Visa Fun
Stuff has kind of taken off since I got the job in Korea, and basically I have just been hammering out details, and just enjoying the last remaining weeks in NYC:
Other than that, I'm just wrapping up life in New York. It's so hard for me to believe that I've been here for 3 full years, at the same job, and that I'll be leaving it within a matter of days. BUT the way I look at it... is if you don't go big, you might as well go home. And I think I did a pretty good job of coming up with something bigger than New York.
(the group of us before a River Rafting trip down the Delaware in early July)
Aside from all the fun, I've managed to move 98% of everything I own up to Central New York (the homelands). I'm currently crashing on what used to be my living room couch in New York City, and will be finishing up work on August 16th. Then off to Korea on August 21st by flying out of Syracuse, to Chicago, and then that looooong flight to Seoul.
Everything with my Visa is all taken care of and was pretty simple in all honesty. I sent my Visa materials off to the SLP school in Seoul in early July. The school requested my original diploma, transcripts, 2 pictures, signed contract, copy of my passport, my first born child, and a resume to be Fed Ex'ed to them instead of using the US Postal Service. Well, after going to Fed Ex and realizing that it would cost $100 to send - I opted not to. By going to the Post Office and sending the same exact package that weighed .3lb to get there in 4 days (same as Fed Ex offered) it was $25 and gave me a tracking number, just like Fed Ex would have. *So a tip from me to any of you who are thinking about mailing stuff internationally, do not go to Fed Ex first.
Anyway, it was just a waiting game after that. The school issued me a visa confirmation number last week (about 3 weeks in total waiting time), and I went to the Korean Consulate here in New York City this week. After giving them more passport pictures (the people at the Walgreen's photo department and I are now on a first name basis), my passport, my transcripts, the confirmation number, my second born child, $45, and a copy of my contract, I was told to come back the following day to pick it up. The first thing to ever enter my passport is now a really fun looking huge sticker that says the Republic of Korea on it. Not too shabby.