30,000 won, and completed immigration forms 34 and 38-3
• Wait until my appointment time. Go to appointment desk. No one is there. Get help from a not very nice looking employee who offers to serve us since there is no one in the appointment booth. My new Korean boss explains why we came and what we are looking to do. Without so much as looking at any documents checking a computer or doing anything, she says I cannot file for my visa extension until within 15 days of my visa expiration. Unfortunately, I will be in New York City, Philadelpha and Florida at that time. My Korean boss explains this, and the women says I must bring in my airplane tickets to show I will be gone and then they will process it early. I have already explained my whole situation on the phone with immigration help a total of five times at this point and there was never, ever an instance in which I was told I needed plane tickets. 
• Return home defeated.
• Discover in my mailbox a letter from immigration. It reads: Your visa will expire soon. If you plan to extend your visa please go to the nearest immigration office and complete the necessary paper work to do so.
• WHAT. THE. FUCK.

So I'm going back this afternoon, with all those documents, my plane tickets, a big innocent help me smile, and I'm going to find the youngest, nicest looking male employee and inquire with him about my appointment and pray that he helps me and lets me apply in advance. Because this is just getting absurd.

After the immigration office I am paying my apartment deposit and buying all the furniture from the current tenant.

At least I have an apartment, right? The only problem is that I am not sure if I'll be legally permitted to live/work here.

lol